90 Seconds of Redemption

Chapter 25: 90 Seconds of Redemption

Someday in the future, Luo Zhen would surely give himself this evaluation of today:

"This is the first and last time in my life I've ever moved at a pace that exceeded my physical limits."

Because, no matter how tired and weak his body was, the anxiety in his heart still drove Luo Zhen to dash towards the central control room, so anxious that he didn't even have the energy to summon a Familiar to carry him, and could only keep rushing forward.

In 240 seconds, the isolation walls of the central area would be completely sealed.

If he didn't reach the central area before then, Luo Zhen would never be able to enter, let alone reach that lovely junior.

So, at this moment, Luo Zhen only felt regret in his heart.

Why did he leave the control room?

Why did he go looking for Leff?

He had clearly made up his mind that he had to stay by that girl's side.

If... if he was still there...

"Damn it...!"

Realizing that his thoughts were becoming negative due to anxiety, Luo Zhen quickly shook his head, shaking off the negative emotions along with the sweat on his forehead.

Now was not the time for self-blame.

Finding Mashu was the most important thing to do now.

Letting his body be driven by such feelings, Luo Zhen seemed to want to squeeze out all the power in his body, and finally rushed to the front of the control room.

"Tss!"

The automatic door opened with a whistle-like sound, telling Luo Zhen that he had made it in time.

However, the scene that entered his eyes in the next moment made Luo Zhen stop in his tracks.

"————"

Red.

Scorching red.

The once cold and mechanical control room was now covered in fiery flames.

"Pat... pat pat..."

Small, scorching hot stones rolled around in every corner.

"Thump..."

Chunks of concrete falling from the ceiling landed with a dull thud.

The entire control room was covered in flames, as if it had been completely destroyed, turning into a ruin.

In this situation, the alarm was still ringing.

"Power unit shutdown confirmed, insufficient power generation."

"Switching to backup power, anomaly detected, please switch manually."

"90 seconds until the isolation walls are completely sealed. Personnel remaining in the central area, please proceed to the second gate as soon as possible. Please proceed as soon as possible ————"

Hearing this, Luo Zhen finally reacted.

"Mashu!"

Luo Zhen shouted at the surroundings, ignoring the rising temperature and rushing into the fire.

"Mashu! Mashu! Where are you!? Mashu! Answer me if you can hear me!"

Luo Zhen shouted as he rushed in.

Along the way, Luo Zhen saw one Coffin after another, tilted and scattered in various corners like toppled pillars.

Luo Zhen searched one after another, but all he saw were Adaptable Ones lying in the Coffins.

However, they were all unconscious.

Seeing this, Luo Zhen understood somewhat.

"Were the Adaptable Ones already inside the Coffins when the fire broke out?"

This was probably Olga Marie's order.

Although Luo Zhen had run out of the control room before the operation, given that woman's style, even if Luo Zhen was absent, she wouldn't delay the important first operation because of Luo Zhen alone. She would definitely continue to give instructions while fuming, and start preparing for the Spiritron Transfer.

Thanks to this, the Adaptable Ones who had entered the Coffins didn't seem to have died because of this sudden fire. Through the protection of the Coffins, their life activities were maintained.

"Then..."

Mashu was likely among them, and didn't lose her life because of the fire.

Thinking of this, Luo Zhen thanked Olga Marie for the first time, and turned to searching for Mashu's Coffin.

Unfortunately, this time, Luo Zhen guessed wrong.

"Fufu!"

Just as Luo Zhen was desperately searching for Mashu's Coffin, a familiar cry entered his ears.

Luo Zhen quickly turned his head and saw a white creature standing on a piece of concrete wreckage.

"Fufu? Why are you here?"

Luo Zhen couldn't help but be stunned.

Normally, Fufu would never appear in front of people, so it definitely shouldn't be in the control room filled with Chaldea's Adaptable Ones and technicians.

"Fou!"

Ignoring Luo Zhen's astonishment, Fufu continued to cry, then turned around and ran in one direction.

Seeing this, Luo Zhen's heart stirred.

"Could it be..."

Luo Zhen rushed in the direction Fufu ran.

Before long, Luo Zhen stopped again.

His mind, however, went blank.

"Fou!"

Fufu was crying under a huge chunk of concrete.

However, it wasn't crying at Luo Zhen, but at the girl whose lower body was pinned down by the huge chunk of concrete, with a pool of blood already formed beneath her.

"Se...nior...?"

The girl's voice was like a bubble about to burst, sounding so unreal.

The person Luo Zhen was desperately searching for seemed to have noticed his arrival, and with great difficulty, she raised her head and slowly looked in his direction.

The glasses she usually wore on her face were broken.

Her usually serious eyes couldn't focus.

Being stared at by those eyes that were so unfocused that even her pupils were dilated, as if she could no longer see things in front of her, Luo Zhen's blank mind couldn't produce any thoughts.

It wasn't until half a second later that Luo Zhen couldn't help but shout.

"Why didn't you enter the Coffin? Mashu!"

Shouting like that, Luo Zhen almost staggered to Mashu's side.

In response, Mashu smiled as if she couldn't feel the pain.

"Because, Senior said he would be back soon..."

So that's how it was?

In order to wait for Luo Zhen to return, Mashu didn't enter the Coffin to prepare for the Spiritron Transfer, and ultimately became a victim of this sudden fire.

"————!"

Luo Zhen clenched his fists, bit his teeth, and could only gasp violently to suppress the intense emotions in his heart.

"I'll get you out first!"

After suppressing his emotions, Luo Zhen activated the Magic Circuits in his body, causing magic power to surge.

"Ant Summoning!"

This was one of the three Magecrafts that Luo Zhen had learned that could summon intermediate Familiars.

The surging magic power immediately formed a magic circle, causing ants as large as dogs to be summoned.

"Crunch..."

"Crunch, crunch..."

The magic ants rubbed their tusk-like mandibles, making a harsh sound like fingernails scratching glass.

Luo Zhen manipulated the magic ants, spreading them around the huge chunk of concrete and starting to move it.

"Boom!"

The magic ants, numbering more than ten, exerted incredible brute force, pushing away the huge chunk of concrete that was larger than a room, and rolling it into the raging fire, causing a roar.

"Senior...?"

"Don't talk! I'll take you out now!"

Luo Zhen squandered his already exhausted stamina, deliberately not looking at Mashu's miserable lower body, and prepared to carry Mashu on his back.

As long as he took Mashu out, Luo Zhen believed that his lazy old brother, who was probably panicking like crazy now, would definitely have a way to save her.

Just as Luo Zhen, holding on to this last hope, carried Mashu to the automatic door of the control room and was about to go out...

"Isolation wall activated."

"Central area, sealed."

In a cold and ruthless announcement, doors rose from the top, bottom, left, and right of the automatic door, heavily interlocked, sealing off the control room.

Luo Zhen stopped for the third time.

Looking at the sealed automatic door in front of him, he could no longer speak.

PS: A new month begins! Please support, recommend, click, and favorite as always, friends! Begging for everything!