Within minutes, the five selected guides were escorted into a large military transport. A vehicle sat in front, another behind. They were boxed in. Of course...
Lin Wenzhi sat by the window, Ru Yi practically glued to his side, her fingers gripping his sleeve like letting go would somehow make everything worse.
He remained silent, refusing to join the conversations happening around him. He just didn't care.
His eyes slipped shut briefly. God… he needed a cigarette.
The ride didn't last long.
The vehicles rolled to a stop and the doors opened; the massive, unwelcoming scale of the Central Esper Authority building hit immediately.
The gates opened without delay, allowing them straight into an underground parking structure with no sunlight, no noise, just controlled movement and armed personnel.
They were surrounded the moment they stepped out.
Lin Wenzhi walked with the others in silence, his gaze flicking lazily over everything without really focusing. Until Ru Yi was pulled away from his side.
Gu Luhan stepped into the space between them.
Ah... Up close this time, they were the same height.
He had that same clean, composed look. Like he'd walked straight out of a novel and into reality without missing a single step.
Wenzhi's gaze lingered for half a second longer than necessary and looked away.
He didn't need to stare. He already knew the type.
Gu Luhan was soft-hearted, overly emotional, the kind that breaks, then somehow still gets chosen.
Annoying.
His fingers twitched slightly at his side.
Wenzhi glanced down briefly.
…Trembling.
He scoffed under his breath and flexed them once, forcing the tension out.
When he looked up again, Gu Luhan was already glancing at him.
Their eyes met just for a second. Then both looked away like nothing had happened.
Wenzhi smirked. Interesting....
Gu Luhan and Shao Xinyuan had already crossed paths at this point in the original story. They were in that irritating phase where everything was building toward something inevitable.
Wenzhi resisted the urge to grimace. Their damned union would only lead to destruction
They were led out of the elevator without pause, moving through long, polished corridors that reflected too much light and not enough warmth.
Everything here felt… controlled, clean like mistakes weren't allowed to exist.
The doors opened, and inside, a man stood waiting. His hair looked like he'd run his hands through it one too many times. Clearly, something had gone wrong before they even arrived.
"I told you idiots not to send more than one!" the man snapped, fingers flying across the keyboard. "Now we have six. Six dead guides. What am I supposed to do with six—"
"Sir." A sharp call cut him off.
He froze, slowly turned and finally noticed them.
All five guides were standing at the entrance, watching.
The man blinked once. Then again. And just like that his entire expression flipped.
A wide, almost painful smile stretched across his face.
"Ah! Welcome, welcome!" he said quickly, stepping toward them, clapping his hands together. "Apologies, really, you caught me in a bit of a situation."
No one looked convinced.
"Are you planning to send us to our deaths," Gu Luhan asked calmly, "like the six guides you just mentioned?"
Zimo laughed.
"Of course not," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "Nothing like that. You're all perfectly safe."
No one relaxed.
"My name is Zimo. Intelligence Division." He gestured toward the table behind him. "Please, take a seat. We'll go over everything properly."
There was hesitation.... Then movement.
Duan Ze stepped forward first, Tai Fu following without a word. Gu Luhan took a seat across from them, posture straight, expression unreadable.
Ru Yi stayed close to Lin Wenzhi, her fingers curling tightly around his sleeve before she finally sat beside him.
Wenzhi didn't comment or pull away.
Zimo positioned himself at the head of the table, straightening slightly like he was trying to remember how to act like a professional.
"I'm sure you've all heard about the rift in Jing'an City," he began, his tone steadier now, though the tension still sat visibly in his shoulders. "A green zone turning red without warning. High casualties. Total system failure."
No one spoke. Because two of them have been there.
"All available Espers were deployed," Zimo continued. "Most were lost immediately. But one.... remained."
Tai Fu leaned forward. "Is he dead?"
Zimo shook his head quickly. "No. No, not dead."
His smile returned, tighter this time. "That's the problem."
Silence settled heavier now.
Zimo exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his already disheveled hair.
"The rift has been closed. The monsters have been cleared," he said. "But we can't retrieve him."
Duan Ze frowned. "Why not?"
Zimo's fingers curled at his side. "…Because he's unstable."
Ru Yi's grip on Wenzhi's sleeve tightened noticeably.
Wenzhi didn't look at her. His gaze stayed on Zimo.
Zimo swallowed, his composure cracking just a little.
"If we approach without a guide," he said carefully, "there's a very real chance he will kill everything in range."
"…Who?" Duan Ze asked the question everyone was thinking.
Zimo hesitated for a second like even saying the name carried weight. "Shao Xinyuan."
