The streets of Xuanjing never truly dimmed.
Beneath the pavement, faint currents of light flowed like hidden veins—soft, steady, alive. Above, suspended panels flickered in quiet succession, cycling through news and advertisements, their glow reflecting across glass-lined buildings in shifting fragments.
The Blue Circuit Café stood out easily, its glow brighter than the rest—cool-toned lights spilling onto the street, unmistakable even from a distance. Usually, it thrummed with conversation and movement, a favored spot among students and late-night thinkers alike.
But tonight It was quieter. Unusually so.
By the time Lin Yuexin leaned back in her chair, the earlier buzz had faded completely. Rows of semi-private booths stretched into the dim interior, each softly illuminated, framed by floating translucent screens layered with shifting data. The light they cast was gentle, almost weightless, hovering just above the surface of reality.
Beneath the interface, faint streams of light moved—thin, nearly imperceptible currents that responded to every command, every touch.
Alive in their own way.
Yuexin exhaled slowly, flexing her fingers before letting them rest along the edge of the console.
"…Tell me we're done," Qin Ruo groaned from across the table, his head tilting dangerously close to the surface.
"We're stabilizing," Zhao Wenxi replied, her eyes never leaving the screen. "That's not the same thing."
"…That sounds worse."
A faint smile almost formed on Yuexin's lips but it faded just as quickly. Her gaze lingered on the display. Something felt… off. The simulation pulsed.
Once. Then again, subtle. But wrong.
"…Wait," she said quietly.
Wenxi's fingers stilled. "What is it?"
Yuexin leaned forward, her posture sharpening, eyes narrowing slightly as she focused.
"There."
She pointed.
A small cluster of light flickered within the system—brief, uneven. Not a glitch. Not quite.
"…It's not random," Yuexin murmured, her brows drawing together.
The pattern shifted again—faint, but deliberate.
"…It's reacting."
A quiet pause followed.
From beside her, Meiling leaned in, resting her chin lightly against Yuexin's shoulder, her gaze narrowing as she tried to follow the movement.
"Reacting to what?" she asked softly.
Yuexin didn't answer immediately.
Her fingers moved, isolating the signal, tracing it backward through layers of data. The projection shifted— Zooming out. A point appeared. Small. Faint.
"…Here," Yuexin said. She tapped the screen. "…It's not far."
A brief pause.
"…A little further from the café."
Qin Ruo straightened instantly. "Wait—seriously?" Wenxi's eyes sharpened as she leaned closer.
"…That's a live signal." "…You mean—" "It's happening right now."
A silence fell over the table. Then— Excitement.
"…We should check it," Qin Ruo said, already half-standing. Wenxi hesitated—just slightly. "…We're not supposed to interfere in something like this." "But we're not interfering," he said quickly. "We're just observing." "That's what people always say before something goes wrong." "…You're overthinking it."
Meiling straightened, her expression less excited than the others. "…Or maybe not."
They turned to her.
"What if it's real?" she said slowly. "…What if someone is behind that distortion?"
The air shifted.
"…And what if we get involved without knowing what it is?"
No one answered immediately.
Meiling crossed her arms slightly.
"…If the ARB shows up, we'll have to explain everything." That— Was a very real problem.
Yuexin's gaze remained on the screen. On that faint, flickering point. Something about it— Didn't feel distant. It felt… Close.
"…We don't have to go directly," she said finally. "…We just check from a distance."
Wenxi exhaled slowly. Qin Ruo looked between them. Meiling hesitated. Then sighed. "…Fine." "But if something feels off, we leave immediately."
"…Agreed."
The night felt colder the moment they stepped out. Not dramatically. Just enough to notice. They walked faster than usual. No one said it out loud but all of them felt it. The closer they got. The quieter the city became.
"…Do you feel that?" Yuexin murmured. "…Yeah," Wenxi replied. "…The signal's stronger. "They turned into a narrower street. The air felt heavier the more closer they got.
Yuexin slowed. "…Wait."
Something was wrong, it was not quite visible. Then the light pole started blinking.
"…This is it," she said quietly.
The others stopped.
"…I don't see anything," Qin Ruo muttered. "That's the problem," Wenxi replied. The space ahead of them— Shifted. Just slightly. Like heat distortion.
