Neurolink System in the Modern World

Tension hung in the air as both sides faced a standstill.

I changed my mind about attacking first now that the element of surprise was gone. The powers of the gifteds were too diverse, and I didn't want to risk charging in only to be neutralized by some illogical ability that could kill me with one shot.

"Who are you?" Zhang asked. Being the strongest in the group, it was only natural for him to take on the role of the leader.

'Interesting,' I muttered to myself as I scrutinized them. The majority of the gifted on their side wore expressions riddled with agitation, anger , and frustration almost as if they were struggling to contain their simmering killing intent.

However, this Zhang guy remained completely calm and composed.

Even with my heightened senses, his heart thudded steadily, not a beat out of place. Was he truly that confident in his ability to beat me? It was the only logical reason I could think of. For instance, I also possessed overwhelming confidence right now because of my Reset skill. So, he must have a trump card up his sleeve.

But regardless of whether he has a trump card or not, I was still sure that I would win in the end.

I had the urge to play a little prank on them first. It wasn't that I was being complacent; it was just my twisted and broken mind craving for dopamine. The idea of adopting a cool persona amused me, and my current appearance was perfect for it.

'It's all Eun Ha's fault. I got so into that roleplay of hers, and now, just to kill boredom, I became a flashy person. I used to be way more humble,' I muttered to myself with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"I am…" I paused for a moment, my mind racing to come up with an awesome demon nickname. Countless names flooded my mind; after all, I used to watch and read so many anime and novels.

The names that came to my mind were Lucifer, Beelzebub, Diablo, Satan, Lich King, and many more. But in the end, I settled for that name.

"You don't deserve to know my true name. But, since you're all going to die soon, I'll grant you my alias to remember. Zero-One," I declared with an arrogant tone.

'Damn, that feels awesome,' I chuckled to myself as I watched them be amazed by my name. That's right, there was no need to be lowkey anymore.

"Now!" The girl called Helena suddenly shouted, and just like that, a semi-transparent red dome quickly formed around me. However, my reaction time was faster. I vibrated fast enough to escape it and flew higher.

"Useless, You think that attack can hurt me? " I mocked her futile attempt. Did she really believe she could catch me off guard? I already knew about her skills.

"Stop pretending to be a demon. It's obvious that you're using some kind of optical illusion to hide your true identity," Helena spat back.

'Shit, these guys are too smart.' I sighed to myself. It seemed my little act had been found out.

"Oh, I'm not pretending. I'm really a demon. Can't you see my wings? My horns? My devil eyes ?" I feigned innocence , my voice this time filled with sarcastic tone.

"You're wings are not even moving !" she pointed out.

I was shocked by her words and checked my wings, and indeed, they were not flapping at all.

It was my first time making a pair of wings, so the animations were not installed yet. No wonder they discovered me right away.

I felt like a character in an MMORPG who got wings, but the twist – those wings were for aesthetic purposes only, so the developers could squeeze more money from gamers wanting the coolest stuff.

"Alright, you got me, old hag," I raised my arms in defeat, playing along with her.

"Who did you call an old hag!" Helena raised her voice. Though she looked 25, her actual age was much older. It was just that her stats must be really high, causing her to age slower than normal.

"I don't play with women close to their menopausal period," I added with a smirk.

"Zhang, let's attack him together," she turned to Zhang, who was still looking at me with his black, piercing eyes.

'Oh, so they were waiting for this guy's command,' I touched my chin as I waited for their next move.

I did not attack them and continued to observe. I wasn't really afraid of dying, even if this Zhang guy ended up being stronger than me.

The only thing I'm worried about was the girls' safety, but even that was being handled well at this very moment. I told them to create a path underground and escape , they were now digging towards a safer location.

It was one of my plans that I told them to execute if our location got compromise . Just in case our enemies ended up really using real nuclear bombs. Call me paranoid, but I always take worst-case scenarios into consideration.

'Oh, he's finally making a move, '

Zhang started floating in the air. At first glance, he looked like he was using telekinesis, but I could sense a different type of energy allowing him to fly. It was not the same as my telekinesis at all.

The moment we were on the same level in the air, the whole place became silent.

Everyone was now waiting for their leader's first move, as if he was the protagonist and I am the evil guy here to kill people and ruin lives. Well, I am here to kill people and ruin lives, but that's beside my point.

"Join Cerebrum ," he blurted out with a straight face.

I burst into laughter, unable to contain my amusement.

"Alright, alright . Where do I submit my resume ? And what about the benefits ? Do I get a retirement money or something?" I replied sarcastically . This guy was just asking for an insult.

"I gave you a chance," he shook his head in disappointment , and the air around him quickly shifted, exuding an intimidating aura.

"So did I," a sinister grin spread across my face, accompanied by the activation of my sadism skill.