Year 2321 AD, Earth — Axis Academy

  Axis Academy stood on the land once known in the 21st century as Singapore. Fusing futuristic technology with natural ecology, it preserved the ideal of a “garden city.” At the heart of the campus flourished a green central ecozone beneath a vast transparent dome. Surrounding this lush core, spiraling clusters of main buildings extended outward. With its relaxed yet refined governance, the Academy nurtured the finest warriors and researchers in the galaxy.

  The first ray of dawn pierced the dome's edge, casting golden light across the staggered rooftops. On the training grounds, Chen Liyun swung his cybernetic arm with explosive force. Jets of blue flame burst from the joints, and each thunderous strike shattered grotesque virtual beasts into light particles. Standing over two meters tall with bronzed skin and heavily modified limbs, Liyun resembled a walking fortress.

  “Ha! Another A+ score? Come on, bump it up to S already.” He clicked his tongue and dismissed the virtual assessment interface, grumbling in defiance.

  Around him, classmates whispered, “This guy’s strength is insane…”

  In contrast, Elian strolled in just then. He wore the Academy’s standard uniform—immaculate and crisp. His short black hair and calm slate-gray eyes gave him the look of an unassuming student. Only those close to him knew that Elian was a prodigious genius, highly trusted by the Academy's leadership. His wristband housed powerful hacking tools, and a mysterious screwdriver-shaped device hung from his belt—a rumored gift from Nagami Kuro, the legendary principal who once saved the galaxy.

  “Yo, Elian! Taking your sweet time again?” Liyun called, looking up. “Don’t tell me you were up late messing with that weird code of yours.”

  Elian smiled faintly without answering.

  Just as he was about to speak, an alarm shrieked through the sky—the Academy’s shield alert.

  The holographic barrier displays flickered around the training ground. A mechanical female voice echoed across the campus:

  “Alert! Spatial curvature fluctuations detected. Unidentified vessel warp signature incoming… Arrival in thirty seconds!”

  “Spatial curvature?!” Liyun stood tall, eyes wide as he turned to Elian.

  Elian glanced at his wristband. A string of red alerts lit up the interface. He bit his lip.

  “The comm frequency… It’s the Lion Syndicate. Their warship will hit geosynchronous orbit in twenty seconds. Are they planning a suicide attack?”

  “The Lion Syndicate? You mean that galaxy-wide crime syndicate? What gives them the nerve? The Academy's shield and orbital defense systems aren't jokes—unless they’ve got Zero-Point…”

  Before he could finish, a thunderous blast rocked the skies.

  BOOM!

  The great shield dome above Axis Academy quaked violently. Cracks split across its shimmering surface. From the heavens descended a jagged black warship, its hull bearing the unmistakable golden lion insignia.

  “It’s really them! How the hell did they get their hands on Zero-Point weapons?” Liyun’s eyes nearly bulged. “Damn it! Isn’t that tech supposed to be exclusive to the Galactic Council military?!”

  A second Zero-Point energy blast slammed into the dome. The ground trembled like thunder as the students scattered in panic.

  At that moment, the sky beneath the central dome lit up with a warning from the Hetu Supercomputer:

  “Civilization Filter — Countdown: 15:00”

  // The Hetu Supercomputer is the galaxy’s most powerful computational system, hidden deep beneath Axis Academy. It was not built by humans but discovered by Nagami Kuro among the ruins of a lost civilization. Hetu can parse immensely complex tactical environments, aid in Academy governance, and provide real-time battlefield analysis and curriculum optimization.

  Its two critical functions include: a nanobot-based construction system capable of assembling anything from towering buildings to microscopic chips; and limited predictive capabilities—enough to foresee major events, such as the activation of the so-called “Civilization Filter.” //

  The words alone sent waves of terror through everyone’s minds. Civilization Filter? Legends told of a higher-dimensional device left behind by an ancient race—one that would annihilate any civilization it deemed unworthy.