"…Yuexin," Meiling said softly. "…Maybe we should—"
But it was already too late to turn back. The distortion pulsed. Once. Twice— and then— It collapsed inward. Not outward. Toward a single point. Toward her.
"…Wait—"
Yuexin didn't even have time to step back.
The air twisted— her figure blurred— and vanished.
"Yuexin—!"Meiling's cry fractured the silence, her hand reaching as if to anchor what was already vanishing. For an instant, her fingertips brushed against Yuexin's — a fleeting chill, delicate as frost upon crystal. Then the world folded back upon itself. The air sealed, the courtyard stilled. What remained was not her figure, but the echo of her presence, lingering like a shadow carved into memory.
No one moved. Qin Ruo's voice came out strained.
"…What just happened?" Wenxi didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on the exact spot Yuexin had been standing.
The streets returned to normal. As if nothing had happened.
Somewhere else. Somewhere faraway, Yuexin all alone stumbled forward, her breath uneven as her vision snapped back into focus.
"…What—"
She turned instinctively. The street looked the same. But not the same. Her hand started shaking and her chest tightened.
"…No," she whispered. Something was wrong, not just around her but with everything.
Footsteps echoed behind her. Slow and steady. Yuexin froze. But before she could do anything, she was already surrounded by dark figures.
"Why is this happening with me? What have I ever done to someone?" She murmured under her breath. Finally she snaped.
"Who are people? What do you want from me?", as she shakingly asked. But no one responded. Yuexin didn't wait any longer and ran straight ahead without looking back.
"Don't let her leave the perimeter", someone yelled from behind her.
"Perimeter? What perimeter?" Yuexin was confused but she was more confused seeing the streets as she ran. The streets was familier in structure but wrong in feeling. A floating screen flickered above the street as Yuexin ran past it. The image distorted briefly— then stabilized. The same face appeared. Calm. Untouched. But the headline—
" The Young-Rising Star Lian announces indefinite hiatus."
Yuexin's steps faltered for a split second.
"…Wait—what?" That wasn't right.
A sudden pressure dropped around her. Invisible. But heavy. Her movement slowed.
"…What is this—?!" It was not something physical. Not something she could fight. Something controlling space itself. Her thoughts sharpened instantly. "…This— this is the Gravity Suppression Field. It is a very rare device. Only people with high authority has been granted with such rare device. " She turned sharply and collided with someone. A hand caught her before she could fall. Firm. Unshaken.
"…You run well." The voice was calm. Too calm.
Yuexin looked up— and froze. A young eyes cold, tall woman wearing a black leather jacket with a face saying, "You're in my way, step aside before I... ." The pursuers behind them had stopped.
"Step aside." The woman said with a commanding voice.
One of the pursuers stepped forward. Fast and stopped. Mid-motion. "…A restriction field," he muttered.
Yuexin's breath caught.
Before she could react— The woman moved. One step. The distance vanished. A sharp, controlled strike.The attacker staggered back, his weapon slipping from his grip.
Silence fell.
The remaining didn't move. they watched. Calculating every move.
"…You're interfering," one of them said. The woman didn't answer. She didn't need to. A quite tension stretched the broke
."…Withdraw," the other said. "…This isn't worth escalation."
A brief pause. Then— they stepped back and disappeared into the dark.
The pressure lifted. Yuexin exhaled slowly, her heart still racing.
"…Aahh," she said under her breath."…That was definitely very scary."
The woman finally turned to her. Up close— her gaze was sharper and more focused. For a moment— she simply looked at Yuexin. As if measuring something unseen.
(Temporal misalignment. Unregistered presence. Confirmed anomaly.)
"…You shouldn't be here," she said.
Yuexin let out a small, breathless laugh.
"…I'm starting to realize that."
A pause.
"…What's your name?"
Yuexin took a pause before answering, "… Chen Xian."
"…Come with me." Yuexin glanced back. At the empty street. At the world that no longer felt like hers. Then back at her.
"…Do I have a choice?" "…No." Yuexin exhaled softly. "…Right."
She straightened slightly, her voice steadier now. "…Fine."
A small pause. "But if this turns into another situation like that," she added, "I'm charging someone." For the briefest moment— Something almost like amusement flickered in the woman's eyes. "…You can try."
Yuexin narrowed her eyes. "…That sounded like a challenge." The woman turned. And walked. After a moment— Yuexin followed. Behind them the street remained still.