The heavy, sterile air of the Shanghai International Medical Center is still thick with the lingering, toxic scent of purple suppression gas.
It is a calculated weapon, engineered by the Capital's elite to mute the resonance of a Shadow for exactly seven minutes—a window of time just long enough to paralyze a high-level fighter, but not enough to trigger a lethal system collapse. 🧪
Across the main hall, Ocean 🐺 stands like a mountain of silver fur and cold, unyielding fury. Every muscle in his massive frame is coiled like a spring.
Beside him, Li Peien 🐇 moves with the lethal grace of a dancer, his Obsidian-black hair under the flickering, red emergency lights.
Because Li Peien is an Anchor, the suppression gas has zero effect on his biological core. He feels his full resonance power coursing through his veins, steady and sharp as a blade.
"Hold them here, Peienna! We can't let a single one of them break past us to follow the SUV!" Ocean roars.
His claws, sharp enough to slice through steel, tear through the tactical gear of the masked subordinates. He can feel his own Winter Pine & Smoke scent flaring despite the chemical suppression—a testament to his protective instinct.
[I don't care about the gas, I don't care about the pain. I have to keep the children safe,] Ocean thinks, his eyes burning with a predatory silver light. 🌲🔥
Just moments before the mist expanded, Nong Zai and Jian Zai 🎞️ had emerged from the shadows of the camera crew. With practiced precision, they had slid specialized carbon-filter masks onto the two warriors, their faces grim.
Outside the reinforced hospital doors, the screams of Sasaeng fans echo through the pouring rain, a haunting melody of obsession and terror.
The fans' camera flashes cut through the darkness like strobe lights, capturing the flickering shadows of the battle inside.
Thousands of phones are active, fingers flying across screens as viral rumors explode on Weibo—claims that Eliot has been neutralized, that the "Desire 4" era is over, or that he has already been killed. 📸😱
The blinding, disorienting rhythm of the flashbulbs creates a chaotic strobe effect that the tactical subordinates use as visual cover to slip through the side entrances.
With their lungs protected and their coordination unmatched, the duo becomes a living nightmare for the attackers. Ocean's raw strength is a force of nature, shattering shields,
While Li Peien uses his supernatural agility to disarm three men in a single, gravity-defying leap. His resonance acts as a stabilizing shield, catching the ripples of Ocean's volatile energy before it can trigger a Surge.
Within minutes, the immediate corridor is cleared, littered with unconscious men. The Nong Jian Sisters give a sharp, silent nod, their eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation.
The two warriors retreat toward the safehouse junction, their hearts heavy. They haven't seen Eliot since the purple mist first bloomed. He had been ushered into the service lift by a group of high-level suppressors before they could reach the landing.
To them, and to the world watching through the glass, the Golden Butterfly has simply vanished into the dark. No one saw where he went. No one saw who took him. Eliot Huang has vanished from the face of the earth. ⛓️🌑
But miles away, in the damp, ancient silence of the wilderness, the air is suffocating in a different way.
The sound of a silver bell—ting-ling—fades into the rustling leaves, but its vibration remains in the air like a haunting ghost. This is a place where time seems to stretch and thin, far from the neon lights of the city. 🌲✨
Qiuqiu 🐕𓋜 stands frozen outside the idling SUV, his heavy boots sinking into the damp moss. His long black coat catches the cold forest breeze, billowing around his legs. His messy hair shields his eyes as he squints into the pitch-black thicket.
Even with his blurry long-distance vision, he can see small, glowing particles—resonance embers—dancing between the ancient trees like lost souls searching for a home.
"Did you hear that, Lele?" Peanut whispers, now wide awake and trembling.
He hops out of the car, his small, cold hand reaching instinctively for the hem of Lele's jacket. To the rest of the world,
They are just a Golden Retriever and a Silver-Black dog huddled together.
But here, in the shadows of the Grove, their human spirits are visible, shivering in the face of the unknown. It's too quiet here, Peanut thinks, his ears twitching under his hat. 🐶🐾
Lele 🍼 doesn't move an inch. His sharp, silver-black hair seems to shimmer under the pale moonlight. His eyes, cold and focused, scan the thicket with a maturity that far outweighs his years.
"It's the same bell," Lele murmurs. "The one from the high-security nursery... the one that belonged to the 'Little Swing' (Xiao Qiuqian)."
Maymuna 🕵️♀️ remains leaning against the driver's side door, her leather-bound notebook tucked securely under her arm.
