“What is it?” Gu Xin caught the shift in his tone, like a cold draft slipping under a door.

“Bobcat… he joined that group.” Hawkeye spoke slowly, words falling like damp ash.

“What!?” Gu Xin’s breath hitched, like a string yanked taut.

“I don’t know what he was thinking. After we disbanded, he wouldn’t fade out. He went to them.” Hawkeye’s voice sagged like a tired sky.

“Why! If he wanted to keep going, he could’ve stayed with the Shadow Division.” Gu Xin’s chest burned, like embers stirred by wind.

“I don’t know either…” Hawkeye’s tone held a thin sadness, like drizzle on old steel.

“…”

“What’s wrong?” Meng Yuting heard the off note, like a thread snapping in quiet.

“Enough. That’s that.” Gu Xin cut the call like a knife, then turned to Meng Yuting.

“We’ve ID’d them. Black Dawn. Not a big threat, but…” Her words stalled, like a boat in sudden fog.

“But what…” Meng Yuting pressed, a hawk eyeing the treeline.

“Hawkeye says… Bobcat joined them…”

“What!?” Meng Yuting’s shock flared like lightning under a lid.

“Doesn’t he know the rules? You can’t join another crew!” Her anger rose, like a storm over flat water.

“He’s an old hand. He knows. He did it on purpose…” Gu Xin let out a breath, thin as smoke.

“That guy!” Meng Yuting snapped, like a twig underfoot.

“So we might run into him here…” Gu Xin frowned, creases like ripples on a pond.

“Good. I’ll teach him a lesson.” Meng Yuting’s eyes flashed, like steel catching sun.

“Then we move, now. Don’t underestimate Bobcat’s ability. I’m worried about Tang Coco.” Gu Xin’s worry curled tight, like frost on glass.

“Got it!” Meng Yuting answered, and the two slipped through a window while the chaos outside churned like a riled sea.

Inside the pocket space, nothing seemed to stir, like a lake with a painted surface. The two young men who’d gone out carried no life detectors; Abnormals risk getting traced by such toys, like fireflies tracked by jars.

Tang Coco reached the roof. Empty, like a stage before the curtain lifts.

“Start energy scan,” she told the system, voice steady as a drawn line.

“Copy.” The reply came clean, like a bell in fog. “SS-grade energy fluctuation detected, seven meters ahead.”

“Hm?” She moved forward, footsteps soft as feathers. She stopped a meter short and studied the spot. The surface said nothing, but the moonlight told on it—the shine before her didn’t match the glow behind, like two rivers that refuse to merge.

“SS-class spatial Abnormal? Heh—rare sight.” Her smile tilted, like a blade catching moonlight. She pivoted and left, quiet as a fox.

Inside the space…

“They’re so slow—have they broken in or not? I’m bored.” The sultry woman sprawled in a chair, like a bright flower too loud for the vase.

“…” Silence gathered, like dust in corners.

“Then go see for yourself.” The middle-aged man waved her off, his patience thin as paper. He disliked her gaudy paint and restless hands, like a peacock in a henhouse. His gaze softened instead toward the girl in the corner, a child of about ten, playing with a rag doll like a moth cupped in light.

“Fine.” She rose, happy as a cat, and turned to go. The young operator at the console spoke up, voice tight as wire.

“Boss, they’re back.”

“Are they? Then don’t go.” The man lifted a hand, stopping her like a gate.

“Ugh.” She pouted, like a thorn snagging cloth. The youth looked to the space’s door—and froze. First came the tall youth’s head in the frame, then the truth: his corpse, dragged by someone else, like dead weight through reeds.

“So you really need to bring one of these to get in, huh.” A melodious female voice floated from under a black Mech, smooth as lacquer. She tossed the corpse down, a dull thud like a stone in mud.

“What!” a young man in the Abnormal crew shouted, nerves snapping like dry reeds. Everyone rose, staring at the figure wrapped in Armor.

“Who are you?” The middle-aged leader stepped forward, brow knotted like storm clouds. Fire burned in his eyes, but he held back, a dam against a flood.

“Ah.” The newcomer sighed, soft as falling ash. The black mask of her Armor broke into drifting particles. Red hair spilled under gravity like a ribbon of flame. She curled her lips and smiled at them all, a queen stepping onto sunlit marble.

“!!!!” They stood stunned, like statues under dawn. Suspended high above, Li Muyan was the most shocked. Her eyes widened, stars struck in glass.

“C… Coco!?” Her voice came weak but bright, like a candle flaring.

“My, my—how can you hang such a beautiful girl up there?” Tang Coco looked up at Li Muyan, helpless as rain against stone.

Jets on her back and legs flared, whooshing particles like bright pollen on wind. Tang Coco shot up from the floor, a bolt loosed from a bow. She reached Li Muyan, sliced the rope with a dagger’s kiss, and brought her down in a princess carry, steady as a falling leaf cupped by two hands.

“C… Coco?” In her arms, Li Muyan stared, stunned, like thunder held in a shell. The face matched Tang Coco’s almost perfectly—but that red hair, those red eyes… what was that fire?