The ascent up the Great Watchtower was a grueling "marathon" that tested the very limits of Li Mei's mortal frame. Each stone step was slick with the "iron-rich blood" of fallen guards, and the air grew thin, vibrating with the discordant, "stiff and unnatural" tolling of the imperial bells that served as a "System" of command for the beast. Her "Golden Finger"—that preternatural sense of smell—vibrated with the frequency of the bells, translating the sound into a suffocating cloud of "scorched ozone and ancient, frozen musk".
Mei's lungs burned, but she clutched the vial of "mercy"—the concentrated neutralizer—to her chest as if it were her own heart. She knew that "first impressions are essential," and the sight that met her at the summit was a "dramatic opening event" that would haunt her dreams. Prince Zhao and the Lunar General were locked in a "heart-pounding" clash of silver and shadow, their movements so fast they were mere blurs of "supernatural power" against the bruised purple sky.
"Zhao!" she cried out, her voice barely a whisper against the roaring wind, yet she aimed for an "emotional connection" that would cut through his bestial frenzy.
The Prince turned, and for a heartbeat, the "invincible" warrior was gone. In his place was a creature of "complex and flawed" beauty, his obsidian eyes almost entirely consumed by a molten gold that smelled of "primal hunger and agonizing Qi deviation". He was the "Alpha," but he was also the man who had shared a "touching highlight" of trust with her in the darkness of the palace.
The Lunar General, smelling of "arsenic and pure evil," seized the moment of Zhao's distraction. He lunged with a "high-speed" strike, his silver talons whistling through the air to deliver a "lethal" blow. Zhao intercepted the attack, but the force of it sent them both crashing against the stone parapet, the "pacing" of the battle reaching a frantic, "time-limited" apex.
Mei realized that she could not simply throw the vial; the "temporary solution" required an intimate "merging" of their energies to stabilize his meridians. She rushed forward, ignoring the "pervasive danger" of the General's snapping jaws. She slid between the two combatants, her small frame a "stark contrast" to their monstrous power.
"Trust me," she whispered, a "Golden Quote" that served as her only shield. She uncorked the vial and took a mouthful of the bitter, peppermint-scented liquid.
The "sexual tension" was a magnetic, physical charge as she pulled Zhao's face down to hers. Her "rationality" vanished as she pressed her lips to his, forcing the neutralizer into his mouth while simultaneously driving a silver needle into the Tianzhu point at the base of his skull to act as a "lightning rod" for his runaway Qi.
The effect was instantaneous and violent. A shockwave of "blue flame and ozone" erupted from their contact, a "supernatural force" that sent the Lunar General reeling backward toward the edge of the tower. Zhao's body convulsed, the silver fur receding in "ragged, painful waves" as the neutralizer fought the arsenic in his blood.
He slumped against her, his weight nearly crushing her, but his eyes—now a clear, human obsidian—searched hers with a "profound emotional vulnerability". The scent of winter mint returned, cooling and pure, washing away the "apocalyptic" musk of the beast.
"You... shouldn't have come," he rasped, his human voice a "satisfaction point" that made her eyes sting with tears.
But the "cliffhanger" was not yet resolved. The Lunar General stood at the very edge of the parapet, his silver skin glowing with a "distorted, extreme" light as he prepared a final, "suicidal" strike. He let out an "infuriating" laugh that smelled of arsenic and the end of the world.
"If I fall, Chang'an falls with me!" he roared, his hand reaching for a hidden trigger on the watchtower's central mechanism.
Mei's "Golden Finger" caught a new, terrifying scent: the smell of "black powder and ancient fire" hidden beneath the floorboards. The tower wasn't just a lookout; it was a "trap set by the Empress," a final "apocalypse trigger" designed to bury the truth in ash.