Round 178 Transcript

Jeane's grip remains firm despite Hera's commands, her eyes gleaming with unholy light. The temperature spikes again, air thick with ozone and pheromones as the building's psychic pressure intensifies. Silra's hands shake, welder sputtering uselessly—the machine overheating in the rising heat. "Fuck—fuck—I need more time!" she gasps, sweat beading on her forehead. The floor groans ominously beneath them, cracks spreading across the concrete like veins.

The building's demand thrums through the floor like a second heartbeat. Forty minutes remain on the clock, and Jeane's eyes are starting to glow with that unholy light I haven't seen since the first time she fed properly. I set the welder down carefully—it's already overheating—and meet Hera's gaze evenly despite the sweat beading on my face from the rising temperature. "If you want me to keep working, clear the room and don't let her in here again." My tone is flat, not begging or commanding, just stating fact.