  Nagami Kuro’s command crackled across the broadcast system: “All personnel, Level One Alert! Secure core systems—repel all intruders!”

  The Lion warship hovered in high orbit. Its second Zero-Point cannon fired again, shredding a massive hole through the Academy’s shield. Several small landing crafts shrieked through the breach and descended into the heart of the campus.

  “First it’s the Lion Syndicate, now some Filter from hell?” Liyun growled as dropships touched down on the northern plaza. “They’re here!”

  The hatches burst open. Waves of armed troops and combat drones flooded out, fanning toward classrooms, labs, and command posts. Energy blasts and explosions filled the air.

  Elian operated his wristband rapidly, intercepting a transmission:

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “…Hetu mainframe location confirmed. Demolition squad en route…”

  His pupils shrank. Fingers trembling, he brought up the full-campus surveillance interface. Holographic maps revealed multiple Lion squads converging on the underground core.

  “Hetu needs ten more minutes to triangulate the Filter’s origin. If they destroy it before that, it’s all over!” Elian said, urgency rising in his voice. “We have to protect the Hetu mainframe—now!”

  Liyun nodded without hesitation, racing with Elian toward the underground core.

  Meanwhile, deep within Earth’s Arctic glaciers, a mysterious team infiltrated a forgotten ruin. A minute earlier, they had activated a silver-inscribed terminal. On its surface, a countdown flickered:

  “Civilization Filter Countdown: 13:59… 13:58…”

  One of them sneered. “The Lion Syndicate is keeping the Academy busy. If everything goes according to plan, in fourteen minutes, Earth’s civilization—and Axis Academy—will be history.”

  The team boarded a black ship and vanished into the skies.

  On the ground floor, in the corridor leading to the underground core, several Lion Syndicate operatives ran straight into Chen Liyun, who blocked their path head-on. His cybernetic arm erupted in dazzling blue flame, slamming into their energy shields with a deafening roar. Three enemies were blasted back over ten meters, crashing hard into the walls.

  Elian retreated to the rear of the corridor and activated his wristband's hacking protocol, swiftly seizing control of nearby security drones. With their recognition systems rewritten, the drones opened fire on the intruding enemies, their bullets and energy beams weaving a brutal web of light and sound.

  "Elian, stop gawking and help out already!" Liyun roared, smashing another Syndicate gunner aside with his mechanical fist.

  Leaning against the wall, Elian’s fingers danced across his holographic interface. A faint smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.

  “Your metal hide might just get a scratch,” he muttered.

  Three plasma bolts screamed past, grazing his uniform and sizzling into the wall, molten droplets spattering the floor.

  “Mine, on the other hand, would be roasted.”

  He tapped his wristband and pulled the mysterious tool from his belt. Pointing it at a nearby emergency control panel, he said calmly, “Eyes shut.”

  Sparks burst from the panel. Lightning-blue arcs exploded along the corridor, and just as the light pierced their closed eyelids, the emergency shutters slammed down at the far end. The unlucky few who didn’t move fast enough were crushed with a chorus of pained cries.

  “Beautiful work, Elian!” Liyun shouted in excitement.

  “Take a team and cover Vent Shaft B. I’ll hold the line at Hetu.”

  “You’re commandeering again—fine! Just don’t get yourself killed!” Liyun growled and sprinted off toward Sector B.

  Elian weaved through a storm of plasma and bullets, dashing straight toward the underground core. As he reached the entrance to the final corridor, he halted abruptly and pressed against the wall, suppressing his breath.

  A dozen Lion Syndicate elites stood guard, fully armed and alert. Their formation was tight, weapons primed. They were clearly expecting interference.

  “…Troublesome,” Elian murmured. He glanced at his wristband.

  **“Civilization Filter Countdown: 9:53… 9:52…”**

  Each second stabbed at his chest like an invisible dagger. He took a deep breath, forced himself to focus, and pulled up schematics of the surrounding layout. Surveillance footage filled his mind’s eye. Tactical calculations ran at lightning speed.

