Early the next morning, Chen Mo was practicing in the courtyard. Each strike of his Shattered-Time Fist made the floor ripple slightly.
Lin Lan was in the kitchen, adjusting the weather membrane, trying to stop the microwave from sounding like thunder.
Hu Hao brewed tea. He Xuan recorded. Lu Ye sat with eyes closed, constructing a backup particle man. Zhao Yang sat by the window, blood mist hanging like a curtain.
Zhong Li squatted in the corner, flipping a stone in his hand.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Yang asked.
"Looking for something."
"What?"
"A furnace."
"There's one in the kitchen."
"Not that kind."
Ten minutes later, he actually found it.
"Here!"
A punch from Chen Mo had loosened the tiles in the courtyard corner, revealing a black metal structure beneath.
It looked like a furnace— but there was no fire, no smoke. Just a ring of strange engravings, half language, half illustration.
"What is this?" Zhao Yang asked.
Zhong Li crouched and wiped it clean.
"A crucible."
He Xuan:
"You built this?"
Zhong Li:
"I wish. I dug it up with an earth-type user. He wasn't interested, so he left it to me."
Hu Hao:
"And you just took it?"
Zhong Li:
"I left him two slices of cake."
Lu Ye examined the markings.
"This isn't Earth's language."
Zhong Li:
"But I can read it. It shows someone pulling an ability out of their head, putting it into the furnace, and getting a new one."
Chen Mo:
"Sounds like swapping powers."
Zhong Li:
"Also sounds like cracking your skull open."
They circled the crucible. No one dared touch it.
Lu Ye asked:
"Mr. Zhong Li, can we use it?"
Zhong Li:
"You can. I won't guarantee you'll survive."
Lu Ye:
"Alright. Anyone want to swap powers?"
He Xuan raised his hand.
"I do."
Zhao Yang:
"Are you insane?"
He Xuan:
"I just want to try. My current ability's not exactly impressive."
Zhong Li looked at him.
"What do you want to swap for?"
He Xuan:
"Time-slowing."
Zhong Li:
"You want mine?"
He Xuan:
"Would you be willing?"
Zhong Li:
"I'm not willing to die."
Zhao Yang:
"You won't die. But it might hurt."
Zhong Li:
"If it hurts, I'm not swapping."
Chen Mo:
"If you don't swap, you'll die."
Zhong Li:
"…Fine. Let's swap."
They laughed. Zhong Li didn't.
In the end, Zhong Li and He Xuan stood before the crucible. Magnetic fields began to tremble.
Lu Ye deployed a particle membrane for protection. Lin Lan stabilized the weather layer. Zhao Yang stood nearby, blood mist tightening. Hu Hao prepared to sync with their consciousness layers.
Both placed their hands into the crucible. The engravings lit up— like something responding.
Five seconds—He Xuan began to tremble. Seven—Zhong Li started cursing. Ten—both dropped to their knees. Twelve—
"Who said it wouldn't hurt!" Zhong Li shouted.
Zhao Yang:
"I said it might."
Chen Mo:
"Now you know."
Fifteen seconds— Magnetic fields began to cross. Consciousness layers tore. He Xuan's body convulsed. Soul layer ruptured. Magnetic field collapsed.
Zhong Li turned pale, but was still breathing.
"He Xuan!" Hu Hao rushed forward— but couldn't sync with the field.
Zhao Yang:
"He's dead."
Chen Mo:
"Still warm."
Lu Ye:
"Qin Hao."
Qin Hao stepped forward. Magnetic field expanded. Life Rewind activated.
Soul layer reconstructed. Consciousness restored.
He Xuan opened his eyes, pale-faced.
"I… slowed time," he whispered.
Zhong Li sat on the ground, hugging his knees.
"I… started recording."
Zhao Yang:
"You swapped?"
He Xuan:
"I'm time-type now."
Zhong Li:
"I'm record-type."
Chen Mo:
"You two are oddly compatible."
Zhong Li looked at his hands. His magnetic frequency had become delicate and stable— ready to log anything.
"I used to be metal-type," he muttered. "Could turn iron gates into wind chimes."
Hu Hao:
"Now you can turn us into diary entries."
Zhong Li:
"I miss metal-type… but record-type suits me better."
Zhao Yang:
"You mean you can gossip legally now?"
Zhong Li:
"I mean I can monitor you legally."
He stood up, walked to the courtyard corner, and began logging Chen Mo's punch frequency.
"Chen Mo · Shattered-Time Fist · Phase Five · Warm-up: 3 minutes 20 seconds · New floor crack: one."
Chen Mo looked at him.
"If you keep writing, I'll turn that crack into your doorstep."
Zhong Li smiled.
"I'm record-type now. It's my duty to preserve your violent aesthetics."
Zhong Li sat down again, hugging his knees.
"I don't want to do this anymore."
Hu Hao:
"You want to leave?"
Zhong Li:
"I'm not fit for a squad."
Hu Hao:
"You're a time-type awakener. You're not ordinary."
Zhong Li:
"I'm not brave either."
Hu Hao:
"You're smart."
He walked over, and gently wrote a phrase into Zhong Li's mind:
"No leaving the squad."
Zhong Li blinked. Magnetic field gave a soft ripple.
"What was that?"
Hu Hao:
"You already had the thought."
Zhong Li:
"I… guess I did."
They didn't say anything more. Just sat in the courtyard for a while.
Weather membrane stable. Blood mist quiet. Particle man unused.
The crucible lay silent in the corner— like it had just finished a meal.
They didn't leave. And they didn't send Zhong Li away.
They simply stayed.