The van rattled down a narrow street, the tires splashing through shallow puddles. Outside, the city's neon chaos had faded into silence. This part of town felt… abandoned. The buildings were older, their paint faded, balconies leaning forward as though eavesdropping.
Li Wei shifted in his seat. "You sure this isn't the part where you sell my organs?"
Chen Mu glanced at him without moving his head — just his eyes — and slowly tilted his head in what might have been amusement… or a silent warning.
Huang didn't even blink. "If we wanted you dead, you wouldn't be in a van. You'd be in a dumpster."
"Comforting," Li Wei muttered.
The van turned into a shadowy alley barely wide enough for the vehicle. It stopped in front of a cracked brick wall with a rusted iron door. To any passerby, it looked like the entrance to a forgotten storage unit.
Huang tapped his cane against the door twice, paused, then once more. A small panel slid open and a pair of sharp eyes peered out.
"Password?" a woman's voice asked.
"Sun burns clean," Huang said.
The panel snapped shut. Locks clicked, chains rattled, and the door creaked open.
Li Wei stepped inside — and froze.
The narrow entryway opened into a wide underground space lit by hanging paper lanterns and humming fluorescent tubes. The air was warmer here, carrying a faint scent of ink and machine oil. Wooden screens and steel partitions divided the space into sections: a weapon rack lined one wall, while tables cluttered with laptops and maps filled another.
A young woman sat at one of the tables, her long black hair tied into a messy ponytail. She wore an oversized sweater spattered with ink, and a sketchpad lay open in front of her. A half-finished drawing of a snarling tiger sat on the page — and as Li Wei watched, the ink shimmered. The tiger lifted its head, sniffed the air, and dissolved back into paper.
She looked up and smirked. "So this is the new stray?"
Huang grunted. "Li Wei. Mei Xuan — she makes things out of nothing. Try not to annoy her unless you want a knife in your leg."
Mei Xuan tilted her head, sizing him up like she was trying to decide whether to sketch him or feed him to something she'd drawn. "He doesn't look like much."
"Thanks," Li Wei said flatly.
She grinned, apparently satisfied with his sarcasm, and went back to her sketch.
Huang motioned for Li Wei to follow him deeper in. Chen Mu padded silently behind, his presence like a shadow that wouldn't go away.
At the far end of the room, against a wall lined with ancient scrolls and modern screens, stood a large map of the city. Red pins marked certain locations, connected by thin strings. Some were circled in black ink, others stabbed with small paper tags containing symbols Li Wei didn't recognize.
"This," Huang said, gesturing with his cane, "is where we track the movements of demons and… gifted."
Li Wei frowned. "Gifted? You mean the heroes? Like Lei Feng?"
Mei Xuan snorted from across the room. "Heroes. That's cute."
Huang's gaze didn't soften. "Lei Feng is a name you don't speak lightly here. And no — the gifted aren't what they seem."
Li Wei crossed his arms. "You expect me to believe that the guy who's been saving people for decades is—what? Evil?"
"No," Huang said. "I expect you to survive long enough to see it yourself."
Before Li Wei could argue, the sound of heavy boots approached. A tall woman with short hair and a dagger at her hip stepped into view. Her presence filled the space like a sudden drop in temperature. Her gaze locked on Li Wei instantly.
"Who's the civilian?" she asked.
"Zhao Yanying," Huang said. "Li Wei. Bracelet-bound. Class-S."
Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the golden band around his wrist. "And you brought him here? Brave."
"He's not ready," Huang said. "But neither was I."
Zhao Yanying studied Li Wei for a long, uncomfortable moment, then turned away without a word.
She doesn't trust you, Longyuan murmured in Li Wei's mind. Wise woman.
Li Wei swallowed, his throat dry. He still didn't know why he was here, but one thing was clear — this place was no random hideout. These people weren't just some vigilante group.
They were preparing for a war.