The four new lead blocks weighed fifty pounds each. Tie Kuang and Wu Ji lowered them toward Austin’s frame while the core wave turned the stars outside red.
Austin stood on the anchor pad in Substation Rim-01. Twenty lead blocks already hung from his body. His core held one Earth mass; the next threshold required ten.
“Cooling lines clear,” Wu said.
“Guide pins straight,” Tie said.
Austin slid the blocks home and locked them. Eighteen hundred pounds of ballast now balanced his frame.
The wave’s leading pressure reached the station.
His core folded inward, then grew dense enough to hold ten Earth masses. The deck dipped under him. Every loose tool in the bay rose toward his waist before its tether snapped tight.
Golden light filled his sight.
