[System Initialization Protocol: Offline.]
[Scanning Global Life Signs...]
[Target Sector: Sector 91 (India) - Sub-Sector: Vasai-Virar, Maharashtra.]
[Status: Ecological Collapse Imminent. Coastal degradation at 78%. Particulate matter critical.]
Before the System, there was only the smog.
Dev remembered a time when the creeks of Mumbai actually smelled like saltwater and wet earth. Now, looking out from the edge of the sprawling urban sprawl in early 2026, the water was a thick, iridescent sludge of chemical runoff and untreated sewage. The sky above the local industrial estates wasn't a sky; it was a ceiling of bruised, yellowish-grey smoke.
He was a man who understood how things connected—how energy flowed through wires, how micro-grids could theoretically decouple a slum from a dirty coal-powered mainline, and how the current system was fundamentally, undeniably broken. But understanding the math of an electrical grid didn't stop his lungs from burning every time he took a deep breath.
The world was dying a slow, profitable death. And standing on the balcony, watching another truck dump construction debris into the dying mangroves, Dev felt the familiar, crushing weight of absolute powerlessness. What could one middle-class guy do against a trillion-dollar industrial machine?
Buzz.
A sharp, electric static bit into his eardrums. Dev winced, slapping a hand over his ear.
Buzz. Crackle.
The air in front of him shimmered. The smog seemed to part, ripped open by a grid of hard, neon-blue light. Dev stumbled backward, knocking over a potted money plant—its leaves already brown and curling from the toxic air.
[Planetary Emergency Override Triggered.]
[Searching for Host with optimal resonance: Analytical capability detected. Latent leadership potential detected. Desire for systemic change: 100%.]
[Target Locked.]
"What the..." Dev scrambled to his feet, eyes wide as the floating blue text reflected in his irises.
[Greetings. I am the Eco-System Model. Designation: Apex Vanguard Protocol.]
[Your world is currently operating at a 92% inefficiency rate, bleeding finite resources and accelerating toward an unrecoverable mass extinction event. The authorities have failed. The corporations have compromised. The reset must come from the ground up.]
The blue screen expanded, projecting a terrifyingly detailed holographic globe in the middle of his small balcony. It zoomed in on India, glowing with angry crimson warnings over Delhi, Mumbai, and his own coastal home.
[I possess the cumulative technological and ecological data of human history. From advanced green hydrogen synthesis to hyper-local waste circularity algorithms. But I am merely code. I cannot plant a tree. I cannot storm a boardroom. I cannot inspire a troop.]
[I need a Host. I need hands, a voice, and an iron will.]
The globe vanished, replaced by a single, pulsing prompt that seemed to suck the sound out of the air.
[Will you accept the burden of the Host? Y/N]
Dev looked at the prompt. He looked down at the dying mangroves, choked by plastic bags and industrial ash. The powerlessness that had haunted him for years suddenly fractured, replaced by a cold, sharp electric thrill.
He reached out his hand and pressed [Y].
[Host Bound: Dev.]
[System Synchronized. Welcome to the Vanguard, Host. We have a world to save.]
[System Prompt: Reader Quest Initiated!]
To calibrate the System for Host Dev's journey, a starting foundation must be set. As the reader, you must choose Dev's Starting Origin Perk. This will dictate his initial approach to building his environmental empire.
* Option A: The Engineer's Mind. (Grants immediate blueprints for a low-cost, scrap-built water filtration micro-grid).
* Option B: The Orator's Voice. (Grants a permanent +20% success rate when recruiting local citizens and volunteers to the Vanguard Troop).
* Option C: The Policy Hacker. (Grants deep insight into local municipal loopholes, making it easier to legally secure land for eco-projects).
Submit your choice to comment to create Chapter 1!