The next mission popped up way too fast.
Mu Chen figured they might be stuck on base thanks to the institute's orders, but the base kept humming along even with people being tested.
Then, right at dawn, a gate alert flashed on the unit floor.
Lin Lan's tablet chirped. Zhou Xiao let out a curse. Colonel Luo Wei walked into the ready room, her face clearly showing she'd already lost an argument.
"Gate," Luo Wei stated. "City edge. C-grade. Quick clear."
Zhou Xiao blinked. "C-grade? Why send us?"
Luo Wei's gaze stayed steady. "Command wants Major Ye Fan's team out there. And the institute needs more data."
Mu Chen's gut twisted.
More data.
Ye Fan stood still for a moment, then said, "They're using us."
Luo Wei's voice was quiet but sharp. "Yes. So we get them clean results and get back alive."
They suited up.
Mu Chen stuck close to Lin Lan.
Ye Fan didn't say a word to Mu Chen on the way to the vehicle bay, and that silence felt heavier than anything he could have said.
At the gate site, the area was already cordoned off. Barriers, floodlights, and some base staff hanging back in the distance, as if afraid the gate might notice them.
The gate itself hung in the air between two empty buildings. It was smaller than the last one, less imposing, but still felt… off.
Lin Lan checked her readings. "Confirmed C-grade gate."
Zhou Xiao let out a breath. "Good. Easy peasy."
Ye Fan didn't reply. He just stared at the gate, like he suspected it was lying.
Mu Chen felt a faint tug at the edge of his mind. It wasn't strong, but it was familiar, like someone gently tapping on glass.
They stepped through.
Inside, it looked like a vast underground parking garage – endless concrete pillars, low ceilings, and damp air. Water dripped somewhere in the darkness.
Lin Lan's tablet still had a signal. "Signal stable."
Zhou Xiao's shoulders relaxed a bit.
Mu Chen stayed behind Ye Fan, as instructed.
They moved through the pillars, scanning their surroundings.
A creature lunged out fast, low to the ground, like a dog made of shadow. Ye Fan took one shot, and it dropped. Easy.
Two more rushed from the side. Zhou Xiao handled one. Ye Fan took down the other.
Mu Chen watched, thinking this gate really was low-grade.
Still, Ye Fan didn't let his guard down. The deeper they went, the more Mu Chen understood why. This wasn't about the challenge. It was about control. The institute wanted a controlled environment to study their behavior, and a small gate was perfect for that.
Lin Lan stopped by a pillar. "Core direction this way."
They followed. Mu Chen moved carefully, keeping his breathing steady and his power contained.
They rounded a corner.
And saw a person.
A human figure stood under a flickering ceiling light.
Zhou Xiao immediately raised his weapon. "Civilian?"
Lin Lan's eyes narrowed. "There shouldn't be any civilians inside a gate."
The figure slowly turned. Mu Chen's stomach clenched.
It wasn't a civilian. It looked like a soldier – uniform, boots, helmet. But the face was wrong. Too smooth, too blank, like a mask carved from memory.
A mimic.
It tilted its head up and spoke in a voice that sounded almost normal.
"Major Ye Fan," it said.
Zhou Xiao's blood ran cold. "It knows your name."
Lin Lan whispered, "This is not C-grade."
Ye Fan didn't move, his eyes locked on the mimic.
The mimic took a step closer. "Come here." The voice hit like a physical blow. Zhou Xiao's posture shifted, an almost involuntary urge to obey. Mu Chen felt it too, a targeted mental pull.
Ye Fan's jaw clenched tight. Mu Chen could feel Ye Fan struggling to maintain control, the strain almost visible.
The mimic stepped closer again. "Come."
Zhou Xiao took a step forward. Lin Lan grabbed his sleeve. "Stop!"
Zhou Xiao blinked hard, breathing raggedly, like someone waking from a daze. Mu Chen felt Ye Fan's senses sharpen, becoming almost painfully exposed.
The mimic's voice softened, becoming almost kind. "It's okay. I can make the noise stop."
Mu Chen's stomach plummeted. That wasn't a random line; it was aimed directly at Ye Fan, echoing something he clearly wanted.
Ye Fan's eyes went dark. Mu Chen felt the edge of him breaking again, and this time, they were up close, with cameras rolling and a stable signal. Mu Chen knew he couldn't use his power without leaving a trace, but if Ye Fan lost it, the whole mission would be a disaster.
The mimic moved fast, lunging for Ye Fan. Ye Fan reacted, knife in hand, but the mimic wasn't aiming for his body. It reached for his head. A mental strike. Ye Fan's breath hitched.
Mu Chen moved. He didn't think about the cameras, or the institute. He only thought: *not him*.
Mu Chen stepped between them and lifted his hand. He didn't touch Ye Fan or the mimic. He pushed outward, a short, sharp pulse of calm. The mimic jerked back as if hitting a wall. The air in the parking structure went dead silent for half a second.
Ye Fan's eyes cleared. He struck. One clean motion, knife to the mimic's neck, then its head. It collapsed.
Zhou Xiao stared at Mu Chen. Lin Lan did too. Mu Chen slowly lowered his hand, as if it had done nothing.
Ye Fan turned towards Mu Chen. His face was controlled, but his eyes burned with anger, relief, and fear.
"You did it again," Ye Fan said, his voice low.
Mu Chen's voice was calm. "I stopped it."
Lin Lan's voice was tight. "Mu Chen… that wasn't C-class."
Mu Chen couldn't look at her. If he started explaining, he'd fall apart.
Ye Fan stepped closer, his voice harsh. "Don't do that in a stable signal zone."
Mu Chen met his gaze. "Then don't let it reach you."
Ye Fan's jaw clenched, as if he wanted to argue.
Then Lin Lan cut in quickly. "We need the core. Now."
They moved. They found the core within minutes – a small, pulsing stone lodged in a concrete crack. Ye Fan destroyed it with a single shot. The gate began to collapse. They ran back.
They exited. Outside, base staff swarmed in, scanning them, checking vitals, jotting notes. Mu Chen felt eyes on him again, not just cameras, but people. One staff member glanced at Mu Chen's badge, then at a tablet, then back at Mu Chen, as if confirming something. Mu Chen's stomach tightened. The institute had gotten what it wanted: a clean signal environment, a recorded moment, proof that a "C-class guide" had done something he shouldn't be capable of.
On the ride back, Ye Fan was silent, but Mu Chen could feel his anger radiating like heat. Zhou Xiao was quiet too. Lin Lan stared at her tablet, her face pale. Mu Chen sat in silence, realizing one simple truth: the evaluation in forty-eight hours was no longer routine. It was a trap closing in.