As Max and his Titans advanced through the desert, the terrain gradually shifted. The golden dunes gave way to hardened rock, the wind howling as it funneled through narrow canyons. The path ahead was treacherous, littered with jagged formations and deep crevices that could swallow an unprepared traveler whole.
Yet, for Max and his Titan bodyguards, the dangers of nature were nothing compared to what could be waiting ahead.
[Proximity alert: High-energy readings detected. 5 kilometers ahead.]
Heart's warning made Max pause. He tapped his gauntlet, pulling up a holographic display. The readings were erratic but unmistakable—a power source strong enough to indicate either an active facility or another AI core.
"Heart, any signs of active defenses?"
[Scanners indicate dormant machinery… for now. No visible hostiles.]
Max smirked. "That just means they haven't noticed us yet."
The Titans spread out, their massive frames moving with surprising silence across the rocky expanse. Each one was a masterpiece of engineering, their sleek black armor blending into the shadows cast by the towering cliffs.
As they crested the final ridge, the source of the readings came into view—a massive, half-buried structure, its design unmistakably ancient yet eerily advanced. The ruins were unlike anything Max had seen before, even in the databases he had acquired.
Metallic vines, seemingly alive, coiled around the remnants of shattered towers. Strange symbols pulsed faintly on the walls, glowing with an otherworldly light. At the very center of the ruin, a massive gateway loomed, its surface rippling as if reality itself was distorted around it.
[Analysis complete. Structure identified: Precursor Vault. Designation: UNKNOWN.]
Max exhaled slowly. This was big.
"A Precursor Vault, huh? Looks like we just hit the jackpot."
One of the Titans let out a low, mechanical hum, its sensors sweeping the entrance.
[Warning: Energy fluctuations increasing. Anomaly detected inside.]
Max's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Then let's not keep it waiting."
He took a step forward, his Titans close behind.
A Precursor Vault—meaning some rich guy built a bunker to survive the apocalypse. In this world's case, it was to escape the Faro Plague—the self-replicating, biomass-consuming machines that brought ruin to civilization.
"But I guess it's broken, so either the guy or girl, or whatever family was inside is long dead," Max mumbled as he walked deeper into the vault.
As Max ventured deeper into the vault, he noticed remnants of a once-thriving workspace. The walls were lined with high-tech servers, broken VR pods, and scattered blueprints detailing an ambitious project—one that never saw completion.
Max walked through the dimly lit vault, his eyes scanning the remains of a once-thriving hub of digital innovation. Dust-covered VR pods stood in neat rows, their screens dark and lifeless. The main terminal at the center of the room blinked weakly, still functional but barely hanging on.
Heart's voice echoed in his earpiece.
[ Based on recovered data, this facility was the personal retreat of Alexander Vale, a legendary game developer. He was one of the last visionaries of the Old World, known for his groundbreaking work in fully immersive VR gaming. His most famous project, Ethereal Realms, revolutionized virtual experiences. ]
"Ethereal Realms, huh?" Max murmured, brushing off a shattered holotable. "I've heard about it in the archives. It was one of the most advanced AI-driven games ever made."
[ Correct. Before the Faro Plague, Alexander Vale attempted to develop a new project—an ultimate AI-driven VR world, one that would function as a perfect simulation of reality. However, the collapse of civilization disrupted his work. ]
Max stepped closer to a massive server rack, its cooling fans silent after decades of neglect. "Let me guess—he tried to upload his mind into the game but failed?"
[ Affirmative. Logs indicate that he explored digital consciousness transfer but lacked the time and resources to complete it. His last entries show increasing desperation. His body eventually gave out, and the bunker was sealed. ]
Max exhaled, taking in the eerie silence of the place. "A genius brought down by the one thing he couldn't control—time itself."
But what intrigued him most was the possibility that parts of Vale's work were still here. If the AI-driven VR world remained intact, he could extract its data, perhaps even repurpose it.
"Heart, start data extraction. Let's see what Vale left behind."
[ Understood. Beginning transfer now. ]
As the systems hummed to life, Max couldn't help but grin. If the AI framework and VR world were still functional, this vault might hold something even more valuable than he had anticipated.
The soft hum of the remaining servers echoed through the vault as Heart initiated the data extraction. A flickering holographic display sprung to life, showing lines of code scrolling rapidly, decrypting and salvaging whatever was left of Alexander Vale's magnum opus.
Max leaned against one of the old VR pods, watching as fragments of the past were reconstructed. The game developer's vision—an AI-driven, self-evolving virtual world—was far ahead of its time. And now, it was in Max's hands.
[ Data extraction at 43%. I have located fragments of the AI framework, but significant corruption is present. The VR world is partially intact, though several core functions are missing. ]
Max crossed his arms. "Can we restore it?"
[ If given time. However, the AI was designed to learn and evolve—if we can reconstruct the missing elements, it may be possible to revive the entire system. ]
Max smirked. "A fully self-sustaining virtual world… now that's something worth salvaging."
He turned to inspect the surrounding equipment. Old-world tech, some of it still in decent shape, lined the walls. Storage drives, holographic projectors, even an advanced neural interface system. The vault was a treasure trove for someone like him.
If he can add it to his own Virtual Reality he is building then it would advance his Virtual reality by many years.
As he paced the room, he noticed something unusual—a locked chamber at the far end. Unlike the rest of the facility, which was covered in dust and decay, this door was pristine. No signs of forced entry, no deterioration. It had been sealed with intent.
Max narrowed his eyes. "Heart, what's behind that door?"
[ Scanning… Unable to access records. It appears to be a private sector of the vault. Security protocols are still active. ]
Max's curiosity burned. If Vale had locked something away even as the world collapsed, it had to be important.
"Can you bypass the security?"
[ Affirmative. But it will take time. The encryption is advanced. ]
Max cracked his knuckles. "Then let's get started. I have a feeling this is where Vale hid his real masterpiece."
***
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