"Professor Rowe," his voice was low and carried immense pressure, each word landing like an ice pick on the ground. "If we miss this test subject, this final data window before his body collapses, our chance to analyze the root cause of the breakdown and find the true threshold… will be delayed by at least three years. You tell me, in this apocalypse, how many three-year periods do we have left to wait?"
He no longer looked at Professor Rowe's face, which had turned deathly pale. His gaze returned to the control console as he snapped at the assistant in charge of the injection, "Carry out the order! Inject 50% of the remaining catalyst. Now!"
His finger hovered over a control key, his eyes filled with grim determination.
