Alex did not move immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on the flashing red tunnel eighty meters above the ground while Rafael's last words echoed in his mind.
Thirty minutes.
Under normal circumstances that amount of time would have meant very little to him. Alex had spent weeks waiting in hostile environments before. Compared to that, half an hour was insignificant.
However, the problem was not the time.
The problem was the ruin itself.
This place was clearly constructed by a civilization whose technological level was far beyond anything Alex had previously encountered. Every system inside this structure functioned automatically. Every sensor was likely hidden deep within the walls and ceilings. The entire ruin behaved like a living machine that constantly monitored its surroundings.
If the defense system decided to perform another wide area scan, Alex would instantly become the primary target again.
He slowly exhaled.
"Rafael."
[Yes.]
