The institute's response came that evening. It wasn't a full report, just a brief summary sent to Colonel Luo Wei and CC'd to Lin Lan. Lin Lan read it once and went completely still. Zhou Xiao noticed right away. "What's up?" he asked.
Lin Lan didn't answer. She headed straight for Luo Wei's office. Mu Chen followed at a measured pace, as he'd been ordered not to go anywhere alone. Ye Fan tagged along too, just a half-step behind, like he didn't even care that it was obvious.
The office door clicked shut. Luo Wei was behind her desk, the message displayed on her screen. Lin Lan stood next to her, tablet in hand. Mu Chen stood near the door. Ye Fan was by the window.
Luo Wei looked up. "They reviewed your orphanage file." Mu Chen stayed silent. Luo Wei's voice remained steady. "It supports the late awakening claim." A small knot of tension eased in Mu Chen's chest.
But Luo Wei wasn't finished. "They also noted something else," she said. Mu Chen's fingers went cold. Lin Lan read aloud, her voice flat. "Subject showed 'unusual calm response to high-stress environment' and 'low emotional expression' since early childhood. Recommend additional mental screening and guide output retesting."
Zhou Xiao, waiting outside, knocked once. "What does that mean?" Nobody answered him. Everyone in the room knew. It meant the institute wasn't buying their story completely. It meant they were going to push harder until the numbers matched what they wanted to see.
Ye Fan's voice was low. "They'll run output tests." Luo Wei nodded. "Yes." Mu Chen kept his face carefully neutral. "I can pass." Ye Fan's head snapped toward him. "With what numbers?"
Mu Chen didn't answer right away. The truth was simple: fake ones. Lin Lan spoke quietly, sounding like she hated to say it. "They'll compare your output to the gate recordings. They'll look for discrepancies." Luo Wei's gaze sharpened. "And they'll compare it to Major Ye Fan's readings again." The line drawn in ink. Now becoming a chain.
Mu Chen looked at Luo Wei. "When's the retest?" Luo Wei glanced at the screen. "Tomorrow morning." Too fast. No time to plan. No time to breathe.
Ye Fan took a step forward. "Move it." Luo Wei's eyes hardened. "I can't." Ye Fan's jaw clenched. "Then I will." Luo Wei's voice cut in, sharper. "No."
Silence fell. Mu Chen watched Ye Fan closely. Ye Fan's anger was simmering tonight, not explosive, but focused. Like a knife held perfectly still. Luo Wei spoke again, quieter. "If you act out, they win. They get to label you unstable. They get to keep you out of field command longer. They get to tighten the leash."
Ye Fan didn't blink. "And if they take him?" Luo Wei held his stare. "Then we fight with the only weapon we have here. Time." Mu Chen swallowed down the urge to say he'd survived worse. That urge was pride, and pride was dangerous.
Lin Lan looked at Mu Chen. "Tomorrow's test will include baseline guide output. They'll want you to produce calm under controlled conditions." Mu Chen nodded. Luo Wei asked him directly, "Can you keep it at C-class?" Mu Chen met her gaze. "Yes."
Ye Fan's voice went cold. "Don't lie." Mu Chen looked at him. "I'm not." Ye Fan stared as if he wanted to tear the answer open and see what was inside. Mu Chen remained calm.
Luo Wei ended the meeting. "Go. Rest. Lin Lan will escort Mu Chen to the test room in the morning." Lin Lan nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Ye Fan didn't respond.
Outside the office, Zhou Xiao looked at their faces and understood enough. "Bad?" he asked. Lin Lan answered, "Retest tomorrow." Zhou Xiao swore. "So soon."
Mu Chen walked back to the partition and sat on his bed. He opened his notebook and wrote one line: C-class tomorrow. Then he added another: No mistakes. He stared at the words. Faking numbers wasn't hard. The hard part was doing it with everyone watching. The hard part was doing it while Ye Fan watched. Because Ye Fan had felt the truth at the gate. And now Ye Fan would be standing outside some institute door, silent and angry, knowing Mu Chen was inside faking a lie for people who loved them.
Mu Chen closed his notebook. He lay down under the cold light. Tomorrow, the institute would ask him to show his class. Mu Chen already knew what he would show them. Not power. Control.