The cold mechanical sound echoed in everyone’s ears as death slowly approached.
None of them expected such a slip-up when they were so close to success.
They had only just left the core area and were still three hundred metres away from the gate.
Not even a minute was enough for them to run out.
The most important thing was that the testing chamber was equipped with its own protection and self-destruction system.
To prevent the unknown element from leaking into the entire base, the chamber would activate an automatic destruction program.
If they didn’t make it out, they would also be programmed to be among the targets of destruction.
“Off, off!” A researcher fumbled to disconnect the power, “Miss Sinai, the power is all off on my side.”
The mechanical voice remained the same, unchanged.
“Alarm! ALARM! Unknown element leak!”
At this, everyone panicked.
Even before entering the experimental base, they had been prepared to sacrifice their lives for science, but no one had expected such a result.
Sinai, however, had calmed down: “Don’t panic, everyone, there’s a way out.”
She took off her own shoes and handed them to another female researcher to change into.
She also took out a few small robots from her pocket and handed them to a few elderly people.
These little robots could normally clean and in a pinch could be turned into simple flying machines.
In just a few seconds, a white mist had risen from the testing room.
This fog is mixed with leaked unknown elements.
The protective suits were not able to stop the invasion of the unknown elements 100 per cent, and one 68-year-old researcher’s face was already turning greenish-black.
Other researchers also felt the weakness in their limbs, and some even cried out.
“You guys, listen to me carefully.” Sinai coughed, her voice shaking, “Hold your breath and don’t look back, ten seconds, that’s enough to get you out.”
With that, she pressed a button on her bracelet.
The little robot that turned into a flying machine received the order and immediately led the fellows out at top speed.
Sinai fished another robot out of her pocket.
She gave a pause and her eyes fell on the teenager next to her.
This was the youngest researcher in the group, having just turned eighteen this year.
Two of them.
The last robot.
Sinai’s eyelashes dropped and her fingers clenched.
“Sinai-sensei, I’m not afraid!” The teenager could obviously see that the robot in Sinai’s hand was unusual too, and he grabbed her hand, smiling, “You, you must get out, I’m fine, I really am.”
“Go.” Sinai murmured, “You’re young, you have a long life ahead of you, what’s the point of pushing it? Think of your parents, they are still waiting for you to succeed in developing a space carrier.”
She enlivened the mood, “I won’t get a chance to see it, if you’re so inclined, burn me a few pictures then.”
The teenager didn’t even manage to refuse.
Without further ado, Sinai converted even the last little robot into a simple flying machine and pressed it on the teenager, pressing the button and pushing him out with one hand.
“Sinai-sensei!”
The voice dissipated into the growing white mist until it was completely gone.
[Self-destruct sequence activated]
[Gate about to close]
Two red boxes dominated the outdoor detection screen, constantly emitting warning sounds
The other group panicked.
“Quick! Call the rescue team!” Charlotte’s fingers trembled as she pressed the number, “There’s still people in there! There’s eleven more people!”
What level of elemental leak would trigger the testing chamber’s self-destruct sequence?
Eleven lives, who could afford that?
“It’s coming out!” Someone shouted, surprised, “They’re coming out!”
Charlotte jerked around to see several spinning craft bringing out the researchers who had gone in.
The fellows were all down on the ground, by the very fact that they were indeed still alive.
But she looked around and saw no sign of Sinai.
It wasn’t until the last figure rushed out that it still wasn’t Sinai.
Eleven men went in, and only ten came out.
“Teacher!” Charlotte looked horrified, “Where’s the teacher?!”
She gritted her teeth, grabbed her spare protective suit and was about to rush inside.
But just then, a bigger red box popped up on the screen.
[Self-destruct sequence activated]
“BOOM!”
With a heavy bang, the door closed completely, isolating the inside from the outside.
“……”
The researchers who ran out all collapsed to the ground, their bodies soaked in cold sweat.
Although they had all run out, they had also inhaled a lot of unknown elements, and those with poor health had fallen into coma.
