"Are you sure I shouldn’t come with you?" Jiang Zhaohe followed beside Wenzhi as they crossed the underground airship hangar.

Dozens of airships rested in the enormous dim chamber. The entire place hummed with quiet activity.

"We still haven’t questioned Jingxin properly." Wenzhi replied. "You need to stay here."

Ahead of them, one of the airships already had its hatch open.

Kaiwen and Duan Ze climbed inside first without hesitation.

Zhaohe stopped beside Wenzhi, her usual teasing expression was gone. "If it’s really a Red Zone Rift..."

She glanced upward as though she could somehow see Sector Two through layers of concrete and steel. "Sector One could be next."

The concern in her voice was genuine.

Wenzhi didn’t immediately answer. Because the truth was he didn’t know what to say either.

Eventually he adjusted the supply bag on his shoulder. "I should go."

"Stay close to Kaiwen." Zhaohe said immediately.

Wenzhi raised the bag. "I think I’ll survive."

Zhaohe snorted. "That’s not what I said."

She folded her arms. "Stay close to Kaiwen."

Then her gaze sharpened. "And you know you don’t actually have to go."

Wenzhi frowned.

"Xinyuan can handle himself." She shrugged. "I think all of us know that."

I think you know that.

The unspoken words hung heavily in the air.

Wenzhi immediately looked annoyed. "I’m not going because of Xinyuan."

"Of course not."

"I want to observe the Rift."

"Mm."

"And finalize the Bureau deal."

"Mm."

Wenzhi narrowed his eyes. "You don’t believe me."

"I absolutely do not." The grin that appeared on Zhaohe’s face was infuriating.

Before Wenzhi could argue further, movement caught both their attention. Two figures were approaching.

Zhiyao and Gu Luhan.

Zhaohe smirked. "Ah. More cavalry."

Zhiyao waved casually as he approached. "You said it was a Red Zone Rift."

His gaze drifted directly toward Wenzhi. Entirely too directly. "Which means close-range guiding."

He smiled. "We wouldn’t want our Espers causing a second apocalypse."

Unlike Zhaohe, he wasn’t even pretending to hide what he was doing.

His eyes swept over Wenzhi openly. Taking in the freckled face. The jacket. The supply bag. Everything.

Wenzhi stared back with complete disinterest. Zhiyao somehow looked even more entertained.

Meanwhile Gu Luhan said absolutely nothing. He merely glanced at Wenzhi and walked straight past them.

His expression remained unreadable. But Wenzhi noticed the slight tension in his shoulders. The way his jaw tightened. The way his grip on the supply bag seemed just a little too firm.

Then he climbed into the airship without another word.

The engines immediately began powering up.

Zhiyao watched him go before looking back at Wenzhi. "See you inside, boss." Then he winked and followed after Luhan.

The moment he disappeared into the airship, Zhaohe let out a low whistle. "Damn. That wasn’t subtle."

Wenzhi rolled his eyes. "None of you are subtle."

Zhaohe pointed toward the hatch. "Xinyuan is going to have an aneurysm if he finds you fucking guide Zhiyao. Or the other way round.."

Wenzhi looked horrified. "Why do you immediately jump to that conclusion?"

Zhaohe laughed. "Because it’s fun."

"That’s insulting."

"Sorry boss."

Wenzhi sighed deeply and gave her a brief wave before turning toward the airship.

The hatch began closing behind him.

Moments later, the enormous metal ceiling above the hangar slowly split apart. Sunlight poured into the underground space.

The airship trembled, rose and shot upward into the open sky.

Zhaohe remained where she was, watching it disappear.

The ceiling doors slowly closed again. Sealing the hangar in shadow. Only then did she finally turn away.

~°~

Inside the airship, the guides were preparing equipment.

Weapons were checked. Medical supplies were sorted. Protective gear was secured.

Wenzhi sat quietly among them, sliding on a pair of fingerless gloves. His attention remained on the blast guns spread out in front of him.

One by one he loaded them, checked the chambers and adjusted the settings.

Then suddenly, the world disappeared.

Wenzhi froze. His vision was no longer inside the airship.

A desert stretched endlessly before him and everything was red.

Red sky. Red haze.

Corruption....

It was a landscape that looked exactly like a Red Zone.

Then he saw the corpses of Mutated monsters. Hundreds of them.

Dismembered bodies. Torn limbs. Crushed skulls. Blood soaking into crimson sand.

Wenzhi’s breath caught.

A dark mist scythe flashed through his vision. A monster’s body split apart.

Another charged. Then another. Then five more.

The fighting never stopped.

The world seemed trapped in endless slaughter and somehow, Wenzhi could feel the strain in tired muscles. The weight of the weapon. The corruption saturating the air. The exhaustion. The rage.

The relentless need to keep moving.

His eyes widened. "Xinyuan?"

No response. Only ragged breathing, growls, the wind and the distant screech of monsters.

The realization struck immediately.

He wasn’t watching. He was seeing through Xinyuan’s eyes. Seeing exactly what Xinyuan was seeing.

A monster lunged forward.

The dark mist exploded outward. Its body was torn apart instantly.

Another followed. Then another.

Then another.

Wenzhi felt his pulse spike. "Xinyuan, can you hear me?"

Nothing. Not even a reaction.

The vision flickered. Suddenly, he was back inside the airship.

Wenzhi inhaled sharply. His chest rising and falling unevenly.

Sweat clung to his brow. His fingers tightened around the edge of the workbench.

"What the fuck..." His voice barely came out.

At that moment, Zhiyao walked into the compartment carrying several bottles of water.

The moment he spotted Wenzhi, he slowed.

The usually frowning guide looked pale, disoriented and lost.

"Boss?"

Wenzhi immediately looked up. His grey eyes looked strangely unfocused and dilated.

Then awareness slowly returned. "Don’t call me that."

Zhiyao ignored the complaint and handed him a bottle. "Perhaps a drink will help."

Wenzhi stared at the bottle for a second before accepting it.

He twisted the cap open. Then drank. And drank. And kept drinking like someone who had spent hours fighting under a burning sun.

By the time he lowered the bottle, it was empty.

A deep breath escaped him. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thank you."

"No problem." Zhiyao leaned casually against a nearby crate. "What happened?"

His eyes narrowed. "Air sickness?"

Wenzhi almost laughed.

If only it were that simple.

Because he still didn’t understand what had just happened. "I..."

His hand rose to his forehead. "I’m fine."

The lie wasn’t convincing.

Zhiyao clearly knew it. But after a moment he let it go.

Instead he asked, "Are you worried about Xinyuan?"

Wenzhi immediately looked at him. "Are you worried about Yuzhen?"

The counterattack came so quickly that Zhiyao laughed. "I am always worried about Yuzhen."

"There you go." Wenzhi gestured toward the equipment racks. "You should focus on gearing up."

Zhiyao shook his head with amusement and finally walked away.

The moment he disappeared from sight, Wenzhi stopped moving. He pressed his hand against his chest.

His heartbeat was fast. Too fast and heavy. He could still remember the feeling of the Red Zone.

It was as if part of him had actually been there.

His brows furrowed. "This compatibility..." His voice was barely a whisper. "...is stronger than I thought."