The air beyond the compound had weight.
Lin Miaochuan stood atop the sentry platform on the western wall, eyes scanning the wasteland where dusk clung to the ruins like a warning.
The iron siding moaned under the push of the wind. Color bled from the sky, leaving nothing but ashen purples and bruised gray.
Gu Shiyue ascended quietly beside her, presence solid and familiar. Her boots made almost no sound, but Lin Miaochuan could feel her approach—like instinct.
"Movement to the west," Lin murmured, voice hushed like wind against shattered glass.
Gu Shiyue raised the binoculars without a word. Her gaze fixed on the slow-moving shapes. "Three o'clock direction. At least six… no, seven. Coordinated movement. Not scavengers."
Lin's shoulders tensed.
Coordinated meant trained. Trained meant purpose.
"Looks like we've got guests."
The alarm hadn't sounded yet, but tension inside the compound was taut.
Everyone had heard. Everyone knew.
But none better than Lin Miaochuan and Gu Shiyue.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the sun bleed its last over the horizon. Gu's arm brushed against Lin's lightly—so lightly it might have been accidental.
Lin didn't flinch. Didn't move away.
Just turned her head slightly, eyes catching the faint warmth in Gu's expression.
"This time," Lin said softly, "we face it together."
Gu Shiyue nodded, voice barely audible. "Always."
Down at ground level, the team was already assembled.
Weapons. Ammo. Tactical gear.
Lin led them to the front gate. The heavy alloy door stood tall—one of their last real protections.
"Gu Shiyue."
"Here."
"You're coming with me."
"You think they want to talk?"
"If they don't," Lin said, "then they won't come in at all."
As the gates opened with a groan, floodlights pierced the twilight.
Seven figures stood beyond, clad in faded military tactical gear. Guns, knives, precision gear—they weren't amateurs. The man in front wasn't armed, but his posture screamed threat.
"Who's in charge?" he asked.
"I am," Lin replied.
A smirk curled the man's lip, half-amused, half-dismissive. "We'll need a portion of your supplies."
"That's not how requests work," Lin said.
The air turned electric. Gu's hand brushed subtly against Lin's lower back, a silent confirmation of readiness.
The man chuckled. "And if we're not asking?"
"You can try."
A heartbeat of silence. Then the floodlights caught something behind the strangers—a crate marked with red:
『B-Class Biohazard』
Lin's heart slammed once in her chest.
"Where did you get that box?" she asked.
The man's expression didn't change. "We're not the only ones rebuilding humanity's experiments."
And then—
Night swallowed the world whole.