Chapter Five: The Shadow Victory Leaves

Every lost tower put ten thousand North Five residents into stasis. If the core fell, everyone in stasis would be permanently erased. Lu Yao drove her knife into the table. “Iron Veil petitioned for the format. They know Ember wins through resource trades. This forces us to defend every inch.” Defending every inch meant defending everywhere. The attacker would always own the tempo. At sixteen minutes, Ember was scattered while Iron Veil pushed all three lanes. Each sacrificed tower brought a voice announcing the number of citizens entering stasis. Fear rose through Yanhui's body, stronger than Shen Yan's own emotions. North Fifth Hospital stood within the middle inner tower's power grid.