System X: The Villain Rise

Later that evening, Kaiza prepared himself for his parents' funeral. Though the pain still lingered, he felt somewhat relieved after letting out the emotions that had weighed him down. It wasn't complete healing, but it was a start. He resolved not to shed any tears during the final rites—he wanted to appear strong, even if his heart ached.

As expected, the venue was heavily crowded with unfamiliar faces. Kaiza scanned the gathering, noting that none of these people were relatives. The only family member he knew of was Will Liam, and yet, here they were—strangers filling the space.

"Who are these people?" he muttered under his breath, a mix of confusion and suspicion brewing within him.

Most of the attendees were dressed in distinct uniforms, each group wearing matching attire. Among them, Kaiza recognized one group—the BTech workers. They were dressed in the same suits his father had worn the night he passed. It was unmistakably their uniform, and the sight only deepened the weight of the moment, reminding Kaiza of the reality he was facing.

He walked through the rows of chairs, heading toward the front where Will Liam was seated. However, before he could reach his destination, Luson intercepted him, gesturing for him to sit elsewhere. The spot Luson had chosen was in the middle row, positioned at the center.

Kaiza understood the reasoning behind Luson's actions. This arrangement wasn't random; it was deliberate. Without argument, he complied, settling into the seat Luson had designated. Luson remained standing nearby, a silent guardian on the row.

Shortly after, the proceedings began. The service was unlike anything Kaiza had experienced before, a sharp contrast to the norms of the present world. Men from BTech, the very organization where his parents had worked, took charge of the ceremony. Among the crowd were several high-ranking government officials.

Enzox's death had unveiled many of his groundbreaking projects, drawing significant attention from various state governments. The revelations had stirred a wave of curiosity and respect, compelling officials to attend and pay their respects on this solemn day.

However, it was clear that most of those seated at the ceremony had ulterior motives beyond bidding farewell to the deceased or mourning with the grieving family. Some were there to negotiate contracts with BTech, hoping to acquire rights to Enzox's groundbreaking projects. Others had their sights set on Kaiza himself—some intending to abduct him, some seeking to reclaim what they believed belonged to them, and others eager to recruit him, convinced that he had inherited his father's extraordinary intelligence. They wanted to secure his allegiance even before he had the chance to attend military school.

The service began with a few heartfelt words about the deceased, a moment that stirred emotions Kaiza had tried to suppress. Watching people who had known his parents break into tears, including Will Liam, tugged at his heartstrings. He clenched his fists, holding back his own tears. But the sight of the adults around him weeping only made it more painful to endure.

Kaiza remained stoic, yet the emotions swirled within him, threatening to break through. He knew this was just the beginning of what lay ahead.

Kaiza sat there, feeling almost invisible. No one seemed to recognize him, apart from a few who had delved into Enzox's Gilic (social media) profile and stumbled across an old picture of him. But that image was of a much younger Kaiza, making it nearly impossible for anyone to identify him at a glance now.

Time dragged on, and Kaiza remained in his seat, isolated and despondent. He exchanged no words with anyone, lost in his own world of loneliness and sorrow. His gaze remained fixed on his parents' coffins from a distance—coffins he wasn't even allowed to approach.

The ache of not being able to see his parents one last time before their burial gnawed at him, a pain deeper than he had anticipated. While their relationship had never been the ideal parent-child bond he had wished for, the realization that he was now an orphan struck him with overwhelming grief. The reality felt unreal, too harsh to accept.

"I have to leave," Kaiza muttered to himself, rising abruptly from his seat. There was no point in staying, he reasoned. If he wasn't allowed to say goodbye properly, why remain here, drowning in pain? His presence felt meaningless, and staying any longer would only deepen his anguish.

"Let's head back," Kaiza said to Luson, his voice low but firm.

Without hesitation, Luson stood and escorted him to the car, moving with a subtle urgency. As they reached the vehicle, Luson pulled the door open just before Kaiza arrived. Kaiza climbed in without a word, sinking into the seat, his mind still clouded with grief.

Luson walked around to the driver's side, but just as he reached for the door handle, his device chimed softly. He paused, tapping his earpiece.

"They're here," a voice said from the other end.

Luson's eyes narrowed, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. Why can't they just give it a rest, even for a day? he thought, his jaw tightening.

"Let's get this done. I'm on my way," Luson whispered, pressing his fingers against the earpiece before turning his attention back to Kaiza in the car.

"I'll be back. Stay here," he instructed firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Before Kaiza could respond, Luson vanished into thin air, disappearing as if he had never been there.

Meanwhile, outside the cemetery, Sulan's colleagues had arrived with a group of men, intent on breaking into the premises to kidnap Kaiza. They believed the security here would be weaker than at the hospital.

However, what they didn't realize was that this was a first-class citizens' cemetery, known for its state-of-the-art security. The grounds were equipped with high-tech surveillance and defense systems, making it impenetrable. Even valuable possessions were stored here, as no successful break-ins had occurred in over a decade.

Back in the car, Kaiza's gaze lingered on Luson as he walked away.

"Where's he going now?" Kaiza thought, his mind uneasy as he watched the man disappear into the distance.

Suddenly, the back window of the car turned blurry, as if covered in a thick fog. Kaiza blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of it.

