The bronze gates of the small garden closed.

  The very next second.

  The "Guardian" in the wheelchair—whose eyes had been vacant and the corners of his mouth drooping—let out a long, vicious breath.

  "Fuck."

  Leo straightened his back abruptly, his spine cracking with a crisp snap.

  He reached back to rub his numb gluteus maximus, glaring at the roughly crafted wooden wheelchair beneath him that possessed absolutely zero ergonomics, his eye twitching madly.

  "Imported aromatic wood from Earth? Full mortise-and-tenon joinery? No hydraulic damping, no rubber tires, no memory foam... not even a basic caster wheel!"

  Leo roared in a whisper.

  "This is absolutely a medieval torture device! These charlatans understand nothing of 'Stress Distribution.' My coccyx is going to be ground flat by this so-called 'piety'! And this is full Earth gravity!"

  Of course, compared to this damned wheelchair, the Fire Keeper’s bedchamber was the true Hell.

  Especially that first morning.

  That madwoman... that imbecile lacking the most basic physiological common sense... actually brought a basin of so-called "Warm Purified Water" and forcefully sanitized him like a corpse.

  In a hospital, that would be called "Intensive Care."

  But on that large bed filled with lace and scented fabrics, it was a shameful assault on his Sympathetic Nervous System.

  The warm, wet cloth, the chaotic wiping, and her hot breath hovering inches away.

  As an adult male with a fully functional prefrontal cortex, even though he was frantically reciting Quantum Field Theory in his mind at that moment, his Hypothalamus—that traitor governing primitive instincts—still issued a shameful command.

  It was not just the vasodilation reflex of the smooth muscle in the corpus cavernosum! It was a hemodynamic inevitability!

  "Thank god she ran away... even though that bodyguard Crow almost killed me on the spot!"

  Leo covered his face, feeling a shame that made him want to die in a vacuum.

  "If that woman had stayed to watch, Crow wouldn't have needed to act. I would have ended myself."

  He took a deep breath, forcefully cutting off this terrible memory that caused his adrenaline to spike.

  Now is not the time for self-pity. I must escape as soon as possible. This woman conducts a bio-chemical interrogation on me every few days; she is a complete pervert.

  He rotated his neck, his embarrassment replaced by a reason as cold as a scalpel.

  Although the process was humiliating and twisted, this month of 'enduring humiliation' was not without gain. Especially during those days playing dead on the Fire Keeper's scented bed.

  I am now certain: the nanites in the Fire Keeper's blood have thoroughly integrated into my own circulatory system.

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  This gives me unique evidence. Once bound with my testimony, the Fire Keeper will have to compromise. Otherwise, the scandal of her forcibly molesting me will spread across the solar system!

  This is something the Silver Ring can never accept!

  As for the escape route, I have a path.

  He closed his eyes, his coordinates on the map popping up in his mind. Right inside the Tycho Crater.

  Suddenly, he "heard" a voice.

  Not from his ears, but inside his head. Like receiving electromagnetic waves permeating the air... It was the Fire Keeper, coming from the reception hall.

  He immediately understood. Nanite Electromagnetic Resonance. It seems the Fire Keeper's nanites are quite advanced and sophisticated.

  Leo wanted to cut it off and escape immediately, but the content of the dialogue stopped him.

  The visitor was a Theological Envoy from the Privy Council, commonly known as a Heretic Detective.

  Translating his theological jargon into plain speech: "The Privy Council detected an isotope marker suspected to be from the Third Sanctum in the body of a comatose child. It is linked to a prohibited substance."

  That vial of neurotoxin?

  But I remember accurately—the toxin was forcibly injected into my neck by Crow and then cleared by the medical pod. Why would it be detected in a comatose child?

  Could it be...

  A diagram appeared in his mind like an anatomical chart.

  The syringe I stabbed into the rubber mat. It contained 2ml of liquid intended to kill Oba.

  Oh god. Oba snuck back into the clinic and stole that syringe like a treasure, intending to treat his son?

  "Idiot!!" Leo cursed internally.

  Oba's son does indeed suffer from Radiation-Induced Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He must have thought he could cure the boy with that so-called Miracle Drug, but ended up poisoning him. With Oba's personality, to gain sympathy, he surely blabbed to everyone. That’s what attracted the Privy Council's investigation.

  "The clues point to... a Heretical Physician named Leo," the Envoy's voice continued.

  Leo sneered.

  As a top hacker-doctor who has survived in the sewers for ten years, I changed my identity beyond recognition long ago. Except for Morrison, no one knows who I really am.

  It seems Oba didn't reveal the true source of 'The Drop,' but pushed everything onto me.

  So, the Envoy is testing the Fire Keeper?

  Sure enough, the Envoy began to ask: "If Her Highness Vivian knows anything, could you provide a hint?"

  Leo pricked up his ears. Will this hypocritical woman betray me?

  "The Third Sanctum knows nothing!" It was the Old Hag Mora’s voice.

  She firmly denied any connection between the neurotoxin and the Third Sanctum, demanding the Privy Council produce evidence, otherwise she would file a complaint with the Council of Cardinals for defamation.

  The Envoy did not give up.

  "That physician... was a member of the Prometheus Society, a junior brother to the former heretic Dante, and was connected to Lord Morrison. I wonder if Mother Mora knows..."

  "I know nothing. Before Lord Morrison died, he was mad. He was surrounded only by ghosts."

  After a deathly silence, footsteps sounded, along with the rustle of robes against stone slabs.

  The Envoy was leaving.

  Just as the sound of the door opening was heard, he suddenly spoke again: "Your Highness Vivian, Mother Mora, please be absolutely cautious." The Envoy's voice became exceptionally grave. "After all, only three Gaia-months remain until the 'Lunar Rite'."

  The door closed. Signal cut.

  Leo looked up at the transparent dome.

  They even traced it back to Senior Brother Dante. Why mention the Lunar Rite so solemnly... does that mean Doomsday arrives in three months?

  Fuck. Is it an asteroid impact? or an orbital bombardment from Star Dreadnoughts?

  I can't be sure, but the message is clear: In 90 days, this Human-Shaped Noah's Ark named 'Vivian' will set sail.

  By then, Oba and the other Rats will all turn to ash.

  Leo dug his fingernails into the wooden armrest, leaving a white mark.

  Death had hung a countdown timer on his retina.

  No. Running is not the best option. I can't leave the Moon in three months.

  The most dangerous place is the safest place. Right now, the safest way is to stay by the Fire Keeper's side!

  Besides, they haven't killed me and are letting me move around, which means I have irreplaceable value!

  Right. He slapped his thigh.

  Didn't you keep saying I am the Unstained One, the Savior, the Guardian? Didn't you sign some Fated Covenant with me? Surely you wouldn't leave me to die?

  It's just that...

  He sighed, looked helplessly at the hard wheelchair, and sat back down.

  "At least give me a cushion."