Chapter 102 The Decision
Chapter 102 The Decision
Smoke thickened rapidly inside the relay chamber.
—
The entire observatory creaked ominously as it seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Sparks burst violently from the open server racks while alarms blared nonstop above.
—
And at the center of it all—
The countdown ticked on.
00:27:11.
—
Adrian immediately seized Charles’s arm.
“We need to find another way.”
“There isn’t one.”
“There's always an alternative.”
Charles looked at him calmly.
Almost gently.
“You know that’s not true.”
—
The release system flashed red once more.
AUTOMATED GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION ACTIVE.
INTERRUPTION IMPOSSIBLE AFTER FINAL SEQUENCE.
—
Charles stepped toward the overheating server core.
Adrian quickly blocked his path.
“No.”
“Adrian—”
“I said no.”
—
For a brief moment,
The tension between them snapped back alive again.
Not with hate.
Something more primal
—
Because Adrian couldn’t bear to witness another person destroy themselves in front of him.
Even this one.
—
Charles laughed softly despite the chaos around them.
“You really are different from Victor.”
A support beam cracked loudly overhead.
Concrete dust exploded across chamber floor.
—
“We don’t have time for this,” Adrian snapped.
“Exactly.”
Charles’s expression turned serious once more.
—
“Listen to me carefully.”
Another strong tremor shook the room.
“The relay explosion will trigger the observatory's collapse faster.”
A pause.
“If we both stay, neither of us will escape.”
—
Adrian clenched his jaw.
“Then we both leave now.”
“And the file will be released.”
Silence hung heavy.
—
Because that file,
If made public,
Would damage more than just Victor.
More than KingTech.
—
It would forever trap Adrian inside his father’s transgressions.
Not legally.
Emotionally.
Publicly.
—
Charles stepped closer quietly.
“You saved my life earlier.”
Adrian remained silent.
—
“I don’t understand it completely,” Charles admitted softly.
“But I know this much…”
A pause.
“I don’t want your life buried beside Victor’s anymore.”
—
The statement struck harder than expected.
Because after all that had happened,
Charles was finally trying to protect rather than destroy.
—
The countdown hit:
00:24:39.
—
Outside the observatory,
Rain pounded the mountain heavily as federal teams worked to evacuate the area.
The structure appeared to be moments from total collapse.
—
Zoe paced anxiously near the emergency perimeter.
Every passing second tightening panic inside her chest further.
—
Lila desperately monitored the comms.
“I still can’t reach Adrian.”
Victor remained silent nearby.
Watching the crumbling observatory with an expression nobody could fully read anymore.
—
Suddenly, Zoe turned to him sharply.
“You knew.”
Victor met her gaze.
—
“You were aware that Charles was broken long before all this.”
A pause.
“And you still let everything escalate into a war.”
Victor tightened his jaw slightly.
“Do you think I could reverse decades of damage with mere sympathy?”
“No,” Zoe replied immediately.
“But maybe you could have stopped pretending that control was more important than people.”
Silence fell heavily.
—
And surprisingly,
Victor didn’t argue.
—
Back inside the relay chamber,
Charles had already activated the manual overload sequence.
Warning lights illuminated the room in red.
—
SERVER CORE DETONATION IN 180 SECONDS.
—
Adrian cursed when he realized.
“You’ve already armed it?”
Charles kept working swiftly across the controls.
“I set the delay before you followed me.”
"You cunning bastard.”
A small smile appeared on Charles’s face.
“Probably.”
—
The chamber shook violently again.
One section of the ceiling partially caved in nearby.
Time was slipping away.
—
Adrian rushed toward the terminal.
“If this is manual, then I’ll stay behind.”
Charles grabbed him firmly.
“No.”
“You really think I’m leaving you here?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“Because, unlike me, you still have a place to return to.”
—
For the first time,
Adrian didn’t argue immediately.
Because his mind flashed straight to Zoe.
Waiting outside.
Still clinging to the hope that there was something worth saving in him.
—
Charles noticed the hesitation.
And smiled sadly.
"There she is.”
Adrian’s gaze hardened slightly.
“Don’t.”
“You love her enough to remain human.”
A pause.
“Don’t waste that.”
—
The countdown blared louder now.
120 SECONDS TO CORE FAILURE.
—
Adrian desperately looked toward the overload servers.
Thinking.
Searching.
Refusing to accept this ending.
—
Then, suddenly,
His eyes landed on the emergency coolant system near the lower chamber wall.
Damaged.
But functional enough.
—
An idea formed instantly.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
But feasible.
—
He dashed toward the control pipes immediately.
Charles frowned sharply.
“What are you doing?”
“If we cool the primary cores before the overload reaches its peak, the relay will shut down without full detonation.”
Charles stared at the damaged system.
Then shook his head vigorously.
“The pressure output is too unstable.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
Adrian looked back at him.
“We don't exactly have safe choices left.”
—
The timer hit:
90 SECONDS.
—
Together, they sprinted toward the coolant controls.
Smoke thickening heavily now.
Heat rising dangerously in the chamber.
—
Charles manually worked one side while Adrian forced open the damaged valve system.
Spark exploded on the floor around them.
—
Outside,
Lila suddenly glanced toward her monitor intently.
“The relay temperature is dropping.”
Zoe hurried closer.
“What does that mean?”
Victor’s gaze narrowed toward the observatory.
—
Inside,
The coolant pipes finally burst open with a violent surge.
Freezing vapor exploded through the chamber.
One server rack short-circuited instantly.
Then another.
—
The release countdown flickered erratically.
00:01:08.
00:00:57.
00:00:49.
—
Charles focused on the monitor.
“It’s working.”
Another explosion rocked the chamber.
Much nearer this time.
—
But then,
A new warning flashed.
COOLANT PRESSURE CRITICAL.
STRUCTURAL FAILURE IMMINENT.
—
Adrian grabbed Charles instantly.
“Move!”
The floor beneath them cracked sharply.
Steel beams screamed overhead.
—
The entire relay chamber began to collapse.
—
And suddenly,
The observatory started coming down for real.