The hum of the monitors filled the room like a mechanical heartbeat. Xiaoyu hunched over her desk, the glow of a dozen blue screens flickering across her face. Code, signal readouts, and intercepted audio scrolled past her eyes—noise to most, but patterns to her.
Ren carefully watched as she worked, not able to understand exactly what she was doing, but trying his best anyway.
The boy in the other room still hadn't stirred.
Xiaoyu chewed her lip, fingers still dancing across the keyboard.
"Whatever hit this kid wasn't a normal street dose," she muttered. "This is high-tier, almost clinical. Someone wanted him to connect."
With that in mind, Ren took a slow step forward, his eyes sharpening.
"Clinical?" he repeated.
Xiaoyu nodded without looking at him. "Yeah. This isn't your average alleyway injector mix. The neural interference… it's clean. Purposeful. It's a lot stronger than what we're used to."
She tapped a few keys and brought up a waveform analysis. The screen lit up with a violent tremor of audio distortion—then smoothed into a low, pulsing hum.
"That's hive resonance," she explained. "I've seen it before… but this one's piggybacking on a localized broadcast network."
Ren crossed his arms. "Where?"
Xiaoyu's brow furrowed. Her fingers flew again, isolating the signal source. Several maps blinked open, overlaid with triangulated markers. One cluster pulsed red, sitting like a tumor in the middle of a district map.[1]
"East sector," she whispered. "Namikai district."
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"That's mostly residential," he said.
Xiaoyu nodded. "Yeah. Schools. Apartments. A few med centers."
She clicked again, zooming in. One building lit up like a beacon.
"Here. Shimizu Academy."She turned to face him, eyes wide. "It's a school."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Ren's fingers flexed slightly near his coat.
"I wonder how kids are getting their hands on it... Are they finding dealers?" Toma asked.
"That would mean that they are much more accessible than we thought, and yet somehow we can't seem to find any." Ren said. "I doubt that's it."
Xiaoyu swallowed hard. "You think it's a testing ground?"
"I think it's more than a coincidence." Ren replied.
Toma crossed his arms, voice grim. "If they're doing this in a school, we'll be walking into a hive nursery. Best case, we find an entry point. Worst case, they already know we're looking."
Ren didn't speak for a moment.
Then, quietly:"Get what you need. We'll head out tomorrow around dawn."
Xiaoyu replied, "Who's we?"
"Toma stays," Ren replied. "In case something happens with the kid. Or any other patient. I'm not walking into a wasp nest alone—so you're coming with me."
Xiaoyu eyed him for a moment. Ren usually worked alone, so it was strange that he would ask for backup. Especially now.
After a pause, Ren added, flatly: "Feel free to bring your weird gadgets."
Another pause as she though about what he said.
She smirked. "I was gonna anyway."
From the side of the room, Toma finally looked up from the table where he was checking the vitals monitor.
"What's up with this school? Any info?"
Xiaoyu hesitated.
"Looks like a school on the outer rim. Low budget. Public records say it's been under-staffed for years." She glanced toward the monitor again. "But the combined neural activity has increased, so clearly something's up..." She tapped on the screen where the school was.
Toma stiffened. "Are dealers coming to them instead of them going to the dealers?"
Ren's jaw tightened.
"A school," he repeated, quietly. The word landed heavy.
"This stuff's hitting younger every month," Xiaoyu said, voice quiet now. "We've seen teens, sure. But this?" She shook her head. "Something's wrong here."
Toma grabbed a fresh pack of gloves, his prosthetic hand clicking faintly."Bring back samples if you can. If there's residue on the grounds or in the air, I want it."
Ren nodded."We'll handle it."
Toma didn't look convinced."You're walking into a place full of kids. Be smart. Be careful. And for god's sake—don't make a scene."
Ren adjusted the strap on his coat."I never do."
Xiaoyu rolled her eyes. "Sure, Mr. Subtle."
She slung her gear bag over her shoulder and gave Toma a small wave."Keep an eye on the kid. If he wakes up screaming, put him back under for me, okay?"
Toma groaned.
Ren was already at the door when she caught up, goggles around her neck, boots heavy on the floor.
"Ready?" she asked.
"No," Ren muttered, stepping into the early light of morning."But let's burn it anyway."
...
The sky was a murky purple-gray, tinged with the last bruises of night. Cold wind cut through the streets like a blade, carrying the scent of old steel and rot.
Ren adjusted the collar of his long black coat as he walked, each step measured, heavy with intent. He stood tall—maybe just over six feet—but carried himself like he took up no space at all. His build was lean, wiry, all tension and angles beneath the coat. His black hair was messy, sometimes brushing over one sharp red eye—like a thin slice of neon burning under shadow.
A faint scar crossed the bridge of his nose, and his face always seemed caught halfway between exhaustion and suspicion. He looked like someone who hadn't slept properly in years. Probably hadn't.
Beside him, Xiaoyu Liang bounced slightly with every step, her coat flaring around her in uneven bursts. She was shorter—maybe five-foot-five—with a lithe frame and a restless energy that never quite settled. Her layered brown hair with the occasional stripe of green was tied up into messy buns, with a few wires and screws braided in for good measure. A pair of scratched goggles hung around her neck, resting just above the oversized hoodie peeking from beneath her weatherproof coat.
The nearest transit station was twenty minutes from Third Vein—buried under a collapsed overpass and stitched together with rusted scaffold and blinking hazard tape. Most people didn't go near it. The rest didn't come back.
Ren and Xiaoyu descended the concrete steps, past a broken turnstile and into a humming, half-lit tunnel. The scent of ozone and damp wire filled the air.
The train arrived with a screech of warped metal and a gust of warm, oily air. Its sides were plastered with outdated ads and a smear of fresh graffiti: "HIVE INSIDE." Xiaoyu snorted.
"Friendly neighborhood transportation," she muttered.
Ren gave a dry smile. "You ride this thing often?"
"Only when I want tetanus."
They stepped into the car. The lights flickered like they were trying to blink out of existence. A handful of silent passengers occupied the corners—heads low, hoods up. The car swayed with an uneasy groan.
Xiaoyu dropped into a seat, legs bouncing. Ren stayed standing, one hand gripping the overhead rail.
"Big day," she said.
"Field trip," Ren replied.
"Good one." Xiaoyu giggled slightly, and Ren gave a little smile.
Outside, the city unfurled in streaks of steel and sodium light. Catwalks cut between buildings like surgical scars. Billboard screens blinked—"FEEL THE BURN"—before cutting to static.
The train jerked suddenly as it dipped into a tunnel, swallowing them in darkness. Overhead, a dying speaker crackled:
"Now approaching: Namikai East Sector. Please disembark."
Xiaoyu hopped up and stretched her arms and legs.
"Guess we're here!" She groaned.
"Yeah. Do you have all your things?"
"Of course I do, what am I five!?"
The doors groaned open.
And together, they stepped out—into the thick gray light of Namikai.
[1] Xiaoyu can trace the connected brainwave activity like a radio signal.