Night had fallen over the deeper sectors of the red zone and the night monsters, far more active in the dark, were screeching, crying, and growling endlessly, the sounds echoing from every direction through the ruined city.

Wenzhi could never have imagined an E Rank monster evolving into something that enormous. It was lucky those creatures only thrived deep within the red zones where the corruption was strongest because if monsters like that could freely leave these areas, civilization would collapse all over again.

Across from him, Xinyuan was compiling the data gathered from the monsters. His spare glasses rested neatly on his face while the blue holographic glow from both his watch and the tablet in his hand reflected against his sharp features as he worked in silence.

Everyone knew about Shao Xinyuan’s frightening intelligence. The CEA had not only trained and restrained him, they had filled his mind with every piece of knowledge they considered valuable, shaping him into something terrifyingly complete.

They were currently hiding inside an abandoned mall outlet, tucked deep within a cracked wall while a small fire crackled nearby, offering warmth against the freezing cold of the red zone night. Despite the lack of snow, the deeper sectors felt almost like winter after dark.

Meanwhile, Wenzhi was trying to reconnect to Kaiwen and Duan Ze, but all he received was endless static.

Frankly, Wenzhi had never expected the overly cheerful Suye, the same Suye who had nearly gotten him killed by dragging him into a rift, to die so suddenly.

It was actually depressing.

"Wenzhi?" Duan Ze’s voice suddenly crackled through the static.

Xinyuan lifted his head, his eyes moving toward Wenzhi since he could hear Duan Ze’s voice as well.

"Are you guys alright?" Wenzhi asked at once.

"Yes. We’re alright. Kaiwen is actively protecting us. Oh! We managed to contact Yuzhen. They’re coming to retrieve Chenxi, so you guys do not have to worry about us." Duan Ze paused briefly before adding in a strained voice, "I can’t believe all the monsters in the red zone are evolving."

"Did you collect data from the devil lizards?" Wenzhi asked.

"Yes, we did. And we have to—"

The signal abruptly dissolved back into static before cutting off completely.

Wenzhi’s face tightened with discomfort as he removed the earpiece and Xinyuan did the same.

"At least they’re alive," Wenzhi muttered, his gaze drifting toward Xinyuan.

Xinyuan nodded, visible relief softening his expression. "Yes."

Wenzhi frowned. "You really want Kaiwen alive so you can reunite with your brother, don’t you?"

"It’s not a happy reunion. I just want to find out—"

"There is nothing to find out. He tried to kill me." Wenzhi snapped, though he kept his voice low.

Xinyuan looked at him silently, the flames from the fire reflecting in both their eyes for a long moment before he finally let out a deep breath.

"Freckles..."

"I do not like secrets," Wenzhi countered, his jaw tight. "And I certainly do not like getting stabbed in the back, and let’s not pretend we’re friends. This is a transaction. You’re the Esper, I’m the Guide forced into this cage with you. Don’t mistake proximity for friendship. We aren’t—"

"I think we’re a bit more than colleagues if I’ve had your cock in my mouth, aren’t we, freckles." Xinyuan cut him off smoothly, his voice a low, vibrating hum that seemed to bypass Wenzhi’s ears and strike right at the base of his spine.

The image flashed through Wenzhi’s head so vivid and heat-drenched that it felt like a physical blow.

He had to shut his eyes for a second, the darkness behind his lids doing nothing to hide the memory of Xinyuan’s gaze or the weight of that moment.

"Shut up." He sighed heavily, pressing his lips together in a tight, frustrated line as if he could physically lock the thought away.

Xinyuan chuckled softly at his reaction.

"Regardless," he continued, his voice quieter now, "I’m not keeping secrets. I just have business of my own that doesn’t concern you."

Wenzhi gave him a flat look. "That is the same thing as keeping secrets."

"I don’t think so." Xinyuan shook his head calmly.

"Stop playing with me, Shao Xinyuan."

Xinyuan sighed in defeat. "I was sold to the CEA by my family."

Wenzhi genuinely had not expected that.

In the novel, Xinyuan’s family had barely existed beyond vague mentions. He was the cold, tragic orphaned male lead while Gu Luhan was the one with an actual family.

"My brother, Shao Jingxin... the distance between us started long ago, fueled by the rivalry our parents forced upon us." Xinyuan’s expression soured, his gaze dropping to the embers. "First, they sold me off to the CEA like a piece of property. And now? Now they have the audacity to hunt my Guide?"

Wenzhi stared at him for a moment in surprise before narrowing his eyes. "You want to kill him."

"Yes. But I also need answers. I want to know why... why they sold me to the CEA."

Xinyuan murmured, his face creasing like he was remembering something terrible.

Wenzhi said nothing. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

He simply grabbed one of the abandoned clothes beside him and tossed it into the fire.

The flames crackled louder.

After that, silence settled between them again, broken only by distant monster growls echoing through the ruined city and Wenzhi’s occasional sneezes.

At some point, Wenzhi fell asleep.

When he woke in the middle of the night because of another sneeze, he froze. Xinyuan was spooning him.

They were both laying against the hard ground and Xinyuan’s arm was wrapped firmly around his waist.

Wenzhi shoved Xinyuan away with all his strength before pushing himself upright and storming out of the outlet without a word.

Cold air immediately hit his face.

Sniffling lightly, he climbed over the collapsed rubble until he reached the top of one of the taller broken structures overlooking the ruined city.

Then he sat down. Quietly.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and placed it between his lips before lifting the fabric around his ankle to stare at the electric restraint locked there.

He could leave now.

He could abandon Xinyuan and head toward one of the survivor camps.

But this world had suddenly become far more dangerous than he originally expected.

Wenzhi lowered the fabric again and exhaled a slow stream of smoke into the freezing air, his grey eyes flickering toward the distant silhouettes of monsters moving through the haze below.

Eventually, he rose to head back.

But suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm. Another clamped over his mouth.

"Do not scream." The whisper brushed sharply against his ear.

Wenzhi reacted instantly. He pulled the small knife hidden in his pocket, slammed his elbow backward into the attacker’s stomach, then sliced downward in one brutal motion.

A scream immediately tore through the night.

The man stumbled backward clutching his bleeding hand.

Two fingers were gone.

He was wearing a jacket marked with the symbol of the old blood faction.

Wenzhi glanced down at the knife with mild surprise. "This thing is really sharp."

Then he slowly lifted his gaze toward the man again, his expression completely dead serious. "What the hell is wrong with you people? Are the monsters not enough?"