The pale white expanse of the void stretched as far as the eye could see, silent and limitless, after Oakhaven was completely wiped from the map of existence. Amidst that emptiness, Davin Ronan stood entirely alone. His breathing remained ragged, his chest heaving rapidly, and the residual pain from the System Overload still hummed sharply inside his skull.

Yet, that physical pain was now overshadowed by a far stronger emotional surge: focused awareness and controlled fury.

He was no longer just a confused lab outcast flung haphazardly into a foreign dimension. His experience in Oakhaven—witnessing the suffering of consciousness echoes trapped in a cycle of lies—had opened his eyes wide. The Ledger was not merely a neutral cosmic record book, and the entity guiding him harbored no benevolent intentions. This universe was a multiverse-scaled oppressive machine, and he was being used as a pawn in their game.

Suddenly, the shattered fragments of the memory crystal from the underground cave floated up into the white air, revolving around Davin’s body like a dimly flickering mini-galaxy.

Zzzt... Zzzt!

Strands of golden-blue light from the crystal fragments emitted a powerful pulse, then moved in unison to plunge directly into Davin’s left chest.

Davin gasped heavily. He hunched over, tightly clutching the fabric over his chest as he felt a massive wave of informational energy slip inside and merge with the core of his soul. It was the memory essence of the first shattered world—the first successfully gathered fragment of existence.

Instantly, the hourglass symbol on the back of Davin’s right hand blazed brightly, radiating a golden-blue light so blinding it illuminated the entire void around him.

"First Fragment Successfully Absorbed. Synchronization with The Ledger reaches 14 percent," a cold, emotionless mechanical voice echoed directly within Davin's consciousness. "Initiating calculation of the next dimensional leap coordinates... Destination: Neo-Veridia Sector."

"Neo-Veridia Sector..." Davin whispered sharply, biting his lip, which still bore a trace of dried blood. He clenched his right hand tightly until his knuckles turned white. "Take me wherever you want, I don't care. I am going to tear this system down to its roots."

Before Davin could finish his sentence, the floor beneath the void suddenly gave way, collapsing into a tremendously powerful dimensional gravity vortex.

Whoosh!

A high-pressure gale battered Davin’s body from all directions, tearing the air and warping space around him. The gravitational pull was so intense it felt as though the joints throughout his body were about to be ripped from their sockets.

White light particles spun rapidly to form an endless spiral cosmic tunnel, dragging Davin into a vortex of time and distance far beyond human comprehension.

Davin did not close his eyes. Amidst the dimensional storm tearing space and time apart, he straightened his posture, staring straight ahead with a hard, steel-resolved facial expression. No more doubt remained in his eyes. This journey was no longer about survival; it was about resistance.

The spiral tunnel spun faster. The humming sound of cosmic machinery blended with the roar of dimensional winds to create a deafening symphony of chaos.

The deeper he was dragged, the hotter the symbol on the back of his hand burned. That searing pain served as a constant reminder that his path had only just begun.

Boom!

A sonic light explosion erupted at the end of the dimensional tunnel. The vortex wind stopped abruptly, replaced by a harsh gravitational impact that slammed Davin hard onto the cold, hard metal floor.

Thud!

Davin stumbled, catching himself with one hand braced against the vibrating metallic surface. He gave a small cough, inhaling the first breath of his new world.

Yet, the air rushing into his lungs this time bore no resemblance to the pine scent of Oakhaven. The air here felt heavy, humid, reeking of sharp chemicals, artificial ozone, and stinging toxic gas that instantly made his throat itch.

Davin raised his head slowly, blinking his eyes to adjust to the surrounding illumination.

The scenery greeting him instantly stole his breath away.

Davin stood on the balcony of a skyscraper soaring thousands of meters high, amidst a sprawling, boundless cyberpunk megacity. The sky above the city never saw a sun; its night sky was smothered by a toxic, gloomy cloud reflecting the dazzling glow of thousands of giant holographic billboards the size of buildings hovering in the air.

Neon lights in glaring colors—blood red, poisonous green, and electric blue—flickered wildly at every corner of the narrow streets below. Flying vehicles streaked at high speed along complex aerial traffic lanes, intersecting among the megacorporate steel towers dominating the horizon.

And beneath the roar of factory engines, the hum of plasma generators, and the bustling noise of millions living under the tyranny of artificial intelligence, a whisper of night wind carried a cold message from this lethal world.

Davin rose slowly, straightened his torn coat, and stared intensely at the expanse of the futuristic megacity glowing falsely below.

A new chapter of the Architect’s escape and resistance officially commenced in Neo-Veridia.