Xin Yi stared at her wrist. Where the golden thread had vanished into her skin, a faint, pulsing mark now glowed. She could feel them. All of them. She could feel Sha Chen's stoic resignation, Qing Lin's protective surge, Hei Yan's confused aggression, and Feng Huang's...panic?
She looked up at the goddess floating on her golden throne.
"You..." Xin Yi's voice started low, trembling with rage. "You linked our LIVES?!"
Mán Shū picked at a loose thread on her robe, looking anywhere but at Xin Yi. "Technically, it's a symbiotic survival bond! It encourages cooperation! If one dies, everyone dies. Simple motivation!"
"SIMPLE?!" Xin Yi screamed. The sound echoed off the golden barrier, making the Alphas flinch. "You selfish, petty, wicked little goddess! You kidnapped me! You dropped me in a forest! You let me almost get eaten by krakens TWICE! And now you're turning us into a suicide squad?!"
[DING! (⊙_⊙)]
[HOST'S ANGER LEVELS: CRITICAL!]
