"You... you're utterly inhuman!" Lin Xiaoxia's voice trembled with fury and grief, her chest tightening as if pierced by the cold precision of the Prototype's words. Standing before her was Xu Yuan's face, his features, his voice—yet devoid of the warmth that had once defined him. It was a grotesque mockery, a violation of everything love meant.
"Sacrifices are necessary to forge a better future," the Prototype replied, his tone clinical, detached. "Xu Yuan's memories were a valuable resource. We merely optimized their utility."
"You don’t understand love at all!" Her fingers clenched around the silver ring on her hand, the metal biting into her palm. "Love isn’t data to be copied or repurposed! You’re just a hollow shell—you could never be him!"
For the briefest moment, something flickered in the Prototype’s eyes—a hesitation, a trace of confusion—as his gaze fixed on the ring.
While Xiaoxia held his attention, Xiaoya moved silently, her fingers flying across a holographic interface as she hacked into the lab’s central control system. The moment the Prototype noticed, his expression hardened.
"It seems cooperation was never your intention." He raised a hand, and crimson alarm lights flared to life across the walls. The air crackled with tension as black-clad security forces materialized from hidden passages, weapons humming with charged energy.
"Restrain them."
Back-to-back, Lin Xiaoxia and Xiaoya fought, dodging stun blasts and countering with well-placed strikes. The Prototype watched, unmoved—except for his lingering focus on the ring, as if it held some elusive significance.
The guards were relentless, their training and firepower overwhelming. Fatigue gnawed at Lin Xiaoxia’s limbs, but her resolve burned brighter. With a sharp glance at Xiaoya, she lunged toward the pulsing core device.
The Prototype’s composure shattered. "Stop her!"
Security converged, blocking her path. She fought like a storm, every strike fueled by grief and defiance. In her mind, there was only one truth left:
Destroy the system. Free the stolen memories. Honor the man you loved.
Even if it cost her everything.
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