Arriving at the underground shooting range, Wenzhi kept his face hidden beneath a mask, cap, and glasses.

The perfect cheap disguise.

The entire place echoed with deafening gunfire, the sharp sounds of bullets ricocheting through the massive underground structure as people trained across the range.

One of the staff led him deeper inside until they reached a quieter gym area.

Commander Jiang Zhaohe was there.

She was currently stretching with practiced ease, sweat slick against her skin, her dark hair tied into a messy bun while the muscles beneath her sleeveless top flexed smoothly with every movement.

Wenzhi stopped nearby and removed his disguise, running his fingers through his hair.

Zhaohe lowered herself from the bars and grabbed a towel, wiping the sweat from her face before taking a drink from her water bottle. Her midnight-black eyes settled directly on Wenzhi’s freckled face.

"So," Wenzhi drawled, "you invited me here just to watch you work out?"

Commander Jiang laughed as she set the bottle down. "I don’t think Xinyuan would appreciate that very much."

Wenzhi scoffed. "Why would I care about that?"

Then his eyes narrowed. "Besides, I’d be shocked if you did. You only swing one way, don’t you?"

Zhaohe barked out another laugh. "And you? You’re one of the greedy ones, huh?"

Her gaze swept over him knowingly. "Though I suppose that doesn’t really matter for guides—"

"I’m definitely one of the greedy ones," Wenzhi interrupted immediately.

That only widened Zhaohe’s smile.

"Well then," she said, moving toward a duffel bag and pulling it open, "let’s get to business."

Wenzhi followed after her. "This better be worth it."

"Oh, trust me. It is, Mr. Lin Wenzhi." Her expression shifted more seriously.

"You should know that only six people are aware you’re alive. Your friends, Kaiwen, Xinyuan, and me. Everyone else who saw you that day has been dealt with or forced to keep quiet."

Wenzhi sighed deeply.

"How does Xinyuan even know I’m alive?" he asked. "I know he broke the restraint the CEA put on me, but still..."

"He removed it to stop both the CEA and the Old Blood faction from tracking you." Zhaohe paused before continuing. "You’re invisible to them."

Wenzhi frowned. "And that’s what he wanted?"

Zhaohe looked directly at him. "That’s exactly what he wanted."

Silence settled briefly between them.

Wenzhi suddenly realized something.

Xinyuan had never removed the restraint to let him go. He removed it so nobody else could reach him.

"Okay, okay. I understand that," he said with a frown. "But how did he find me? Did you—"

"No." Commander Jiang cut him off immediately. "I only checked on you occasionally and answered his questions enough to keep him stable and informed."

Her expression shifted. "But... that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a tablet before handing it to him.

Wenzhi took it slowly.

"After the Red Zone incident," Zhaohe began, "Xinyuan was confined to the research facility. They pumped him full of suppression drugs to stop him from entering a berserk state."

"And it worked?"

"To an extent." Zhaohe crossed her arms. "I still don’t know how he convinced them to let him leave the facility, but after that... he started behaving strangely."

Wenzhi lowered his eyes to the screen.

"And that pushed me to run a few private tests."

His gaze landed on a single highlighted result.

IMPRINT.

Wenzhi blinked. "Imprint?"

He looked up at Zhaohe in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

Zhaohe looked at him like the answer was obvious. "It means Xinyuan has imprinted on you."

Silence.

"It means there is no longer a version of him that can function properly without you."

Wenzhi’s head went blank for a moment. "No. No, he can’t—"

"He can’t what?" Zhaohe interrupted sharply. "Chenxi watched his guide die, and he’s still functioning. Barely, but he is. Other guides can still stabilize him. Suppression drugs still work on him."

Her voice lowered. "But Xinyuan is different."

She pointed toward the tablet. "All the times I’ve been around him during backlashes, he either hallucinates other guides as you or keeps mumbling your name."

Wenzhi stared at her silently.

"He won’t let you go," Zhaohe said bluntly.

"And this test?" She let out a quiet sigh. "I only managed to run it because I tricked him into the scans."

Her expression darkened. "He’s been avoiding the facility on purpose."

Wenzhi frowned. "...Why?"

"Because he knows." Zhaohe’s eyes locked onto his. "He knows that if the researchers discover he’s imprinted, they’ll immediately realize you’re still alive."

"Fuck," Wenzhi muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. "Being highly compatible with him is one thing, but this..."

He exhaled sharply before narrowing his eyes at Zhaohe. "Wait."

His gaze sharpened. "Why are you helping me? I doubt it’s just because Xinyuan is your friend."

Zhaohe’s lips curled. "I like you."

Wenzhi handed the tablet back to her. "If you think I’m just going to believe that, Commander, you’re joking."

Zhaohe took the tablet and sighed. "I’m aware you were the one who leaked the truth about the shelters to the media."

Her eyes stayed on him. "And I know the Old Blood faction were the ones who shot you."

Wenzhi stared at her carefully. "So?"

"This system," Zhaohe said quietly, "our system... it doesn’t matter whether it’s the CEA, the factions, or even the so-called free factions. They all function the same way."

She leaned back against the table behind her. "After the Great Fall, when the rifts first started appearing, humanity thought extinction was inevitable."

Her voice stayed calm. "Then Espers awakened. Guides awakened. And suddenly governments had weapons powerful enough to rebuild society."

Her expression darkened. "But the people in control never changed. The power hoarders. The corruption. The rich. The poor. The wars. All the same bullshit from before the world collapsed."

Wenzhi stayed silent, listening.

"We Espers are treated like superheroes in public," Zhaohe continued, "but behind closed doors, we’re weapons."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "They conditioned us like dogs."

Her eyes narrowed. "And guides?"

She looked directly at him. "They treat guides like batteries."

Silence settled briefly between them.

"But you..." Zhaohe said slowly. "You refuse to bow to the system."

Wenzhi raised a brow. "And you like me for that?"

"I do." Her lips curved faintly. "But it’s also going to get you killed."

Wenzhi studied her for a long moment. "What exactly do you want from me?"

"I don’t know yet," Zhaohe admitted honestly. "But I’m not your enemy."

"That," Wenzhi said dryly, grabbing his disguise again, "is exactly what an enemy would say."

Zhaohe laughed softly. "Fair enough."

She hesitated briefly before speaking again. "Xinyuan... he’s not as—"

"No." Wenzhi cut her off immediately. "I’m glad you told me about the imprint, but don’t try to soften him for me."

Zhaohe sighed. "Alright."

Then her expression turned serious again. "But he won’t let you go."

Her gaze locked onto his. "You can disappear completely and he’ll still find you."

Wenzhi rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Yes," he muttered. "I’m starting to understand that."

And honestly?

He wasn’t ready to find out just how far that imprint was going to go.