The heavy thud door sealing behind her was the single most welcoming sound Lin Qing had heard all day.

After spending the last six grueling hours down on the lower engineering deck with Lieutenant Chen and Dr. Zhou—painstakingly hardwiring the newly extracted industrial solar cargo into the primary defensive grid while the terrifying reality of the informational blackout loomed overhead—her body was completely spent.

Every major muscle group in her shoulders and lower back throbbed with a dull, persistent ache, and her mind felt utterly fried from processing the psychological weight of Gao Feng’s impending mountain blockade.

Stepping into the relative, quiet sanctuary of her room she didn’t waste a single second. The air in the room was notably chilly—a stark, practical reminder of the base’s strict power-conservation protocols—but right now, she welcomed the absolute stillness.

She stripped out of her heavy, armor-padded tactical gear, feeling an instant wave of physical relief lift off her frame as the rigid composite chest plates, heavy utility belt, and reinforced nylon straps clattered loudly onto the metal storage bench.

Moving with the sluggish, uncoordinated movements of pure physical exhaustion, she stepped straight into the steaming embrace of a hot shower.

The scalding water washed away the lingering grime of the lower engine bays and the road. For fifteen blissful minutes, she simply stood there with her forehead pressed against the wet tile, letting the steam clear the fog in her brain and listening to the steady, rhythmic drumming of water.

Wrapped in a clean, oversized gray robe and vigorously drying her damp hair with a thick towel, Lin Qing finally felt a small fraction of her humanity return. She walked out into her small living area, fully preparing to collapse onto her mattress for a deeply deserved, uninterrupted afternoon nap, when a soft, hesitant knocking suddenly rattled the door of her room.

Sighing softly but blinking away her lingering drowsiness, Lin Qing walked over and opened the door to reveal an unexpected sight standing in the brightly lit corridor.

Ten-year-old Gu An was standing right there in the center of the hallway, her small posture radiating the protective air.

Clinging gently but tightly to the fabric of Gu An’s left sleeve was Su Xiao. The younger girl looked remarkably better than she had days ago; her skin had completely lost that pale, translucent, and ghostly quality it possessed.

It was immediately obvious to Lin Qing that despite the remarkably short amount of time these two had spent together within these walls, the young girls had already formed an incredibly tight, unspoken bond. Gu An had naturally stepped into the role of a fiercely loyal big sister.

Gu An looked up at Lin Qing, her bright eyes wide, serious, and eager, though she politely waited for the older woman to acknowledge them first. She shifted her weight slightly from one sneaker to the other, a tiny gesture that betrayed her youthful excitement despite her best efforts to look like a mature, stoic guard standing watch.

"Sister Lin Qing," Gu An spoke up, her voice a fascinating mixture of childhood innocence and a strange, budding military discipline. "I’m sorry to bother but Su Xiao wanted to come with me to ask you something really, really important."

Lin Qing leaned comfortably against the cold metal doorframe.

"It’s no bother at all, Gu An," Lin Qing said softly. "You two can always come to me. What exactly is on your minds?"

Gu An nudged Su Xiao forward slightly, encouraging her, though she kept a reassuring, anchoring hand firmly on the younger girl’s shoulder. Su Xiao looked up through long eyelashes, her small fingers nervously twisting the hem of her oversized gray sweater, clearly intimidated but comforted by Gu An’s presence.

"Su Xiao told me she doesn’t want to just sit around in her room anymore," Gu An explained, her chest puffing out slightly with immense pride on her new friend’s behalf.

"She wants to join me in my daily physical training and exercise routine so she can grow strong. We wanted to come and know if that is officially okay with you. She wants to be useful when the bad people outside finally try to come up the mountain path."

Before Lin Qing could even open her mouth to answer, Gu An’s expression shifted into one of deep, responsible adult concern, her inner big sister taking total command of the conversation. She leaned a fraction closer to Lin Qing, lowering her voice as if sharing a highly confidential secret.