  Inside, the Syndicate squad leader barked orders: “Move faster. Get the bombs on the core node. Don’t waste time.”

  Elian devised a plan. A frontal assault would be suicide. The best chance was to sow chaos and use the confusion to defuse the bombs.

  His gaze landed on a pressure valve on a nearby pipeline. He grinned slightly.

  A flick of his wrist, and the hacking protocol hijacked the enemy’s HUDs. Tactical displays and holographic data spiraled into static and gibberish, throwing the Syndicate elites into disarray.

  “Our visuals are jammed! Switch to backups!” their leader shouted.

  Elian moved. Rolling from cover, he surged toward the mainframe. Along the way, he triggered a backup cryo-suppression system, unleashing a flood of white mist that enveloped the corridor in dense fog.

  “Damn it! What the hell is this?!”

  As vision deteriorated, Elian slipped unseen to the demolition site. He expertly disconnected the first bomb's trigger node.

  “One down… let’s get the next.”

  He crouched at the second interface, fingers steady. Victory was within reach.

  But fate had other plans.

  An enemy operative, stumbling in the haze, knocked an elbow into the wall’s emergency power box.

  **BOOM!**

  A violent explosion burst forth. The heat wave engulfed Elian, hurling him back. He crashed into the wall, his senses blotted by pain and noise. His vision darkened.

  “Not… now…” he groaned. Pale and trembling, he struggled to stay conscious. A wave of helplessness washed over him.

  The fog cleared. Vision returned.

  The Syndicate commander locked onto him, raising a detonator with a cold sneer.

  “So you were the one causing trouble. Clever plan… too bad you lost to chance.”

  Elian forced himself upright. On the screen, the countdown ticked mercilessly.

  **“9:15… 9:14…”**

  Suddenly, the Hetu core flared with a searing blue-white light. Arcs of electricity exploded outward like wrathful thunder. The ground trembled and cracked as if something immense were awakening.

  “What’s happening? Is Hetu malfunctioning?!”

  The Syndicate troops backed away in alarm.

  Clutching his ribs, Elian squinted into the radiance. “The construction system… activating now? No… this isn’t normal. This is—”

  The light intensified beyond sight. Within it, a figure began to take shape—slim, graceful.

  Silvery-white hair flowed like a river of stars. Icy-blue eyes, calm and piercing. A girl, like a fallen angel, hovered in midair, her expression unreadable.

  She raised her hand.

  In an instant, invisible forces slammed into the Syndicate elites, smashing them against walls. The bombs were torn from their mounts and fell inert to the ground.

  Then came a second surge of light. It washed through the chamber like a supernova.

  The enemies collapsed, unconscious, powerless.

  Far away, in the Arctic ruin, the terrifying countdown froze on **“9:00”**. It flickered… then reset to zero.

  The Civilization Filter had been forcibly deactivated.

  “What the hell is that thing?!” the Syndicate commander cried, voice trembling.

  Elian, half-conscious, shielded his eyes. Awe filled his fading vision.

  The girl turned her head. Through the afterglow, her icy gaze met his—curious, almost wistful.

  But her expression faltered. Her glow faded. Her slender form fell from the air.

  “Hey—!” Elian reached out, but his strength gave way. The pain and exhaustion dragged him into unconsciousness.

  As both collapsed, the remaining Syndicate forces scrambled to retreat. Their warship lifted off and fled Earth’s orbit.

  Smoke and rubble choked the Academy, but it had survived.

  By the time Nagami Kuro and his team arrived, all they found was a battlefield—and the unconscious girl lying still among it all. The bombs had failed to detonate. Axis Academy was spared.

  But why had the Civilization Filter activated? How were the Syndicate involved?

  No answers—only questions.

  Many were wounded. Elian was among them, carried away by medical drones. The silver-haired girl was rushed to the medbay.

  Nagami Kuro stared at her sleeping face, deeply unsettled.

  “That light… what level of power did we just witness?”

  The investigation had only just begun.