The Communication Telephone lay buried deep underground, quietly waiting beneath the Tsukasa Faction's territory.
If Taiju and Yuzuriha, stationed in the enemy camp, never discovered the telephone's existence,
then everyone's efforts would ultimately have been wasted.
The mountain breeze fell still, and the camp was silent. A moment later, a burst of crackling static suddenly broke the quiet.
The current kept fluctuating, white noise rustling through the receiver in waves. It carried the rough interference peculiar to primitive machinery, intermittent yet remarkably clear.
"Hello?... Is that you, Senku?"
A soft female voice, cautious and tentative, came gently through the muffled static.
Her voice was gentle and familiar. Li Xiang recognized Yuzuriha.
The weight hanging over everyone's hearts eased a little.
In fact, Yuzuriha had sensed something was amiss as early as the previous evening.
The figure who had briefly waved from among the trees convinced her that something was going on.
So she quietly kept her eyes open.
Taking advantage of the brief moment when Nikki, who was watching them, turned aside, Yuzuriha gently tugged at Taiju's clothes. Keeping her voice low, she told him her suspicions.
The two suppressed their surging excitement and forced themselves to look calm. They continued standing in prayer each day as usual, not daring to show the slightest sign of anything unusual.
Nikki had orders to keep a close watch on them, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on their every move.
However careful they were, the trace of unease they could not hide still caught Nikki's sharp eye.
Just as Yuzuriha's fingers shifted and she tried to approach the communication point again, Nikki's gaze hardened. She saw through their little maneuver at once.
She strode over and discovered the strange communication device.
She snatched up the receiver beside it, her tone icy. "You actually dared