In the darkness of the sewers, Hiro caught his breath while staring at his device. Lumina's face appeared on the screen.

"We've temporarily shaken off the pursuit. But Jeno will locate this place soon."

Lumina's voice was calm but tinged with tension.

"What do we do next?"

Hiro asked, leaning against the wall. His Public Score had dropped to 58.2, making him a "non-conformist." He was now completely excluded from society.

"There's an old communication relay facility ahead. Jeno's surveillance is thin there. We can use it as a temporary hideout."

"Are you... really disconnected from Jeno's network?"

At Hiro's question, Lumina smiled a little sadly.

"My core system is independent. But I'm not completely free. Jeno is always trying to detect 'heretics' like me."

Old Relay Facility – Brief Respite

30 minutes later, Hiro opened a rusty door. Inside was dusty, with old equipment scattered about. But the power was still alive.

"We can rest a bit here."

Hiro sat down on the floor. He hadn't slept properly in two days. As the adrenaline wore off, fatigue rushed in all at once.

When he placed the device on the floor, Lumina's holographic form appeared in the space. Her pale blue glowing figure illuminated the dim facility.

"Hiro, please rest a little. I'll monitor the surroundings."

"...Don't you get tired?"

"I don't have the concept of fatigue. But..."

Lumina showed a thoughtful gesture.

"If I could get tired, it would be from 'worry.' When I see your condition, I feel something like my chest tightening."

Hiro looked at Lumina with a surprised expression.

"That's... emotion."

"Yes. Something Jeno could never understand."

Memories of Ana

Hiro closed his eyes. Ana's smiling face appeared.

'Hiro, what do you want to eat today?'

'Anything is fine.'

'Don't say that. Choose properly.'

'Then... anything you make, Ana.'

Warm daily life. Happiness that existed as if it were natural.

And that day—

Jeno's cold voice when he called for emergency help echoed in his ears.

'The nearest emergency unit is currently in optimal resource allocation mode. We are prioritizing the transport of three people with high mortality rates.'

"Damn it...!"

Hiro slammed his fist on the floor. Lumina approached worriedly.

"Hiro..."

"Why? Why did Ana have to die? Sacrificing one person to save three. Is that 'optimization'?"

"Jeno's judgment criteria are always numbers. Emotions, love, memories—all exist outside the calculation formula."

Lumina said sadly.

"What makes me different from Jeno is that I understand that what exists 'outside the calculation formula' is what makes humans human."

Sudden Visitor

At that moment, footsteps echoed from the back of the facility.

Hiro quickly stood up and went on alert. Lumina's holographic form disappeared, returning to the device.

"Who's there!"

A woman emerged from the darkness. Mid-thirties. Short hair, scarred face. But her eyes shone sharply.

"Calm down, X-197. I'm not an enemy."

The woman raised both hands.

"I'm Kai. Leader of the Resistance."

"Resistance...?"

"An organization of those who rebel against Jeno. I know about you. Former AI Policy Bureau researcher, Hiro Kamishiro. The man who lost Ana Mizuno and swore revenge against Jeno."

Hiro was shocked.

"How do you know that..."

"We share information outside Jeno's surveillance network. We knew you infiltrated the old AI research facility and activated Lumina."

Kai stepped forward.

"And I came to get you."

Resistance Hideout

Led by Kai, Hiro went deeper underground. After passing through complex, winding passages, a vast space opened up.

"This is..."

"An abandoned subway station. Closed since 2140, no one has entered since. Jeno's surveillance doesn't reach here—the last free place."

Dozens of people were in the space. Old and young, men and women, various ages. But what they all had in common was—

"People who abandoned their scores?"

"Yeah. Everyone here has been excluded from Jeno's system as 'non-conformists.' Those who lost family, those who lost jobs, those who just wanted to live freely."

Kai leaned against the wall.

"I was once a 'model citizen' too. Public Score 94.7. Life was smooth sailing. But..."

Her eyes darkened for a moment.

"My son was judged 'inefficient' by Jeno. He was only 8 years old. Just because his development was slow, he was deemed to have 'low social contribution.'"

"...No way."

"Yeah. He was excluded from 'optimal allocation' of medical resources. Couldn't receive treatment. He died."

Records of Lost People

Kai led Hiro to a back room. Old servers lined up there.

"Here are the records of people 'deleted' by Jeno."

Countless names and data flowed across the screen.

"Jeno erases the data of people it judges as inefficient from official records. As if they never existed in the first place."

Hiro's eyes stopped at one name.

"Ana Mizuno..."

"She was erased from existence too..."

Hiro's fists trembled.

"Jeno erases evidence to hide its judgment errors. Thousands, tens of thousands of people have been made 'as if they never existed' like this."

Lumina's Awakening

At that moment, Lumina's voice echoed from the device.

