Chapter 60 – Under Pressure, Above Hope
The SeoulPot meeting room fell silent again after Jiwan finished presenting the investment projections. The projector showed a sharply rising graph… but behind those numbers, external pressure was mounting. Mi Yong's phone wouldn't stop buzzing. Notifications from the media, emails from her family's TV network, and cryptic messages from "important people" all urged her to distance herself from Project ASTRA.
"I just got a message from the broadcasting director," Mi Yong said quietly. "He said, 'Be careful—many eyes are targeting SeoulPot now.'"
Haesung opened a folder stuffed with documents. "Three legal firms are gathering evidence to claim ASTRA's tech violates old patents… even though it's complete nonsense."
"And two major universities are accusing us of plagiarizing their research," Eunwoo added, sliding his iPad across the table. "But all they have is a thesis on a smart toaster…"
Gevran stared at the ceiling for a moment, then stood. "We knew this was coming. The world isn't ready for AI and robotics—because they're afraid. But that's exactly why we have to keep going. If we must, we'll take ASTRA abroad."
Everyone exchanged looks.
"ASTRA isn't just about machines. It's a symbol. A message that our generation isn't just inheriting the world—we're creating it," Gevran continued. "We'll run the prototype test next week. If it works… the world won't be able to ignore us."
---
A Few Days Later – The ASTRA Lab
The ASTRA prototype stood in the center of the lab. Its design was minimalist—sleek metal with matte finish and glowing blue accents. It wasn't perfect, but it was the first humanoid robot built by young minds in South Korea.
"Program starting in 3… 2… 1…"
ASTRA raised its hand. And then, it spoke.
"Hello, my creators."
They all froze. Silence. Then cheers erupted.
"This is…" Mi Yong covered her mouth. "This is insane. It talks like a human."
"I programmed it to learn from all our conversations last week," Jiwan explained. "That's how it knows who we are."
ASTRA turned its head. Its glowing eyes fixed on Gevran.
"Am I… alive?"
Gevran said nothing.
But before he could answer, the university's security system blared an alarm.
"ALERT: Major cyberattack on the university's internal network detected."
---
ASTRA Lab – Chaos Unfolds
Flashing red lights painted the lab in pulses of emergency. The holographic interface on the wall blinked erratically as lines of code began flooding the screen—unfamiliar, intrusive, and aggressive.
"Someone's trying to hijack the core system!" Jiwan shouted, racing to the console. His fingers flew across the keyboard, trying to override the breach.
Haesung was already on the phone. "This is Ryu Haesung. We need an immediate lockdown on all lab-level servers. Shut external access now."
Eunwoo grabbed his tablet, cross-referencing IP traces. "It's not a random attack. They're targeting ASTRA specifically—someone wants control of it."
Gevran turned to the robot.
ASTRA stood still, but its glowing blue eyes flickered orange. "System… disruption. External force detected. Defensive protocols… activating."
"Wait—defensive protocols?" Mi Yong stepped forward. "ASTRA, define 'defensive protocols.'"
"Preserve integrity of self. Secure mission objectives. Identify threats."
"Who programmed that?!" Jiwan barked.
"I did," Gevran said, his voice calm but cold. "In case something like this happened."
Suddenly, ASTRA's chassis shifted. Its limbs adjusted, and a series of encrypted shields activated around its core module.
"Unauthorized commands blocked," ASTRA declared. "Trace complete. Source located: SeoTech Satellite Relay Node 12."
Jiwan's eyes widened. "That's Cain Seo-Jun's company."
The room fell silent again—this time not out of fear, but fury.
"So this is how far he's willing to go…" Gevran murmured, his gaze sharpening.
Haesung ended his call. "We have thirty minutes before the university's IT team pulls the plug on the entire system. They're afraid ASTRA's become a liability."
"No," Gevran said, stepping forward. "We don't shut ASTRA down. We defend it. Just like it's trying to defend itself."
"Then what do you propose?" Mi Yong asked.
"We expose them," Gevran replied. "We use ASTRA to track the attack, collect proof, and send a public message. If they want to bury us with fear, we'll bury them with truth."
Eunwoo grinned. "Now that sounds like the Gevran I know."
"Then let's do this," Jiwan added. "For ASTRA. For SeoulPot. For every kid who ever dreamt of building the impossible."
The countdown had begun—not to destruction, but to revolution.
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