"I remember how dangerously high her fever was. I didn’t want to just start teaching her my heavy exercise routine without confirming it with you first. Is she truly healthy enough to train now, or will she get sick again?"

Hearing the ten-year-old child speak with such profound maturity, foresight, and protective caution made a wave of pride swell in Lin Qing’s chest.

In this cruel, post-apocalyptic landscape, a peaceful childhood was a luxury that few could afford anymore, yet Gu An was beautifully turning her hardships into a fierce sense of empathy and responsibility. Lin Qing looked at Su Xiao, whose small face was filled with a quiet, determined hope as she waited for the final verdict, her tiny jaw set in a line that reminded Lin Qing remarkably of the veteran soldiers downstairs.

"I think that is a absolutely wonderful idea, Su Xiao," Lin Qing said softly, her voice thick with genuine encouragement. She reached down and touched Su Xiao’s cheek with the back of her hand, finding her skin cool, soft, and entirely free of the terrifying, burning heat that had threatened to consume her life just days prior.

Then, she turned her gaze back to Gu An, her tone turning slightly serious. "But listen to me very carefully, Gu An. Because Su Xiao has only recently recovered from that severe evolutionary fever, her internal systems and her new energy pathways are still actively adapting to the changes in her body. You can absolutely train together, but you must keep the routine light for her. No heavy lifting, no intense stamina drilling, and absolutely no exhausting endurance runs down the corridors just yet. You start with basic movements, flexibility stretching, and proper breathing. Understood?"

"Yes! Understood!" Gu An exclaimed, a brilliant, ecstatic grin breaking across her face, completely shattering the stoic, mature guard facade she had been trying so hard to maintain.

Beside her, Su Xiao let out a small, audible breath of pure relief, her eyes lighting up with happiness as she gripped Gu An’s hand a little tighter. The sheer joy of being given a sense of purpose and a tangible path toward personal strength brought a vibrant, beautiful splash of life back into both of their young faces. For a child trapped inside a high-alert war zone, feeling completely helpless was the ultimate terror; being allowed to train was a vital lifeline.

Lin Qing watched them for a quiet, comfortable moment, basking in the rare, unpolluted warmth of the interaction, before a sudden, curious thought struck her. She looked at Gu An, an analytical glint entering her eyes.

In the chaotic rush of securing the outer perimeter, dealing with the frantic scientists, and managing the rations, she hadn’t had a proper chance to personally evaluate the children’s evolutionary progress.

"Before you two head off to start your light training," Lin Qing said, crossing her arms over her robe, "I want to see how much your own hard work has paid off, Gu An. Show me your powers. Activate your shield right here in the hall."

"Okay!" Gu An agreed instantly, practically jumping at the chance to show off her progress to the woman she looked up to the most in the entire world.

The ten-year-old took a deliberate half-step back into the center of the wide corridor, positioning her sneakers firmly on the flooring. She closed her eyes for a split second, taking a deep, focused breath as she tapped into the raw, defensive energy pathways within her core. Lin Qing watched closely, sensing a subtle, tangible shift in the ambient atmospheric pressure around the young girl.

Hum.

With a soft, resonant vibration that rippled through the air of the hallway and made the fabric of Lin Qing’s robe flutter, a shimmering barrier of pure energy manifested directly in front of Gu An’s small frame.

Lin Qing’s eyes widened significantly in genuine, pleasant surprise as she stepped closer to examine the construct. She reached out a hand, stopping just inches away from the glowing surface, feeling the distinct, solid warmth radiating from the localized spatial distortion.

The shield wasn’t just stable; it was remarkably sturdier and visibly thicker than the barriers Gu An had managed to conjure before The surface of the energy wall had a dense, almost crystalline quality to it, humming with a disciplined, even power that didn’t waver or flicker for a single second.

Even more impressive was the sheer endurance. Gu An held the heavy barrier completely steady, her shoulders relaxed and her breathing remaining perfectly calm and even. There were no signs of the rapid physical strain, trembling limbs, or sudden nosebleeds that usually plagued newly awakened children who overexerted their unrefined cores.

