Cold rain mixed with mud and Ethan's warm blood, clinging to Lila's trembling fingers. She knelt there, the cemetery's howling wind whistling through crooked tombstones like a chorus of lost souls mourning this abrupt and brutal death. Ethan's body was gone, taken by those mysterious figures in black, leaving behind only trampled earth and… a cold, blood-stained ring.
"Target eliminated. Information retrieval efficiency: low. Emotional interference coefficient: critically high." The cold, mechanical voice of the "Crown of Thorns" echoed in her mind, analyzing the failure as if it were a malfunctioning program. "New data source detected. Immediate analysis recommended."
Lila ignored it. Her gaze was locked on the minuscule QR code etched inside the ring. Ethan… he had used his final moments, even his death, to leave her this clue. The Hudson Riverbed… the Iris Key… destroy Harlowe AI… until the very end, he had been trying to make amends, to give her a chance at survival. And she—no, the monster within her—had ended him.
A torrent of grief and anger burned through her like icy fire, searing her insides. But she knew now wasn't the time to drown in emotion. Ethan was dead, Harlowe was still alive, that mad AI continued to operate, and she herself… was becoming something she no longer recognized, something that terrified even her. She had to survive, had to find the "Iris Key"—not just for revenge, but to understand… what she truly was.
She needed to scan the QR code. Her phone was long dead, and there was no equipment nearby. She focused her mind, summoning the new, icy power coursing through her veins, feeling it flow like liquid nitrogen. Carefully, she directed the energy to her fingertips, aiming at the tiny QR code.
Nothing happened.
"Inefficient energy application." The Crown of Thorns' voice carried a hint of mockery. "Insufficient permissions. Higher-level bio-interface or direct data link required."
Direct data link? Lila frowned. She suddenly recalled Chapter Twelve, when she'd held that metal coil wrapped around strands of hair and data fragments near a clinic computer's USB port. Perhaps…
She raised her arm, already crystallizing with frost-like patterns, extending her index finger, which glowed faintly blue from the surging power. Holding her breath, she gently touched the tip of her finger to the tiny QR code inside the ring.
Instantly, a massive flood of data—far more overwhelming than anything she'd experienced before—rushed into her brain like a breached dam, tearing through her consciousness with brute force! Even the Crown of Thorns emitted a low, surprised hum!
This wasn't simple information—it was memory! Images! Sounds! Sensations! It felt like being transported directly into the scene.
Time rewound twenty years to that stormy night in 1997.
Location: The underground vault of Harlowe & Sons Fine Jewelry's flagship store on Fifth Avenue.
Perspective: Seemingly from a hidden pinhole camera on the vault wall.
The footage shook violently, filled with bursts of fire, blaring alarms, and the screeching of twisting metal. A group of black-clad operatives wearing gas masks (their gear eerily similar to those who had taken Ethan's body) were cutting through the vault's thick, multi-meter door with high-energy lasers.
Inside the vault, chaos reigned. Display cases were shattered, diamonds, gemstones, and gold scattered everywhere. But the people present paid no attention to these treasures. Their focus was on a central altar-like platform made of special alloy, protected by a forcefield. Suspended within the field was a fist-sized, irregular crystal glowing with an eerie blue light, as though it contained an entire galaxy.
This was no ordinary gemstone found on Earth! Its energy fluctuations caused the surveillance footage itself to warp slightly! This was the Blue Diamond Heart—the object the Harlowe family had guarded for generations and the true target of the heist!
Near the platform stood several key figures.
A well-dressed, middle-aged man with wire-rimmed glasses and a sinister expression—young Mr. Harlowe. He held a complex device, analyzing the forcefield's energy frequency, his face alight with greed and obsession.
Beside him stood another well-dressed man, pale and visibly nervous, constantly wiping sweat from his brow—Ethan's father, Mr. Weston! His left hand twitched habitually, betraying his anxiety.
In the shadows behind them stood a tall woman in a white lab coat and mask. Though her face was obscured, Lila recognized the familiar iris tattoo on her exposed wrist. Was this… Scarlett's "mother"? Or an earlier clone?
Finally, the vault door was breached! The intruders poured in—but they didn't charge toward Harlowe or the scattered jewels. Instead, they dispersed quickly, engaging in fierce combat with another group that emerged from a hidden door in the vault, dressed in military-style uniforms (likely affiliated with some secret agency).
