His voice still echoes in her ear, low and steady, the way he'd vanished without leaving a single trace. But what haunted her more was the way he said her name. Like he had known it long before tonight.
His last message playing like a loop in her mind: "Leave the city, Li An."
He knew her name. Her files. Her silence.
She didn't trust him but her curiosity had already made her decide that she needs to find him again.A storm was coming,evrything had started to restless in the city.
She walked fast now.The arcade was behind her now,back toward the quieter residential blocks west of the docks. No destination. The burner phone was silent. The tablet still warm in her bag. And every step felt heavier. Like she was being followed, even though she couldn't prove it.
She cut through a narrow lane near Chaotiangong. It used to be crowded with tea stalls and scooters. Now it was quiet. Too quiet.
That's when she heard it.
Footstep not loud, but definite. Not one set two.
She didn't turn around. Just shifted pace. Steadier. Faster. A beat between walking and running.
She dipped into an alley, heart hammering.
A shadow passed behind her. Then another.
They were following.
Li An ducked through a side gate and slid between stacks of construction boards. Her breaths came in harsh panting manner, fogging the edges of her scarf. She reached for her burner, but before she could unlock it, a hand clamped over her mouth.
She struggled instinctively until she saw his eyes.
The man from the arcade.Chen Yuze.
He looked different now tenser, his jacket was covered with dirt and knuckles bruised up, blood stain on his face but yet his grip was still and firm.
"Don't run. You're being tracked," he whispered.
He removed his hand, but stayed close.
"They tagged you near the checkpoint. Your eye scan lit up a tertiary warning behavioral sync pattern. They're not watching for symptoms anymore. They're listening for mimicry."
"Mimicry?" Her voice was barely a breath.
"They think the virus is rewiring how people respond. Speech, posture, decisions, Contagion by behavior."
Li An stared at him. "That's impossible."
"So was a virus that doesn't kill but watches. Listens. Waits."
Another sound a harsh electronic whirrr broke the stillness. A drone past over their head, low and searching. Chen Yuze pulled her deeper into the shadows, and they pressed together against the cold wall, barely breathing.
They waited.
One second.
Three.
Ten.
The drone passed.
His breath was warm against her temple. He smelled like metal and wind and something faintly burnt.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked quietly.
He didn't answer right away.
Then: "Because I used to believe we could fix what we started."
"What did you start?"
He looked at her then really looked. "Virex wasn't built to spread. It was built to steer. To redirect aggression. Panic. Emotion. A population-level emotional override. It was never meant to leave the lab."
"And now it's loose," she said.
"No," he corrected. "Now, it's learning."
They moved again fast and low through another passage, then a stairwell that led down to an old service tunnel under the city. Rusted signs, long-dead lights.
Only when they were beneath the surface did she finally exhale.
"I need answers," she said, her voice steadier now. "And I think you're the only one still willing to give them."
Chen Yuze looked at her, a flicker of regret in his eyes.
"You won't like what you find, Li An," he said. "But if you're not afraid to burn, I'll show you where the fire started."
Above them, the sirens began again. Faint. Hungry.
They kept walking into the dark.
Together.