The city lights blurred together beneath the roadside hill as rainwater still clung to the railing beside them.

Wenzhi stood there in deep thought, leaning silently against the metal barrier, his grey eyes narrowed beneath the strands of hair falling over his face.

Xinyuan watched him quietly.

Several times now, Wenzhi’s hand had drifted toward his pocket out of habit. And every single time, he remembered the cigarettes were gone.

Each realization earned Xinyuan another irritated glare before Wenzhi looked away again, his lips parting like he wanted to ask for them back, only to stop himself.

Xinyuan almost gave them back. Almost.

But, his thoughts drifted elsewhere. To The Old Blood faction.

He was aware they were responsible for what happened to the Pei family.

The organization was too large, too deeply rooted. They must have discovered that Wenzhi was alive somehow.

But how?

Kaiwen had noticed that Xinyuan found Wenzhi because of how stable he looked earlier that day, but only because he already knew Wenzhi was alive.

Unless...

Xinyuan’s eyes darkened

Doctor Bai.

His phone suddenly buzzed.

Wenzhi’s attention shifted toward him.

Xinyuan could feel the stare resting on him intently, almost as though Wenzhi was trying to pry open his thoughts the same way Xinyuan instinctively wanted to pry open his.

Xinyuan looked down at the screen.

Kaiwen. [Did you see the news?]

Before he could reply, the screen switched to an incoming call.

Jiang Zhaohe.

Xinyuan answered at once and switched it to speaker.

"Xinyuan! Are you okay?" Her voice sounded rough and hurried enough to put him instantly on alert.

Beside him, Wenzhi straightened and stepped closer. "What happened, Commander?"

"It’s been exposed that Wenzhi is alive," Zhaohe said immediately. "Nuo’s already been taken back to the research facility, and they tried pinning me down with two SS-class Espers. I barely got away. Something is happening in the higher brass, and it’s bad. You two need to disappear."

Xinyuan’s grip around the phone tightened. "It’s the Old Blood."

Wenzhi looked at him.

"They want me back."

"Damn it..." Zhaohe cursed. "Then they’re the ones behind the Pei estate explosion too?"

"They did it to make themselves visible," Wenzhi said suddenly.

Xinyuan turned toward him.

But Wenzhi avoided his gaze entirely.

"They were operating quietly before because they were trying to retrieve us without attracting attention," he continued calmly. "But now they’ve stopped hiding. They’re announcing themselves openly."

His fingers tightened around the gun tucked beneath his jacket before he pulled it out absently, rotating it slowly in his hand.

"Once the Old Blood moves openly, the other factions will start moving too." His lowered hair hid his eyes. "And at this point, it probably doesn’t matter whether Xinyuan and I stay together or not anymore. We’re already targets."

Silence followed those words. Heavy silence.

Zhaohe spoke again. "That’s exactly why you both need to hide. I’ll go find Pei Luo."

Her voice lowered. "We all know what they want. If either faction gets their hands on the two of you, this situation becomes catastrophic."

"Thanks, Zhaohe," Xinyuan said quietly. "Stay safe."

"You owe me," Zhaohe replied. "I just lost my title because of this."

But oddly enough, she sounded more impressed than angry.

The call disconnected and the hill became quiet again. Only the distant city noise remained.

Wenzhi stared at the gun in his hand for a long moment before finally looking up at Xinyuan.

He walked directly toward him. Step by step. Until there was no space left between them.

Wenzhi placed one hand against Xinyuan’s shoulder and lifted the gun to the side of Xinyuan’s head.

"I want my cigarettes back, Sleeping Beauty," His finger hovered loosely over the trigger as he stared directly into Xinyuan’s eyes.

Xinyuan looked back at him, amusement glittering faintly within his warm brown gaze.

But beneath that amusement, his heart was racing wildly.

Meanwhile, Wenzhi’s heartbeat remained perfectly steady. Calm. Completely calm.

Even with their wavelengths brushing against each other from the close proximity between them, Wenzhi stayed terrifyingly composed.

"That’s not all you want, Freckles," Xinyuan whispered.

Wenzhi cursed beneath his breath and stepped away from him.

"Do you know how frustrating all this is?" he snapped suddenly. "I’m supposed to be in another world right now, laying on a private island and drinking from a goddamn coconut."

He dragged a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Instead, I’m here being hunted by monsters and insane humans who want me dead because they think I’m your ammo. Your trigger."

His grey eyes narrowed sharply at Xinyuan.

"And you..." he continued bitterly. "You just want to fuck me."

Xinyuan blinked in complete surprise. Then, his cheeks slowly turned red.

Wenzhi stared at him in disbelief before letting out a long exhausted sigh.

"Now Pei Luo is an orphan because of you, not me. You’re the one who created this entire mess. You’re the one who made plans to ensure I stayed dead."

He raised both hands briefly in mock surrender. "That blood is on your hands, not mine."

Then his expression darkened. "And from now onwards..."

Wenzhi suddenly stepped toward him again and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

The bullet stopped instantly in front of Xinyuan’s forehead before falling harmlessly onto the wet ground below.

Wenzhi watched it drop and slowly lifted his eyes back toward Xinyuan. "You’re going to listen to me from now onwards."

Xinyuan looked entirely unfazed.

If anything, he looked interested.

"Perhaps we could go to this island you were supposed to be on?"

Wenzhi fired again.

Another bullet froze in midair before dropping uselessly to the ground.

"Unfortunately," Wenzhi muttered dryly, "that island only exists in a past life, Sleeping Beauty."

He rotated the gun absently in his hand before glancing back at Xinyuan. "Do you believe in past lives?"

Xinyuan actually seemed to consider the question seriously.

Even as Wenzhi fired again.

The bullet stopped once more.

"No," Xinyuan admitted after a moment. "Not really."

Wenzhi suddenly smiled. A sharp smile. A terrifying smile that showed teeth. "That’s good then."

He tilted his head. "In my past life, I blew up a lot of people."

The city wind howled softly around them.

"Just like the Old Blood faction is doing right now."

Xinyuan’s eyes remained fixed entirely on him now.

Wenzhi laughed softly beneath his breath as he lifted the gun again and pointed it directly at Xinyuan.

"I’m going to blow up the CEA headquarters," he held the trigger.

"And you..." A click echoed. "are going to help me."

Bang.

The gunshot echoed sharply through the hilltop silence.