She doesn't look surprised by the shifting forest; she looks at home. Her gaze is fixed toward the deepest part of the grove, where the fog is the thickest and the shadows seem to breathe. ✍️🕵️♀️
"This forest doesn't exist on Google Maps, Qiuqiu-ge," Maymuna says smoothly.
"This is the 'Sacred Grove'—a sanctuary for spirits whose wings or paws have been clipped by the world. It is a pocket dimension of resonance, and it's the only place where the subordinates cannot follow... for now."
She pauses, her eyes flashing with a hidden, iridescent butterfly light.
"But the protection is thinning. The Axis is shifting. They are coming."
Suddenly, a massive flash of Golden Light 🌟 erupts from over the horizon, far beyond the canopy of the ancient trees.
It illuminates the heavy storm clouds, turning the night sky into a canvas of molten fire. It is Eliot (A'xing) 🦋.
The light is a frequency visible only to those with a resonance core; to the rest of the world, it is just a distant, soundless lightning strike.
The light is beautiful but erratic, pulsing with a rhythm of deep, agonizing pain. It feels like a scream made of light.
Qiuqiu feels a sharp, burning sensation in his chest—the invisible resonance link to Eliot is pulling so hard it feels like his heart is being torn from his ribs. 𓆩💔𓆪
"A'xing... he's fighting them alone," Qiuqiu gasps, his knees nearly buckling.
He turns to run toward the light, pointing desperately toward a dense, impenetrable wall of thorns.
"This way! We have to save him! I can feel him calling!" Qiuqiu cries out.
"Wait, Mama! That's a thorn bush! The path is to the right!" Peanut cries out, catching Qiuqiu's sleeve just in time.
Qiuqiu stops, his face flushing with embarrassment even in the middle of a life-or-death crisis. His direction-blindness is a lifelong curse, but Peanut's innocent guidance is the only compass he has left. 🍼🐕𓋜
They move deeper into the clearing until the trees part to reveal a hidden, circular space. In the center stands an old, abandoned stone altar covered in creeping purple
wildflowers.
On top of the altar sits a single, weathered purple cat toy 🐾—the same one that haunts the edges of Qiuqiu's fragmented dreams.
But as Qiuqiu approaches, his breath hitches. The toy hums with a faint, low-frequency vibration, emitting a leftover scent of Withered Rose & Artificial Sweet Rot.
It is a foul, chemical smell—the lingering mark of an intruder who had recently found this place and defiled it.
"Why is that here?" Qiuqiu whispers, his voice trembling as he realizes the Sacred Grove has been compromised.
Maymuna steps forward, her pen poised over a fresh, ink-stained page.
"Because memories aren't just thoughts, Qiuqiu-ge. They are tethers. And someone has been waiting here for a very long time for you to remember... how the Spirit Squad truly became your 'sons'. How you chose them from the ruins before the world broke you." Maymuna says.
Before another word can be uttered, a slow, rhythmic clapping echoes from the darkness behind the ancient oaks.
A figure emerges, clad in a pristine white suit that looks unsettlingly clean against the damp, rotting forest floor.
It is the Fake Savior. His scent—that deceptive blend of perfume and rotting roses—thickens in the air. 🥀
"A touching reunion," the Fake Savior sneers, his eyes fixed on the altar with hungry intensity.
He doesn't look at the tactical men emerging from the shadows behind him; he looks only at the children.
He only knows that his 'Boss' has promised him Eliot's complete submission if he brings the contents of this grove to their feet.
"You shouldn't have come here, Qiuqiu," the Rival (fake savior) says, his voice dropping to a chilling, melodic whisper.
"Eliot didn't send you here to hide. He sent you here because he knew this was the one place where he couldn't protect you anymore.
He's already in a net. 'Honey' is finally where he belongs—under my watchful eyes, stripped of his crown." the Fake Savior continues.
Qiuqiu's Dark Oak scent flares, turning sharp, metallic, and aggressive.
"You think you've won?" Qiuqiu growls, stepping in front of the children.
"You think you can just take him? A Shadow is always stronger than an Anchor when it comes to pure force, and I will tear this entire forest down before I let you touch his family." he roars.
Suddenly, the tactical subordinates lunge. They ignore the Fake Savior's posturing and go straight for the children.
Peanut 🍼 whimpers, clutching his hat, but Lele 🍼 steps forward with a cold, metallic glint in his eyes.
