Destinies : Connected by Fate✔️

Chapter 21

The gagged yuanjian the foot of the telescope tries to stand. He falls back down almost immediately as the sharp weapon stabs him in the chest, drawing blood. The masked assailant yells something inaudible as, the camera pans on him, bringing his eyes into focus.

"His eyes are glowing!" Zhang exclaims. "He must be from the royal family. Do you know of anyone with this kind of gift? What does it do?"

By now, Zhang knew almost everything there was to know about Yuanjian physiology, thanks to YiHuang. It had led him to wonder why even though he was human, he had adapted like he was one of them. 'You are an anomaly.' The crown prince's words ring in his ears, 'Could they be human, like me...from my Earth?'

YiHuang ignores his words. 'I am the only one whose eyes glow like that. How is he connected to us? How did he enter the facility?' He muses. "I will try to open a subchannel. It will let us hear them." Catching Zhang's eyes, he adds, "It's a two-way channel."

Zhang gives him a thumbs-up, places a finger on his lips, and mouths, "Understood."

YiHuang types a few keys, opening the channel, and the two observe the sequence of events unfold on the screen.

The masked intruder shakes his head. He crouches next to the Hu Kwan and pulls out the gag."Please, stop resisting."

"Let my people go!" The man growls, "I am the one you want." He blinks furiously. "What did you do to my eyes?"

"Sir, please calm down. It's only temporary." The masked man glares where his weapon had wounded the old man and moves his hand over it. "Please, endure it for a few moments." The intruder requests humbly, confusing both YiHuang and Zhang.

A split second later, a gut-wrenching scream revibrates through the room. It's the Professor.

As suddenly as it had started, it ceases; the professor's shoulders and head slumps, and his eyes close.

The assailant stands. He turns his attention to the equipment that the facility had failed to hide and eyes it wearily. He looks between his hostages and the unconscious Hu Kwan and approaches the former. He slaps a random one awake. "Where do you keep the master data?" He leans in and whispers, "Trust me, I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you pick loyalty over your life."

The man trembles under the calculating gaze. But instead of giving in, he shakes his head. "None of us will talk!" He bites out confidently.

The assailant crouches next to him, "Yes, I have been where you are. I can tell that you won't talk. You have a sick, motherless child at home, don't you? I can heal him."

"That's impossible!"

The assailant leans in and whispers something inaudible in the man's ear. His eyes widen; he lifts a trembling hand and points at a wall. "Only the professor's handprint can grant you access." He informs, glancing at the unconscious man.

'No!' YiHuang exclaims and types in a few commands, shutting off the two-way channel. Then, keeping one eye on the screen, he plugs a device into his primary unit and starts typing furiously.

"You don't have enough time to take back up." Zhang deduces, "We need to create a distraction to buy time."

"If I touch anything, our cover will be blown."

"Can you change the access code? Put another shield to protect the data?"

Understanding what Zhang was suggesting, YiHuang modifies his tactics. "Creating a shield will buy us at least a few more minutes. I will back up the priority data first and erase it."