Chapter 90: The Knife

Jelo finally understood what she was trying to tell him. The space between them, the gesture she was making, and the button-pushing sign she kept repeating, it all clicked into place. There was a button that could either unpower the machine he was trapped to, shut it down completely, or release him from the restraints.

And if she could touch it, he would be free.

Then he could free her, and they could take on the scientist together. But it would require stealth. Complete silence. Perfect timing.

Jelo suddenly began to feel excitement building in his chest as he realized that there was actually a chance for them to escape. A real chance. Not just blind hope or desperate fantasy, but an actual opportunity right in front of them.

His pulse quickened. His thoughts raced ahead, already planning what he’d do the moment he was free. He’d grab the scientist before the man even knew what hit him. He’d…

But as the excitement wanted to soar, it suddenly crashed as Jelo understood another part of her message.

He leaned closer, keeping his voice barely above a whisper. “Can you reach the button?”

Mira shook her head slowly, her expression grim.

Jelo’s excitement crashed completely. Dam it. If she could find a way to reach the button, she would be able to free him. But it seemed like the space was just a little too much for her to bridge. Her arms were restrained by the net, limiting her range of motion, and the distance between where she lay and where the button was located created a gap she couldn’t cross.

But remembering how composed Mira had been this entire time, how calm she’d looked even when the scientist dragged her into the bunker, Jelo refused to give in. He whispered again, “Is there a way to bridge the space?”

Mira nodded.

Then she gestured toward her belt buckle with a slight tilt of her head. She mouthed a single word silently: knife.

Jelo’s brain immediately put two and two together. Mira had a knife. Hidden in her belt, probably secured in a way that wouldn’t be obvious to anyone searching her casually. If she could get it out, she was hoping it would be long enough to reach the button from where she was. The blade would act as an extension of her arm, giving her just enough extra distance to press the mechanism.

Jelo nodded at her, understanding completely.

Mira started fiddling with her hand, trying to reach the knife in her belt. Her fingers moved carefully, slowly, working through the dampening net’s resistance. The energy field crackled faintly every time she shifted, but the sound was quiet enough that it didn’t carry across the room.

As she worked, Jelo kept his eyes on the scientist while keeping track of Mira through his peripheral vision. The scientist was hunched over his table, completely absorbed in whatever project he was assembling. Occasionally he muttered to himself, laughing at his own observations, adjusting tools and components with manic precision.

Jelo wondered how smart the scientist could actually be if he’d left such an obvious button, one that could power down or release the machine, in such an accessible place. Did the scientist’s calculations not account for the possibility that there could be more than one person? Did he really think his restraints were foolproof? Or was this another test, another layer of his twisted experiment?

The thought unsettled Jelo, so he decided to check the scientist’s stats.

He turned on his Assesd skill, focusing his attention on the scientist across the room. The familiar sensation washed over him as the system activated, and a translucent panel materialized in his vision, displaying information only he could see.

What he saw made his eyes widen slightly.

**Name:** ???

**Race:** Human

**Level:** 10

**Ability:** Invulnerability (Level 8), Super Strength (Level 7)

Jelo’s breath caught in his throat. Dam it. That was why he, despite all his dragon abilities and enhanced stats, had been unable to defeat the scientist earlier. The man was a level 10 ability user, and his abilities were super strength and invulnerability. That combination made him nearly impossible to overpower in a direct fight.

To defeat someone with invulnerability at level 8, Jelo would have to increase both the strength and rate of his attacks significantly. He’d need to hit harder, faster, and more relentlessly than the scientist’s defenses could adapt to. It wasn’t impossible, but it would require everything Jelo had.

As he processed this information, the Draconic Hoard that drove him toward obsession and violence activated suddenly. He felt the familiar pull, the burning desire to dominate, to crush, to defeat. It surged through him like fire in his veins, sharpening his focus and hardening his resolve.

The obsession to defeat the scientist burned strongly through him, coiling tight in his chest.

Jelo’s lips moved silently, barely more than a whisper. “Bring it on.”

At the same time, his thoughts were broken by Mira’s sudden frantic movements. She was close. He could see it in the way her fingers stretched, straining against the net’s resistance. Her hand finally closed around something solid, the knife, and she pulled it free with a soft metallic scrape.

For a moment, Jelo’s heart went still as he wondered if the scientist would look back and catch them just before Mira could press the button. His entire body tensed, ready to shout, to distract, to do anything to keep the man’s attention away.

But nothing happened.

The scientist remained oblivious, still humming to himself as he adjusted some kind of glass cylinder filled with glowing liquid.

Mira stretched her arm to its absolute limit, the net crackling louder now as she pushed against its suppression field. Her face twisted with effort, and Jelo could see the strain in her expression. She extended the knife as far as she could, angling the blade toward the button embedded in the base of the machine.

She was able to use the tip of the knife to push the button. The blade made contact with a soft click.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Jelo held his breath, wondering if the button was just a prop, if the scientist had been smarter than to leave such an obvious escape mechanism within reach. His mind raced through possibilities, maybe it was a fake, maybe it triggered an alarm, maybe…

Then, finally, a series of clicking sounds echoed through the machine. Mechanical locks disengaged one by one, the restraints holding Jelo suddenly snapping open with sharp metallic pops.

Jelo was free.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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