"Mama Qiu, stay back! We've got this!" Lele roars.
With a speed no ordinary child—or dog—should possess, he performs a powerful, tactical flip, his boot connecting with a subordinate's jaw with a sickening thud. The sound of bone cracking echoes through the silent grove. 🦴💨
Maymuna stands by the stone altar, her notebook reacting to the chaotic resonance. The ink on the page begins to vibrate, forming patterns of a butterfly's struggling wings.
"The trial has begun," Maymuna murmurs to herself, her eyes tracking every movement with a cold, analytical precision. ✍️🕵️♀️
Qiuqiu lunges at the next man, swinging a heavy fallen branch with desperate force. His blurry vision makes him stumble, and a subordinate grabs his arm, twisting it with a sickening pop. Pain sears through his nervous system, but his determination only grows. 𓆩💔𓆪🩹
At that exact moment, a high-pitched, ethereal meow—like the chime of a crystal bell—shatters the tension.
The purple cat toy on the altar begins to vibrate violently, emitting a blinding violet light that purges the Fake Savior's rotten scent. For a split second, the translucent silhouette of Xiao Qiuqian (Little Nugu) 🐾🦋 appears behind the altar.
A wave of spiritual pressure, cold as ice and heavy as lead, radiates from the kitten. It hits the subordinates like a physical wall, freezing them in their tracks, their muscles locked by a frequency they cannot understand.
"Muna-jie, the car! Now!" Lele yells, grabbing a dazed Peanut's hand and pulling him toward the SUV.
Qiuqiu shoves the boys toward the open door, ignoring the searing pain in his dislocated arm.
"Get in! Now!" Qiuqiu roars, his voice echoing like thunder.
He rushes to the driver's side, but his jaw drops as he sees Maymuna already behind the steering wheel, her small hands gripping the leather with authority.
"Muna! What are you doing? Move over! You don't have a license! This isn't a game!" Qiuqiu yells.
Maymuna doesn't even look at him. She presses a hidden button on the center console, and a pale blue, holographic Eliot Corp insignia illuminates her face.
"I don't need a license, Qiuqiu-ge. This is A'xing-ge's prototype. It's a Spirit-Bound autonomous vehicle. As long as my hands guide the resonance frequency, the car drives itself. It follows the soul, not the road." Maymuna says.
"Get in!" she commands, her tone chillingly calm.
Qiuqiu dives into the passenger seat just as the subordinates recover from the spiritual shock. The SUV tires spin with a violent screech, kicking up moss and dirt as it rockets forward into the dark, invisible road. 🌑💨
In the back seat, Peanut is shivering, his small fingers tracing the 'Rocket' toy on his collar. Qiuqiu looks at him through the rearview mirror, his heart aching.
"Why Peanut? Why do they keep coming for him? He's just a child who wants to play." Qiuqiu mutters.
Maymuna keeps her eyes fixed on the winding road that only she can see, but in the silence of her mind,
The notebook writes: They aren't after a pet. They are after the 'Living Hardware'—the encryption chip that holds the key to the entire Spirit Squad's existence. And the Fake Savior is just a pawn in a much darker game being played from the Capital. 💣✍️
The drive feels like traversing a graveyard of forgotten dreams. The forest is a blur of grey and black.
Qiuqiu stares out the window, his mind racing back toward the hospital, toward the lift that took his world away. Then, he looks back one last time through the rear window.
He sees the children safely huddled in the back of Muna's SUV, their small silhouettes trembling but alive. As the vehicle roars away into the safety of the night,
Qiuqiu looks back at the fading Golden Light in the far distance. His heart shatters into a million pieces as the sky turns an ominous, dark grey. The golden resonance, the light of his life, has finally been snuffed out.
Eliot Huang has been taken into the abyss. ⛓️🦋
The Fake Savior's laughter echoes in his mind, a shrill, hysterical sound that seems to haunt the very wind.
"It's over, Qiuqiu! He's been captured! The Butterfly is finally in the net! And you... you are nothing without him!" the voice sneers.
Qiuqiu looks at the fading silhouette of the grove, then at the empty spot where the cat-spirit had appeared.
He realizes with a chilling clarity that this was only "the beginning of a long and merciless war."
"No," Qiuqiu whispers, the mole on his cheek glowing with a fierce, golden determination that outshone the encroaching dark.
"If he's in a net... I'll tear the whole world apart, thread by thread, until I find him." he vows.