Pain was a jagged rock in Lin Mo's chest. Chen Bailong's escaping ki-trace burned his retinas – a comet streaking toward the Chen Clan compound, a fortress of reinforced neo-concrete and shimmering energy shields. [FLESH INTEGRITY: 39% | ENERGY: 2 UNITS] Suicide to follow.
The ring offered cold calculus:
[PRIORITY: BIOLOGICAL STABILIZATION - 15 UNITS]
[PRIORITY: ENERGY ACQUISITION]
[WARNING: CATALYST BLOOM DETECTED (WEST 1.7 KM) - SISTER'S CONDITION ACCELERATING]
A holographic ER report flickered in his vision – Yu's vitals spiking erratically. Crystallization had begun. Hours. Maybe less.
He scanned the ruined penthouse. Smashed security drones. Spilled medical nanites. And Chen Tianhao's discarded neural headset – still active. Lin Mo snatched it.
[FORCED INTERFACE: SECURITY NETWORK]
[ACCESSING: STRUCTURAL MAP - CHEN COMPOUND]
Blueprints overlaid his sight. The Vault wasn't just underground. It was a nest:
Level 1: Guard Barracks (50+ Warriors)
Level 2: Ki-Dampening Field (Disables external techniques)
Level 3: The Vault (Molecular Lock + Guardian)
His eyes locked onto a sewage conduit snaking beneath Level 2. [DIAMETER: 68 CM | BIOHAZARD LEVEL: EXTREME]
The ring pulsed. [OPTION: EMULATE IRONBACK SPIDER (MORPHOLOGY/TOXIN RESISTANCE) - COST: 10 UNITS]
He dumped his last 2 Units into basic toxin resistance. "Do it."
Agony. His bones cracked, joints reversing. Chitin plates erupted under his skin. He crawled into the reeking pipe, darkness swallowing him.