171: Chapter 172 The First Bypass Station: No More People Can Be Locked Up

"It's not asking whether to shut down."

"It's asking whether humanity is willing—"

"To personally create seventy-two new Cheng Du's."

As soon as Cheng Du finished this sentence, the air in the control room felt as if it had been sucked out.

Seventy-two notches, seventy-two abyss entrances.

One of them had already gone dark.

Which meant the first entrance had been successfully load-shed by sector.

But the line of text below the dial was nailed into everyone's eyes like a spike.

[For every entrance closed, one Reality Maintainer must remain on guard]

[The guard must not leave their post, must not die, and must not be forgotten]

Outside, the crowd, who had just breathed a sigh of relief because the mandatory exam was halted, quickly fell silent.

Seventy-two people.

Long-term guard duty.

Must not leave the post.

This wasn't maintenance.

This was copying Cheng Du's twenty years seventy-two times.

Chen Ye's first reaction was to curse:

"Is it sick?"

"We just dismantled one master switch, and it immediately replaced it with seventy-two prison cells for us?"

Cheng Du leaned against the main console, half his body charred, his voice raspy.

"It didn't just change it."

"This thing was there from the beginning."

Lin Jin looked up.

Cheng Du stared at the mechanical watch, his eyes cold.

"When the abyss bypasses were first designed, people were needed on the Reality side to guard them."

"Because the entrances would disguise themselves as doors, loved ones, missions, or rewards."

"If no one watched them, they would secretly recover."

"Later, The Six Seats changed 'rotational maintenance' to 'permanent guard duty'."

"After that, no one was willing to be locked inside."

"So they simply synthesized the seventy-two bypasses into a master console and hooked me up to it."

He looked down at the point where he was connected to the master console.

"It saves people."

"And it saves conscience."

Lin Jin didn't speak.

He walked to the dial and reached out to touch the first notch that had gone dark.

Behind the notch, an entrance on the east side of Jiangcheng was projected.

It was an abandoned underground passage.

Just now, during the sector load shedding, an old student was responsible for turning the valve.

Now, his hand was still pressed against the valve.

On the screen, the youth's face was pale as he tried to move his hand an inch away.

The alarm blared immediately.

[Guard has left post]

[East entrance rising]

At the end of the underground passage, a black door suddenly opened a palm's width.

Countless voices came from behind the door.

"Class monitor."

"Come back to class."

"You haven't graduated yet."

The youth was so scared he immediately pressed his hand back down.

The black door closed again.

But his hand was bitten by the valve, and a circle of black text emerged beneath his skin.

[Guard: Meng Huai]

[Must not leave post]

Meng Huai gritted his teeth and smiled, saying into the comms:

"It's fine."

"I'll stay."

"Anyway, I've already spent twenty years in the Underground School; this bit doesn't matter."

Qin Shanhe's expression instantly darkened.

"Shut up."

Meng Huai froze.

Qin Shanhe's voice was heavier than when he started the class just now.

"Whoever says 'this bit doesn't matter' again, I'll beat them up first."

The underground passage side went quiet.

Lin Jin grabbed the communicator.

"Meng Huai, don't force your hand off."

"Is there a second person nearby?"

"Yes."

"Let him put his hand on it too."

A few seconds later, another old student placed his hand on the other side of the valve.

The dial didn't change.

Meng Huai tried to let go.

The alarm sounded again.

[Original guard has left post]

[Entrance rising]

The black door opened again.

The second person's face turned pale.

"It won't transfer!"

Lin Jin stared at the screen.

There was only one palm slot on the valve.

It didn't recognize "someone is on duty."

But rather "whether the first person who pressed it is still there."

This was the place where it locked people in.

Cheng Du whispered:

"Guard slot."

"Old design."

"Originally, there should have been a transfer ring on the side."

"It was dismantled."

Lin Jin immediately dove under the control console.

"Where are the blueprints?"

"In my head."

Cheng Du panted and cursed:

"Third layer on the bottom right, pry it open."

Lin Jin did as told.

Behind the panel was a row of brass connectors that had long been cut.

There were two holes next to each connector.

One was labeled [Guard].

The other's original position was sealed with black adhesive, with only half a character remaining.

