Chapter 1529: Start The Extraction

Clift stared at the giant machine, his expression darkening as unease coiled in his gut. He had prepared himself for the worst, what might be revealed inside this underground facility. Nevertheless, seeing this in person... it still shocked him.

The sight of the colossal construct bothered him in a way he couldn’t shake. A slow, heavy tension tightened across his shoulders, as if the sheer scale of the machine pressed down on him. He knew what men like Theodore Navaro and Alexander Behrenn were capable of, but he hadn’t expected their ambition to take such a monstrous, tangible shape.

Even with all his preparation, a cold ripple of worry slid through him. Some threats, no matter how ready you think you are, still hit harder when they’re seen firsthand.

Samuel’s face tightened as he took in the towering machine. The metal spine juts toward the cave ceiling like some mechanical beast awakening. A prickling unease crept along his arms.

He’d known Theodore Navaro and Alexander Behrenn were ambitious, power-hungry, territorial. But this... this was ambition given steel, wiring, and a pulse. His stomach twisted at the realization, a cold weight settling in his gut.

"We cannot leave this machine standing," Samuel said, voice heavy and certain. "We should destroy it."

"Don’t need to tell me," Clift replied, determination hardening in his eyes. He reached into the small leg bag strapped to his thigh and pulled out a sleek silver cylinder, longer than his palm—too smooth, too compact, too deliberately made to be anything but dangerous. "Can you handle the machine? I need to dig up whatever information I can on how this thing works."

Samuel’s brow furrowed, "You’ve had a bomb strapped to your leg this whole time?" His voice was a mix of worry and amusement.

His mind flashed back to the turbine shaft, the blades, the near-death drop. If that thing had gone off, then everything will be—

"Yeah," Clift said with a nonchalant shrug. "So? Can you handle it?"

"No problem," Samuel chuckled under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. The Archknights, it seemed, were far crazier than he’d imagined.

Clift and Samuel split without another word, each moving with practiced precision. Samuel slipped through shadows toward the Aetherion Spear, weaving between crates and machinery as the neon-lit cavern cast shifting colors over him.

The massive device towered like a steel monolith, humming faintly, cables pulsing with unfinished power. He kept his breath steady as he circled its base, searching for the best place to plant the explosives.

Clift headed the opposite way, eyes locked on the capsule stacks rising like a metal hive along the cave wall. He kept low, darting behind pipes and support beams whenever guards passed. Once the path was cleared, he climbed the steel stairs quickly, the capsules glowing faintly as he neared them.

Somewhere up there, there must be valuable information he needs before everything in this place can be destroyed.

Below, Samuel closed in on the machine. Above, Clift approached the capsule bay. Two targets. One purpose and no room for mistakes.

All of a sudden, the scrape of boots echoed from the corridor, two guards on patrol, heading straight toward him. Clift reacted instantly. He slipped onto the massive pipeline beside him and melted into the darkness cast along its curve, his form dissolving into the shadow like ink.

The guards trudged past, heavy rifles slung over their shoulders, utterly blind to the figure hidden inches from them.

"Can you believe it? Igor gets off scot-free after all the mess he caused," one scoffed, voice thick with irritation.

"If your brain’s as big as his and the entire project hinges on you, no one dares to hold you accountable for anything, no matter how big the mess you made—not even the Constellation," the other muttered, lowering his voice as if the shadows themselves might report him.

"Tsk. Those people... acting all high and mighty, like they’re some elite chosen caste." The soldier clicked his tongue.

"No one likes them, not us, at least," his partner sighed. "But half the project’s funding comes from the S.A.I.N.T. What do you want us to do?"

"Hmph. And Igor’s already back in the testing room, conducting another experiment with those test subjects, as if nothing happened. Miss Reynolds won’t be happy about that," he sneered.

"So? What can she do?" the other mumbled as their footsteps faded, swallowed by the cavern.

Their voices drifted away, swallowed by the hum of machinery.

A breath later, the shadows peeled back, and Clift’s cold, watchful eyes emerged once more. He just got two valuable information.

First: Luxembourg needs external funding for this project. Their economy isn’t as robust as it seems.

Second: Igor was in the testing room, and he was already conducting another experiment.

Clift’s gaze sharpened; he wondered what experiment Igor was conducting, but whatever it was, he needed to know.

___________________________

Meanwhile, Zhao Li Xin and Jay moved briskly down the corridor, its walls washed in bright, clinical white light. The polished floor reflected every step, making even the softest movement feel exposed. They kept to the edges, slipping past the sweeping arcs of surveillance cameras and the occasional passing guard or lab technician whose eyes were sharp enough to notice anything out of place.

This floor was quieter than the third; however, that didn’t make it any safer. Zhao Li Xin and Jay stepped cautiously down the stark white corridor, each step echoing faintly under the suffocating bright light.

Suddenly, Jay grabbed Zhao Li Xin’s arm. "Wait, look over there," he whispered, pointing with a quick flick of his chin. Before them, a room with a silver plate and bold letters read: DEACTIVATION CHAMBER.

Jay’s face lit up at once. "There," he breathed, excitement edging his voice. He hurried forward, swiping their stolen access card. A crisp beep sounded, and the door slid open.

Inside, the chamber gleamed with cold, sterile light. Three capsule beds lined the wall, their surfaces smooth and white, each one connected to thick cables that converged into a massive machine dominating the center of the room. Beside every capsule, a computer terminal hummed quietly, screens waiting for input.

