Farrah’s lips parted slightly... She was amazed by this new set of items being sold by the Gene Trader.

"This is new. I’ve never seen a Gene Trader offer Gene Weapons before."

Wallace nodded since they had seen a couple of Gene Traders by now and none of them were selling dormant Gene Weapons.

Of course, there were other items being sold...

[ Bloodbound Bracelet: A crimson band that absorbs the wearer’s blood and solidifies it into a blade. The weapon’s strength depends on the user’s vitality.

Cost: 5 Survivor Medals ]

[ Phantom Mask: A dark mask that alters facial features and disguises the wearer’s identity. It also dampens breathing sounds, making stealth easier.

Cost: 6 Survivor Medals ]

[ Dire Claw Gauntlet: Crafted from pale skeletal material that reshapes to fit the user’s hand, giving it a rigid, claw-like form.

Cost: 5 Survivor Medals ]

[ Chameleon Cloak: A cloak made of adaptive fibers that blend with the environment, reducing visibility.

Cost: 5 Survivor Medals ]

[ Venomfang Dagger: A curved blade that infuses the user’s blood into its edge, producing a toxic effect. The poison weakens enemies over time.

Cost: 6 Survivor Medals ]

These items seemed to have extraordinary abilities, but they weren’t exactly Gene Weapons. Instead, they were considered Special Weapons.

Because of that, anyone could obtain them, and they could also be stolen...

"Are you going to buy something?" Farrah asked.

"Yes... I have enough for a Serum." Wallace replied as he looked at the cloaked figure who seemed to be waiting for their decision.

***

Meanwhile, just a couple of days ago, the workshop inside the Haven-28 Shelter remained bright even during the night...

There was a generator in this shelter, giving a steady supply of electricity to run the whole place...

At this time, Silas had cleared a space in his workshop since his side project had to be expanded soon, according to Kai.

He had set up more tables covered with dismantled Sentinel parts... torsos, arms, heads, and circuit boards stacked neatly in rows.

Kai and Mei entered, each carrying their laptops they had obtained from Gene Traders before.

They already had various parts they needed, including the Nano Circuit Boards. They were compact, wafer‑thin replacements designed for regaining control over the Sentinels.

Indeed, unlike the original boards, these were designed to sever the Sentinels’ connection to the A.I. Rebel, Aria.

Silas greeted them with a tired smile.

"You came. Good. I’ve prepared a batch of Sentinels for testing. Ten units, stripped down and waiting."

Kai nodded, his eyes scanning the parts.

"Perfect. Tonight, we’ll see if we can finally break them free."

Mei set her laptop on the table, booting up the interface.

The two of them had already conducted their own studies over the Sentinel’s program, so they were already aware of what they would expect... 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"C-Grade Sentinels are impossible... But E-Grade and D-Grade ones weren’t as terrifying as I thought..." Mei muttered while looking at lines of code that scrolled across her screen.

It was the beginnings of a custom program she had been writing for days.

"Yes... We just need to overwrite their firmware completely. The Nano Circuit Boards will handle the hardware side, but the software must be rewritten to block any external signals."

Silas leaned over one of the dismantled heads, pointing at the socket where the old circuit board had been removed. "I’ve already disconnected the uplink modules. Once we slot in the Nano Board, they’ll lose their tether to Aria’s network. But without your program, they’ll just be empty shells."

Kai opened his laptop, syncing with Mei’s. "Then let’s start. I’ll handle the encryption layer. Mei, you focus on the behavioral routines."

Together, they began typing furiously.

It was like back on Earth when they were still working as Systems Engineers.

Just like that, the room echoed with the clatter of keys and the faint hum of cooling fans...

Well, those laptops were working overtime...

Silas watched, fascinated by what they were doing...

He wasn’t a programmer, but he understood machines. He busied himself with the physical work like, removing old boards, cleaning sockets, and preparing the Sentinels for installation. His Gearhand skill made his movements precise, while Salvager’s Instinct ensured he recovered every usable part.

"Mhmm... This isn’t that complicated but... it takes time." Kai muttered.

Well, his program focused on severing connections. He wrote lines of code that blocked wireless signals, disabled uplink ports, and rerouted command pathways to local control only.

"We can’t risk even a single packet reaching Aria," he muttered. "If she senses these units, she’ll override them instantly."

Mei nodded... She knew that a single mistake could let Aria control the Sentinels back...

Nonetheless, she remained confident as she adjusted the behavioral subroutines.

"As for the recognition protocols... Mhmm..."

Mei paused, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

"You know... the Sentinels already have recognition protocols. They can distinguish humans from machines. That part is built into their sensors... thermal imaging, gait analysis, facial structure. We don’t need to rewrite that."

Silas looked up from the torso he was working on. "So we just use what’s already there?"

Kai nodded. "Exactly. The problem isn’t detection... it’s classification. Aria’s code tells them to treat all humans as targets unless flagged otherwise. We’ll flip that logic. Humans will be neutral by default."

Mei frowned thoughtfully. "I considered building a biometric database for Guild members, but if Aria ever breached the system, she could steal it. That would put everyone at risk. We can’t afford that."

Kai nodded. "No databases. No personal identifiers. We’ll keep it simple. All humans are neutral. The Sentinels won’t attack unless they receive a direct command from us."

Silas scratched his chin. "So they’ll just stand there if someone walks past? Even locals?"

"Yes," Kai said firmly. "That way, there’s no chance of them mistaking civilians for enemies. The only exception will be Aria’s machines. Their signals and hardware profiles are distinct. We’ll hard‑code those as hostile."

Mei typed quickly, adjusting the subroutines. "Alright. Default behavior... Humans are neutral... Aria’s machines are hostile, and commands are only accepted from whitelisted devices."

Just like that, the three worked together all day until the first Sentinel under their care was born...

"Let’s call it Sentinel... Codename: X-01."