[Trans...]

Lin Jin knocked the black adhesive off with a wrench.

The second half of the character was revealed.

[fer]

His eyes lit up.

"There's a transfer hole."

"But it was sealed."

"Can it be restored?"

Shen Tingxue asked.

"Yes."

Cheng Du said.

"But it requires a transfer ring on the Reality side as well."

"All seventy-two have been dismantled."

"Make one temporarily."

Lin Jin looked up.

"Materials?"

Cheng Du listed them quickly.

"Brass wire, hand-cranked generator chip, two mechanical lock tongues, and a piece of metal that can retain heat."

"Why retain heat?"

"To prove it's not a corpse pressing it down."

Cheng Du grinned.

"The old design still had a bit of humanity."

Lin Jin immediately connected to the whole city.

"Near the east side underground passage, find brass wire, mechanical locks, and copper sheets from hot water pipes."

"Hurry."

In less than ten minutes, the underground passage sent back images.

A few ordinary citizens dismantled an abandoned power distribution box.

A plumber rushed down carrying copper pipes.

Fang Ning brought over disposable heat-sensing patches from The Hospital.

Luo Wensheng recorded the source of the materials submitted by everyone in her notes.

He Zhibai wrote the costs into the public ledger.

Ye Guizhou stamped it:

[Materials received]

[Does not constitute permanent requisition]

Lin Jin dismantled the connectors on the control room side simultaneously, teaching the assembly on-site step-by-step.

"Wrap the brass wire three times, don't wrap it too tight."

"Lock tongue goes in and out."

"Stick the heat-sensing patch on the inside of the grip."

"Don't weld it shut; it needs to be replaceable."

Meng Huai's hand was being bitten deeper and deeper by the valve.

The black text had already crawled to his wrist.

He was still smiling.

"I can hold on."

Qin Shanhe said coldly:

"Try saying that again."

Meng Huai immediately shut up.

Chen Ye stood in front of the communicator and couldn't help but mutter:

"Old Qin is scarier than the abyss right now."

Lin Jin didn't laugh.

He connected the last brass wire into the control console.

On the east entrance side, the temporary transfer ring was also fastened to the valve.

"Now the second person, put your hand on the transfer ring."

"Meng Huai, don't let go."

The second person pressed down.

The transfer ring lit up with a faint yellow light.

[Detecting transfer subject]

The abyss immediately cut in.

[Guard must not leave post]

[Transfer is considered avoiding the price]

The black door suddenly opened.

Several black hands reached out from behind the door, grabbing at Meng Huai's shadow.

Zhou Heng's Thunder Spear pierced in from the passage entrance, forcefully pinning the black hands.

Shen Tingxue spread ice from a distance, sealing the door gap.

Chen Ye raised his shield and smashed into the underground passage projection door, blocking the surging black mist for those on-site.

"Lin Jin!"

"Hurry!"

Lin Jin stared at the transfer hole on the control console.

The hole lit up.

But it was missing a confirmation line.

"Need a third-party witness."

Luo Wensheng reacted immediately and picked up her pen to write:

[First guard transfer at the east entrance.]

[Original guard: Meng Huai.]

[Successor: Zhao Yiheng.]

[Witnesses: On-site maintenance team, Jiangcheng public Record.]

Ye Guizhou stamped it.

[Transfer application received]

He Zhibai added to the ledger.

[Transfer is not considered avoiding costs, but a transfer of guard costs]

Qin Shanhe broadcast to the whole city:

"Everyone listen up."

"Guard duty is not about nailing one person to death."

"Guard duty is about keeping the post continuous; people can be swapped."

The transfer hole on the control console finally lit up with a full yellow light.

[Transfer established]

[Post is continuous]

[Original guard may leave post to rest]

Meng Huai's hand was released by the valve.

He fell backward and was caught by someone nearby.

The black text retreated from his wrist, leaving only a deep mark on his palm.

He looked at his hand, stunned for a long time.

Then he suddenly cried.

It wasn't wailing.

It was the kind of crying he hadn't been able to release for twenty years in the Underground School.

He cried while cursing:

"I thought I wouldn't be able to get out again."

No one laughed at him.

