The hum of the newly connected systems gave the entire lab a heartbeat. The lights subtly adjusted as Raen stepped deeper inside, following him like silent sentries.
The glow from the monitors bathed the room in soft blue. VoxFrame's interface pulsed gently, waiting—listening.
Raen leaned back in his chair, legs stretched, eyes locked on the screen. His hands hovered over the keyboard, but he wasn't typing. Not yet.
For the first time, the silence wasn't heavy.It was filled with potential.
"So... this is what it feels like to own your world."
He walked to the far wall, where high-spec control panels for the warehouse cameras and sensors were installed. Each one was already synced with VoxFrame.
He tested them with a few taps.Lights flicked.A fan powered on.A door slid open from a gentle push of code.
VoxFrame handled every command without delay.
"Just like breathing," he muttered."A breathable lab. That's what this is."
Raen's gaze shifted to the empty space at the monument site—his old rig's future resting place.
"Not yet," he said."Soon."
He returned to his desk, clicking open the system tab.
Remaining Balance: 70,000 Lux.
He snorted.
"Feels low again. Damn expensive freedom."
But this time, the drop didn't feel like failure.
Because now? He had a fortress.
A functioning lab.
A home.
And VoxFrame—still in its infancy—was already integrated into every wire, camera, and panel in the building.
"I just gave my code a body," he whispered.
The quiet confidence creeping into his chest was new. Dangerous. Addictive.
And he wanted more.
Raen opened his physical notebook—filled with half-baked ideas from sleepless nights.
Miniature drones.Energy-efficient scanners.Multi-tool gloves.Adaptive security locks.Wearable UI interfaces.Smart prosthetics.
All ridiculous back then.
Now?
"I could build all of this. No... I will build all of this."
But first—he needed more tools, more money... maybe even more skills.
He glanced at the Skill Shop tab again.
Then closed it.
"Not yet. I'll earn it this time."
As his stomach growled, he opened his phone and ordered enough fried chicken to feed a crew.
It felt good to eat like a person again.
As he leaned on the counter, the soft glow of the lab bathed the room behind him.
"Breathe, VoxFrame. Because next time…""We build something the world has never seen."