Lin Wenzhi's lips twitched.
Tai Fu shot to his feet.
"No. Absolutely not," he said, already backing away. "I'm not doing this."
Ru Yi let out a sharp scoff, grabbing Lin Wenzhi's sleeve as she stood. "Halo really sent us here to die, huh? Come on, Wenzhi. We're leaving."
They didn't get far.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Twelve guns lifted at once.
The sound alone was enough to freeze the room.
Lin Wenzhi's gaze drifted lazily across the scene.
Twelve armed personnel, positioned cleanly. Two with sidearms. The rest heavier.
Distance? Close.
Reaction time? Minimal.
Fuck. They weren't walking out of this.
"Let's not make this difficult," Zimo laughed, spreading his hands as if they weren't currently being held at gunpoint. "We're all on the same side here."
No one looked convinced.
"You all know who Shao Xinyuan is," he continued, voice tightening just slightly. "If we don't stabilize him—"
"It'd be faster if the world just ended all at once," Lin Wenzhi cut in flatly.
Everyone turned to him.
He hadn't even stood up. He just leaned back in his chair, one arm draped lazily over the side like none of this concerned him.
"...than for me to die cleaning up someone else's mess," he finished.
Ru Yi stared at him.
Duan Ze blinked.
Even Gu Luhan's expression shifted slightly.
Zimo looked… personally offended and exhaled slowly.
"…Right," he said, forcing a smile back onto his face. "I see we have a realist."
Wenzhi didn't respond.
"Good news," Zimo clapped his hands once, the sound sharp in the tense room. "We're not sending you in directly. Not yet anyways."
Ru Yi's grip tightened again.
Wenzhi ignored it.
"We've developed a compatibility system," Zimo straightened, regaining some of his composure. "Took years. Designed specifically to prevent… unnecessary guide casualties."
"We have a sample," he added. "Shao Xinyuan's hair. That's all the system needs to run the test."
"So there's a machine that determines compatibility," Gu Luhan said, his voice steady but quieter now.
Wenzhi didn't need to look at him to know. He was already thinking ahead.
Zimo nodded quickly. "Exactly."
Then gestured toward the door with a bright smile, tight shoulders.
"This way," he said. "We'll run the test one by one."
His gaze swept across them. "Who wants to go first?"
Duan Ze raised his hand first. "Let's get this over with," He muttered, already moving into the room to press his palm against the machine's panel.
A faint hum echoed through the space.
'Scan complete: 15% compatibility,' came an indifferent mechanical voice.
"Fifteen?" Zimo snapped, dragging a hand harshly through his hair. "That's not even close."
He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to straighten. "Next."
The door opened. Duan Ze stepped out, expression unreadable.
Tai Fu went in immediately after.
This time, the wait felt shorter.
'Scan complete: 25% compatibility,'
Zimo's eye twitched. He didn't even try to hide it now. "Next."
Ru Yi hesitated as she walked in.
Wenzhi watched her back quietly.
The machine hummed again.
'Scan complete: 0.1% compatibility,'
Ru Yi stepped out slowly, her face pale.
Zimo leaned heavily against the table, gripping the edge like it was the only thing keeping him upright. "…Next."
Gu Luhan moved calmly like he already knew what was coming. Or at least, what he hoped would.
He stepped into the room, placed his hand on the panel.
The scan began. The hum lingered slightly longer this time.
'Scan complete: 97% compatibility,'
"What?" Zimo straightened instantly.
"97%?" Tai Fu gasped. "That's... that's basically perfect!"
Relief rippled through the room.
Even Duan Ze looked less tense.
Ru Yi let out a shaky breath.
Wenzhi let out a quiet scoff. "…Perfect," he echoed and stood.
"Looks like you got what you needed," he said casually, already turning toward the exit. "I'll be leaving now."
He didn't get far. A gun lifted in front of him.
Wenzhi's cold, sharp eyes dropped to it and slowly lifted. "Move that thing out of my face. He already found his match."
Zimo stepped in smoothly.
"Protocol, Mr. Lin," he said, still smiling, though it didn't reach his eyes.
Wenzhi stared at him for a second longer and clicked his tongue. "…Fine."
He turned and walked into the testing room, passing Gu Luhan on the way out.
He stepped up to the panel and placed his palm against it lazily, like this was a waste of his time.
The machine hummed... Scanning.
A second passed; then another, longer than before.
Wenzhi exhaled softly. "Can we hurry this up..."
'Scan complete: 107% compatibility,'
Wenzhi froze and slowly tilted his head. "…Huh."
That wasn't supposed to happen.