It seemed impossible to have another undocumented territory in the pocket trial, yet the hypothesis solved every lingering mystery.
The hidden sixth core, the one John had been hunting for days, must be tucked away inside that secret territory. It also explained the anomalous machine squads; they weren't strays from known dens, but the overflow from this high-density blind spot.
"I don't know how long Mark kept this territory hidden or what kind of horrors he's been cooking up in there, but I should expect something fierce waiting for me," John said, his voice hardening.
He felt a paradoxical mix of relief and intense worry. He finally knew where the finish line was, but Cissel was walking into that darkness alone, entirely unaware of the mechanical nightmare she was about to stumble into. Without hesitation, John charged forward, heading straight for the point where the map ended, and the real fight would begin.
