Chapter 127 Thirty Seconds
The dust cloud beyond the northern ridge grew thicker.
Even from this distance, the approaching vehicle could now be seen clearly, long, low, and moving far faster than anything designed for rough terrain should but it was still too far away.
On the tablet, the timer dropped again. 00:00:28
The technician holding the device looked like he might faint.
“No pressure,” Shen Wei muttered.
The defecting leader gave a dry laugh. “None at all.”
Another pulse rolled through the valley, this one was different again, not just vibration.
The air itself seemed to shift.
Below them, communication towers along the terraces lit one after another, sending thin lines of signal energy across the valley like threads in a web.
The younger envoy stared at his slate. “It’s stabilizing the interface network.”
The older envoy nodded slowly. “Once the connection forms, the Gate will need a human reference point to interpret complex decisions.”
Shen Wei glanced sideways. “So basically it needs someone who can argue with it.”
The envoy looked at him. “That’s… not an inaccurate description.”
The timer continued falling. 00:00:22
Lian Hua stepped closer to the tablet, she could feel the Gate now more clearly than ever before.
It wasn’t just beneath the ground anymore, it was everywhere.
In the power flowing through the towers, in the irrigation channels correcting themselves, in the silent network of signals connecting every part of the valley and it was focused on her.
Not demanding, not controlling, but waiting.
Shen Wei noticed her hesitation. "What’s it saying?”
She shook her head slightly. “It’s not speaking.”
“Then what?”
“It’s… listening.”
The central envoy’s gaze sharpened. “That confirms cognitive formation.”
The defecting leader rolled her eyes slightly. “Could you say that in normal words?”
The envoy answered calmly. “It’s trying to understand her.”
The timer dropped again. 00:00:17
The vehicle beyond the ridge roared closer, now the sound reached them clearly.
Whoever was inside was pushing the machine beyond its safe limits.
The younger envoy checked the slate again. “They’re broadcasting identification requests.”
“From where?” Shen Wei asked.
“From the vehicle.”
“And?”
“We’re ignoring them.”
Shen Wei smiled faintly. “Good.”
Another pulse rippled through the valley, this one felt warmer.
Almost like the Gate had taken a slow breath.
The technician’s tablet chimed again, the message shifted slightly.
Connection window stabilizing
Primary interface confirmed
And below it... the timer continued falling. 00:00:12
Shen Wei leaned closer to Lian Hua. “You still with us?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“You look like you’re about to walk into a thunderstorm.”
“Maybe I am.”
He studied her for a second, then quietly said, “You won’t be alone.”
She glanced at him, that small sentence carried more weight than anything else on the ridge.
The defecting leader cleared her throat. “Ten seconds, by the way.”
The timer dropped. 00:00:09
The northern vehicle burst over the outer ridge.
Dust exploded behind it as it descended toward the valley and even from this distance they could see the vehicle’s front lights flashing urgent signals.
The younger envoy whispered, “They’re demanding immediate interface authority.”
Shen Wei didn’t even look up. “Denied.”
Another pulse surged through the ground, this one stronger.
The valley lights flared and every tower glowed at once, the Gate was ready.
The timer dropped again 00:00:05.
The wind across the ridge suddenly died, total silence fell over the hilltop.
The technician held the tablet toward Lian Hua with shaking hands 00:00:04.
Shen Wei looked at her, not pushing, just steady.
The kind of steady that had carried the valley through every impossible moment so far.
00:00:03
The vehicle beyond the ridge accelerated even harder, too hard.
The engine screamed 00:00:02
The Gate pulsed once, slow and patient.
00:00:01
Lian Hua lifted her hand, and touched the screen, and for a heartbeat nothing happened.
Then the tablet flashed white, and a deep sound rolled through the valley like distant thunder.
The towers lit brighter than before, every signal line snapped into alignment.
The Gate had accepted the connection.
The technician staggered backward, and the younger envoy’s slate erupted with new data streams.
Shen Wei turned toward Lian Hua. “Did it work?”
She was still staring at the screen and her voice came out almost as a whisper. “Yes.”
Another pulse moved through the valley but this time the pulse did not feel distant, it felt like a voice and the first thing the Gate said to her was, “Hello, Lian Hua.”