Chapter Four: On Map One, the Future Kills the Future

Back onstage, Lin Mo heard an explosion coming left and fired once at Zhou Yan’s feet. Danger in three seconds. Everyone waited. He Chuan’s crosshair wavered between both entrances. Then he crouched twice and jumped into a maintenance shaft. Bait. Reverse descent. Tang Ye cursed and followed first. Three seconds later, both normal routes erupted. Throne had sealed the futures Emberstar was expected to choose. No one guarded the shaft. They surfaced inside the core. Su Cheng scanned, Zhou Yan shattered the partition, and Tang Ye broke the beacon shield. He Chuan entered last and absorbed a killing shot with eleven health remaining. Emberstar earned its first round.