CHAPTER 138: GHOST PLAN

"Okay, break it down for me," Vanessa said, leaning against her workbench. She tapped a glowing stylus against her chin, her face showing a mix of curiosity and doubt. "You want to build a ghost."

Jonah paced in front of her, the frantic energy of his new idea practically buzzing around him. "Basically, yeah. Not a real ghost, but a Progeny that acts like one. It needs two main things."

He held up one finger. "First, it has to be able to phase through stuff. Walls, floors, locked doors... all of it. The word for it is ’intangibility’."

He held up a second finger. "Secondly, it needs to be able to touch their computers and read what’s on them. A ’data-interfacing’ ability. It needs to be my eyes and ears inside their network."

Vanessa’s frowned. "So you want a ghost that can hack." She let out a low whistle. "You don’t ask for much, do you?"

"It’s the only way," Jonah insisted. "We can’t fight them head-on. We have to be smarter."

"Okay, okay, I’m with you," she said, her mind already starting to work fast. "The intangibility part is easy, theoretically. We just need the right essence. But the second part... how would you even understand the data? It would just be too much code. Your brain would melt."

"That’s your department," Jonah said with a smile. "You’re the engineer."

Her expression turned serious. It was a look he was starting to love. "You’re the architect of the body, I’m the engineer of the soul. Fine. Let’s get to work."

Their partnership had found its perfect flow. It was like two minds moving as one, smoothly.

Jonah walked up to a secure terminal in the corner of the workshop. He typed a few keys and scanned his palm. A massive glowing list then formed in the air, showing the Academy’s entire digital Essence Archive.

Scroll, scroll, scroll.

He ignored the powerful combat essences. No need for a Shadow Panther or Raging Boar. He needed something subtle. He filtered the search, typing in keywords: Phase. Incorporeal. Ethereal.

The list got smaller. A few options popped up, and his eyes landed on one.

"Perfect," he breathed. [Phase Wasp Essence]. A creature known for its ability to vibrate its body at a unique frequency, allowing it to pass through solid matter.

"Got the first ingredient," he called over his shoulder.

"Already working on the second," Vanessa replied. She didn’t look up from a complex diagram she was sketching in the air with her stylus.

Jonah cleared the search and typed in a new set of terms: Data. Code. Information. Network.

The result was a much smaller, more obscure list. Most of these essences were from tiny, strange creatures that no one ever bothered to hunt. But one stood out. [Cipher-Mite Essence]. A strange, metallic insect that didn’t eat food, but fed on raw information by hooking onto data streams.

"And that’s the second piece," Jonah said, ordering both essences. A low hum filled the room as two cylindrical containers appeared in a nearby dispensary port.

He brought the essences over to the workbench. "Okay, I’ve got the body parts. How are we building the soul?"

Vanessa finally finished her drawing. It was a beautiful, impossibly complex circular pattern of glowing runes. "Like this," she said proudly. "This is a Runic Transducer. Think of it like a universal translator."

She zoomed in on the diagram. "When your Progeny touches their servers, the raw code will flow into it. This runic circuit, which I’ll weave directly into its Genesis Core, will act as a filter. It will translate the digital language of their computers into a psychic language your mind can process as thoughts and images."

Jonah stared at the design, completely in awe. "You’re a genius."

"I know," she said with a smirk. "Now, let’s build your ghost."

This synthesis was different. There was no huge psychic rage. This was more like surgery. It was fast, precise, and controlled.

Jonah sat on the floor, sinking into his inner workshop. He placed a simple, low-grade Genesis Core on the mental anvil before him. He didn’t need a Primordial Geode for this. This was a tool, not a masterpiece.

First, he drew forth Vanessa’s blueprint, the glowing pattern of the Runic Transducer. With intense focus, he carefully attached the pattern into the core’s foundation, feeling the magic settle into place.

Next, he pulled out the two essences. The Phase Wasp essence was a glowing, almost invisible wisp of energy. The Cipher-Mite was a solid, pixelated cube of green light.

[Synthesis Warning: Tool-Class Progeny will be created. Creature will be stable but will not evolve. This Progeny will be stored in the general Beast Space and will not occupy a Genesis Slot. Proceed?]

Yes.

Jonah brought the two essences together. There was no violent clash. They flowed together smoothly, like liquid metal fitting into a mold.

The process was clean and efficient. It felt less like giving birth and more like assembling a high-tech machine. In less than a minute, it was done.

A small cocoon of silver light floated in his Workshop. After a few seconds, it didn’t hatch or crack. It simply... unfolded.

It was a small, metallic insect, no bigger than his thumb. Its body was smooth, dark gray metal, with fine, circuit-like designs on its wings. It hung in the air quietly, its six tiny legs folded beneath it.

Then, with a thought from Jonah, it shimmered, its solid body becoming a ghostly, transparent blue. It was now intangible, able to move through anything.

Jonah examined its final feature. Where a wasp or a mite would have a stinger, this creature had a needle-thin filament that glowed with a green light. A living data-port.

A new prompt appeared in his mind.

[Synthesis Complete. Progeny Created: Cipher (Grade 2)].

He opened his eyes. A slow smile spreading across his face. It was faint and without emotion, like a tool just waiting for an order.

Vanessa looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

Jonah held out his hand. The small, metal insect appeared into view, floating quietly above his palm

"Meet Cipher," he said. "Time to haunt a skyscraper."