The pressure against the glass had been the final warning. As the reflections' palms flattened against the transparent barriers, the air in the administrative district had curdled, turning thick and metallic. The "feeding" state had begun.
"Run!" Mu Cheng's voice cracked through the oppressive silence like a gunshot. "Don't look at the glass! Just move!"
The group didn't need to be told twice. They bolted, their footsteps drumming a frantic rhythm against the stone. Lin Yue kept his gaze locked on the back of Shen Rui's jacket, his breathing measured despite the adrenaline. He could feel it—the sensation of a thousand invisible needles pricking the skin of his neck. He was being watched, not by one thing, but by the city itself.
As they crossed the district boundary, the oppressive grey stone of the administration buildings gave way to something far more unsettling.
They were still running.
