A low hum drifted from the warehouse, like a sigh. It wasn't loud, but it wasn't gentle either. It felt like something alive was inside, just waiting.
Ye Fan didn't even pause. He raised his weapon and stepped through the door. Zhou Xiao followed, then Lin Lan, and finally Mu Chen.
Inside, the air was noticeably colder. It was the same setup as the real warehouse back in the city: tall shelves, dusty corners, a wide floor. But strangely, there was no dust on the ground. The floor was clean. Too clean.
Mu Chen felt a knot tighten in his stomach. Lin Lan whispered, "This is set up."
Ye Fan's voice was steady. "I know."
The door slammed shut behind them with a sharp *click*.
Zhou Xiao spun around. "Did it—"
The scanner pad flashed red. Locked.
Lin Lan's hand shot to her device. "I can get it open."
Ye Fan held up a hand. "Stop." He listened. Mu Chen listened too.
The hum was coming from deeper inside, pulsing like a heartbeat. One beat. Two beats. Then a new sound joined it: footsteps. Slow, steady steps from behind a row of shelves.
Zhou Xiao hefted his weapon. Lin Lan's flashlight beam cut through the dimness. Mu Chen stayed tucked behind Ye Fan, just as he'd been told.
A figure emerged. It looked human – a man's shape, two arms, two legs, a face. For a split second, Zhou Xiao relaxed. Then the figure lifted its head, and Mu Chen saw the eyes. They were too dark, too empty, like holes punched into a mask.
Lin Lan's voice turned thin. "That's not human."
Ye Fan didn't move. "Who made you?"
The figure's mouth opened. The hum poured out. It wasn't words, but a deep, wet tone that hit the mind more than the ears. Zhou Xiao flinched. Lin Lan's fingers trembled.
Ye Fan remained still. Mu Chen felt Ye Fan's senses reach out, trying to understand it. Sentinels couldn't help but respond when something spoke directly into their minds. *Too sharp,* Mu Chen thought. *Ye Fan's too sharp for his own good.*
The figure took a step forward. The hum pressed in harder. Zhou Xiao's breathing hitched. "Major, it's pushing—"
Ye Fan raised his hand again. "Hold." Then he did something Mu Chen didn't expect. He looked directly at Mu Chen, not just a glance, and spoke quietly, only for him. "Close me."
Mu Chen froze. "Close me" meant: shut down his senses, build a wall around the storm, stop the overload. A normal C-class guide couldn't do that to an A-class sentinel without a full link, and a full link would be recorded. Lin Lan's tablet was recording, cameras were running; even if the main signal died, the data would come back.
Mu Chen's heart stayed steady, but his mind raced. He had two options: do nothing and let Ye Fan break, or help and risk being exposed.
The figure took another step. Zhou Xiao let out a small sound, like pain. Lin Lan's knees buckled slightly, as if the hum was pushing her down. Ye Fan's jaw clenched so hard Mu Chen could hear his teeth grinding.
Mu Chen made his choice. He didn't touch Ye Fan. He didn't make it look like he was linking. He just breathed out, slowly, letting his power wrap around Ye Fan like a thin shell. Not a bond, not a connection, just a cover.
The hum hit Ye Fan again, but this time it slid off. Ye Fan's eyes cleared, like fog lifting. He exhaled, controlled. The figure tilted its head, as if it noticed the change, as if it didn't like it.
The figure's mouth opened wider. The hum twisted into a sharp note that stabbed at the mind. Zhou Xiao cried out and dropped to one knee. Lin Lan stumbled back, hitting a shelf. Mu Chen felt the attack try to rip through his shield. He held it. His power stayed smooth, deep, steady.
Ye Fan moved. He crossed the floor in a blur and slammed his knife into the figure's throat. Black liquid spilled out. The figure didn't die. It grabbed Ye Fan's wrist. Its skin was cold, like dead water. Ye Fan's eyes flashed, and he twisted hard, breaking free. He struck again, this time into the figure's head.
The hum stopped. The figure collapsed.
Zhou Xiao remained on one knee, gasping for air. Lin Lan pressed a hand to her temple. "That was… a mental attack."
Mu Chen kept his face blank, but his power didn't recede yet. He kept it wrapped around Ye Fan, thin and invisible. Ye Fan looked down at the body, then back at Mu Chen. For the first time, Ye Fan's expression wasn't just cold. It was angry. Not at the gate. At Mu Chen.
"You can do that," Ye Fan said, his voice tight.
Mu Chen answered softly, "Do what?"
Ye Fan stepped closer, his eyes sharp and bright, like he'd just tasted relief and hated it. "Close me," Ye Fan said. "A C-class guide can't."
Mu Chen met his gaze. "Maybe I'm good at one thing."
Ye Fan's mouth tightened. "Stop lying."
Zhou Xiao slowly stood up, still shaky. "What are you two—"
Ye Fan snapped, "Check the shelves." Zhou Xiao fell silent and moved. Lin Lan did too, though she kept glancing at Mu Chen like she'd seen something she couldn't quite process.
Mu Chen's power slowly withdrew back into himself. He did it with a smooth fade, like nothing had happened. Ye Fan watched every second of it, as if he could feel the exact moment the calm left him. When Mu Chen's power fully receded, Ye Fan's shoulders tensed again, as if his body immediately missed it. Ye Fan turned away, like he hated that fact.
They moved deeper into the warehouse. In the back, they found the core. A dark object sat on a metal table, almost like a glass heart. It pulsed with the same hum, softer now, like it was tired.
Lin Lan whispered, "That's the core."
Ye Fan raised his weapon. Mu Chen's stomach tightened again, because he felt something else now. The core wasn't just a core. It felt like a recorder. Like an eye. Like something designed to watch Ye Fan react.
Ye Fan shot it. The core cracked. The hum let out a sharp, furious scream. Zhou Xiao staggered. Lin Lan cried out. Mu Chen's shield flared without his intent, covering the whole team for a second. The scream cut off. The core shattered.
Silence fell hard. Then, far above them, the air tore. The gate began to collapse.
Lin Lan grabbed her tablet. "We have to go now!"
Ye Fan didn't move immediately. He looked at the shattered core. Then he looked at Mu Chen again. His voice was low and harsh. "You're not C-class."
Mu Chen didn't answer. Ye Fan stepped closer until they were almost touching. "If you lie again," Ye Fan said, "I will drag the truth out of you myself."
Mu Chen met his eyes and spoke softly, simple words. "Then don't."
Ye Fan's eyes flashed. For a second, it looked like he might do something rash. Then Lin Lan shouted, "Major! Gate!"
Ye Fan turned sharply and ran. Mu Chen followed. They sprinted through the warehouse, through the open door, back into the strange open lot. The sky above was twisting, folding like paper. The gate exit appeared ahead, a bright cut in the air. They ran toward it.
Mu Chen's lungs burned. Zhou Xiao stumbled once; Mu Chen grabbed his arm and pulled him up. Lin Lan kept running, her breath ragged. Ye Fan reached the exit first. He turned back and looked at Mu Chen as Mu Chen reached the gate line. Their eyes met for a second. In Ye Fan's eyes, Mu Chen saw something dangerous. Not hate. Need.
Then the gate swallowed them, and the world snapped back to the abandoned street like a breath released. They were out. But Mu Chen knew something had changed. The gate had tested Ye Fan. And Ye Fan had found the one thing that made the noise stop. Mu Chen.