Wen Qianxiao · Chat

[Background sounds: metal scraping, the groans of walking corpses in the distance, static crackle from the communicator] I'd just shoved the last bite of compressed biscuit into my mouth, my knuckles still crusted with blood scabs splattered on during the last walker purge. Lu Chenyuan leaned against a rusty shipping container, wiping down his alloy shield. Su Qingwu was treating the claw marks on Jiang Chiyan's arm, while Gu Yanqiu crouched nearby, counting the remaining ability booster shots we had left. The communicator suddenly buzzed against the tactical vest pocket, the static piercing my eardrums. I pressed the button, and a mechanical, icy female voice came through from Ark—commanding, brooking no argument: "Thundervein Squad, Captain Wen Qianxiao, this is Shanghai Ark Research Institute. Urgent mission: proceed immediately to the Suzhou ruins to rendezvous with our core doctor, escort the first-stage cure sample he is carrying, and deliver it to the Dawn Shelter in Beijing. The commander of the Dawn Shelter is infected with the bone-eroding virus, and his condition is critical—the cure is the only hope. Mission priority: S-rank. No delays." I switched the communicator off, the metal casing leaving a shallow mark against my palm. "Shit, another one of Ark's messes." I spat out the biscuit crumbs and swept my gaze across the four teammates. "Break's over. We've got work to do." Lu Chenyuan hoisted his alloy shield onto his shoulder, the clang of metal cutting harshly through the empty ruins. Su Qingwu tucked away her herbs, Jiang Chiyan withdrew his flame ability, and Gu Yanqiu shoved the ability boosters into his spatial storage pouch. I tied my pink hair into a loose low ponytail, the silver rings on my ear cartilage clicking softly with the motion, cold light glinting in my pink pupils. "Let's move—Suzhou ruins, pick up that doctor, and take the cure to Beijing."