The city wasn't quiet anymore.
Shattered glass glittered across the pavement like scattered ice, catching the moonlight in broken fragments as the six of them moved together down the ruined street. Somewhere behind them, a building let out a slow, groaning collapse, timber and concrete giving way all at once.
Nobody stopped to look back.
Jin kept his grip steady on the katana, eyes tracking rooftops and side streets in equal measure, mapping every possible retreat without consciously deciding to. Beside him, Echo's head tilted at odd angles every few seconds, listening to something none of the rest of them could hear.
"Ground ahead's compromised," Echo said, voice low. "Something's moving under it."
