The city had been reduced to a scene of chaos. Buildings smoldered in the distance, and the wreckage of Lin Chen's battle against the mysterious enemies was scattered across the streets like a forgotten memory. The night air was thick with the scent of smoke, the remnants of the violence that had just unfolded. But in the aftermath, there was one thing missing—Li Chu.
Lin Chen stood amidst the ruins, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. He had just faced down a small army of assassins, all sent by Erebus, yet as the smoke cleared and the adrenaline began to wear off, there was one thing that gnawed at him. Li Chu had vanished.
At first, Lin Chen assumed she had moved to safety. After all, she had been nearby during the battle, trying to keep out of harm's way, just as he had asked her to. But when he scanned the area, there was no sign of her—no trace of her presence at all. He knew the streets well. They had been together only moments ago. Where had she gone?
The street, now eerily silent, held no answers. The flickering lights from nearby street lamps cast long shadows, but none of them seemed to lead anywhere. He walked through the debris, his senses heightened, every nerve alert. But still, nothing. The unsettling feeling in his gut only grew stronger.
The System Alert
Suddenly, a sharp ping rang out in his mind, the system's voice cutting through the silence like a blade.
"System Alert: Host-level lifeform detected nearby."
The words froze him in his tracks. His heartbeat quickened, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. A host-level lifeform? It didn't make sense. The only beings he knew with that kind of energy were those connected to Erebus—the enemies he had been battling, the enemies he thought were all defeated.
But the system's alert made it clear. This was something different, something far more dangerous. The energy signature was distinct—too familiar. It was unmistakably the same signature he had sensed when he first met Li Chu.
"Li Chu," he whispered, his voice trembling despite his best efforts to remain calm.
How could this be? The system had never reacted to her like this before. She wasn't just another innocent bystander. She wasn't just someone who had been caught up in the chaos by accident.
Lin Chen's mind raced. Li Chu's disappearance was not a coincidence. She had been taken. He didn't know by whom, or why, but the chilling truth was clear. Whoever—or whatever—had taken her knew exactly what they were doing.
He gritted his teeth, a surge of anger flooding his chest. The system had detected a host-level presence, one that was connected to her. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together, and the image was far worse than anything he had anticipated.
His first instinct was to search for her. He couldn't just stand there and do nothing. The feeling of helplessness was suffocating, but he couldn't afford to let it consume him. Not now. Not when Li Chu was in danger.
But where could she be?
Without hesitation, he opened his system interface and initiated a quick scan of the surrounding area. The system, now upgraded to include more precise tracking abilities, hummed in the back of his mind as it processed the information. For a moment, nothing registered—no clues, no signs. Then, just as he was about to abandon the scan in frustration, a faint signal appeared.
It wasn't much, just a single blip of data on his radar, but it was enough. A small, encrypted signal that could only be coming from one place: the underground lab. The same place where he had found the first traces of Erebus's operations.
He didn't hesitate.
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed as he set off in the direction of the signal. His mind raced with the possibilities. Had Li Chu been taken there? If so, why? What did Erebus want with her? More importantly, what did they want with him?
As he neared the lab, the streets became less populated. The further he went, the darker it became, and the eerie silence of the city felt oppressive. But Lin Chen didn't slow down. He couldn't afford to. Time was running out.
The signal grew stronger as he approached an old, abandoned building on the outskirts of the city—a place that had been shut down years ago after a series of failed experiments. It was perfect for Erebus. Hidden, secluded, and away from prying eyes.
He approached cautiously, his senses on high alert. The doors creaked open with a groan, and he slipped inside, his footsteps muffled by the thick layer of dust covering the floor.
Inside, the air was stale, and the place smelled of old chemicals and rusted machinery. There were signs of a struggle—scattered papers, broken glass, and overturned tables. But no Li Chu. No sign of her anywhere.
His heart pounded as he moved deeper into the building. The faint signal was still present, but it was harder to track now, as if it was being intentionally hidden.
Suddenly, the system's voice rang in his head again, this time with an urgency he couldn't ignore.
"System Alert: Host-level lifeform detected. Warning: High probability of advanced enemy forces."
His stomach churned. This wasn't just a simple kidnapping. They were expecting him.
Before he could process the information, the lights in the building flickered, and then everything went dark. A low hum filled the room, and Lin Chen instinctively braced himself. He wasn't alone anymore.
From the shadows, figures emerged—tall, cloaked in dark clothing, their faces hidden behind masks. They moved with precision, their presence suffocating the air around him. These weren't ordinary operatives. These were the high-level agents of Erebus, the ones who had been tracking him for months.
And now, they had Li Chu.
The trap had been set.