Oh No, This Was Going to Go Wrong

To be honest, Paimon's arrival had disrupted Tony and Yinsen's original plan.

The two of them hadn't intended to weld the Mechanical Armor's components together so soon. After all, they felt there were still a few things they could improve.

But considering the injuries of Paimon's companion, the Traveler, as well as the little girl's safety, they decided to assemble the armor immediately and launch their attack first thing the next morning.

Tony had a feeling Omar wouldn't let this go. If they wanted to do anything in secret after today, it would probably become far more difficult.

So Paimon had to put up with it. The little girl had spent hours cooped up in a crate, and even after finally getting out, she couldn't get any proper rest. The sounds of them assembling and welding the armor went on all night. Little Paimon was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, but she still stayed beside them.

"Paimon's fine. As long as we can save the Traveler sooner, Paimon doesn't mind losing a little sleep."

The ground was no longer safe, but there was still somewhere to hide above the surveillance camera.

After learning that Paimon could fly, Tony found a spot overhead and had her sit on a jutting rock. It kept her out of the camera's view and let her get at least a little rest.

Yinsen tenderly stroked the little girl's hair. Perhaps he was projecting his feelings onto her, but he had come to see Paimon as his daughter. She was so brave and considerate that he couldn't help wanting to care for and cherish her.

Yinsen, who had given up all hope for the future, once again found himself wanting to live. His family was gone, but he wanted to keep Paimon safe. He wanted to see her find her companion and watch her grow up happy and healthy.

With that newfound motivation, Yinsen threw himself into the final stage of assembling the armor alongside Tony.

They welded the dismantled metal frames together, creating a space that could hold the armor while concealing it from view, then fitted its parts together one by one.

By then, the sky was beginning to pale, and a new day arrived right on time.

After Omar's surprise visit yesterday, the underlings assigned to surveillance didn't dare let their guard down. They checked the feed at regular intervals.

This time was no different. Omar's fury the night before had frightened all of them.

The man who usually slacked off while watching the feed sat down in front of the surveillance monitor at daybreak, ready to see what Stark and Yinsen were doing.

He might have been fine if he hadn't looked, but one glance left the underling in charge of surveillance drenched in cold sweat!

"Where are they?!"

They weren't here, and they weren't there either.

"I'm dead. I'm dead."

Panicking, the underling immediately reported to his superiors:

"Stark and Yinsen are missing!"

Omar's face darkened the instant he heard the report.

Ever since he'd caught those two sneaking around doing who knew what yesterday, he'd felt something was wrong.

There was no sign of anyone moving on the surveillance feed. Wondering what those two bastards were up to now, Omar became certain his suspicions had been right.

They were definitely doing something they shouldn't.

The thought that whatever Stark was doing might interfere with his plans made Omar want to charge in immediately and tear them both apart!

But Stark was a genius, and he had plenty of materials with which to put his talents to use. That made Omar wary. Rather than go after Stark himself right away, he ordered his men to investigate first:

"Go take a look!"

"Yes, sir."

His men answered and immediately ran toward Stark's room.

Stark's room was heavily guarded, with a group of fully armed men stationed outside the door, watching for anything that might happen.

There was no way the two men could have escaped their prison. They had to be somewhere inside the cell.

By then, Lin Ze had finished resting and recovering, and was using Elemental Sight to monitor what was happening with his teammates.

Tony wrapped white cloth around his hands, took the gloves Yinsen handed him, and secured the mechanical arms to his wrists. As the last piece was welded into place, shouts rang out beyond the door.

"Someone's coming."

Tony spoke.

Yinsen glanced over without stopping his work:

"Tony, repeat it one more time."

"Okay. Forty-one steps straight ahead, sixteen steps out the door, then turn right. Thirty-three steps, then another right."

Tony recited it without missing a word. This was the escape route Yinsen had worked out from memory, as well as their rescue route.

Yes, they also had to rescue Paimon's companion, the Traveler named Aether.

"Ah! They're about to come in!"

The moment voices sounded outside, Paimon flew over to the door, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Okay, little angel, move away from the door. Come on, stand next to Yinsen."

They had hung two bundles of homemade explosives on the door handle. The moment those men outside opened it, they would be blown sky-high.

The little one could fly, but at that distance, she might still get caught in the blast.

Paimon obediently went to Yinsen's side, though her attention remained fixed on the door.

"Yinsen! Yinsen! Stark!!!"

The men outside shouted a few times. When no one answered, one of them took out a key, turned it in the lock, and pulled back on the door handle.

