Bai Zhu stared at the ring of red markings, his mind racing.
The markings were contracting inward, that much was true. But the closer he charged, the faster the red light flowed. Just then, it had practically spun after the tip of his blade.
This thing was collecting samples.
The file specifically requested someone "with no recorded data." Yet the box had malfunctioned at precisely this moment, and the Overseer had stayed rooted to the spot.
So they were waiting for him to deliver himself.
Bai Zhu twisted at the waist, forcibly killed his forward momentum, and flipped backward. His left foot landed on a chunk of broken concrete, rolling his ankle. He staggered several steps sideways and nearly fell on his ass.
He steadied himself and stopped looking at the box.
The Overseer adjusted his glasses and spoke into his communicator.
"The Blank Sample displayed an avoidance response after approaching the main box. Record that."
He paused, a hint of amusement entering his voice.
"Switch recovery mode to live capture. Don't damage him. Just treat it like catching a terrified cat."
As soon as he finished speaking, a row of shipping containers on the left went flying. An armored vehicle rolled in over the crushed metal. The Overseer picked up the main box, ducked into the vehicle, and shut the door. It turned north, its taillights vanishing almost immediately.
The Recovery Team stayed behind.
Several people approached the still-bubbling pile of rotting flesh with shovels. They scooped it into metal canisters, tightening the lids as each one filled and stacking them to the side.
Bai Zhu frowned at the row of canisters.
They were already dead. Why collect the rotting flesh too?
Before he could figure it out, the others had surrounded him.
A dozen or so people spread