Xingtie: My silly online friend is actually a raccoon!

Lu Ze turned and rushed into the left fork in the road, channeling his true energy into his feet, leaving a winding afterimage as he stepped through the crystal clusters.

The Honkai Beast's claws grazed his back several times, and most recently they even snagged the hem of his white coat, the sound of tearing fabric particularly jarring in the narrow passageway.

He didn't turn around, but simply hugged Sirin tighter, lowered his center of gravity, and made several sharp turns, leaving the relentlessly pursuing Honkai beast horde several feet behind.

Just as he was about to reach the end of the passageway, he caught a glimpse of a half-open metal door on his right.

The door was heavy, its surface painted with a dark gray paint that blended in with the wall. If it weren't for a sliver of dim light shining through the crack in the door, he would have almost run straight through.

Without hesitation, Lu Ze squeezed through the crack in the door and slapped the control panel next to the door hard.

The hydraulic door remained motionless, and the indicator light above remained red and locked.

The hissing outside the door grew closer and closer. The nearest Honkai Beasts had already rushed to the corner of the passageway, their slender limbs striking the ground with a dense, drum-like sound.

Lu Ze's gaze swept quickly across the control panel.

The buttons, large and small, were arranged densely, each with abbreviations or numbers that he couldn't understand.

He had no idea what the buttons meant, but the situation didn't allow him to delay any longer.

He steeled his resolve and unleashed his chaotic pressing technique.

Starting from the top row, press them one by one, regardless of whether they are for starting up or what the consequences of pressing them are. As long as it's a button, press it.

The indicator lights on the control panel began flashing wildly, alternating between red, green, yellow, and white, while a low rumble of mechanical startup came from somewhere overhead.

Just as the first Honkai Beast's claws reached through the crack in the door, the hydraulic door jolted violently, and the heavy alloy plate began to slowly descend.

The claw that had reached in was crushed by the descending door panel, and the Honkai Beast let out a sharp scream, forced to retract its claw.

The door continued to descend, accompanied by a low mechanical hum, until it finally fit perfectly into the groove in the ground, completely isolating it from all the hissing and banging sounds from outside.

The moment the door closed, Lu Ze felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

He slid down from the control panel to the floor, not caring whether the ground was dirty or not. The hem of his white coat was casually spread out on the ground. All he wanted to do now was rest.

Running at full speed with a child in his arms for so long has greatly depleted his physical strength and energy reserves. The muscles in his legs trembled slightly, and his breathing became heavy and rapid.

Xilin remained quietly in his arms, never struggling or uttering a word, like a delicate porcelain doll.

But her eyes remained open, her golden pupils quietly watching Lu Ze's sweat-covered profile, his chest heaving with heavy breathing, and his arms that refused to loosen even when he was exhausted.

From the moment he picked her up, he never let go.

Even when he squeezed through the crack in the door, even when he was randomly pressing buttons on the control panel with one hand, his other arm was tightly wrapped around her body.

The force was so strong that it hurt her a little, but she didn't say anything.

It felt like something deep inside had been chiseled open and cracked.

It was very fine, very shallow, almost negligible.

But for a heart that has been shrouded in pain and despair for too long, this crack, this sliver of light that shines through, is still incredibly precious.

Outside the door, the Honkai Beasts relentlessly pounded against the hydraulic door.

The dull thud echoed in the room, and the alloy door panel trembled slightly from the impact, but it still held up.

Roar--

Just when Lu Ze thought he could catch his breath, a deep dragon roar came from afar, penetrating the hydraulic door and layers of rock walls, directly shocking him into his very bones.

The sound wasn't sharp and piercing like the roars of Honkai Beasts; instead, it was deep and resonant, carrying a soul-shaking dragon's might, like an ancient roar coming from the deepest part of the earth.

Lu Ze suddenly looked up, his gaze falling on the indicator light still flashing on the control panel.

broken.

That random pressing of buttons just now probably closed more than just this door.

He must have accidentally triggered the limiting switch on Benares' side, breaking the last shackle binding that Judgment-class Honkai Beast.

Without the restrictions, the purplish-black giant egg will absorb a sufficient amount of Honkai energy.

And once she has absorbed enough energy...

She will hatch immediately.