The other fellows scrambled forward and initiated emergency treatment procedures.
Charlotte helped the last teenager who had escaped to his feet.
“Sai, Miss Sinai is still in there!” The teenager cried out in anxiety and broke down straight away, “What to do! She was put in there to save me! D*mn it was me!”
Without Sinai, all of them would have died in there.
She was clearly able to get out, but she gave up her chance to live to the others.
Charlotte froze.
The countdown continued, one after another, cold and unforgiving.
[35, 34, 33 ……]
“Someone must have moved!” Charlotte gritted her teeth, the taste of rust flooding her mouth, “Obviously an hour ago, everything was normal inside the testing room, and there was absolutely no sign of the elements being over the limit.”
Who the hell was it?
Why was there another leak of unknown elements?
If it was just a small leak, it wouldn’t have caused the testing chamber to initiate a self-destruct sequence at all.
Such a ma*sive elemental leak should not have happened at all.
It could only be man-made.
But the experimental project was the heart and soul of every researcher, who would deliberately destroy it?
“It’s over.” Charlotte’s face turned pale as her body shook, “What should we do, we can’t get in, and teacher definitely can’t get out!”
Once the self-destruction procedure was activated, it was completely irreversible.
Just then, Charlotte’s eyes were blurred and she only felt a wind sweep past her.
At the same moment, someone shouted excitedly, “Someone, someone’s gone in! Did you see a man go in?!”
“I saw him, he went in! He went straight in!”
The others looked up and stared blankly at the still closed door, their minds slightly confused.
Charlotte could be sure that she saw the figure of a man enter the completely closed testing room with such ease.
The door hadn’t shown any signs of damage.
How was this possible?
**
The concentration of white mist in the testing room had reached a level where you couldn’t even see your fingers.
Sinai leaned against the wall, she had inhaled so much of the unknown element that she didn’t even have the strength to stand up.
Even with each breath, her heart and lungs ached and she could barely breathe.
She glanced at the level of erosion of her protective suit.
88%.
Once the erosion level reached 100%, the leaking unknown elements would immediately soak through all her organs.
But it wouldn’t take a 100% erosion, the explosion would be enough to kill her in a few moments.
And that, Sinai thought, was where she had finally come to.
To give her life for science.
And that was fine.
She was not a sage, no reincarnation.
Nor was she an alchemist or an ancient martial artist, capable of a long life.
Perhaps that was what separated her from Norton.
She, like the many pa*sers-by in his life, would leave no trace.
In the far, far future, when she would have been dead for a long time, he would still be cooking for another and taking another to the playground.
This person would be able to make him tell everything about his past as it was, to open him up completely, and to understand him.
He wouldn’t bully that person either and would treat her well.
They hugged, they played and sang, and they loved each other.
That was good, really.
Sinai tilted her head, her eyes slightly red.
She told herself she had to be strong, but the tears still fell unbidden.
Drop by drop, they all fell into the protective suit.
She also wanted someone to be there for her when she was in danger, to protect her.
But there wasn’t.
The little robots were all gone too.
In the end, she too was alone.
In her ears, the countdown continued.
[10, 9, 8 ……]
The white fog was getting thicker and thicker, and Sinai finally couldn’t hold on anymore.
Before her consciousness completely dissipated, she vaguely saw a person running towards her.
Sinai raised her head wearily, her vision completely blurred and she could not see the visitor’s appearance.
All she could see was a pair of dark green eyes in which the ice beneath them had finally shattered away completely, leaving only a frightened and furious look.
She closed her eyes and thought to herself.
How could she even think of him when she was dying.
What a wretched thing.
Sinai’s head sank and her body collapsed heavily, devoid of perception.
So too, unbeknownst to her, someone held her in time and the countdown stopped at the same moment.
The white mist slowly lifted to reveal the man’s handsome face.
Norton held her close, his voice low: “Fool.”
The eighth of the twenty-two Sages, the Sage Chariot, special ability to ignore all obstacles.