The night deepened, soaking all of Cinnabar Island in thick black ink. The volcano's rumbling was no longer an intermittent roar, but a continuous, muffled backdrop, like the heavy breathing of a prehistoric beast beneath the island. That unceasing thunder perfectly masked every faint sound of anyone trying to move stealthily through the night, providing natural camouflage.
Inside the temporary command post, most of the Pokémon League personnel, who had worked for over a dozen hours straight, had begun taking turns resting. Apart from a handful of technicians monitoring core data, most areas had only emergency lighting left on, making them seem rather empty and quiet. After such prolonged exertion, excitement and tension had gradually given way to exhaustion.
Ye Li kept track of the time. When his biological clock, as accurate as a precision timepiece, reached the predetermined moment, he rose from the data console and stretched his somewhat stiff body. He approached the supervising official who had come to trust him, wearing just the right degree of fatigue on his face.
"Sir, the data link between the main system and Observation Station No. 2 at the summit is experiencing some minor delays and synchronization issues." He pointed to a curve on the screen showing an almost negligible fluctuation in the data. "It won't affect the overall situation, but to make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong, I need to visit the observation station personally and physically calibrate the equipment there."
The reason was airtight. At such a critical moment, any potential problem that could affect the accuracy of the data had to be eliminated. The official was already overwhelmed by a mess of logistical arrangements. He merely nodded at this, without even giving Ye Li another glance.
"Go ahead. Stay safe. The mountain path is rough." As he spoke,