Poisoning Xinyuan had been Wenzhi’s first thought. It was simple and efficient but pointless.

It was common knowledge, canon, even, that ordinary toxins did nothing to Espers. Their bodies burned through it like it was nothing. Only substances derived from rift monsters had any real effect, and those weren’t exactly lying around in a kitchen.

So he improvised.

The tranquilizer had been easy enough to get. He stole from Mo Yiran and Song Mei’s supplies while their backs were turned, choosing one strong enough for high-ranking Espers and designed to force a shutdown without triggering backlash in theory.

In reality, Wenzhi wasn’t entirely sure it would work on him, so he watched carefully.

Xinyuan sat across from him, eating like nothing in the world mattered, his warm brown eyes bright and expression open. He was still shirtless.

Wenzhi looked away, then looked back, then immediately looked away again.

He was only human, and Shao Xinyuan was annoyingly, offensively attractive, the kind that made it difficult to focus.

The sculpted lines of his arms, the broad chest, the way damp strands of hair clung lightly to his skin and framed his face....

Wenzhi clicked his tongue and forced his attention elsewhere.

Focus.

As soon as Xinyuan finished, he looked up. "Can I have another?"

Wenzhi snorted, already turning back to the counter. "No."

Still, he cracked another egg into the bowl, whisking without hesitation. The kitchen was fully stocked; at least the CEA knew how to play properly.

Behind him, a chair scraped.

Wenzhi didn’t need to turn.

Xinyuan moved into the kitchen, closing the distance without invitation, stopping just behind him, close enough that Wenzhi could feel his warm and solid presence.

Wenzhi’s jaw tightened.

Xinyuan really had no sense of space.

"Can you teach me how to cook?" Xinyuan asked, leaning just enough to look over his shoulder.

Wenzhi frowned, turning abruptly, wooden spoon lifting like a warning. "I don’t think you’ll have time for that while you’re busy fighting monsters."

The spoon pointed directly at his face. "Don’t come any closer. Go back to your chair."

Xinyuan leaned back just enough to avoid the spoon. "But I want to be close to you."

And before Wenzhi could react, he leaned in again, moving closer.

His hand lifted, resting lightly against Wenzhi’s cheek, fingers brushing slowly across the scatter of freckles like he was tracing something familiar.

Wenzhi slapped his hand away instantly. "Back. To the chair."

His tone dropped, drawling and edged. "Wait for your food."

Xinyuan bit down on his lower lip.

He didn’t move, and he didn’t even look offended. If anything, he looked more interested.

A slight smile curved his lips as he watched Wenzhi with a steady, intent, and almost fascinated gaze.

Wenzhi felt his patience thinning.

Why wasn’t it working?

The dosage was correct. It was more than enough.

Even accounting for resistance, he should at least be slowing down.

Something. Anything.

Wenzhi didn’t bother repeating himself. He turned, slid the finished omelette onto a plate, and shoved it into Xinyuan’s hands before brushing past him.

"I’m going to sleep."

Xinyuan stood there, watching him go until he disappeared down the hall.

Then, his gaze dropped to the plate in his hands, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Before it could settle, his hand snapped up to his forehead as his vision blurred just slightly.

"Huh?" His eyes trembled, blinking rapidly as if forcing himself to stay upright.

...Something was off.

He looked back down at the food, paused, and then ate anyway.

°~°

Wenzhi didn’t sleep. He wasn’t even close.

He lay in the dark, eyes wide open and staring at nothing, waiting and counting as time dragged. Every second stretched thin with anticipation.

Finally, he lifted his wrist, tapping the watch.

Five hours.

A notification blinked alongside the time. An assignment update from the Rift Suppression Corps. He’d been placed into a guide unit.

Wenzhi exhaled sharply and dismissed it. "It should’ve kicked in by now..." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He pushed himself up immediately, showing no hesitation as he went out the door, across the hall.

Wenzhi opened the door slowly, and light flooded his vision.

"Ah..!" He hissed under his breath, raising a hand to shield his eyes as he stepped inside. "...Why are all the lights on?"

Adjusting quickly, he moved forward quietly.

Xinyuan lay on the bed, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady rhythm as he slept peacefully.

Wenzhi poked his forehead. "Wake up."

Nothing.

He pressed harder this time, tapping his cheek.

Still nothing.

A sharp, satisfied grin spread across Wenzhi’s face. "It worked."

He returned to his room and grabbed his bag, already packed and prepared, then went straight to the garage where his bike was exactly where he left it, clean, and ready.

Wenzhi swung onto it and started the engine, and the moment it roared to life, his watch lit up, red and blinking.

He froze, then tapped it.

A sharp mechanical voice cut through the air: [Red alert. Red alert. A large rift has opened in Sector 20. Red zone. Red zone.]

Wenzhi stared at the screen. "...You’ve got to be kidding me."

Sector 20 was Belium City, their current location.

Wenzhi recognized it immediately. This part of the plot was the moment Gu Luhan and Shao Xinyuan solidified their partnership, the first rift incident that Xinyuan handled cleanly and efficiently with Gu Luhan as his guide.

Except... that wasn’t how things were anymore.

Now, Wenzhi was the guide. And Xinyuan was supposedly unconscious.

"...Hmm." Wenzhi shrugged as the garage door lifted slowly.

The engine beneath him roared smoothly, the vibration running clean through the bike.

"Let him rest," he muttered, almost lazily. "There are other Espers, after all."

His fingers tightened on the handle. "In the meantime... I’ll test how strong this restraint really is."

And then, he accelerated.

The bike shot forward, tearing out of the garage and into the open road, speed building instantly as the wind rushed past him, sharp against his skin. He didn’t bother with a helmet.

The moment he hit the main road, he saw it.

The distorted sky. Glitching like something had torn through it, space warping faintly in the distance. The air pressure had shifted, the wind currents uneven, pulling subtly toward one direction.

The rift was on the other side of the city. Traffic flooded the streets, cars packed tight and people moving fast, running away.

Wenzhi didn’t slow, weaving through them effortlessly and slipping between vehicles, cutting through gaps like second nature. He got closer and closer until, suddenly, there was pain.

It hit without warning.

A sharp, electric shock snapped around his ankle, violent and sudden, shooting straight up his leg and slamming into his spine.

Wenzhi gasped, the bike swerving before he forced it steady.

Another stronger pulse. It crawled up his nerves, clawing into his skull.

"Damn it!" He cursed under his breath and braked hard, pulling over at the side of the road.

The engine idled beneath him as he bent forward, breathing roughly.

"Fuck—" His fingers tightened. "I’m not suicidal."

His watch was still blinking red relentlessly.

He tapped it.

[All lower-rank, non-combat Espers and Guides are to evacuate immediately. The rift is small, but the entities are classified as Crawlers.]

Wenzhi’s expression darkened.

Crawlers. The same things he had seen when he first arrived.

Before he could think further, another alert flashed across the screen.

[Disaster-Class Esper Shao Xinyuan has entered the rift.]

Wenzhi’s face went blank. "Eh? Wasn’t he knocked out?"