Chapter 4：Midnight Rendezvous

4 AM. Dawn had not yet broken.

Roy crouched in an alley leading to the NSRU facility, waiting for his target. Through observation, he'd discovered that the building's maintenance staff conducted final equipment checks before the night shift ended, usually with only one or two people.

A young man in gray coveralls emerged from the side entrance, a tool bag slung over his shoulder. He lit a cigarette and headed to the external public restroom, entering a stall where he put on a VR headset and engaged in indescribable activities—his way of staying alert during night shifts.

Roy silently picked the stall lock and nearly dropped his jaw at the scene before him, though he was grateful for the opportunity it presented.

One punch later, the man collapsed into the toilet, unconscious.

"Sorry, buddy. Enjoy your bathroom entertainment." Roy quickly stripped off the man's coveralls, locked the stall from the inside, then climbed out over the top.

The gray coveralls fit perfectly, the long sleeves completely concealing his mechanical prosthetics. He pulled on electrician's silicone gloves over his mechanical hands. From the outside, they looked completely like ordinary human hands.

He checked the maintenance worker's tool bag, finding various electronic repair tools and an employee ID card. More importantly, there was tonight's maintenance task list:

"Basement Level 1, routine power room inspection."

"Perfect." He hid the unconscious worker behind a dumpster, put on the work cap, grabbed the tool bag, and strode confidently toward the Stellar Alliance facility's side entrance.

"Good evening, routine inspection." He showed his ID card to the guard.

The drowsy guard merely glanced at it and waved him through. Clearly, the night shift guards were accustomed to such routine maintenance.

He entered the building interior, following wall signs to find Basement Level 1. He needed to install remote EMP devices throughout the floor's electrical systems.

Over the next forty minutes, he used routine inspections as cover to install miniature remote EMP devices at various electrical nodes on the basement level. These devices were only coin-sized, disguised as ordinary voltage monitors, making them difficult to detect.

He installed twelve EMP devices total, covering all major circuits for surveillance systems, access control systems, lighting systems, and communication systems. Once activated, they could simultaneously paralyze the entire floor's electronic equipment for at least five minutes.

After completing the installation, he began searching for the location of those two mysterious women.

He carefully searched Basement Level 1, following wall signs to reach the "Advanced Research Area." Security here was obviously stricter, but the maintenance worker's ID card remained valid—after all, even the most advanced equipment required daily maintenance.

He moved slowly through the corridor, carefully observing each room's signage. Most were ordinary laboratories and workrooms, but one room's nameplate read "Dr. Riko."

Just as he prepared to approach this room, he heard footsteps from the other end of the corridor. He quickly began pretending to check wiring.

Two security personnel in black uniforms walked over, one being the middle-aged man who had captured Ling the night before. They stopped in front of Riko's door.

"Is Dr. Riko inside?" The middle-aged man knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Keiko peered out: "What's the matter?"

"Just a reminder—before the surgery begins, you cannot leave this floor." The middle-aged man's tone was harsh. "This is a direct company directive."

"We understand." Keiko nodded, but Roy noticed her voice trembled slightly.

"Also," the middle-aged man added, "if you sisters have any 'ideas,' you'd better abandon them early. The company is well aware of your value, but that doesn't mean you're irreplaceable."

The threat was unmistakable.

Keiko's face turned pale: "We will cooperate."

"Good." The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction. "Remember, the 'freedom' you now enjoy is built on the foundation of being useful."

After the security personnel left, Keiko closed the door. But Roy noticed there were patrol personnel monitoring both ends of the corridor, and their routes passed near Riko's room.

He realized that the sisters were indeed closely monitored "prisoners."

He waited three minutes, confirming the security personnel had gone far enough, then fumbled with a remote control in his pants pocket. He needed to create an opportunity for contact.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed the activation button.

The entire floor instantly plunged into darkness.

The EMP devices activated simultaneously, and all electronic equipment failed. Panicked shouts from security personnel echoed through the corridors, and even the emergency lighting system couldn't start. Surveillance was completely disabled, access control systems paralyzed.

He seized this opportunity and quickly approached Riko's room door.

"Emergency maintenance!" He knocked and shouted. "Floor-wide power outage—I need to check all equipment safety status!"

The door opened a crack, and Keiko cautiously peered out. In the weak emergency lighting, she saw him in maintenance coveralls.

"What caused the power outage?" Keiko's voice carried unease.

"Not sure, but all electronic equipment is paralyzed." He spoke quickly. "I need to immediately inspect the precision equipment here to ensure no damage. Company directive is to prioritize protecting the advanced research area."

