At the north exit of the Nursery Factory, a heart-stopping scene was unfolding right at that moment. Huge gear assemblies rumbled as they spun, dragging along industrial waste and emitting a bone-chilling screech of friction. An out-of-control robotic arm was clutching a thin girl tightly, dragging her little by little toward the deadly winch.
"Aah—!"
Agni's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He could clearly "see" the girl's face—it was none other than his younger sister, Lila, whom he had missed day and night! The "flame" within him instantly broke through all restraints, blazing furiously. This power was more vast and pure than ever before, a towering fury woven from despair and protection!
"Sister!"
With a roar, Agni shot forward like a lit cannonball. His steam exoskeleton let out a creak as if it could barely bear the strain, its hydraulic systems bulging under overload. He gave no thought to avoiding the danger of the gear assembly, nor did he seek out the robotic arm's weak point. Acting purely on instinct, he thrust out his steam-powered gauntlets and clamped down hard on the mechanical arm dragging Lila away.
"Break… for me!"
Agni's body jerked backward, his muscles coiling and tensing. The hydraulics of his steam exoskeleton exploded with cracking sounds, sparks flying everywhere. The "flame" inside him channeled through the exoskeleton into sheer brute force, locking in a power struggle with the rampaging robotic arm.
"Creak—!"
A deafening shriek of twisting metal echoed throughout the factory. The sturdy mechanical arm began to deform bit by bit under Agni's frantic pull, its internal gears wailing and spewing black smoke!
"Break!" Agni roared again, his eyes bloodshot, veins popping on his forehead.
*Snap!*
A crisp, chilling crack rang out, accompanied by a blast of high-pressure steam. The formidable robotic arm was torn clean off at its joint by Agni's raw strength!
Freed from restraint, Lila's body floated like a weightless leaf, and Agni caught her gently in his arms.
"Lila… Lila!" Agni held his sister, his voice trembling. Tears mixed with sweat streaked down his dust-covered face, carving two dark trails.
Lila in his arms was as thin as a dried leaf, her small frame swallowed by the gray uniform, making her look even frailer. Her eyes were hollow and unfocused, her face expressionless, as if she felt nothing of the world outside. She did not cry or struggle, only leaning numbly against Agni's chest, her gaze devoid of joy at their reunion—not even a flicker of fear. She was like a marionette stripped of her soul.
"Sister… don't you recognize your brother?" As Agni stared into Lila's lifeless eyes, his heart twisted with agony. His overwhelming joy was instantly devoured by a deeper grief.
Old Zhong and Kim Man-jo rushed over. Old Zhong looked at the numb Lila in Agni's arms, sighed, and patted Agni on the shoulder.
"She's been 'processed' for too long," Old Zhong said bitterly. "All the children end up like this—their minds suppressed, their emotions drained, left with nothing but instinct."
Kim Man-jo said nothing. His "flame" could clearly perceive Lila's inner "flame"—faint to the point of being almost undetectable, crushed beneath a cold mechanical shackle. She was indeed alive, but this kind of existence was more painful than death.
"I… I will make you normal again! I swear!" Holding his sister, Agni let out a desperate roar that shook the entire factory. From that moment on, his motive for fighting shifted from pure "revenge" to "protection."
"Old Zhong, take Agni and the children to evacuate through the north emergency exit!" Kim Man-jo's voice was calm and firm, yanking Agni out of his emotional turmoil. He could sense the factory's self-destruction sequence accelerating—time was running out.
"Children! Follow me! North!" Old Zhong shouted, his voice powerful. Taking a deep breath, he began organizing the children pouring out of their cells.
Thousands of children surged like a gray tide, gathering toward the north exit under Kim Man-jo's guidance. Members of the Chosen Squad, aided by their exoskeletons, cleared out-of-control robotic arms and obstacles to carve a safe path for the children.
The evacuation was a race against death. Explosions and the thunderous crash of collapsing metal echoed through the factory at intervals. The ground trembled, and giant cracks snaked across the walls. Every child was fragile, and one misstep could bring irreparable loss.
Kim Man-jo's "flame" blazed like a massive lighthouse, guiding the way. He could "see" the "flame" within each child, growing steadier and clearer than ever under his voice. He diverted part of his focus to soothe the frightened souls continuously, allowing them to move forward in order, with less fear.
Wrench and her scavengers joined the evacuation too. She noticed keenly that though the children were mentally numb, their physical fitness and adaptability to the environment far exceeded ordinary people. Their movements were coordinated; even with hollow eyes, they maintained an instinctive order amid the chaos.
"These kids… they're all precious assets," Wrench murmured, watching the children being loaded onto simple transport carts, a shrewd glint in her eyes.
"Hurry! The exit!"
They finally reached the north exit—a long, dark underground tunnel leading to a secret area in the city's lower districts.
But just as the children were about to pour into the tunnel, Kim Man-jo's "flame" detected an anomaly!
At the tunnel's end, several cold black energy lines, like venomous snakes ready to strike, quickly coiled together, sealing the exit completely!
"Black Iron Guard! Reserve unit!" Kim Man-jo halted abruptly, his voice heavy with unprecedented gravity. "We're blocked!"
The children, startled by the sudden stop, stared at Kim Man-jo in confusion. Agni immediately shielded Lila behind him, while Old Zhong and the Chosen Squad took defensive positions behind their exoskeletons.
Valerius had reacted faster than they'd imagined. They were trapped, with enemies ahead and the factory collapsing behind them.
At the tunnel's end, the headlights of Black Iron Guard armored vehicles cut through the darkness, illuminating the cold muzzles of steam rifles.
"Surrender! Or be killed on sight!" a cold, merciless voice blared from the loudspeaker.
"Damn it!" Agni roared, slamming his steam gauntlet against the tunnel wall, but to no avail.
Despair spread among the rescued children.
*Boom!*
Just as the Black Iron Guard was about to open fire, the ground at the tunnel's end suddenly erupted. Countless rocks and soil shot into the air, and a massive, metallic glinting mechanical drill tore a brand-new escape route from deep underground!
"Man-jo! We're here!" Old Zhong's voice came from behind the drill, accompanied by a group of veteran craftsmen. Their faces were streaked with coal dust and grease, yet shone with tired but unyielding resolve.
It was the engineering team led by Old Zhong! Driving a hastily modified giant steam drill, they had burrowed through the Black Iron Guard's blockade from beneath the earth!
"Hurry! Children, this way!" Kim Man-jo shouted, pushing Agni, Lila, and the other children toward the new gate of life.