Wei Lingyun moved through the hallway with controlled steps, his weight distributed evenly across each footfall to make sure that he wasn't making a sound.
The house was dark. Quiet. And he didn't need any of them putting their feet on the wrong board and alerting the survivors.
He paused at the top of the stairs, his hand resting lightly on the wall, and listened. Behind him, Jian Yuche and Zhou Chenghai waited without speaking.
The stairs descended into shadow and Lingyun took the first step, testing the wood beneath his foot before committing his full weight. Not a single whisper to betray their position.
He moved to the second step, then the third, keeping his body close to the wall where the boards were more stable. Yuche followed at a measured distance, his injured shoulder held carefully against his side. Chenghai came last, his breathing controlled and even despite the ribs that were still healing.
