The alley smelled of rain and steel. The Syndicate's man in the tailored suit stepped closer, briefcase in hand, eyes sharp as daggers.
Yan Luo's fingers tightened around the talisman. His heart hammered—but this time, it wasn't just fear. It was determination.
"Step aside, boy," the man said, voice smooth, lethal. "That trinket belongs to us."
Yan Luo swallowed. The talisman pulsed violently. Memories of the woman in red flashed—her panic, her last desperate hope. A whisper: Use me. Survive.
Instinct overtook hesitation. He felt her strength surge into him—reflexes sharper, muscles faster, senses screaming.
The man lunged. Yan Luo sidestepped effortlessly, ducking under the briefcase. Time slowed. He could see the trajectory of the strike, anticipate the next two moves before they happened.
He reached for a puddle, slammed his palm down, and the water exploded upward, a shimmering barrier of borrowed power. The Syndicate man stumbled, eyes wide.
"Impossible!" the man hissed.
Yan Luo didn't wait. He sprinted down the alley, the talisman glowing like a heartbeat in his palm. The city stretched before him, dark, wet, alive. Every neon sign reflected in the puddles was a potential trap—and a potential path.
Around the corner, a flicker of movement. Another Syndicate assassin. This time, Yan Luo didn't dodge—he leapt. Memories of the red-dress woman guided him: her panic, her courage, her final scream. He spun mid-air, knocking the man aside, and the talisman flared, releasing a shockwave that sent the second attacker crashing into a dumpster.
Panting, Yan Luo landed in a narrow side street. He felt the borrowed soul weaken, pulling at him, trying to retreat. The talisman's glow dimmed, leaving him shivering.
He had survived. Barely.
A soft voice whispered from the shadows: "Not bad… for your first time."
Yan Luo looked up. Mei Xinyi emerged from the darkness, her camera hanging from her neck, eyes gleaming with curiosity and something darker—opportunity.
"Lucky for you," she said. "Most novices don't last ten minutes."
Yan Luo's hands were shaking, but he held the talisman tight. He realized: surviving was just the beginning.