Suddenly, his mouse cursor began moving on its own. It navigated to his email, attached the "Predictive Logic" file, and sent it to a contact he didn't recognize. The subject line read: The next candidate is ready.

Elias was a freelance investigative journalist, and he’d heard rumors that Part 16 was different. It wasn’t just data; it was the "Predictive Logic" archive. He right-clicked and hit Extract .

: Elias realizes Part 16 was a trap.

Elias watched, mesmerized, as the timeline shifted. A new entry appeared at the bottom, dated today: