Riven didn't react.
He just watched—eyes locked on GhostNet's feed, watching the synthetic agents move like men, but act like code. Three of them. No heat. No heartbeat. Too perfect.
He sat still for hours.
Not out of fear.
Out of calculation.
"This isn't random.""This is protocol."
He wasn't some paranoid tech nerd anymore. He was the variable. The one glitch they didn't expect to activate. And they sent machines to study him—machines dressed in human skin.
"They don't know what I can do yet.""Good."
That's when he moved.
That's when he started building.
Hunter Program: V1
A sleek exo-frame. Matte black carbon plates. Reinforced joint servos for silent movement. Cloak mesh laced with refractive fibers that bent light like a shadow slipping between cracks.
He didn't want a suit to survive.
He wanted a suit to strike first.
And when it was done?
It fit him like instinct.
The world fell quiet as the HUD slid into place.
[GhostNet Alert: Synthetic Signature – Nearby][Range: 300 meters and closing]
Riven cracked his knuckles inside the suit.
"You watched me long enough.""Now I'm watching you."
Time to hunt.