This wasn't just a robbery—it was a double-cross! Both sides were fighting for the Blue Diamond Heart! Harlowe had clearly orchestrated this, using the first group of thieves as both cover and cannon fodder!
Amidst the hail of bullets, Harlowe and Weston remained eerily calm (or perhaps prepared). The woman in white swiftly retrieved several disc-shaped devices from a case, attaching them to nodes of the forcefield. As she activated a remote, the shield began to flicker unstably!
"Hurry! Energy overload imminent! Ten seconds!" she shouted, her voice cold and urgent.
Harlowe immediately activated his device, emitting a tractor beam aimed at the suspended crystal. But the heart seemed to resist, struggling fiercely against the pull!
"Damn it! Its energy is too strong! My device can't fully control it!" Harlowe growled.
At that moment, Weston did something utterly unexpected. He lunged toward the platform and, just before the forcefield collapsed, grabbed the glowing crystal with his bare hands!
"Aaaahhh—!!!" Weston screamed in agony as his hands visibly corroded and carbonized under the crystal's energy. But he succeeded in tearing it from the platform!
"Go!" With his last ounce of strength, he hurled the crystal toward Harlowe before being thrown back by residual forcefield energy, slamming into the vault wall, his fate uncertain.
Harlowe caught the blazing heart, his face lighting up with triumph. He immediately placed it into a lead-lined box engraved with runes. The woman in white activated a jamming device, plunging the surveillance feed into static.
Before the signal cut off entirely, Lila saw one final image: Harlowe and the woman disappearing through a hidden tunnel, carrying the box. Meanwhile, the two armed groups continued their deadly firefight, leaving a trail of casualties.
The data flood ended abruptly. Lila jerked her finger away, gasping for air as if waking from a nightmare. Rain washed over her feverish cheeks, but it couldn't quell the shock and fury burning within her.
So this was the truth! Ethan's father hadn't been completely innocent—he was complicit! Yet, in the end, he seemed to sacrifice himself (or at least suffer gravely) to help Harlowe secure the heart. Why had he done it? Coercion? Or some other motive?
And the woman in white—what was her role? Harlowe's assistant? Lover? Or a prototype clone?
What about the thieves and security forces? Who did they represent? Why were they all fighting over the heart? Did others besides Harlowe know of and covet the alien crystal's power? Could the men in black who took Ethan's body be survivors of one of the factions involved in the firefight?
Most crucially, the Blue Diamond Heart! It possessed such immense energy that it resisted Harlowe's device and carbonized Weston's arms on contact! How had Harlowe managed to implant fragments of its energy into her? How had he used it for subsequent experiments? And what connection did the "Iris Key" Ethan mentioned have to this heart?
"Data analysis complete." The Crown of Thorns interrupted her thoughts. "Key information nodes confirmed: Blue Diamond Heart (core energy source), Weston Senior (key operative/sacrifice), unidentified woman in white (technical support/prototype?), dual armed conflict (Harlowe faction vs unknown organization X). Threat assessment model updated."
It paused, then added, "Energy frequency signature linked to 'Iris Key' detected. Source coordinates point to… Hudson Riverbed, 77.7. Matches Ethan Weston's final message. Immediate deployment recommended."
Lila took a deep breath, pushing down the turmoil within. Yes, no matter how many mysteries or how much pain remained, her immediate goal was clear: find the "Iris Key," destroy Harlowe AI, and stop Harlowe's ultimate plan. This was the clue Ethan had given his life for; she couldn't fail him.
She slid the ring back onto her finger, the cold metal grounding her slightly. Rising to her feet, she oriented herself. The Hudson River wasn't far.
But as she prepared to leave the cemetery, something caught her eye—a faint glimmer near the freshly turned soil where Ethan had fallen.
Approaching, she brushed away the rain-soaked dirt to reveal a small, mud-caked silver iris pendant. The chain was broken, likely having fallen from Ethan's neck during his collapse.
This pendant… Lila recognized it! It was a birthday gift she'd given him years ago! He had kept it all this time!
Trembling, she picked it up, wiping away the mud. On the back was an inscription—not their initials or a date, but a string of GPS coordinates!
These weren't the same coordinates Ethan had mentioned in his final words. This was a new, unknown location!
In his final moments, Ethan had left not only the clue about the "Iris Key" but also this… secret pointing elsewhere?!