Keiko looked back into the room, and he heard Riko's words: "Let him in, Keiko. This power outage is suspicious—we need to understand the situation."

Keiko stepped aside, and he entered the luxuriously appointed room.

Various biological and genetic engineering charts hung on the walls. Riko sat behind a massive desk, using her phone's light to examine materials on the desktop.

She looked up to study him, scrutinizing this maintenance worker in the darkness by her phone's light.

"You're not a maintenance worker here." Riko's tone was calm but threatening. "I've seen all the technical personnel here."

He slowly removed his work cap, revealing his true face. He realized the disguise was meaningless now—he could only bet that these two women truly opposed the Stellar Alliance.

"You're right, Doctor." He met Riko's gaze. "I'm Roy. I've come to rescue the imprisoned Ling."

The room fell instantly silent.

Keiko instinctively backed away several steps, but Riko leaned forward, her wariness transforming into interest.

"Interesting." Riko slowly stood up. "A strange man, infiltrating the Stellar Alliance's core facility to rescue an imprisoned girl." She walked around the desk toward him, approaching to ask softly: "Tell me, Roy, why would you take such a risk?"

He looked directly into her eyes: "Because I can't stand watching a living person be dissected like a lab rat by those beasts."

"Beasts?" Riko chuckled softly, a flash of agreement in her eyes. "It seems your opinion of the Stellar Alliance coincides with certain people's."

She stopped before him, studying him carefully. "This power outage... you did it, didn't you? A man capable of infiltrating Stellar Alliance facilities and paralyzing an entire floor's electronic systems shouldn't be simple."

He nodded: "I'm a mechanical engineer, specialized in handling complex systems."

"Mechanical engineer..." Riko's expression became more intrigued. "Then, Roy, you should understand one principle: complex problems require complex solutions."

"What do you mean?"

Riko walked back to her desk, opened a drawer, and retrieved a small bottle containing eerie liquid. "I mean, if you truly want to save that girl, you alone aren't enough. But if we cooperate..."

She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

He glanced at Keiko, finding her watching him and her sister uneasily. This blue-haired woman was obviously troubled by the sudden variable, but she hadn't raised an alarm, indicating they truly weren't the Stellar Alliance's loyal lackeys.

"What do you want?" he asked directly.

"Very simple." Riko sat back down, carefully placing the bottle on the desk. "We want the genetic samples from that girl's body, and detailed data on that necklace."

His expression instantly became wary: "You also want to experiment?"

"No, no, no." Riko waved her hand. "What we want is understanding, not destruction. And..." she paused, "we also need to escape this prison."

Riko lowered her voice and continued: "Roy, you saw earlier that we sisters aren't voluntary NSRU employees. We're trapped here, just like that girl. If you can successfully rescue her, we'll also have a chance to escape."

He carefully observed Riko's expression, trying to judge the truth in her words. This woman was dangerous, but what she said seemed reasonable.

"If I agree to cooperate, what help can you provide?"

Riko faced him, a gentle smile appearing on her face, though it looked somewhat unsettling in the phone's light: "Internal permissions, facility layout, security vulnerabilities, and..." she raised the small bottle in her hand, "some special insurance measures."

Just then, footsteps echoed from the corridor. The emergency generator began working, and weak red emergency lights came on.

"Time is running short." Riko spoke quickly. "Surgery begins this morning—it's 5 AM now. You must decide immediately."

He looked at Riko, then glanced at the anxious Keiko clutching her skirt. He realized this might be the only chance to rescue Ling, and even if it was a trap, he had to take the risk.

"Alright, I agree to cooperate." He made his decision. "But with one condition: that girl's safety is the first priority."

Riko extended her hand: "Deal, Roy. Welcome to our escape plan."

He grasped her hand, feeling its slightly higher-than-human temperature and hidden strength.

"Well then," Riko's tone carried excitement, "let's start creating some real chaos."

At this moment, in the detention room on Basement Level 2.

Ling huddled in the corner of the pure white room, the monitoring equipment on her body having failed after the power outage.

Her hands and feet were ice-cold, her face bloodless.

She could sense the Tear of the First Dragon was nearby—the pain of separation made it almost impossible to breathe. But what tormented her more was knowing her time was nearly up.

She had heard everything those white coats said: vivisection, complete extraction, then destruction.

"Emma..." she softly called to the guardian knight in her memory. "I need your strength."

But in her extremely weakened state, she couldn't even clench her fists.

Just then, she sensed something.

The earlier power outage wasn't an accident—it was some kind of signal. A familiar feeling came from upstairs. Not hostility, but... hope?

Ling struggled to open her eyes, looking toward the ceiling.

"Is that you... Roy?"