The canyon rim exploded in motion.
Shadows leapt from cover as Shen Yuan's strike team surged up the slope. The Bone Court scouts barely had time to react before Yun Xue's dagger slashed the first throat. The second scout spun, talisman flare igniting in his hand, only for Han Fei—still bound but desperate—to slam a rock into his temple.
The man crumpled without a sound.
Shen Yuan collapsed against the rim, spear haft digging into the earth to keep him upright. Every swing of his weapon sent fire through his ribs, but the thought of the scouts escaping was worse.
"Clear?" he rasped.
Yun Xue scanned the darkness. "Clear."
I confirmed with a wideband pulse.
[ HOSTILES ELIMINATED – FOUR SCOUTS TERMINATED ][ RISK OF DETECTION: TEMPORARILY MITIGATED ]
Shen Yuan looked down at the bodies. Each wore Bone Court black and carried sealed soul tokens. Their deaths would be noted, and soon.
"We need to move," he said.
By dawn, the survivors had retreated deeper into the canyon labyrinth. The terrain was harsher here, jagged walls and sharp drops that slowed their movement. Wounded stumbled, hungry children cried softly, and Yun Xue's voice grew hoarse trying to keep order.
The group had grown. Too much.
Word had spread through Grave Omega faster than I anticipated. Isolated Dreg bands—hungry, desperate, and half-feral—had begun appearing at the edge of the camp, drawn by rumors of Shen Yuan's stand against Jurok Ironveil.
Some joined willingly. Others had to be disarmed first.
Resources were buckling under the strain.
[ REMAINING PROVISIONS: 3 DAYS MAXIMUM ][ Q-PILL SUPPLY: CRITICAL ]
Shen Yuan stood at the edge of the camp, watching as Yun Xue broke up another fight over a strip of dried beast-meat. Han Fei knelt nearby, untying the rope around his wrists.
"They'll tear each other apart," I said.
"They're scared," Shen Yuan replied. His voice was quiet, weary.
Fear is a liability. You can't keep taking them in. Each new mouth lowers survival probability for everyone else.
"Then we find a way to feed them," Shen Yuan said.
You're sacrificing efficiency for sentiment. That's the same mistake as before.
He didn't answer.
That night, a council was held. The survivors gathered in a rough circle, firelight dancing off haggard faces. Yun Xue stood beside Shen Yuan, arms crossed tightly. Han Fei sat nearby, flanked by branded captives who watched everything with hawk eyes.
"The Bone Court will strike soon," Yun Xue said. "We can't stay here. We need a plan."
A man from one of the newer groups stepped forward. "We run. Find a hole to hide in until this all blows over."
"Hide where?" Yun Xue asked sharply. "There's nowhere left."
"Better than dying in the open!" the man spat.
Han Fei rose to his feet. "Running won't stop them. You know what they do to the branded captives when they find us." He pulled his tunic aside, revealing the scarred remains of his half-burnt mark. "They harvest us like cattle. If you want to survive, you fight."
"Easy for you to say," the man shot back. "You're the reason they're tracking us!"
Han Fei's fists clenched, but Shen Yuan intervened before it escalated. "Enough. Running won't work. We saw what happens when we scatter. The Bone Court owns every canyon, every outpost. If we stay like this, we'll be picked off."
"And what's your solution?" the man demanded.
I projected the data I'd been holding back, overlaying the canyon floor with a spectral map. A glowing caravan route pulsed through the eastern valleys.
[ BONE COURT SUPPLY CARAVAN DETECTED – 92% CONFIDENCE ]
I highlighted crates of rations, medical kits, and a secondary signature—scroll cases, likely containing Nexus deployment orders.
"We hit this," Shen Yuan said.
The crowd erupted.
"Insane!" someone shouted. "We're barely standing as it is!"
"It's our only chance," Shen Yuan said, voice hard. "Those supplies will keep us alive. And if we're lucky, we'll find out what the Bone Court is planning."
Yun Xue leaned close, whispering, "They're not ready for this. And Han Fei—he's a fracture waiting to happen. Some of them already see him as a figurehead. Others want him dead."
"Then we hold them together," Shen Yuan said.
Survival probability of success: 18%, I calculated.
I didn't transmit it to the group.
By midnight, preparations had begun.
Yun Xue organized strike teams, drilling them in silence. Han Fei armed the branded captives with scavenged weapons, whispering quiet words of purpose. There was an energy around him I couldn't quantify—hope mixed with defiance—that drew the others to him.
It unsettled Yun Xue. I could see it in the way she watched him.
Shen Yuan oversaw it all, his cracked spear now wrapped in talisman strips to keep it from splintering apart entirely.
I traced the caravan route through the valleys.
[ TARGET ETA: 11 HOURS ]
Shen Yuan knelt near the fire, binding his ribs with a torn length of cloth. Yun Xue approached, shadows deep under her eyes.
"You're leading the vanguard," she said. It wasn't a question.
He tightened the knot at his side. "I am."
"Then don't die," she said, voice low. "I can't hold them together without you."
He gave a faint, tired smile. "I'll try."