Bai Zhu, Cover Me!

The elder could wait no longer.

"Bring her up."

The silver-robed bishop glanced at the control panel, where every indicator had turned red, and hesitated for half a second.

"Elder, Interface Fifteen hasn't been recalibrated yet. The technical team said—"

"Skip it."

The elder spat out only two words.

One of the technicians panicked on the spot.

"You can't skip it! Fifteen is the core sacrifice. Skipping calibration will make the Mother Stone misidentify it, and the connection process could fail outright!"

The elder placed his hand on the Black Crystal Mother Stone.

Those holes began to contract.

Inside the glass compartments, Numbers Seven, Ten, and Twelve all jerked at the same time.

The technician's face went pale.

"Elder! Number Seven's pressure tolerance has already reached its limit!"

"Continue."

The silver-robed bishop swallowed and turned to roar at the technician.

"Carry out the elder's orders!"

"But—"

The silver-robed bishop grabbed him by the collar.

"Do you want to be sent up there in their place?"

The technician fell silent.

On Milluki's end, the keyboard clattered nonstop.

"They're really going to skip calibration! Big brother, what exactly did you prepare? If you don't move now, I'm going to hack the main control console and force it to stop!"

Illumi spoke calmly.

"Forcing it to stop will trigger the Mother Stone's reverse extraction."

"Then do something!"

"I already have."

At the mouth of Bai Zhu's alley, the church's still-burning firelight could faintly be seen ahead.

The pursuers on the ground had not searched this place yet, but footsteps were already sounding in the distance.

He leaned against the wall, his blade held across his body.

"Illumi."

"Mm."

"You'd better not screw this up."

"I won't."

Bai Zhu closed his eyes, then opened them again.

"Even an insurance salesman sounds more trustworthy than you."

For once, Milluki did not snap back at him.

Because Ella had already been brought before the metal frame.

Two deacons lifted her arms, preparing to press her onto it.

Ella's breathing had clearly quickened.

"Milluki..."

"Don't panic! Don't panic! I'm watching!"

Though Milluki shouted that, his fingers were already hovering over the Explosive Bug detonator.

Listening to the commotion through his earpiece, Bai Zhu leaned forward.

He was already prepared to charge in by force.

To hell with cover, to hell with the plan.

He was going to save her now. That was the promise he had made to Ella.

Just as Ella was about to be lifted onto the frame—

A scream suddenly erupted from Compartment Twelve.

It drowned out every alarm.

Bai Zhu's eardrums ached, and he instinctively pressed a hand to his earpiece.

"What happened?"

The display on Milluki's side switched frantically between feeds.

"Number Twelve! Something happened to Number Twelve!"

The underground altar instantly descended into chaos.

Inside Compartment Twelve, the woman's body was stretched rigid, her restraint straps warped from the strain.

The instrument readings shot into the red.

The next second, her vital signs flatlined.

The nurse beside her dropped her clipboard in fright.

"Number Twelve is dead!"

"How could it happen so fast? She was still holding on just now!"

"The fetal response is gone too!"

"The lines are backflowing! Shut off Number Twelve's interface!"

The technician lunged at the control panel and fumbled with the valves.

But the moment he pressed down, another row of alarms exploded.

"Abnormality in Number Seven's medication!"

"Number Ten's stabilizing solution has a problem too!"

"Contamination warning at Interface Fifteen's reserve port!"

"The Mother Stone's external circulation is cloudy! Who tampered with the drug pumps?!"

Milluki stared at the screen, completely stunned.

Bai Zhu did not move either.

All he could hear were the shouts underground.

A leak in the eastern drug storage.

A failure in the backup lines.

"You put something in the pipes."

Illumi did not deny Bai Zhu's question.

"The contamination dose wasn't enough to kill everyone connected, but it was enough to stop the ritual."

Bai Zhu's throat bobbed.

"What about Number Twelve?"

Illumi paused for half a second.

"Her pressure tolerance had crossed the line long ago."

Bai Zhu said nothing.

Neither did Milluki.

The logic made sense.

Number Twelve might already have been beyond saving.

Using the point where she finally broke down to lock the entire ritual would raise Ella's chances of survival, and those who had not yet flatlined might also have a chance to be forcibly disconnected.

The calculation was clear.

But when that calculation fell on a human being, it was no longer so simple.

Bai Zhu lowered his head and looked at his sword hilt.

