The camp was restless.
The branded captives clustered close to Han Fei's wagon, voices low and reverent as they touched the scar at his collarbone. For them, it was proof that the Bone Court's chains could be broken.
The Dregs kept their distance, sharpening scavenged weapons and muttering about wasted resources. They didn't like how quickly Han Fei had become a symbol.
Shen Yuan could feel the divide widening with every passing hour.
Yun Xue stepped up beside him, scanning the crowd. "You see it too," she said quietly.
"Yes," Shen Yuan said.
"We have to unify them before this gets out of hand," she said. "If you don't, this camp will tear itself apart the moment the Bone Court attacks again."
He looked at her, weighing the steadiness in her gaze. "Then help me hold it together."
Yun Xue nodded once. "I already am."
By nightfall, the survivors gathered for the first formal council they'd had since Jurok Ironveil's retreat. Shen Yuan stood at the center, leaning heavily on his spear, ribs still bound. Yun Xue flanked him on one side, Han Fei on the other.
"Supplies from the caravan give us enough to survive another two weeks," Shen Yuan began. "But that's all. We can't stay here, and we can't scatter. If we do, the Bone Court will pick us off one by one."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some nodded grimly; others shifted uneasily.
"We hit another caravan," someone suggested. "Keep moving, keep taking what we can."
"That's not sustainable," Yun Xue said sharply. "We'll run out of targets before long. And every ambush risks bringing the Bone Court's full force down on us."
"Then we run," a Dreg muttered from the back.
"And go where?" Han Fei asked. He stepped forward, scarred shoulder bared to the firelight. "Do you think there's a canyon they can't reach? A hole they won't dig us out of? You've all seen what they do to the branded. If we run, they will find us, and they will finish us."
His voice carried, striking a chord among the branded captives. They murmured agreement, eyes bright.
Yun Xue's jaw tightened. "We're not ready to fight the Bone Court head-on," she said. "And we're not strong enough to hold territory."
"Then we make ourselves ready," Han Fei said.
Shen Yuan raised a hand, silencing the argument before it could spiral.
"We don't have the luxury of waiting anymore," he said. "The Bone Court is consolidating branded captives at the Nexus. If they succeed, there will be no one left to fight. No one left to save."
He met the eyes of the survivors one by one.
"We train. We strengthen. We break every brand we can and bring every survivor we can find into this camp. We don't run anymore."
The next days were grueling.
Yun Xue took command of training, drilling the survivors relentlessly. She turned unarmed scavengers into coordinated units, showing them how to fight in formation, how to break suppression talismans mid-battle, how to survive longer than a single strike from a Bone Court enforcer.
Shen Yuan managed the rest—rationing supplies, overseeing the wounded, working with the System to expand its brand-removal protocols.
[ NEW CRAFTING FUNCTION: MULTI-SUBJECT BRAND REMOVAL – BETA ][ WARNING: SURVIVAL PROBABILITY DECREASES WITH GROUP SIZE ]
He would need to master it quickly if they were to free more captives.
Han Fei threw himself into the work, moving tirelessly between the branded captives and the unbranded Dregs, convincing them they could be more than prey. His presence was magnetic.
And that was the problem.
On the fifth night, Yun Xue approached Shen Yuan at the edge of camp.
"They listen to him more than they listen to you," she said, voice low.
"I know," Shen Yuan said.
"He's not trying to undermine you," Yun Xue admitted. "But it doesn't matter. If there's a split, they'll choose him."
Shen Yuan looked out over the campfires. Han Fei stood at the center, laughing with a group of branded captives, his scar catching the light like a banner.
"I don't care who they choose," Shen Yuan said. "As long as they're strong enough to survive."
"That's not enough," Yun Xue said. "If this group fractures in the middle of a fight, we're finished. You need to lead. Not just stand in the center and hope they follow."
He met her gaze and saw the same determination that had carried her through Jurok's suppression net.
"Then I'll lead," Shen Yuan said quietly. "But I can't do it without you."
Yun Xue nodded. "You won't have to."
By the end of the week, the camp had transformed.
The survivors—Dregs and branded alike—moved with purpose. They trained in shifts, dug defensive positions around the canyon, and freed more captives from their brands. Each success drew more people to their cause.
But with every day that passed, Shen Yuan felt the net tightening. The Bone Court would not let this rebellion grow unchecked.
And when they struck, it would be with more than scouts and caravans.
[ BONE COURT RESPONSE FORCE PROBABILITY: 97% – FULL ENFORCER DEPLOYMENT ]
That night, Shen Yuan stood at the highest ridge of the canyon, looking out at the distant glow of the Nexus.
"We're running out of time," he said.
Yun Xue joined him, arms folded. "Then we hit them first."
Shen Yuan nodded slowly.
"They won't expect it," he said.