Boom!

A deafening roar and a fierce burst of flame tore through the doorway, striking the men outside first.

Before they could react, the blast wave sent them sprawling, and the smell of scorched flesh spread through the air.

The explosion also destroyed the surveillance equipment.

Omar no longer hesitated.

"Move out! Move out!"

He called for his other men to grab their weapons and run toward Stark's room.

The explosion was enormous. Its roar echoed through the Cave, and the shock wave even dislodged several rocks overhead.

Elsewhere, Lin Ze smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth lifting.

It was time for him to make his entrance, too!

With a flick of his wrist, the Dull Blade materialized in his palm. Lin Ze's gaze sharpened. As his wrist moved, the Dull Blade traced an elegant arc and thrust straight toward the door, followed by a burst of the Anemo energy he had already prepared.

"Wind Blade!"

Boom!!!

The door fell with a loud crash.

Lin Ze stepped over the door's fallen corpse and came out, only to find the entrance deserted. Two underlings had been standing guard outside his room, but now they were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no. Tony and the others probably drew the guards over."

Lin Ze muttered to himself, then hurried deeper into the Cave.

The explosion had bought Tony and the others some time, but assembling the armor alone wasn't enough. They still had to start its power system.

The progress bar on the computer screen crept forward as though testing everyone's patience, its pace seeming especially slow at that moment.

"Run!"

"Go, go, go!"

Shouts and pounding footsteps rang out as fresh enemies rapidly approached.

"They're coming!"

Yinsen's face was covered in sweat. "This is bad."

The tense atmosphere spread to Paimon. She floated in midair, clutching a corner of Yinsen's clothes.

With the Traveler absent, Yinsen's kindness gave her a little sense of security.

Come on, come on. Hurry.

Yinsen prayed silently.

But heaven didn't seem to hear his prayers. The progress bar had only just reached the halfway mark.

Tony stood waiting for the system to start. Yinsen's body completely blocked his view of the computer screen, so he was still giving instructions:

"Make sure every checkpoint is clear before you follow me out."

"We won't make it..."

Yinsen murmured.

At this rate, the men would burst in before the system started. Their months of effort would be wasted, and Paimon might even lose her life.

The computer screen reflected off Yinsen's glasses in a pallid glare. They needed time.

"Yinsen?"

His dazed expression unsettled Paimon, and she gave him a gentle shake.

"Hey, kid. Remember, you have to listen to Tony."

Yinsen came back to himself. His eyes held deep reluctance, but even more resolve. He had made a decision.

Pulling the corner of his clothes free of Paimon's grip, Yinsen turned to face Tony:

"I'll buy you some time."

"What are you going to do?!"

Tony's expression changed. He knew what Yinsen intended. The moment Yinsen had told Paimon to listen to him, he'd had a terrible feeling.

Now that feeling had come true.

"Stick to the plan!"

"Stick to the plan!"

Tony couldn't move. He looked toward the screen. There was still a third of the progress bar left to go.

"We don't have a choice anymore! This is the only chance we have to survive!!"

Yinsen's voice grew heated. He gave the two of them one final look, then picked up the machine gun dropped by an enemy who had been blasted away from the doorway.

Without hesitation, he ran outside.

"Yinsen, don't! Waaaah..."

Realizing that Yinsen intended to sacrifice himself to save them, Paimon burst into tears.

"Aaaah!!"

Yinsen fired as he ran, turning down a branching passage. The racket he made immediately drew most of the enemies after him.

"Yinsen!!!"

Tony's eyes turned bloodshot. He shouted the man's name, but all he saw in the end was Yinsen's back as he resolutely departed.

Paimon kept crying. She couldn't understand the symbols written on the screen, but she realized that whatever was on it seemed to be the reason Yinsen had left them.

She flew to where Yinsen had been standing, her tear-soaked eyes fixed on the green progress bar.

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and fell to the ground.

Lin Ze sensed danger behind him and swiftly dodged sideways. His sword swept out in the same motion, a flash of steel cutting across his attacker's throat as blood sprayed out.

The enemy died before he could fire.

Strange.

The direction these men are coming from...

Lin Ze fought his way forward, feeling increasingly uneasy the closer he got. He activated Elemental Sight.

!!!

A green dot representing a teammate, with Yinsen's name above it, was charging straight into a dense mass of red enemy markers.

Lin Ze's heart lurched:

"Oh no!"

He hurriedly charged in that direction.