The bronze glow of the Final Gate faded to a dull sheen. The click of the side door latch was unnaturally loud in the sudden silence. Soft-soled footsteps approached, accompanied by a wave of cold air from a service duct. A figure stepped into the corridor, a Supervisor badge gleaming on his chest, his face half-obscured by shadow.
"Emergency authority," the man stated, his voice smooth. "Squad 7 is rerouted for closed handling. Follow me."
Qin Ye didn't argue. A single Quiet Pivot repositioned the triad, maintaining equal spacing. "Clause 3.1. Public-route parity remains in effect until the final gate."
His hand brushed the brass latch of the side door.
[Daily Sign-In available.]
[Location: Side Door Latch.]
[Sign-In? Yes / No]
Yes.
[Ding! Sign-In successful!]
[Reward: Supervisor Echo Lock (Lv.1, 20 breaths — mirror any 'Supervisor Key' call to Device Witness with live hash; blocks silent edits) + Gate Delta Mark (1 use — snapshot gate logic & force rollback if state flips without logged cause).]
---
Procedural Freeze.
The Supervisor stepped to the gate panel. "Supervisor Key override." He placed his hand on the scanner.
The Supervisor Echo Lock activated instantly. The Device Witness orb hummed, projecting a live hash code of the key call onto the main log. For a fraction of a second, the hash flickered, showing a mismatch between the key's signature and the registry.
"Hash mismatch," Qin Ye said, his voice calm. "Public verification required."
A proctor stamped the log. "Verified. Proceed on public route." The movement continued without further debate.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Hash in the Open."]
[Reward: +150,000 Spirit Stones; Appeal Resistance +2% (situational).]
---
Chamber One: Three-Palm Node.
They entered a circular chamber. A central console glowed, requiring three simultaneous palm confirms.
Qin Ye set the rhythm with a silent three-count tap against his thigh. He and Lin Xiu fell into a brief Shadow Duet Step, their movements perfectly aligned. Yue Hong hesitated for a breath, then synced his motion. Three palms touched the console in unison. A green tick flashed. The logs pinged in confirmation.
On the console's bezel, barely visible under the paint, was a scratched impression—a thinner, inner ring, an alias of the Null Crest.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Three Palms, One Log."]
[Reward: +150,000 Spirit Stones; Squad Coordination +3% (situational).]
---
Corridor Pressure.
The next corridor was a trap of motion. A maintenance cart rolled on a "faulty" wheel, blocking the path. A vent gust slammed into them. A door's logic flipped, allowing only one-way passage.
Qin Ye used a Quiet Pivot to adjust the triad's center and a non-contact Blade Nudge to maintain spacing. They knifed through the obstacles as a single unit.
"Pause for seal parity check!" the Supervisor called from behind.
The Device Witness log showed no cause for a stop. They did not break stride.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Keep Motion, Keep Record."]
[Reward: +150,000 Spirit Stones; Corridor Sense +3% (situational).]
---
Chamber Two: Gate Flip & Rollback.
A gate ahead shifted from amber to red. The panel text read: "Null Crest: restricted path."
Qin Ye triggered the Gate Delta Mark. A snapshot of the gate's previous, legal state was captured. A soft chime sounded. The gate logic tried to lock, then shuddered and rolled back to its prior setting.
The Supervisor filed a swift appeal. "Format bench mismatch. The rollback is invalid."
"Appeal denied," the proctor said, stamping the log. The triad moved forward.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Rollback the Flip."]
[Reward: +150,000 Spirit Stones; Center Retention +3% (situational).]
---
Annex Span: Shadow Duet Triangle.
A narrow catwalk spanned a deep service annex. A crosswind pulsed unpredictably. They had to advance as a triangle—Qin at the point, Lin left, Yue right.
Qin and Lin fell into a Shadow Duet Step, their balance perfect. A single, sharp thigh tap brought Yue Hong into phase. They moved as a single, stable entity across the chasm.
On the catwalk floor, a faint stencil pointed an arrow toward "Annex B." A scrap of sticker on the handrail showed the familiar vendor mark next to a partial work order code: "...-Sub2 / Lot M—".
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Triangle in Step."]
[Reward: +150,000 Spirit Stones; Duo/Trio Timing +2% (situational).]
---
Climax: Bind Challenge & Reveal.
A console screen burst to life. "Live Ledger Bind challenged — Supervisor override (legacy key)."
The Supervisor Echo Lock mirrored the call. The hash display split, showing two distinct codes now—a legacy key and the current session key. A mismatch.
Qin Ye chose motion. He set a quick cadence, moving the triad to an Audit-Only Lock panel. It required another tri-confirm. Two green lights flashed. Yue Hong hung for one breath, his eyes calculating the risk, then pressed his palm. The third light turned green.
The panel locked with a deep thud. "Null Crest functions limited to audit."
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Lock to Audit."]
[Reward: +200,000 Spirit Stones; Procedural Presence +1 (situational).]
---
Ending.
The Integration Timer pulsed. 120 breaths remained.
The Supervisor's badge flickered. The Device Witness orb, from its angle, captured a snapshot of the man's face—it was not the clerk from the records.
A hidden hatch in the wall of Annex B unlatched with a soft click. Footsteps echoed from within—a measured, unfamiliar cadence that was not a proctor's.
The panel's ring thinned to a black edge, and the corridor listened for the next step.
[Ding! Integration Timer — 120 breaths remain.]