He did not curse Illumi.

Nor could he bring himself to.

Because in his current state, charging down there would most likely only mean one more death.

Inside the underground altar, the technician had completely broken down.

He knelt before the main control console, flipping through the diagnostic data.

"It's not a single-point failure... it's not just Number Twelve's problem!"

The silver-robed bishop rushed over.

"Explain yourself!"

The technician raised a test tube, his hand shaking.

"There are unknown substances in every medication line! The eastern lines, the backups, the western reserves—they're all contaminated! The Mother Stone's external circulation can't stabilize!"

"It needs to be flushed! The medication has to be remixed!"

"Flushing takes time!"

"Then connect Number Fifteen directly!"

The technician screamed on the spot.

"No! If Fifteen connects now, the core sacrifice will collapse! The Mother Stone could be damaged by the backlash too! The Black Crystal circuit is already in chaos. If we force it now, the entire Sanctification Descent will be ruined!"

The moment those words came out, the entire core area erupted.

"Sanctification Descent will be ruined?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"The elder is right here! How dare you curse the ritual?"

The technician clutched the test tube, nearly in tears.

"I'm not talking nonsense! The parameters are all here! The Holy Stone Shard has disconnected, Interface Fifteen is contaminated, and Number Twelve's death created a gap in the circuit. Forcing a connection now would destroy the Mother Stone!"

The silver-robed bishop raised his hand to strike him.

Heavy, ragged breathing came from the platform.

The elder stood before the Mother Stone. The Black Crystal in his chest bulged more and more violently, pushing his flesh into swollen lumps.

He stared at the control panel.

Then he looked at Ella, who had not yet been strapped onto the frame.

The two deacons no longer dared to continue.

Ella leaned weakly against the frame, her forehead covered in sweat.

Her knees gave out, and she toppled sideways.

The two deacons hurriedly caught her.

"Number Fifteen's condition is unstable!"

"She can't connect! She can't connect now!"

The elder's withered fingers tapped the railing before him. He muttered to himself, then seemed to make some kind of decision.

He descended from the platform step by step.

With every step he took, the people around him backed away.

"Who said we could stop?"

The technician knelt on the ground, his face pressed to the floor.

"Elder, the lines must be flushed and the Mother Stone's external circulation recalibrated, otherwise—"

The elder raised a finger.

The technician's neck suddenly snapped sideways, and his body collapsed beside the control console.

Everyone around him recoiled in fear.

The elder did not even look at the corpse.

"Fix it."

He pointed at the remaining technical staff.

"If it isn't fixed within an hour, I'll connect all of you."

The silver-robed bishop immediately lowered his head.

"Yes! We'll fix it immediately! Everyone, seal off the core area! Check the drug storage! Screen all outsiders!"

"Take Number Fifteen to the lounge. Watch her closely! Until the next Sanctification Descent is ready, no unauthorized personnel may approach Number Fifteen!"

"She must stay alive."

Several nurses took Ella away.

Milluki watched the red dot leave the altar frame on the map and slumped into his chair.

"Fuck... fuck, that scared the hell out of me."

Bai Zhu leaned against the wall outside the underground entrance and let out half a breath as well.

But just as he relaxed, the pursuers' footsteps drew closer again.

He raised his blade and lowered his voice.

"Milluki, is Ella safe now?"

"Temporarily. The lounge is beside the core area. They'll definitely add guards at the door, but she won't have to connect immediately."

The tightly wound nerves in Bai Zhu's body finally eased a little.

"Ah! I can finally rest!"

"Bai Zhu!"

"What?" Bai Zhu replied irritably.

"The core area lockdown has begun. The sweep will drive out all non-core personnel. I'm going to blend into the maintenance crew."

"Then?"

"I need someone to cover me from the outer perimeter."

Bai Zhu glanced at his half-crippled state.

"You want me to cover you? You sure you're not asking me to go in there and die?"

Illumi's tone did not change.

"You don't need to beat anyone."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Cause chaos."

Milluki immediately grew wary.

"Big brother, don't teach him that. He wasn't exactly normal to begin with."

Bai Zhu gave a short laugh.

"When it comes to causing chaos, I've got a bit of talent."

The sound of a door locking came through from Illumi's end.

Along with a guard's shout.

"Now, wait for my signal."

Just as Bai Zhu was about to speak, Illumi's next words came through the earpiece.

"Cover me."