So, the call from the institute came *before* the debrief. It wasn't a phone call, though. It was a message on Lin Lan's tablet, flagged with high clearance and a deadline.
Lin Lan read it once, then looked at Ye Fan. "They want you," she said, her voice totally flat.
Ye Fan didn't even flinch. "Figures," he replied.
Lin Lan kept her voice even, but her eyes were sharp. "They want Mu Chen, too."
Mu Chen's stomach did a flip.
Zhou Xiao let out a quiet curse. "Why?"
Lin Lan glanced at Mu Chen, then away. "Routine. That's what they said. 'Routine.'"
Ye Fan's jaw clenched. "Nothing they do is ever routine."
Mu Chen kept his face totally calm. His hands were steady. He'd spent most of his life practicing this kind of composure.
Colonel Luo Wei walked into the ready room a minute later, like she'd already been briefed. "Institute debrief first," she announced. "Then unit debrief."
Ye Fan spoke up. "We already sent the report."
Luo Wei's gaze was steady. "They want to ask questions."
Mu Chen knew exactly what that meant. They wanted to see their faces, watch their reactions, hear what wasn't said.
Luo Wei looked at Mu Chen. "Lieutenant Mu. You'll stick with Major Ye Fan. Don't speak unless you're asked to."
Mu Chen nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
They walked. The institute wing was connected by a corridor that looked just like the rest of the base, but it felt... different. Colder air, brighter lights, cameras closer together. A scanner door loomed at the end.
Lin Lan and Zhou Xiao didn't come along. It was just Ye Fan and Mu Chen, with Luo Wei trailing a few steps behind, like a witness.
Their badges were scanned. Green. The door hissed open.
Inside was a small room with a round table and three chairs. It was too clean, too quiet. A screen on the wall, a recording light in the ceiling.
Dr. Qiu was already sitting at the table. He smiled when they entered, like this was just a friendly chat. "Major Ye Fan," he greeted. "Lieutenant Mu Chen. Colonel Luo."
Luo Wei sat down without a word. Ye Fan didn't sit immediately. Mu Chen waited until Ye Fan sat, then he did too.
Dr. Qiu tapped his tablet. "We reviewed your mission data. Very interesting."
Ye Fan's voice was flat. "We cleared the gate."
"Yes," Dr. Qiu agreed. "And we noticed a few things."
A chill went down Mu Chen's spine.
Dr. Qiu turned his gaze to Mu Chen. "Lieutenant Mu. As a C-class guide, you performed very steadily under mental pressure."
Mu Chen gave the safest possible answer. "I focused on breathing and following orders."
Dr. Qiu smiled. "Good answer." He looked back at Ye Fan. "Major Ye Fan, your mental output spiked at two points."
Ye Fan didn't blink. "It happens."
Dr. Qiu's smile didn't waver. "It does. And yet you stayed stable."
Ye Fan's jaw tightened. "Because I controlled it."
Dr. Qiu nodded slowly, as if considering. Then he asked, as casually as possible, "Did Lieutenant Mu Chen assist you?"
The room went completely still. Mu Chen's heart stayed steady, but his mind went into overdrive.
Ye Fan looked straight at Dr. Qiu. "No."
Dr. Qiu tilted his head. "No support at all? Not even passive calming?"
Ye Fan's voice hardened. "No."
Dr. Qiu's smile widened slightly, as if Ye Fan had just confirmed exactly what he'd hoped. He turned to Mu Chen. "Lieutenant Mu. Did you link with Major Ye Fan?"
Mu Chen kept his face totally blank. "No."
Dr. Qiu's eyes remained kind, but empty. "Did you touch his mind?"
Mu Chen answered with the truth that hid the truth. "No."
Dr. Qiu tapped his tablet again. "Interesting. Because the data suggests a calming effect around Major Ye Fan during the spike. It's subtle, but it's there."
Mu Chen stayed perfectly still.
Ye Fan's voice turned cold. "Your data can suggest anything."
Dr. Qiu chuckled softly, like Ye Fan was a child arguing. "True. That's why we ask questions." He leaned back. "Colonel Luo. Your unit has been under strain. We can help."
Luo Wei's voice was calm. "Help how?"
Dr. Qiu's smile didn't change. "We can run compatibility checks. We can assign stable pairings. We can reduce mission risk by limiting uncontrolled variables."
*Uncontrolled variables*. Mu Chen felt those words hit him hard.
Ye Fan's voice turned sharp. "He's not a variable. He's a person."
Dr. Qiu looked pleasantly surprised. "Of course. I meant operationally."
Luo Wei's eyes narrowed slightly. "My unit does not need forced pairings."
Dr. Qiu spread his hands. "No one said forced. Only recommended."
Ye Fan's fingers curled on the table. Mu Chen watched Ye Fan closely. Ye Fan was furious. Anger meant heat. Heat meant risk. If Ye Fan lost control here, inside institute walls, they would win. Mu Chen kept his own power locked down.
Dr. Qiu's gaze returned to Mu Chen. "Lieutenant Mu, you have no emergency contact."
Mu Chen felt a small chill.
Dr. Qiu's voice stayed light. "No family. No ties. That can make a guide… easier to move."
Ye Fan's chair scraped as he stood up.
Luo Wei's eyes snapped to him. "Ye Fan."
Ye Fan's voice was cold enough to cut glass. "Watch your mouth."
Dr. Qiu's smile didn't falter. "I'm only stating a fact, Major."
Ye Fan leaned forward slightly, like a predator who felt the room was suddenly too small. Mu Chen stood too, calm and quiet, and positioned himself half a step closer to Ye Fan's side. Not touching. Not linking. Just... there.
Ye Fan felt it. Mu Chen saw the tiny shift in Ye Fan's shoulders, the way the storm inside him seemed to steady for a second. Dr. Qiu's eyes flicked to Mu Chen. He noticed that. Of course he did.
Luo Wei stood. "This interview is over."
Dr. Qiu kept smiling. "As you wish, Colonel. But we will request follow-up tests."
Luo Wei's voice stayed calm, but it had steel in it. "Submit your request through command."
Dr. Qiu nodded, polite. "Naturally."
Ye Fan didn't say another word. He turned and walked out. Mu Chen followed.
In the hallway, Ye Fan stopped abruptly and faced the wall, breathing hard through his nose, like he was forcing himself not to explode. Mu Chen waited.
Ye Fan spoke without turning. "They said 'easier to move.'"
Mu Chen's voice was quiet. "Yes."
Ye Fan's jaw tightened. "That's what they think of you."
Mu Chen didn't answer. That wasn't exactly new.
Ye Fan turned then, his eyes burning. "You stay away from them."
Mu Chen met his gaze. "I don't have a choice if they order it."
Ye Fan's voice dropped, rough and dangerous. "Then I'll make a choice."
Mu Chen's chest tightened. That sounded like trouble. That sounded like Ye Fan was about to leave the system, even if he wasn't quite ready yet. Mu Chen kept his face calm and used simple words. "Not yet."
Ye Fan stared at him like he hated being told to wait. Mu Chen held his gaze. Finally, Ye Fan looked away.
"Go," Ye Fan said. "Back to the unit." Mu Chen nodded.
They walked back under the cold lights. Behind them, the institute door shut softly. But Mu Chen could still feel Dr. Qiu's smile on his skin, like a fingerprint. The gate had tested Ye Fan. Now the institute was testing Mu Chen.