The pressure inside the system no longer felt like a one-sided push, but rather a balanced collision.
Sophia stood motionless, her eyes locked on a single path that kept shifting, reading every response from the opponent who was no longer merely reacting, but beginning to strike back with equal subtlety.
Beside her, Adrian Blackwood remained calm, yet his jawline tightened slightly, a sign that he too felt the change.
"He is starting to reverse the pressure," Adrian said softly.
Sophia nodded slightly. "And he is no longer just trying to understand us."
On the screen, the movement shifted.
The access that had previously only adapted was now starting to modify small paths around it, not to escape, but to create its own space. This was not an attempt to flee.
It was resistance.
Daniel reacted immediately. "He is trying to rebuild part of the structure from within," he said. His fingers moved swiftly, sealing every gap that appeared.
"If we let him, he could create a new path."
