Mu Chen stayed put. Not on the outside, anyway. Inside, he reached out. It wasn't a big push, nothing that felt like a connection. Just a thin layer, like putting a lid on boiling water. The pressure on his mind eased up. The humming didn't stop, but it lost its sharp edge, like someone had turned the volume down just a notch.
Ye Fan's shoulders relaxed a bit. He noticed. Mu Chen knew he noticed because Ye Fan's head tilted slightly, like a dog catching a sound no one else can hear.
Lin Lan whispered, "It's coming out." The shape slid forward, crossing the doorway. Mu Chen watched it intently. At first, it looked human. Then, it didn't. Its limbs were too long, bending in ways they shouldn't. Under the flashlight, its skin looked slick, like it was made of oil and shadow. Its face was mostly blank, with a mouth that stretched too wide.
Zhou Xiao raised his weapon. "Shoot?"
Ye Fan spoke just once. "Not yet." The thing turned its head toward Ye Fan. It hummed again, louder, as if it were happy. Mu Chen felt it try to push into Ye Fan's senses. Sentinels were tough, but they were also exposed. That's how they fought, and that's how they got hurt.
Ye Fan's jaw tightened. His eyes sharpened, then went a little too intense. Mu Chen spotted the subtle signs: the rapid blink, the hard swallow, the way Ye Fan's fingers twitched like he wanted to tear something apart with his bare hands. *Breaking point,* Mu Chen thought.
Ye Fan took a step forward. The thing moved too, as if it were pulling him in. Lin Lan's voice trembled. "Major—" Ye Fan raised his hand again, a silent command. Zhou Xiao and Lin Lan stepped back half a pace, keeping Mu Chen between them and the open door, as if he were the fragile barrier needing protection.
Mu Chen hated that. Not because they were wrong about him being cover. Because he wasn't weak.
The thing lunged suddenly. Fast. Too fast. Ye Fan moved like a blur. He fired two shots, right at the center mass. The bullets hit. The thing barely flinched. It twisted, and the sound it made wasn't pain, but excitement.
Zhou Xiao fired too. Lin Lan tossed a small device, and a flash burst near the thing's head. It stumbled, like its senses had been jolted. Ye Fan surged forward again. Mu Chen felt Ye Fan's mind erupt. It was like a door flung open in a storm.
Mu Chen didn't hesitate. He pushed a little more. A gentle pressure, held tight. *Calm. Hold. Don't fall.* Ye Fan froze for a split second. His eyes flicked sideways, straight at Mu Chen. Mu Chen met his gaze, keeping his own face blank, acting as if he'd done nothing. Ye Fan's throat bobbed as he swallowed. Then he moved again, this time with precision. He grabbed the thing's arm with one hand and slammed it into a metal shelf. The shelf buckled, old boxes tumbled down, and dust billowed into the air.
The thing screamed, a sound like tearing metal. Zhou Xiao swore and covered his ears. Lin Lan stumbled back. Mu Chen stood firm. The scream hit his mind too, like claws. He maintained the shield, keeping it small. The thing tried to pull away from Ye Fan, but Ye Fan held on. Ye Fan's voice was low. "Now."
Zhou Xiao fired into the thing's head. This time, it reacted. It collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. The humming ceased. The oppressive air slowly lightened. Mu Chen let his power recede back into stillness, doing it carefully, like sheathing a knife without revealing the blade.
For a few moments, no one spoke. The sound of breathing was loud inside their helmets. Lin Lan's hands trembled as she checked her tablet. "Signal is stabilizing." Zhou Xiao moved closer to the body, weapon still raised. "What the hell was that?"
Ye Fan stared down at it, his face calm again. Too calm. He turned and walked back toward the door, away from the body, away from the darkness, as if he didn't want to look at it any longer. Mu Chen watched him. Ye Fan's eyes darted back toward Mu Chen for a quick second. Not anger. Not gratitude. A question. Mu Chen gave him nothing.
They cleared the rest of the warehouse quickly. No more movement, no more humming. They found the drone in the back, broken as if something had snapped it in half. Lin Lan took photos and logged the data. Zhou Xiao muttered, "This place was used recently." Mu Chen scanned the area and noticed small details: a clean footprint in the dust, a misplaced cable, a lock that looked too new. Someone had rigged up a scanner door in an old warehouse. Someone had put that thing here.
