The morning after the hospital rescue was strangely quiet.
Inside the Phoenix Rig, the air felt heavier—not with fear, but with uncertainty. Lin Xia slept huddled under an old thermal blanket near the rig's rear seats, her breathing shallow but steady. Yue Fei sat beside the side hatch, blade resting across her knees, silently sharpening its edge.
Lu Zhen sat at the front console, scrolling through his HUD. Signal to Base Tianlei was still weak. Their map data was fragmented. Fuel reserves were stable, but every decision ahead would matter.
He took a long breath.
The team had grown, whether they were ready for it or not.
Yue finally broke the silence. "She's not a fighter."
"I know," Lu replied.
"You sure we should keep her with us? One mistake…"
Lu looked over his shoulder. Lin's form barely moved under the blanket.
"She sent out a signal. She didn't give up. That's worth something."
Yue didn't answer. But her gaze stayed on Lin a moment longer.
"She's lucky you found her, not someone worse."
Lu returned to the HUD. "We'll move soon. But not without a plan."
—
Later that morning, Lin Xia finally stirred. Her hands shook slightly as she sipped water Yue handed her. Her face was pale, eyes distant.
Lu crouched nearby. "What do you remember from the first few days?"
Lin blinked slowly. "I was on rotation when the sky cracked. We tried evacuating patients, but... most were already gone."
She looked down.
"I locked myself in the comms center. I thought someone would come sooner."
Yue handed her a protein bar. "You did what you could."
Lin hesitated, then said, "There was a medical convoy that left on Day One. They used the south tunnel—an old freight line. I was supposed to be in it, but… I stayed."
Lu's HUD lit up. "South tunnel?"
"It's not on normal maps," Lin said. "It connects to the outer metro ring. That route avoids most populated zones."
Yue straightened. "That might be the same route we saw marked on the wrecked truck yesterday."
Lu tapped his chin. "Then we cross-check both. If they match, it's our new path."
He glanced at Yue. "More indirect, but safer."
Yue frowned slightly. "Detouring might mean more time out here. And time isn't our friend."
Lu stood. "We're not solo anymore. Charging through danger won't work."
The silence between them wasn't hostile—but heavy with two truths.
Yue turned away. "Do what you want. Just don't get us killed."
—
They moved out before noon. The streets around the hospital were strangely empty. Burned vehicles lay stacked across intersections like barricades frozen in time.
The Rig rumbled forward, its new plating glinting under broken sunlight.
Lu kept one hand on the wheel, the other on his Forge Knife sheathed beside the dashboard. Every turn felt like it might lead to another ambush.
Yue sat beside him, gaze sharp, arms crossed. Lin stayed in the back, staring out the reinforced window.
As they crossed a junction near a collapsed overpass, Lu slammed the brakes.
Ahead, several ruined vehicles blocked the road. A charred sign showed the remnants of a military escort emblem.
They stepped out carefully, weapons drawn.
Most of the convoy had been looted. One vehicle was burned hollow. Another was riddled with claw marks.
But inside the cab of a half-sunken truck, Lu found a torn logbook sealed in plastic.
He opened it slowly.
Handwritten notes. Sparse, but one line stood out:"Tunnel access through Metro D-7 confirmed. Tianlei response delayed. Survivors rerouted."
He held it up. "This confirms Lin's tunnel."
Yue exhaled. "And if the metro's still intact..."
"We might just have a real chance."
—
That night, they set up a temporary camp near the edge of the old freeway. The Rig was parked under a fractured overpass, shielded from sky view. Inside, Lin prepped some of the salvaged supplies—bandages organized, water purified using a basic filtration kit.
Yue trained outside in silence, slicing the air in clean arcs.
Lu adjusted the rig's energy balance, recalibrating the HUD for terrain detection.
Then he paused.
His eyes drifted to Yue.
She was breathing heavier than usual. Her shoulders tensed. Every move looked sharper.
"You okay?" he called out.
She stopped.
"I... don't know. My body's been reacting weird since the last few fights. Faster. Stronger."
Lu stepped closer. "Pain?"
"No. Just… pressure. Like something inside me is stirring."
Lu frowned. "You think it's starting? Resonance?"
Yue looked at her hand, flexing her fingers slowly. "I'm not sure. But if this is the start of something… then maybe our chances of surviving just went up."
He said nothing for a moment, then nodded once.
A long silence passed between them. Yue finally looked up.
"You've changed too," she said.
Lu blinked. "Me?"
"You're leading," she said. "Making decisions. Thinking beyond just survival."
He smiled faintly. "It's not just about me anymore."
Back inside the Rig, Lin quietly listened.
—
Before sleeping, Lu looked out the front viewport.
Far in the distance, beyond the ash-blown skyline, a faint shimmer pulsed across the cracked heavens.
He didn't need the HUD to know what it was.
A rift.
And it was moving.
He narrowed his eyes.
The world was shifting.
And their window to reach Tianlei might be closing.
—