Elion returned home late.

  The corridor lights still diffused at regular intervals, and the door sensor automatically opened upon detecting him.

  The apartment was quiet. His mother would be late due to an Indoctrinator's Council meeting, and his father was likely on the night shift.

  He removed his shoes at the threshold—a ritual preserved even in these sealed environments—and glanced toward the bookshelf.

  Father's bookshelf.

  A heavy storage unit deeply embedded into the wall, with a small safe at the bottom that was always locked.

  An object of curiosity since childhood. No key worked, no fingerprint granted access. Impenetrable, untouchable.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  But that night— The safe door stood slightly ajar. A hairline gap, barely wide enough to insert a fingertip. Elion hesitated.

  The apartment remained silent. Even the rhythmic vibration from the ventilation ducts and the low hum of the purification filters seemed to have ceased.

  He carefully pushed the door open. Inside were a few books and several storage films.

  One in particular caught his eye. The title: 《Prism Core System: Emergency Control Protocol》.

  He extracted the book.

  The cover was aged composite material, with a publication date marked 97 years ago.

  As he turned the pages, circuit diagrams and light source control schematics appeared, alongside phrases like manual inspection module locations, manual override procedures.

  Elion's fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

  This wasn't merely information.

  For the first time, he held in his hands the method to extinguish the city's 'Light.'

  The pages before him were cold and precise, but inside his mind, an inexplicable warmth bloomed.

  Something fundamental was shifting.

  It wasn't fear.

  It was the sensation of possibility.