Chapter 184
Chapter 185 Contamination Readings.
Lyra assumed Zev was heading over to break up the fight, so she followed Hadrien without worry.
Once Zev stepped inside Cell 120, he watched the two men beating each other senseless and walked forward without a single word.
Boom!
Lyra leaned close to Hadrien, looking over the data displayed on his Star Brain. The sudden crash made her jolt in surprise.
Seeing her startled, Hadrien moved quickly to soothe her.
“It’s alright. Don’t be afraid p>
Lyra glanced toward Cell 120, her eyes questioning what had just happened.
“Rook and Felix were never the obedient type,” Hadrien explained.
Those two were trouble just by being awake.
Zev would have no choice but to use force.
Even with his explanation, Lyra kept staring toward the cell.
She could not tell if it was Felix or Rook, but whoever it was had already coughed up blood… Could he still take such a beating?
She tugged Hadrien’s arm and pointed toward the empty rooms upstairs.
She wanted to suggest sedating both of them and moving them into separate quarters.
Locked together, they would keep going at each other like fighting roosters.
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Hadrien looked down at her hand clutching his arm, quietly noting her unconscious, habitual gesture.
“Okay. I’ll have staff move them upstairs soon. Let Zev separate them first p>
Lyra listened to the noise echoing from the cell and wondered if Zev could handle the two alone.
Rhys leaned against the window frame, one arm draped lazily over the ledge.
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“Rook fears nothing. Zev’s the one who’s going to have his hands full. That’s why Hadrien sent him, isn’t it p>
He turned toward Hadrien with a teasing grin. “Am I right, Mr. Vale p>
He knew Hadrien did not want to upset the Guide by doing it himself.
So he sent the oversight captain instead, getting someone else to do his dirty work under official pretenses.
Hadrien ignored his thinly veiled sarcasm, his full attention fixed on Lyra.
“Still want to watch p>
Rhys‘ words planted doubt in Lyra’s mind.
She slowly pulled her gaze away and refocused on Hadrien’s Star Brain screen.
He leaned forward slightly to bring the display level with her height.
A list of names and contamination percentages stretched across the surface.
Arthur: 66.21%
Kyren: 72.39%
Rhys: 67.78%
Evin: 74.52%
Lyra scanned every entry, then shot Hadrien a silent question.
Were these numbers good or bad?
Rhys could barely contain his impatience. “What’s the reading? How high am I p>
Lyra gestured toward the screen, asking Hadrien if she could share the results with the others.
Hadrien gave a quiet nod.
As he recalled each Sentinel’s contamination level, he felt faint disappointment mixed with selfish relief.
Lyra immediately relayed Rhys‘ number via Star Brain.
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The other Sentinels were shocked to hear how far his contamination had dropped.
Rhys himself froze, stunned.
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He had only worn that exact expression once before, when he first learned Lyra was a Guide.
“Whoa p>
His sudden shout made everyone jump.
Hadrien patted Lyra’s back gently to calm her, then shot Rhys a sharp, displeased look.
Rhys clamped a hand over his mouth the second he realized his outburst.
Color rose across his face, his eyes shining bright.
If not for Hadrien’s silent warning, he would have screamed again to release the storm of emotion swirling inside him.
Sixty–seven percent!
He could not remember the last time he’d seen a number that low.
It felt impossible!
He looked straight at Lyra, voice shaky and careful as he asked for confirmation. “…How much p>
Seeing how thrilled he was, Lyra knew it was excellent news.
She pulled the reading up again on the Star Brain so he could hear it once more.
Satisfied he had not misheard, Rhys gripped the inside of the window ledge tightly, overwhelmed.
“Sixty–seven!
“Sixty–seven p>
He repeated the number over and over, overcome with joy.
Lyra smiled, happy for him.
She glanced at Hadrien, then turned to the rest of the Sentinels, wordlessly asking: Does anyone else want to know their contamination level?
Arthur stayed quiet for a moment, ready to speak, but another voice cut in first.
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“What about me p>
It was Kyren.
Lyra checked Hadrien’s Star Brain and told him his value.
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Each Sentinel’s contamination level depended on how much time their spirit animals spent near Lyra.
Kyren’s red pit viper rarely lingered close by. Most of the time, the viper stayed off to the side, waiting for Lyra to seek it out and carefully drag it over.
That explained why his reading sat slightly higher than Rhys and the others.
Still, by Black Spire standards, it was a remarkable result.
These numbers came after they were exposed to Phasmophage influence, followed by two days of urgent purification from Lyra.
If their contamination fell below 50 percent, they would qualify for release from the Black Spire.
Release from the Black Spire …
Kyren whispered the thought to himself.
Long ago, the Federation once had multiple Tier–3S Guides.
Back then, the Black Spire only held Sentinels convicted of crimes.
As every Tier–3S Guide passed away one by one, more and more contaminated Sentinels lost
access to treatment.
Slowly, the purpose of the Black Spire shifted.
No matter how things had changed, no Sentinel locked inside the Black Spire had ever walked out alive.
Lyra turned to share the good news with the rest of the men.
Kyren pulled himself out of his thoughts as he listened to her footsteps.
He turned and watched her walk by. Her short hair had dried, fluffy and thick, bouncing lightly with every step, looking like a scruffy mop that had come alive.
Hadrien followed closely at her heels, ready to pull up the data screen whenever Lyra lost track of the numbers.
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After learning their contamination readings, the Sentinels reacted in wildly different ways- some elated, others discouraged.
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