The Cold Awakening of the Sequence

In 2077, the City of Tomorrow, New Kyoto, has become a graveyard of steel and flesh. A biotechnological virus known as “Asura” has transformed most of the city's residents into “Mutants,” living corpses driven by cybernetic implants run amok inside their bodies. Ling Zhou, a former corporate data scavenger, wakes in an abandoned cryogenic pod with no memory of the disaster's outbreak. He soon discovers he has a unique neural interface: the “Zero Sequence.” It allows him to sense, and even interfere with, the Mutants' hive network. To survive amid the ruins of New Kyoto, Ling Zhou must piece together his shattered memories. But he must contend not only with Mutants lurking on every street, but also evade the pursuit of the megacorporation Sky Dome Group, which caused the disaster. The Zero Sequence is his most powerful weapon, but also a terrible curse: every time he uses it, he risks being assimilated into the hive mind. In the depths of despair, he meets a small group of survivors, each harboring secrets of their own. Together, they head for the fabled refuge of Avalon.