Chapter 134: Spacetime Turmoil·Courtyard Crisis

Zhao Jianguo's hand had just touched the iron box when his fingertip went numb, as if bitten by static. He pulled his hand back, but the blue light crawled up the tabletop, wrapped around his wrist, collided with the terminal's signal, and buzzed open.

The floor shuddered three times.

Cracks spread from the table legs like a spiderweb to the wall base. Ripples floated in the air, twisted and wavy, making one dizzy. He glanced down; the terminal screen flashed wildly, red characters popping up one after another: "High-dimensional energy injected… local spacetime structure unstable! HP remaining 5%."

He snatched the twins from the table and retreated to the wall corner. The two children were still asleep, their little faces alternating red and white, as if swept by something invisible.

"Exemption right activated?" the system popped up a red box: "Requires sole traveler's permission certification."

He stared at the line, finger about to touch, when the floor shook again. A rift tore open above the central courtyard, black not like night but like ripped cloth, revealing a lightless place beyond. Rings of gear phantoms turned inside, hands moving counterclockwise, clicking.

"Is this the button the chief engineer pressed that night?" his heart sank.

Metallic light began to seep from the rift's edge; a arm-shaped thing protruded, joint by joint extending, straight for his arms.

He leaned back against the wall, his heart pounding as if it would burst. The twins suddenly opened their eyes and wailed. He patted their backs, murmuring: "It's okay, Dad's here, nothing will scare you."

No sooner had he spoken than the door was kicked in.

Chen Jianguo rushed in, his shirt torn at the chest, blood soaking the front. He clutched his own terminal watch, face pallid, yet his steps did not falter.

"Don't choose!" he shouted, "Your permission isn't enough—confirming will kill you!"

Zhao Jianguo looked up: "What are you here for? To throw your life away?"

"Our systems share the same origin." Chen Jianguo lunged forward, ripped off his watch and slapped it onto Zhao Jianguo's terminal: "When we signed in, the time difference was under three seconds, so our data streams can link in parallel. Now let's give it a try—stack your exemption right on top!"

The two terminals collided, blue light exploding like a wave sweeping across the courtyard. The mechanical arm in the air jerked to a halt, hanging motionless.

Zhao Jianguo felt his head swell, as if an ice pick were stabbing his temples. He gritted his teeth, held on, his vision blurred for an instant, then forced itself clear.

"How is it?" he asked.

"Stabilized for now." Chen Jianguo panted, hands shaking badly, "But it won't last long—the systems are eating each other… my data is leaking."

He glanced at his own terminal; the numbers plummeted: 87%, 76%, 61%…

"How much do you have left?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"Not important." Chen Jianguo twitched his mouth, attempting a smile, "What matters is that you can still move."

No sooner had he spoken than another dozen mechanical arms shot out of the rift, thickly clustered in midair, all aimed at the twins.

"They're targeting the children." Zhao Jianguo's throat went dry.

"Then protect them." Chen Jianguo stepped forward, blocking his path, voice low: "You guard them, I'll guard you."

"You're about to collapse and still blocking?"

"Even if I can't, I must." Chen Jianguo glanced at him, "You said the living teach the living. I'm alive now, so I ought to do something worthy of the living."

Zhao Jianguo said nothing more, pulling the twins tighter into his embrace. The children cried, faces flushed red, little hands flailing; a milk bottle rolled out of their swaddling, fell to the floor, and spun a few times.

The mechanical arms in the air lowered slowly, joints emitting a faint scraping sound.

Zhao Jianguo fixed his gaze on the nearest arm, estimating distance. Five meters… four meters… just two more steps and he would lunge, using his body to jam it.

But his legs were too weak to support him.

Chen Jianguo suddenly raised his hand, yanking the terminal off the interface. The blue light flashed and died; the rift's hum intensified, yet the dozen arms' movements faltered for an instant.

"What are you doing?!" Zhao Jianguo roared.

"Disconnect and reconnect." Chen Jianguo gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, "Create a system shock to make them misjudge."

Having said that, he slapped the watch back on.

This time the light wasn't blue but a dark red, like charcoal burnt to ash.

Zhao Jianguo felt a surge of heat rush from the terminal into his arm, straight to his forehead. His vision blacked, knees buckled, he nearly knelt. The child in his arms shuddered, its wail turning sharper.

"Hold on!" Chen Jianguo reached out to steady him, "Just ten more seconds!"

Before ten seconds elapsed, a metallic scraping came from deep in the rift, like gears jammed in sand. The foremost arm suddenly swerved and slammed hard into Chen Jianguo.

He did not dodge.

The arm struck his shoulder with a crack, flinging him two meters away to slam onto the courtyard's stone slabs, sliding a bit before stopping.

"Brother!" Zhao Jianguo shouted, wanting to rush over, but the twins in his arms wailed heart-rendingly, leaving him immobile.

Chen Jianguo lay on the ground, still gripping the terminal tightly. He slowly lifted his head, mouth smeared with blood, eyes still open.

"Not… taken." He gasped, "Still… with you."

Zhao Jianguo looked down at the children in his arms; their eyes were shut, faces scrunched, yet they still breathed.

He lifted his gaze to the rift.

The mechanical arms hung in midair, as if awaiting a command.

He slowly straightened, back against the wall, one arm shielding the children, the other gripping the terminal tight.

"Come on." he whispered, "Try getting a little closer."

The rift quivered slightly; a mechanical arm lifted slowly, its tip less than a meter from him.

He held his breath, fingers hooked on the terminal's edge, ready for a final gamble.

Just then, Chen Jianguo suddenly pushed himself up from the ground, staggering forward.

He lunged and seized the joint of the nearest mechanical arm, hanging from it like a rag.

"Can't run…" his voice hoarse, "I'll drag you down too!"

The arm jerked hard, hauling him toward the rift.

Zhao Jianguo surged forward, reaching out to pull.

As his fingertips brushed Chen Jianguo's cuff, the whole arm was swallowed by darkness.