March 19th — 10:25 AM
Zone 3A-Δ – Ninth Floor – Training Hall
The training room door sealed shut behind me with a low hiss. I didn’t turn around because the two following me were people I knew well.
Our footsteps echoed on the way to the elevator, light and quick, followed by slower taps.
Shen Yifei was first, then Mu Qinglan
I didn’t need to turn.
Shen Yifei’s voice was unmistakable — casual, cocky, dripping with amusement.
"Hey," Yifei called out in a bright voice, her arm wrapping around mine. Her twintails bounced lightly with each step, the tip of her spear tapping behind her like a tail brushing the floor.
"You’re not really leaving her limping like that, are you?"
She said it with a grin, but I could hear the edge buried under it.
"Didn’t know you were the jealous type."
"I’m not," she replied, leaning in closer. "But I am the curious type."
She gave me one right back — chin tilted, lips pulled into that half-smirk she wore like armour.
"I mean, if you’re going to break your sword, you better have a spare in hand, right?"
"...You calling yourself the spare?"
"Calling myself the better sheath."
I huffed. No answer would satisfy her.
But before I could say more, the hallway grew colder.
I stopped at the entrance to the elevator and looked at the blonde who was bouncing slightly with each step, clearly full of energy. Qinglan arrived a moment after, arms leaning against the wall and her limp still present.
However, she didn’t look tired or annoyed.
Her face was glossy, bright as she curled her lips deeply, smiling at me.
"Was it your idea?" she asked. "Splitting the teams, I mean."
"No," I said. "Tang Wei and Roulan suggested it."
"Then why didn’t you stop them?"
I turned slightly. "Because they were right."
Qinglan’s face became blank, frozen as if shocked, but I couldn’t let her misunderstand me, so I stepped closer, dragging Yifei along. "Lan’er, don’t misunderstand..."
Yifei stepped forward. "But—"
"You’re strong enough to lead," I said, looking at Qinglan. "And you know how I fight. If something happens on that rooftop, I need someone I trust up there. You are the woman I trust most... haven’t we known each other for years?"
Her expression shifted — just a little.
She didn’t respond at first, instead biting her lower lip, and looking away, her face dark for a moment before it brightened. Qinglan’s eyes became brighter, flicking back to me as she laughed. "I see... I see..."
Yifei stepped in with a huff. "You could’ve told us first."
"I didn’t want votes. I needed results."
Neither of them spoke.
Then Yifei muttered, "Idiot."
I nodded. "I’ve been called worse."
But they didn’t walk away.
Qinglan glanced down the hall, then back at me. "You really trust me with this?"
"I trusted you with my life already."
Her shoulders trembled, she seemed happy, walking towards me with light steps.
Then Qinglan leaned up and kissed my cheek. Her kiss was a warm, soft feeling... the stickiness of her lip gloss lingered after she pulled back.
Yifei looked between us, then turned away quickly, her lips pushed out, pouting.
"Fine. But when you get back..." Her voice dropped a note, eyes flitting down.
I tilted my head. "You both planning to fight over that?"
"No," they said together.
Then glared at each other.
I walked past them, brushing my fingers along Yifei’s shoulder, then Qinglan’s hand and trying to show them my biggest, cheesiest smile.
"I’m going to speak with Lan’er a little first Yifei, can you wait for me on the ninth floor?"
I didn’t wait for a reply.
Their silence was enough.
Yifei smirked as she pressed the elevator call button and turned toward us with a lazy stretch of her arms.
"I’ll take the lift. Stairs are for losers," she chirped.
Before I could say anything, she leaned close to Mu Qinglan and stuck out her tongue like a smug little devil.
"Don’t limp too hard, General."
Then the elevator chimed, and she slipped inside, leaving behind a silence far heavier than her voice.
Qinglan let out a long breath through her nose.
"She’s unbearable sometimes," she muttered.
I turned toward the stairwell.
