Chapter Three: Ninety-Three Lives and One Drop of Metal

The emergency center issued a citywide warning of total western collapse. Water cannons fired at full force, filling the upper facade with glare and mist. Lin redirected three news drones toward the evacuating crowd. In seventeen unseen seconds, Zhou's swarm burned through the barrier. He entered the lab. Six pale faces pressed against the chamber window. Its mechanical lock had fused. Zhou wedged his glove into the seam and used the last strength in the suit to tear the alloy door open. Fresh air rushed inside. “If you can walk, help someone who can't. Follow me!” Fractures cracked overhead. The cable net had begun to fail. As they entered the corridor, the first line broke like a monstrous guitar string.