"It should have gone off by now," Wenzhi stared down at the restraint, tapping the casing with a frown on his face.

They had crossed the Belium City perimeter miles ago, yet the device hadn’t triggered a single volt. By all accounts, he should be dead on the floor.

But there was... nothing.

"Wait.." Wenzhi’s eyes rounded as realization struck him.

It wasn’t about the miles. The real boundary was in his head.

Whether by trigger or tracker, the device was waiting for him to bolt.

Wenzhi’s lips thinned into a hard line. "What the hell is this technology?"

The door slid open.

Han Suye took one step inside and stopped dead. "Oh...sorry, I didn’t know..."

His gaze dropped on the restraint.

Wenzhi immediately shifted his leg back, covering it. "It’s nothing."

He pushed himself to his feet.

Suye didn’t look convinced. Not even close.

"I was looking for you," he said, his voice more careful now. "We’re landing soon."

Wenzhi nodded. "Got it."

Suye lingered for half a second too long, his eyes flicking to Wenzhi’s ankle again. He didn’t even bother to hide how wary he was.

After all, the restraints weren’t for show. They were for the criminals the government needed to cage or quietly delete.

"Uh... Hello?" Wenzhi waved at him.

Suye blinked, like he’d realized he was staring, then turned and left quickly.

Wenzhi rolled his eyes and followed.

~

The air in the main cabin was thick; the space was already crowded with the collective weight of everyone gathered there.

Commander Jiang Zhaohe stood at the front with a calm and collected presence.

"We will land at the shelter in five minutes," she said. "From there, we split into two teams for search and rescue of both Espers, guides, and any surviving civilians."

Wenzhi leaned against the nearest wall, arms loose at his sides.

Shao Xinyuan wasn’t here.

Hmmm...

"I’ll take Nuo, Lin Wenzhi, and Shao Xinyuan into the deeper sectors," Zhaohe continued. "Chenxi, Suye, Duan Ze, and Lu Kaiwen, you guys go into the outer sectors. Zhiyao. Yuzhen. You stay back and monitor for emergencies."

No one argued.

There were other teams of Espers from across the branches of the rift suppression corps already deployed to the red zones.

Some were still heading in like the Belium branch team, others were trapped inside, refusing to leave until they had saved as many civilians as possible and killed as many monsters as they could.

Everyone moved to gear up.

Wenzhi took an oxygen mask, the injections of wavelength stabilisers and corruption blockers to prevent contamination, then tossed a few energy restoration pills into his mouth.

The citrus taste lingered pleasantly on his tongue, but he didn’t dwell on it. Passing out was not an option. If the old blood faction was after him, they wouldn’t stop. They had already blown up his kitchen. He and Xinyuan had barely made it out.

And now, knowing it involved Xinyuan’s brother made everything worse.

The sky ship landed in the large space of the shelter just a few miles from the red zone.

Several trucks were already driving out, loaded with survivors. Healing Espers and paramedics moved quickly, pulling people out on stretchers and rushing them into the shelter. The place was overflowing with noise. Crying, shouting, voices layered over each other in chaos.

The moment Team One stepped off the ship, they were greeted by a military unit stationed at the shelter.

A man stood at the front with two soldiers behind him, all saluting as they acknowledged Zhaohe and the team.

Wenzhi’s gaze swept the area once.

Xinyuan wasn’t there. Neither was Kaiwen.

He stepped closer to Duan Ze as they moved forward. "Where is your Esper?"

Duan Ze blinked and looked around. "I saw him with Xinyuan. They should still be on the ship."

That was enough to put Wenzhi on edge.

"Welcome to the Green Shelter," the military commander began.

At that moment, Xinyuan and Kaiwen finally stepped off the ship.

Xinyuan was wrapping a strip of black cloth around his hand, from palm to knuckles, his movements slow and deliberate. His hair was down, glasses resting on his face, dressed entirely in black like he was preparing for a fight.

Kaiwen walked beside him, unusually quiet, his expression completely serious.

Wenzhi’s face darkened. What exactly were they up to?

Xinyuan was definitely hiding something, and secrets always meant trouble for him. He was going to find out.

They were led into the shelter. Military personnel moved back and forth alongside doctors and nurses, stretchers passing through the halls in a constant rush. They were taken past a section where orphaned children were being kept, given food and water.

Wenzhi’s chest tightened.

The quiet crying of toddlers who had lost their families to monsters and corruption lingered in the air.

"As you can see, the shelter is getting more populated by the day," the military commander said as he led them further inside. "We are running out of resources."

"I will speak to the director of the CEA," Commander Jiang Zhaohe said firmly. "He can push this to the higher-ups. We will get support here."

The commander stopped walking and turned to face them, his expression tense.

"We’ve already sent multiple requests," he said. "But there is no response. Not from the director. Not from anyone above. Communication here is restricted. Phones and video recordings are banned. Reporters are not allowed in. The only thing they keep sending... are Espers and guides."

Wenzhi snorted quietly.

He wasn’t surprised. None of them looked particularly shocked either.

The government only moved when it benefited them.

"How about I donate funds for supplies?" Shao Xinyuan asked suddenly.

That made Wenzhi glance at him.

"Specifically for the children and pregnant women." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The commander’s expression eased immediately. "That would help greatly. You can hand it over to the caretaker in that section."

Xinyuan nodded with a small smile and turned, walking back toward where the children were.

Wenzhi watched his back for a moment. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the bugged government issued phone.

"Hey," He nudged Duan Ze with his elbow.

Duan Ze looked at him.

Wenzhi tilted his head, a faint, dangerous smile forming on his lips. "Do you want to do something illegal?"