That night, Mu Chen tossed and turned.
It wasn't nightmares or waking up in a sweat. He just kept opening his eyes, listening to the base hum – the ventilation whirring, distant footsteps, a door clicking shut, the soft beep of some scanner. Every sound hammered home the same realization: he was being studied.
Morning came, and the team gathered for the daily briefing in the ready room. A huge screen lit up, showing a map with two blinking red markers. Colonel Luo Wei stood at the head of the table. Mu Chen took his usual spot on the edge, while Ye Fan, arms crossed, stared intently at the screen, already mentally on the mission. Zhou Xiao leaned forward, and Lin Lan had her tablet ready.
"Two gates opened overnight," Luo Wei announced. Mu Chen's attention snapped to her. Gates were never good news. They meant monsters, weird rules, places that defied physics.
Luo Wei tapped the first red mark. "Gate One is low-grade. Small. On the city outskirts. We'll send a standard team." She then tapped the second. "Gate Two is worse." The screen zoomed in on the second marker. The location tag showed an area Mu Chen didn't recognize, but the dark color code around it screamed 'forbidden' and 'abandoned.'
Luo Wei's voice remained steady. "Gate Two opened within an abandoned zone. We don't have full sensor coverage, and the signal is… noisy."
"Sounds like a trap," Zhou Xiao muttered.
Luo Wei met his gaze. "It could be. Or it could be random. Either way, we're clearing it."
"What's the grade?" Ye Fan asked.
Luo Wei paused, glancing at Lin Lan. "Estimated B-grade gate," Lin Lan reported from her tablet. "Possibly higher. The base system can't confirm." Mu Chen felt his throat tighten. A B-grade gate in a forbidden zone meant unknown dangers, and the monsters might not be the only threat.
"Ye Fan will lead Gate Two," Luo Wei continued. "Zhou Xiao and Lin Lan will be with him." Ye Fan gave a curt nod, his expression unreadable. Then Luo Wei's gaze shifted to Mu Chen. "Mu Chen," she said. "You're going too."
The room fell silent. Zhou Xiao's eyes widened slightly. Lin Lan's fingers froze above her tablet. Mu Chen kept his face blank. "Yes, ma'am."
Ye Fan's head swiveled, his eyes locking onto Luo Wei. "He's a C-class guide."
Luo Wei held his gaze. "We need guide support. And the institute requested observation data." Mu Chen's stomach sank. 'Requested' wasn't a request; it was an order.
Ye Fan's voice grew colder. "We're not their laboratory."
Luo Wei's face remained calm, but her eyes sharpened. "Major. You follow orders." Ye Fan's jaw clenched. Mu Chen watched the tense exchange. A fight between a Major and a Colonel wasn't just about rank; it was a battle of invisible knives, politics, and whose leash was stronger. Ye Fan looked away first, not because he agreed, but because he had no choice. "Yes, ma'am," he conceded.
Luo Wei continued as if nothing had happened. "Rules for Gate Two: no unnecessary linking, keep comms open. Lin Lan, you'll record everything."
"Yes, ma'am," Lin Lan replied. Mu Chen heard the unstated addition: 'everything' included him.
The briefing concluded, and the team began suiting up. Mu Chen went to his locker, packing his helmet, gloves, a basic med kit, water, and energy bars. His hands were steady, but he felt eyes on him. Ye Fan appeared behind him. Mu Chen waited for him to speak before turning his head slightly.
"Don't go in there thinking you can save everyone," Ye Fan said.
"I'm there to observe," Mu Chen replied.
Ye Fan's eyes were hard. "That's what you keep saying."
Mu Chen met his gaze. "That's what I'll do."
Ye Fan moved closer, his voice dropping. "Forbidden zones consume people. Not just bodies, minds too."
"I know," Mu Chen said softly.
Ye Fan's eyes narrowed. "How?" Mu Chen paused. He couldn't explain that he'd seen worse than their forbidden zones, that he knew what systems did when they wanted control. So he gave a simple answer. "I read."
Ye Fan stared, clearly disbelieving. Then he spoke again, his tone harsh and low. "If you break, I won't carry you." Mu Chen's expression remained calm. "I won't break." Ye Fan's jaw tightened, as if he expected Mu Chen to admit fear. Mu Chen didn't.
Ye Fan turned away sharply and headed for the vehicle bay. Mu Chen watched his retreating back, understanding him better now. Ye Fan wasn't threatening him out of hate, but out of fear – fear of losing control in front of the institute, fear of being used again. Mu Chen clipped on his headset and followed, beneath the cold lights, towards a gate waiting in a forbidden zone, with a team walking into it, helmet cams rolling and a system watching every single step.