By the time they returned to the van, the sky had darkened. The base lights in the distance looked like a string of cold stars. The drive back was silent again. This time, Ye Fan sat with his head turned towards the window. Zhou Xiao kept glancing between Ye Fan and Mu Chen, as if trying to piece something together. Lin Lan typed rapidly on her tablet, composing a report destined for the base system, and the institute. The thought of the institute made Mu Chen's stomach churn.
Back at the base, they passed through the checkpoint scanners. Beep. Green. Open. Beep. Green. Open. The base didn't care if they were tired or scared. It only cared if they were under control. As they stepped into the ready room, Luo Wei was waiting. She took one look at their faces and knew. "Report," she said.
Lin Lan spoke clearly and quickly. "Unknown anomaly. Possible bait. High mental pressure. Neutralized. Drone recovered, damaged." Luo Wei's gaze shifted to Ye Fan. "Any loss of control?" Ye Fan's face remained impassive. "No." Mu Chen felt Ye Fan's lie settle in the room like a heavy object. Luo Wei held Ye Fan's gaze for a long moment. Then she looked at Mu Chen. "You observed?" she asked. Mu Chen nodded. "Yes, ma'am." "Anything to add?" Mu Chen chose his words carefully. "It felt like the anomaly was trying to read us. Like a test." Luo Wei's eyes sharpened slightly. "Good. Write that in your report." "Yes, ma'am." Luo Wei turned away. "Shower. Food. Then debrief in one hour." The team dispersed.
Mu Chen headed to his corner behind the divider. He sat on the bed and removed his helmet. His hair was damp with sweat. He stared at the desk lamp again. Cold light. Clean light. A light that made it hard to hide shadows. A knock sounded on the divider. Mu Chen's spine stiffened. "Yes?" Ye Fan stepped in. No warning, no gentleness. He filled the small space as if it were his own. Mu Chen stood. "Major."
Ye Fan's eyes were hard. "What did you do?" Mu Chen kept his face calm. "Nothing." Ye Fan took a step closer. "Don't lie to me." Mu Chen's voice remained even. "I didn't link. I didn't touch you. I followed orders." Ye Fan's jaw clenched. "You think I can't feel it?" Mu Chen didn't answer. Because Ye Fan could feel it. That was the problem.
Ye Fan's voice dropped, growing rougher. "This unit has rules, Lieutenant. You don't help without permission. You don't touch a sentinel's head without permission. You don't get to decide what I can take." Mu Chen felt a heat rise in his chest. Not anger. Not fear. Something sharper. He looked at Ye Fan and spoke softly. "You were going to break." Ye Fan's eyes flashed. "So what?"
Mu Chen held his gaze. "If you broke, they would punish you. They would tighten your leash. They would use it against you." Ye Fan went very still. For a second, Mu Chen thought Ye Fan might hit him. Instead, Ye Fan's voice came out harsh. "You don't know anything about my leash." Mu Chen's expression didn't change, but his voice grew a little colder. "You called me an orphan." Ye Fan's eyes narrowed.
Mu Chen continued, simply and truthfully. "You know what it's like to have nobody. You know what it's like to belong to a system instead." Ye Fan's mouth tightened. His hands clenched at his sides. Mu Chen watched his hands, remembering Ye Fan's controlled demeanor, how tightly wound it was, how close it was to shattering. Ye Fan spoke as if the words pained him. "I grew up in the military." Mu Chen nodded once. "I grew up in an orphanage."
Silence. Cold light. Two kinds of loneliness standing in the same small space. Ye Fan looked away first. When he spoke again, his voice was still harsh, but less sharp. "Keep your hands to yourself." Mu Chen nodded. "I will." Ye Fan stared at him for another moment, as if he wanted to say more but didn't know how. Then Ye Fan turned and left.
Mu Chen sat back down on the bed. His hands were steady. His breathing was steady. But inside, something had shifted. Ye Fan had seen him. Not fully. Not the truth. But enough to make the coming days dangerous. Mu Chen looked at the cold desk lamp and thought about rules. Rules weren't there to keep them safe. Rules were there to keep them owned.