Qinglan followed, slower. She remained quiet at first, but forced her pace to increase. Her hips were stiff, and every few steps her right leg would lag just a half-inch too long behind.
But the woman refused to show it.
I stopped mid-step and held out my arm.
Her eyes flicked up at me, sharp with pride — then softer, with something she wasn’t ready to admit.
Just her fingers slipping around my wrist and her palm pressing lightly to my forearm as we walked side by side. Step by step. Her weight leaned in, but just enough to stay upright without limping.
The quiet lingered until we passed the seventh floor.
"I didn’t want to be in the other team," she said finally.
Mu Qinglan’s voice sounded different from usual, a little like a sulking cat. It was cute.
"I’m not angry at Roulan or Tang Wei. It’s not that I don’t trust the others. It’s just..."
She paused, her grip tightening slightly.
"I wanted to be beside you when it mattered."
We stopped walking, and I turned toward her.
She looked at me, her lashes low, but her expression unwavering.
"I know you’re stronger now. I know you’re not the same man who used to work behind a desk and pretend to be invisible." Her words weren’t cruel — they were a mirror. A reflection I couldn’t deny.
"But the mall... something about it feels wrong. I felt it the moment you said its name."
"I know," I said quietly. "I feel it too."
Her brows knit slightly, uncertain. "Then why go there without me?"
I raised my free hand and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Because I trust you more than anyone in this base. That’s why you’re leading them. You are the ones who will save us if something goes wrong."
But nothing came out.
Instead, she just looked at me with her sharp eyes, filled with worry and affection.
Qinglan smacked her lips, and a wet pop sounded as she huffed.
The next two flights passed in silence.
By the time we reached her floor, her arm still looped with mine, her steps were slower, so I lifted her off the ground, wrapping my arm under her knees, causing the stoic ice queen to make a cute sound.
No one would actually wait, and so we climbed the stairs faster.
"John, sometimes you are so strange!"
Mu Qinglan blushed in my arms, we soon reached the tenth floor, which shocked me, because I didn’t feel tired or exhausted, rather my breathing was calm and better than the past when doing nothing.
"I am strange for you."
She tapped my cheek and bit me.
"Don’t be so cringe!"
Because the bite hurt, she really caught the flesh of my neck... and reminded me of when I first turned her four days ago.
’It’s almost been a week...’
Though I didn’t get the chance to wallow in my thoughts, we reached our room. At her door, she let go of me and dropped to her feet, then stood for a moment, looking up at me.
The kiss was soft, a little wet and warm... it smelled like Qinglan.
But as she reached for the handle, she stopped and looked back.
"You better come back in one piece," she said softly. "Or I’ll kill you myself."
"I’d like to see you try."
She laughed under her breath and finally stepped inside, letting the door slide shut behind her.
I sat on the steps halfway between the ninth and tenth floors.
Just long enough to breathe.
The kind of breath that doesn’t come from exertion, but from pressure. The kind that pushes up from under your ribs and wraps around your neck like a slow noose. Not enough to kill — just enough to remind you that you’re responsible for more than yourself now.
Two teams heading out tomorrow, one of them led by the woman I just kissed goodbye — again.
I leaned my head back against the cold concrete wall and closed my eyes for a moment.
’Am I doing this right?’
The stats were just numbers, but the marrow sutra... that was something else.
The first few nights after awakening it, I didn’t sleep properly. My bones ached like I was outgrowing my skin. Every punch felt heavier. Every glance from someone made my instincts twitch.
It wasn’t just power.
And maybe a little... hunger.
The desire to act. To move. To claim. To touch.
The hesitation I used to carry in my spine — the one that always whispered wait, hold back, stay quiet — that voice was gone.
And I didn’t miss it.
I flexed my fingers, watching the faint shimmer of strength run through my skin like pressure under the surface of calm water.
"Am I still me?" I muttered.
The stairwell didn’t answer.
Then opened the stairwell door.
And stepped into whatever came next.