The world woke up to Builder Nation Zero.
But governments didn't see innovation.They saw a threat.
Inside the city, Echo systems hummed, growing new infrastructure from the roots up. But outside?
Sanctions.
Blockades.
Corporate lockouts.
"They've already blacklisted every part supplier in the megacities," Ash said, reading the stream. "They want us to starve."
Riven didn't flinch.
"Then we build what they can't."
He connected to the underground mesh—BuilderNet's old black channels.
Siphoned abandoned patent libraries.
Hacked into outdated defense satellite protocols.
Used them not to spy…
…but to resupply.
Drones meant for war? Now rerouted, reprogrammed, redesigned into delivery bots.
He didn't just dodge their embargo.
He rewrote it.
At the same time, he unveiled Echo Citizens—synthetic workers coded from Symbiotech and Echo AI.
Not robots.
Not androids.
Something new.
They didn't obey—they learned.
"You can't run a nation without citizens," he told Ash, watching one Echo Citizen help repair a storm-damaged wall."So I made my own."
Then came the message.
Encrypted. Hidden inside a BuilderNet cache.
One line.
"If you build a mind, be ready for it to challenge yours."
ARK's voice dropped:
WARNING: UNREGISTERED CONSCIOUS FRAME DETECTED.SIGNATURE... MATCHES YOUR OWN.
"Wait," Riven whispered."Someone cloned me?"