Qin Shanhe just said softly:

"It's good that you're out."

The state of the first bypass station changed.

[East entrance: Artificial Bypass Station No. 1]

[Guard method: Two-person transfer, three-party witness, four-hour rotation]

[Guard: Post is continuous, does not lock a single individual]

On the mechanical watch, a small brass ring appeared next to the first notch that had gone dark.

Cheng Du stared at the small ring, silent for a long while.

Lin Jin looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

Cheng Du lowered his head and laughed.

His voice was hoarse.

"If I had had this thing back then..."

He stopped halfway through, not finishing the sentence.

Because saying it was useless.

Twenty years had already passed.

Lin Jin fixed the brass connector back in place.

"Now you have it."

Cheng Du raised his hand and smacked the back of his head hard.

"Less melodrama."

"There are still seventy-one more."

This sentence was like a splash of cold water.

On the control console, the remaining seventy-one notches were still jumping.

Every entrance needed a bypass station built.

Every one needed materials, manpower, transfers, Records, and inspections.

It couldn't be solved by shouting a few words tonight.

He Zhibai's public ledger immediately turned the page.

[Construction cost for seventy-two bypass stations: Extremely high]

[Preliminary requirements: Materials, personnel training, shift system, risk allowance, evacuation plan, memory Records]

[Unfinished entrances: 71]

Qin Shanhe looked at the ledger, his voice steady.

"Then we start scheduling from tonight."

"The Combat Academy is gone."

"But the classes remain."

He turned to look at all the old students, new students, and ordinary citizens.

"The first class."

"Maintenance Guard Duty."

"Whoever signs up, it's not to sacrifice yourself."

"It's to learn how to keep the next person from being locked to death."

In the crowd, one person after another raised their hands.

This time it wasn't just hot-blooded impulse.

They had heard the rules, knew the dangers, and had seen Meng Huai almost get locked in.

So they raised their hands slower than before.

And also heavier than before.

Luo Wensheng recorded the names of every applicant.

Leaving a column on the side:

[Retractable]

Ye Guizhou stamped it:

[Application received]

[Does not equate to permanent service]

He Zhibai wrote:

[Shift work should have rest and replacement costs]

Shen Qingshuang added in a low voice:

"And there must be supervision."

"To prevent someone from changing rotation to permanent again in the future."

Yu Xing glanced at her.

"Record this sentence."

Luo Wensheng nodded and wrote:

[No bypass station may cancel the transfer ring.]

[Those who cancel the transfer ring are considered to be creating a cage.]

Cheng Du looked at these messy yet realistically implemented Records, and the cloudiness in his single eye slowly dissipated a bit.

He suddenly pulled the connector linking him to the master console out an inch.

The alarm sounded immediately.

[Original guard of master console has left post]

Lin Jin's expression changed.

"Old Cheng!"

Cheng Du gritted his teeth and said:

"What are you yelling for."

"Testing master console transfer."

Lin Jin's heart sank sharply.

The master console was not an ordinary bypass station.

It had originally locked Cheng Du for twenty years.

If it could also be transferred, it meant Cheng Du might finally be able to leave that chair.

But if it failed, he would be torn to shreds by the master console on the spot.

Cheng Du looked at Lin Jin.

"Don't look at me with that kind of expression."

"I don't want to die."

"I want to know—"

"Whether the first person who was locked in can also get out."

The control room was so quiet that only the alarm sound remained.

Cheng Du pressed his hand, which hadn't completely carbonized, onto the long-rusted transfer hole next to the master console.

The yellow light didn't turn on.

Only a line of old text slowly emerged.

[Original guard time too long]

[Transfer ring corroded]

[Need to find the first-generation transfer key]

Lin Jin asked immediately:

"Where is the key?"

Cheng Du stared at the text, his expression changing bit by bit.

Deep within the master console, a Maintenance Log from twenty years ago popped up automatically.

[First-generation transfer key handed over to: Lin Shoushan]

[Current status: Missing after entering the No. 9 Forbidden Zone with the First Blade executor]

In the comms, Lin Shoushan in the treatment pod slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at the text, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"I remember now."

"That key..."

"I plunged it into the heart of the Mother of All Things back then."