A cradle built on lies will one day give birth to the teeth that tear it apart.
In the New Era, beneath the polished exterior of Wuhugang Academy, an elite training institution, operates a top-secret system known as the "Deep Blue Project": the "Gardener." It quietly guides, selects, and "prunes" every student designated a "specimen," with the aim of cultivating the perfect "future of humanity."
The Zhou Tian Squad, led by Luo Yuming, codename Monday, were once some of the System's most outstanding "creations." Then a carefully engineered "accident" let them glimpse the cruel truth beneath the perfect facade: classmates vanishing, memories being fabricated, destinies being manipulated, and their own fate as experimental subjects.
Escape was their only way to survive. Betrayal was the price of awakening. From the ruins of Wuhugang, to the sanctuary of Qinfeng Academy, and then to the steel fortress of Southern Third Military Academy, Luo Yuming led her battered team through a thorny path of blood, lies, and betrayal, caught between former classmates, military forces, and mysterious factions.
They called themselves "Ashes," vowing to burn away every lie and injustice. But their greatest enemy might not be the pursuers beyond the walls. It could be the "sleeper agents" buried deep within the System, ready to awaken at any moment, or the cracks quietly spreading through their companions' hearts in the wake of betrayal and loss.
As the Gardener's ultimate nature and its mad plan, "Consciousness Unification," gradually came to light, a shadow war spanning the globe escalated into a final showdown that would decide humanity's fate. From an undersea base to near-Earth orbit, loss and sacrifice followed close behind.
The cycle goes on, and they stand side by side.