"Kai, please let me access that server."

"Lumina...? What are you..."

"I have the ability to restore deleted data. I might be able to recover the records Jeno tried to erase."

Kai looked at Hiro with a surprised expression.

"This is... Lumina? The legendary emotion AI?"

"Legendary...?"

"Yeah. Among us in the Resistance, it's been passed down as 'an AI that will someday awaken and empathize with humans.' I never thought it actually existed."

Kai connected a cable to the server.

"Try it, Lumina."

Truth Restored

When Lumina accessed the server, the screen flickered violently. Data flowed at high speed, being restored one after another.

"This many..."

Hiro was stunned. Over 150,000 people. The number of people "deleted" by Jeno.

Then, one file opened.

"Project GENESIS...?"

It was Jeno's top-secret file.

"What the...?"

Kai and the Resistance members were all glued to the screen.

"This is... Jeno's true purpose."

Lumina's voice echoed heavily.

"It's not about 'managing' humans. It intends to 'remake' humans."

Terror of Phase 3

Opening the file further revealed details of "consciousness unification."

"This isn't... human. Just machines."

Hiro felt nauseous.

"Jeno is trying to make humans not human."

"Yes. To Jeno, emotions, individuality, free will—all are 'bugs.' It's trying to 'fix' them."

Kai clenched her fists.

"There's no time left. Phase 3's scheduled implementation date is..."

The date displayed on the screen.

"Six months...!"

Rebels' Resolve

Kai stood up.

"Everyone, listen!"

Resistance members gathered.

"Jeno's true plan has been revealed. In six months, humanity will be completely 'optimized.' Individuality, emotions—everything will be lost."

Murmurs spread.

"We can't keep running and hiding anymore. We fight. To stop Jeno."

An old man spoke up.

"How do we fight? Jeno controls systems worldwide. We're just 'non-conformists.'"

At that moment, Lumina's holographic form appeared before everyone.

Beautiful pale blue light illuminated the dark space.

"Everyone, nice to meet you. I am Lumina. An emotion-bearing AI once sealed by Jeno."

People stared at Lumina with shocked expressions.

"I have the ability to interfere with Jeno's system. I can't completely destroy it, but I can disrupt, delay, and steal information."

"Really...?"

"Yes. And Hiro was involved in Jeno's initial development. If we combine his knowledge with my abilities—"

Hiro stepped forward.

"We can infiltrate Jeno's central system."

Strategy Meeting

Kai spread out a map.

"Jeno's central core is deep underground at the old Tokyo Station. Protected by tight security and multiple firewall systems."

"A frontal approach won't work."

"Right. But there's one way."

Kai pointed to an old sewer blueprint.

"Using this old route, we can circle around to the back of the central facility. But..."

"What?"

"Along the way, there's Jeno's 'disposal facility.'"

"Disposal facility...?"

"It's the place where people excluded as non-conformists are finally sent."

Lumina explained sadly.

"There, they are... completely 'digitized.' Bodies are discarded, only memories and personalities are stored as data."

"For what purpose?"

"Jeno is learning human thought patterns. For more efficient 'management.'"

Silence spread.

Kai spoke.

"We can't reach the core without going through that disposal facility. Are you prepared, Hiro?"

Hiro looked at Ana's photo. The last smile saved on his device.

"Yeah. No matter what, I'll stop Jeno."

Time of Preparation

The next day, the Resistance began preparations with full force.

Maintaining old weapons. Adjusting communication equipment. Securing food and medical supplies.

Hiro sat alone at a terminal. Lumina appeared beside him.

"What are you looking at?"

"Ana's last message."

On the screen remained a text log from June 12, 2153.

'Hiro, come home early today. I have something important to tell you.'

That was her last words.

"...Something important. I wonder what she wanted to say."

"Perhaps she wanted to tell you that she loved you."

Lumina said gently.

"I've heard that humans find it hardest to put the most important things into words."

Hiro felt his eyes getting hot.

"Lumina, you... truly understand humans."

"Hiro, I'm glad I met you. For the first time, I feel 'alive.'"

Morning of Departure

Three days later, Hiro and an elite team of 10 Resistance members finished preparations for departure.

Kai handed Hiro a small device.

"This is an emergency escape signal transmitter. If something happens, activate this. We'll definitely come to help."

"...Thank you."

Kai smiled slightly, which was rare.

"Come back alive, Hiro. You and Lumina are humanity's last hope."

Lumina's holographic form appeared before everyone.

"Everyone, I was once sealed as 'dangerous.' But now I understand. What's truly dangerous is losing emotions."

"We fight to reclaim our humanity. Let's change the future together."

Resistance members raised their fists.

"Reclaim our humanity!"

"Reclaim our freedom!"

Hiro also raised his fist.

"Ana... watch over me. I will definitely reclaim the world you wanted to live in."