Jay stepped farther inside, eyes widening with recognition. "I think this is it."

But he didn’t move any closer just yet. His gaze swept the room, then he saw the surveillance camera.

"Don’t look up," he whispered. "There’s a camera."

Zhao Li Xin’s expression tensed with annoyance. "What an annoying—nosy tool?" he muttered under his breath. This camera is slowly getting under his skin.

"What should we do then?" he swallowed the irritation shimmering inside him and asked calmly.

Jay paused, thinking rapidly. Then he said, "Go sit over there. Make it look like we’re just reading data. Something relaxed and boring."

Zhao Li Xin didn’t entirely understand what Jay was planning, but he complied.

He sat at one of the terminals and picked up the report lying beside it, pretending to study the contents. Jay waited until their positions looked natural, then placed his palm against the computer.

A faint pulse rippled from his hand. His ability dove into the system, bypassing layers of security. Within seconds, the internal feed flickered. Jay had broken through. He recorded several seconds of their mundane actions, then rerouted the loop into the live stream, masking their real movements beneath perfect repetition.

When the system stabilized, Jay released a steady breath. "Can you summon Lory from your ring?"

"Of course," Zhao Li Xin answered.

"Then bring her out," Jay said, already moving toward the capsule bed. "We need to put her in the chamber to extract the MADD."

"And the camera?" Zhao Li Xin glanced coldly at the surveillance unit.

"It’s fine. For now, they’ll only see two technicians busy behind the computer, still, it cannot be too long, cause sooner or later they would notice something is off."

"Oh... okay?" Even though, Zhao Li Xin still didn’t fully understand, but more or less, he got the gist. He raised his hand, and a moment later, Lory appeared in the room.

"Li Xin!" Lory jumped straight into Zhao Li Xin’s arms the instant she saw his face. But a second later, she realized the strange environment around them. "Wait—where are we?"

"Blackridge underground facility," Jay said. Then his brows furrowed in confusion. "Why are you dressed like that?" He was dumbfounded seeing Lory in a gown.

Lory puffed out her cheeks in protest. She was still dressed in an elegant hanfu, the sleeves flowing like moonlit silk with every tiny movement. Her long hair had been braided loosely over one shoulder, adorned with pearls and delicate blossoms that glimmered faintly under the lab’s sterile lights.

"Is not my fault, I was playing dress-up with Jade, when you suddenly dragged me out without warning!"

Lory then turned to Zhao Li Xin with a shy grin. "Does this remind you of the old days? Do I still look good in it?"

Zhao Li Xin smiled tenderly, not a hint of coldness left on his face. "En. My wife looks very beautiful."

"O—kay, now..." Jay dragged the words out with a dramatic roll of his eyes, releasing a sigh that came from the depths of his soul. He still wasn’t accustomed to witnessing Lory acting coquettish, like an ordinary girl in love, instead of the annoying and troublemaker girl he’d grown up with.

"Anyway," he said, flicking his wrist toward the capsule, "get inside, Lory. I’m about to pluck that thing out of you."

Lory crossed her arms while her eyes examined the machine in awe. "Oooh, so this is the machine that disables MADD. Looks complicated."

"Wait— is it dangerous?" Anxiety pooled in Zhao Li Xin’s eyes, so clearly, even beneath his composed facade.

"I’m not sure. There’s a risk, of course—but it’s better than letting a small bomb stay inside her," Jay said, worry creeping into his voice.

Before the tension settled, Lory cheerfully cut in, "Don’t worry, guys! We won’t know unless we try it, right?" she said in a breezy, almost playful tone, as if she wasn’t the one about to be shoved into a machine full of unknown risks.

Though Lory spoke in a joking manner, Jay knew she had already made up her mind, and no one could stop her. Jay hesitated for a second, then pushed the button on the capsule bed. The glass surface immediately slid open. Lory climbed in without hesitation and lay down.

"Oh, this gives Sleeping Beauty vibes," Lory make a playful comment.

"Yeah, well, lucky for you, Zhao Li Xin’s here," Jay muttered as he began typing, fingers flying over the keys. "Because there is no way in hell I’m kissing you awake."

Lory’s lips curled downward in theatrical disgust. "Ugh. I’d rather sleep for a hundred years."

Zhao Li Xin frowned, instantly displeased by the ominous phrasing. "Don’t say nonsense. You’ll be just fine, and I’ll kiss you after this."

"Yay!" Lory’s eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons.

"Okay... begin the process now." Jay pressed Enter. ℯ

The reaction was immediate.

The capsule let out a low hum, like the beating of a giant metal heart awakening from slumber. Soft blue circuits lit up beneath the glass, veins of light streaking across the surface as if the machine itself had come to life. A web of holographic symbols rippled across the floor where Lory’s body lay, forming a diagnostic pattern.

On the monitor, an image of the MADD Verada flickered into view, followed by the device’s barcode and a rapidly scrolling cascade of alphanumeric strings. Jay’s expression darkened as he scanned the data. The code was dense and brutally complex. He doubted anyone could crack something like this; even for him, it would take days to unravel this much encryption.

Still... his gaze sharpened with a quiet spark of confidence. With enough time and a lot more research, someone would find a way to bypass it...eventually.