For a ten-year-old to achieve this level of precise energetic control and structural thickness in such a remarkably short period of time was nothing short of extraordinary.

It was clear, undeniable proof of the girl’s relentless, unyielding training ethic when the adults weren’t actively watching—the hours she must have spent practicing in the quiet corners of the residential wing while everyone else was asleep or worrying about the blockade.

"Remarkable progress, Gu An," Lin Qing murmured, her voice thick with genuine, unforced pride. Her brain immediately noted that this shield could likely deflect high-caliber ballistic rounds now, making Gu An a vital defensive asset for their survival if things went sideways. But looking at the girl’s hopeful face, she pushed the cold, calculated thoughts aside.

She reached out and gently patted the young girl’s head, ruffling her slightly damp hair in a rare show of affection. "You’ve grown so much stronger, faster than any of us expected. You’re going to be an incredible shield, Gu An."

Gu An practically beamed under the touch, her cheeks flushing bright pink with absolute ecstasy at the high praise. She lowered the shield with a smooth, controlled exhale, the crystalline barrier dissolving into harmless motes of light that vanished into the ceiling vents. She was practically vibrating with happiness, her fists clenched excitedly at her sides.

"Thank you! I won’t let you down, I promise!" Gu An cheered, turning around instantly to face her companion. "Come on, Su Xiao, let’s go to the training room right now! I’ll show you the core stretching routine first, and then we can practice the basic footwork patterns!"

Lin Qing laughed softly, the sound rich and full, as the two girls turned and scurried down the corridor, their small sneakers squeaking loudly against the polished metal floor. Their youthful, untamed energy temporarily pierced through the heavy, oppressive atmosphere of the blockaded base, leaving a lingering sense of hope in the quiet hallway.

Watching them disappear around the heavy blast doors at the far end of the sector, Lin Qing’s smile slowly faded, replaced once again by the heavy, familiar mantle of responsibility. Her planned nap would have to wait. The brief respite was officially over, and the grim reality of their situation reclaimed its tight grip on her thoughts.

With the satellite maps entirely gone and Gao Feng’s vanguard digging into the base of the mountain pass down below, time was their most precious and dwindling resource.

She needed to check on Han Zheng’s physical recovery immediately. His powerful combat capabilities were absolutely central to any breakout or defensive plan they could formulate, and she needed to discuss a long-term strategy with him in the quiet confines of the medical room before the rogue scientists or external pressures fractured the base’s internal morale any further.

She turned on her heel, her damp hair tied securely back in a practical knot, and began walking briskly toward the medical room. The corridor was long, lined with uniform steel panels and emergency lighting strips that cast long, dramatic shadows against the walls.

But she had barely taken five steps down the main corridor when a small, silent silhouette suddenly stepped out from an intersecting maintenance alcove, completely blocking her path.

Lin Qing skidded to a abrupt halt, her heart jumping slightly in her chest as her combat instincts flared, her weight instinctively shifting into a defensive stance before she fully realized who it was. She looked down, her breath catching in her throat.

Han Ye stood directly in front of her, his hands buried deep inside the pockets of his dark trousers. He didn’t look like a frightened child waiting for his mother, nor did he possess any of the innocent eagerness that Gu An and Su Xiao had just displayed.

Instead, his young face was set in a chillingly serious expression that looked utterly unnatural on a child so small. His dark, fathomless eyes locked onto hers with a heavy, unyielding intensity that immediately told her he hadn’t been waiting in the shadows to ask for a bedtime story or a warm hug. The ambient light around his small form seemed to dim slightly, the shadows near his boots stretching toward her like quiet, living tendrils on the metal floor.

Lin Qing stared at him, a sudden, cold prickle of apprehension rising along the nape of her neck as the five-year-old opened his mouth to speak, his presence carrying a weight that completely defied his age.