"What?" he exclaimed, leaning closer to inspect the glass. The blurriness wasn't limited to the back window—it had spread to all the windows, including the windshield. It was as though the car had been enveloped in steam.

"What's that?" Kaiza muttered, his voice tinged with alarm as he tried to peer through the obscured glass. The unsettling sensation of being trapped crept over him, his pulse quickening as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.

Meanwhile, outside the cemetery, Sulan's colleagues had arrived with a group of men, intent on breaking into the premises to kidnap Kaiza. They believed the security here would be weaker than at the hospital.

However, what they didn't realize was that this was a first-class citizens' cemetery, known for its state-of-the-art security. The grounds were equipped with high-tech surveillance and defense systems, making it impenetrable. Even valuable possessions were stored here, as no successful break-ins had occurred in over a decade.

Back in the car, Kaiza's gaze lingered on Luson as he walked away.

"Where's he going now?" Kaiza thought, his mind uneasy as he watched the man disappear into the distance.

Suddenly, the back window of the car turned blurry, as if covered in a thick fog. Kaiza blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of it.

"What?" he exclaimed, leaning closer to inspect the glass. The blurriness wasn't limited to the back window—it had spread to all the windows, including the windshield. It was as though the car had been enveloped in steam.

"What's that?" Kaiza muttered, his voice tinged with alarm as he tried to peer through the obscured glass. The unsettling sensation of being trapped crept over him, his pulse quickening as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.

[P-Shield]

Kaiza's vision was abruptly obscured by a faintly glowing interface, almost like a translucent magazine appearing out of nowhere and hovering before him.

"What?" he exclaimed, jerking back in his seat, his heart pounding as adrenaline coursed through him. For a moment, he panicked, thinking he was under attack. His mind raced, conjuring scenarios of danger lurking in the shadows.

Then it hit him—he had activated a system. A malfunctioning system.

Taking a deep breath, Kaiza forced himself to calm down and focus on the interface. The display became bolder, clearer, almost as though responding to his attention. Just as he began to make sense of it, a message on the screen flickered briefly before disappearing.

[A protection Device]

Beneath the text, a small button labeled [More] appeared.

Kaiza instinctively understood its purpose. "It's for more information about the shield," he thought immediately after glancing at the button.

Without hesitation, he tapped it. The interface responded instantly, expanding to reveal detailed information about the device. Lines of text began to scroll across the screen, presenting him with more data than he had expected.

The sheer flood of information overwhelmed Kaiza, and he couldn't stop himself from muttering,

"Definitely malfunctioning again."

The interface was spitting out so much data that it was impossible to process everything at once.

Amid the overload of seemingly irrelevant details, Kaiza managed to extract a few key pieces of information:

[Name - P-Shield]

[Device Group - Protection]

[Type - Large]

[Company - BTech]

[Use - Property Protection]

"Huh, not totally useless," Kaiza murmured, his interest piqued. Despite the device's apparent glitchiness, it had captured his attention.

He leaned forward, focusing intently on the screen. This wasn't just a passing glance anymore—Kaiza was studying every piece of information the system provided. He wanted to understand what this shield device was, how it worked, and why it had activated so suddenly.

The more he read, the more questions he had. Was this connected to his father's work at BTech? And why had it chosen to activate now? Determined to make sense of it, Kaiza immersed himself fully, sifting through the data with a growing sense of curiosity and purpose.

Kaiza consumed every bit of information the system provided, and what truly captivated him was the detailed breakdown of the device's composition. It listed every material used to build it, down to the smallest component. This wasn't just information—it was a treasure trove for someone like Kaiza, who had always been fascinated by technology.

To him, these details weren't boring at all. Instead, they fueled his curiosity. He couldn't help but marvel at how his so-called malfunctioning system was unexpectedly delivering exactly what he needed—just at the wrong time.

Part of him wanted to break free from the car and follow Luson. He was dying to know what was happening outside, who this new enemy was, or if Sulan was behind this again. He wanted to see Luson fight, to gain some insight into the man's abilities and intentions. Yet, the intricate details on the screen kept him rooted in place, completely engrossed.

Within seconds, Kaiza had devoured the entire blueprint for the device—the materials, the assembly process, and even how each component worked in harmony to create the shield. It was astonishing, almost unbelievable, that the system could provide such detailed and confidential information. It made him wonder if the system had somehow hacked into the manufacturer's database to retrieve all this.

Still, Kaiza wasn't concerned about the how or why. He was too absorbed in studying the "hacked" information to care.

Once he finished, he closed the page, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Almost immediately, the system opened a new page, and this time, it displayed exactly what he had been waiting for.

On the screen was a single button, glowing faintly, with the words: "Break Shield?"

Kaiza hesitated for a moment, then clicked on it without overthinking.

As soon as he did, a soft mechanical hum filled the car, and the door beside him unlocked with a quiet click before swinging open.

Kaiza blinked, surprised at how seamlessly it had worked. The shield had deactivated, and the car's confinement was gone. He stepped out cautiously, glancing around to see if Luson was nearby or if the situation outside had escalated.

The night air hit him, cool and unsettling, as he prepared to follow Luson. His curiosity about what was happening—and who they were dealing with—was too strong to ignore.