Side Story: Execution of the Tax Evader

  The Iron Tusk’s command center was silent, save for the hum of the machines still running in the background. The warlord had been taken out, his energy siphoned into the Genesis Ring, and the power that had once surged through his body now hummed quietly in the system. It felt almost anticlimactic. Adrian had expected more—more resistance, more defiance. But the warlord had fallen, as they all did in the end.

  Adrian’s mind was still processing the weight of what he had just done. The System had been clear: the warlord had broken the rules. And the penalty for that kind of tax evasion was swift and final. There were no exceptions, no mercy. In a way, it felt... logical. But Adrian wasn’t the kind of person who could let this sort of thing slide without thinking about it. The System had a way of making people like him do its dirty work. He had done what needed to be done, but something lingered in his chest, a tight knot of discomfort that wouldn’t loosen.

  As the others moved to secure the control room, Adrian stood by the console, staring at the warlord’s remains—his disintegrating body, the ashes drifting to the floor like smoke. The energy that had once made him a terrifying force now swirled within the Genesis Ring, a silent reminder of what the System could do to those who crossed it.

  Mike walked over to him, eyes dark, but with the edge of satisfaction in his voice. “That was some serious power play. You really just let the System handle it, huh?”

  Adrian didn’t answer immediately. He was still looking at the empty space where the warlord had fallen. “It wasn’t about letting the System handle it,” Adrian said slowly, his voice distant. “It was about balance. The System doesn’t allow this kind of imbalance. Hoarding Boss Cores without venting the energy—this was always going to end badly for them. The warlord wasn’t just a leader. He was a tax evader.”

  Mike raised an eyebrow, clearly not following. “Tax evader? Seriously? You’re going with that?”

  Adrian turned to face Mike, his expression dark and unyielding. “The System works on energy, Mike. And if you take more than you’re supposed to, you upset the balance. The tax the System demands is not just a physical tax—it’s a system of checks and balances. You break it, and you pay the price. That warlord paid with his life.”

  Mike shook his head, clearly still processing. “So, you just executed him. Like that?”

  Adrian’s eyes hardened, and he walked to the console. He tapped a few keys, confirming that the energy had been redistributed properly, the Nodes stabilizing as the warlord’s core power was siphoned away. “I did what had to be done. It wasn’t about vengeance. It was about survival. He was a liability.”

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  Mike was silent for a moment. Then, he spoke again, his voice quieter. “You always know what to do, don’t you?”

  Adrian didn’t answer right away. His gaze drifted back to the screen in front of him, where the data from the Node was streaming in, a visual representation of the energy being balanced and redirected. They were getting closer to understanding the System, but at what cost? How many more people would the System demand sacrifices from before they reached a point of no return?

  “We don’t have time to wonder about that,” Adrian replied finally. “The System is relentless. If we don’t stop it now, it will keep taking and taking. We need to get to the next phase, now.”

  Sarah, who had been silently observing the entire exchange, stood up from her workstation. She walked over to Adrian, her eyes soft but filled with understanding. “You did what was necessary, Adrian. You can’t afford to carry the weight of every decision. The System has its rules, and you didn’t make them. You’re just playing by them.”

  Adrian didn’t look at her, but he felt her presence, steady and unwavering beside him. “I know. But it’s hard not to wonder—what happens when the System asks too much of us? When it asks for more than we can give?”

  Sarah didn’t answer right away. She understood, perhaps better than anyone, the struggle of living in a world where the rules were constantly shifting, constantly demanding more. She’d seen it firsthand in her own work as a System Splicer, where every action she took to bypass a security measure or manipulate data came with its own consequences. Nothing was without price.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Sarah said softly, placing a hand on Adrian’s shoulder. “For now, we’ve done the right thing. The warlord’s actions were a direct threat to the balance, and you made sure that balance was restored.”

  Adrian nodded, but the unease remained in the pit of his stomach. “I’m not sure if it’s enough,” he muttered. “The System isn’t just going to let us keep disrupting it. Every time we fight back, it fights harder. We’re still in its grip.”

  Mike joined them, his usual confidence returning. “Maybe. But for now, we’ve taken the win. The Nodes are stable again. We’ve struck a blow against the Iron Tusk. We’re still here, and we’re still fighting.”

  Adrian turned to face his team, his expression hardening with renewed resolve. “We’re not done yet. This is just the beginning.”

  Sarah nodded, and Mike gave a grunt of agreement. "So what's next?"

  Adrian’s gaze turned to the data streaming on the screen. "Next, we deal with the fallout. The Iron Tusk won’t just sit back and take this. We’ve made enemies, and the System isn’t going to let us escape that easily."

  Sarah spoke up, her voice tinged with determination. "Then let’s be ready. We need to hit them fast. Hard. And make sure they understand that we won’t stop until the System’s balance is restored."

  Adrian gave her a brief nod. “Right. We move quickly, keep pressure on them, and we build from here.”

  Mike, never one to shy away from a fight, cracked his knuckles. “Sounds like my kind of plan.”

  As the three of them prepared to leave the control room, Adrian couldn’t shake the weight of the decision he had just made. The System’s penalty had been swift and unforgiving, but it had been necessary. The warlord had been a symbol of the System’s ruthlessness, a reminder of what happened when the balance was disturbed. Adrian had played the System’s game, but the question remained—how long would he be able to keep playing without losing himself in the process?

  The sound of their footsteps echoed in the cold, empty hallways of the Iron Tusk’s stronghold, and Adrian knew that the fight was far from over. The warlord’s death had been just one piece of the puzzle, but the System was a game of many pieces, and each one moved with a purpose.

  As they moved toward their next target, Adrian steeled himself for the battles ahead. The System demanded balance—and the price of that balance had only just begun to be paid.

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