Big Brother Said It Couldn't Be Done, So It Couldn't Be Done

Bai Zhu braced himself with his knife and forcibly pulled himself out of the slushy snow.

His legs gave out, and he nearly dropped straight back to his knees.

That bloody achievement notification was still burned into his vision, making his eyes sting.

Damn system, it really knew how to pick its moments.

Usually, it told him to slack off, check in, and put survival first.

But now, it had tied human lives directly to an achievement chain and forced him to throw himself into danger.

"Milluki."

The other end of the headset immediately exploded.

"Don't call me! Whenever you call my name, nothing good ever happens!"

Bai Zhu pulled his knife from the snow, its tip carving a crooked line across the ground.

"Find me a route underground."

The crunch of Milluki chewing chips abruptly stopped.

After several seconds of dead silence, Milluki let out an ear-splitting roar.

"Are you insane?!"

"No time to argue with you."

"Causing trouble? Charging down there right now would just make things harder for my big brother! Do you have any idea what state you're in? That last move nearly drained you dry—you can barely stand!"

Bai Zhu leaned against a tilted wooden frame nearby and caught his breath.

His chest still felt tight.

But he had no intention of backing down.

"The route."

"There isn't one!" Milluki roared until his voice cracked. "And even if there was, I wouldn't give it to you! What are you going down there for, to get yourself killed?!"

Bai Zhu did not smile or trade banter with Milluki.

This time, he could not laugh at all.

"Ella is about to be tied to the altar."

"I fucking saw it!"

"Then give me the route."

"I said no!"

The sound of a crushed soda can came through from Milluki's side.

"Bai Zhu, can you stop treating yourself like the protagonist? Underground isn't like the surface where you were showing off just now! It's full of core guards, the Mother Stone, and that damn elder! If you go down there now, you won't even get near the altar's door!"

Bai Zhu lowered his head and looked at his hands.

They were still shaking.

"Milluki, I'll say it one more time."

His voice dropped.

"The route."

A calm, utterly flat voice cut into the communication without warning.

Illumi.

"Don't come over."

Bai Zhu raised his head.

"Ella is about to be tied up there, and you're telling me not to go down?"

Behind Illumi, alarms blared and people ran about in chaos.

Yet there was not the slightest ripple in his tone.

"The ritual cannot be completed."

Bai Zhu paused.

"Why?"

"You don't need to know."

Bai Zhu tugged at the corner of his mouth in something that barely counted as a smile.

"Does everyone in the Zoldyck family talk like this? Not one explanation, just expecting everyone else to top up their faith in you?"

Milluki immediately cut in. "Don't talk sarcastically about my big brother! If he says it can't be done, then it absolutely can't be done!"

"Why should I believe you?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the communication fell silent.

Bai Zhu fell silent as well.

Cowardice had always been his guiding principle. If he could hide, he hid. If he could lie down, he never stood.

But now, Ella's ragged breathing in his headset, the convulsions of those women at the underground altar, and the shrill screaming of the machines all stabbed into his nerves like red-hot needles.

He could not suppress that fire.

He hated this feeling.

He knew perfectly well that someone was about to die, while elsewhere, people were still weighing costs and benefits with the most professional, efficient, and cold-blooded solution.

He understood it, but it still pissed him off.

Illumi showed no emotional reaction to his challenge.

"Your task is to provide support, not to throw your life away."

Bai Zhu braced himself against the wall and dragged one leg a step toward the shed's exit.

"How long until she reaches the altar?"

Milluki gritted his teeth.

"She's already entered the core area."

Bai Zhu said nothing more.

He fixed on the direction of the maintenance passage Milluki had mentioned earlier and started moving.

One step.

Two steps.

Every step tugged at the bones throughout his body, making him suck in a breath from the pain.

Milluki panicked.

"You're still walking?!"

Bai Zhu caught his breath and did not answer.

Underground altar.

Ella was supported by two attendants, her feet nearly dragging across the floor as they brought her toward the center of the altar.

Her earpiece was hidden among her hair. Milluki's voice was so low it was nearly pressed against her eardrum.

"Ella, listen to me."

Ella's breathing was badly uneven.

"I'm listening."

"Don't be afraid. Trust my big brother—he won't let anything happen to you. Stall for time. Walk slower. Say you can't hold on."

Ella did as he said.

The attendant supporting her immediately snapped, "Walk properly!"

Ella's voice was soft and weak. "I... feel dizzy."

Sure enough, the attendant no longer dared to use force. He could only switch to a more strenuous position and half-carry her along.

Milluki let out half a breath of relief in front of his screen.

"Yes, keep pretending. The more fragile you look, the less they'll dare to mess with you."

Listening to the sounds from underground, Bai Zhu clenched his fingers until his knuckles turned white. He gathered the tiny thread of Reiatsu he had managed to accumulate with great difficulty and used it directly on himself.

"Kaidō #33: Angel's Glance!"

A gentle glow covered his wounds. The pain eased slightly, and his steps finally became steadier.

But it was useless.

What truly threatened his life was not his injuries, but the weakness and exhaustion that seeped from his marrow after his Reiatsu had been completely drained.