The night outside the old railway shed felt endless.
Cold wind blew across the empty wasteland, lifting sand into the air like ghosts rising from the ground.
The moon was half-covered by clouds, giving the world a dim silver color.
The broken metal walls of the shed made soft, sad noises each time the wind hit them.
Inside the shed, everyone was quiet.
Kai sat near the entrance with her rifle ready, eyes sharp, shoulders tense.
Chen Gu crouched beside Yin Lie, checking his pulse every few minutes.
Thorne hid under a stack of broken crates, shaking like a frightened kitten and whispering prayers to any god he could think of.
Qin Mian wasn't thinking about the cold.
She wasn't thinking about danger.
She wasn't even thinking about herself.
She only watched Yin Lie.
He lay on a pile of old blankets, still as stone.
His skin was pale, almost colorless.
His breathing was soft and uneven, like every breath hurt.
Qin Mian held his hand tightly.
Her fingers were stiff from the cold, but she didn't care.
She whispered:
"Lie… don't leave me. Wake up… please wake up…"
Her voice trembled every time she said his name.
She didn't know how long she had been sitting there—
maybe hours, maybe longer.
She didn't sleep.
She didn't blink for long.
She just waited.
Hoping.
Fearing.
Praying.
A Small Movement
Then—
A tiny movement broke the silence.
Yin Lie's fingers twitched.
Just for a second.
Qin Mian gasped softly, her breath catching.
"Lie…? Lie! Can you hear me?"
Chen Gu rushed over, almost dropping his lantern.
Kai turned her head, eyes narrowing.
Thorne hit his head on a crate but crawled closer anyway.
Yin Lie's fingers twitched again.
And then—
A blue glow crawled under his skin.
It started at his wrist, like a faint frost trail.
Then slowly spread up his arm, toward his shoulder, his neck, his face.
Qin Mian froze.
Chen Gu whispered:
"This… this isn't good…"
Kai gripped her gun tighter.
"What's happening now?"
"The power fusion…" Chen Gu muttered. "It's still unstable. His energy is reacting to his brain waking up."
Qin Mian's voice shook.
"Will he be okay?"
Chen Gu didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Nobody knew.
The First Breath
Yin Lie suddenly gasped—
a sharp, painful inhale like someone waking from drowning.
His entire body jerked.
Qin Mian nearly screamed in shock, but she held him down gently, her hands shakily touching his shoulders.
"Lie! I'm here, I'm here—look at me—please—"
His eyelids quivered.
Slowly—
very slowly—
they opened.
And Qin Mian felt her heart stop.
His left eye glowed cold blue.
His right eye shimmered with shifting geometric patterns, like a star collapsing and rebuilding itself.
He wasn't the Yin Lie she knew.
Not entirely.
He looked… different.
Changed.
Like a piece of him was missing—
and something else had crawled into the empty space.
But when he saw Qin Mian's face, he blinked.
Once.
Twice.
His lips parted.
And he whispered:
"…Mian…"
Qin Mian's tears finally fell.
"You remember me," she said, voice breaking.
"Thank god… you remember me…"
His eyes focused on her as if she was the only thing in the world.
But the moment lasted only a heartbeat.
Then his expression twisted—
his brows pulled tight—
his jaw clenched—
his hands grabbed his head.
"Too loud…"
His voice was raw.
"Too many sounds… the wind is screaming… the sand—crying… I hear… everything…"
Qin Mian's face went white.
Chen Gu whispered:
"His senses overlapped. Wolf hearing, ice focus, Keystone resonance… all mixing together. His brain can't handle it."
Kai tensed.
"And if he loses control—?"
Chen Gu swallowed.
"It might tear him apart from the inside."
Qin Mian shook her head wildly.
"No! No, he won't—Lie, listen to me—look at me—"
She cupped his cheeks between her palms.
Yin Lie's breathing was fast, uneven.
The glow in his eyes flickered like unstable flames.
He looked terrified.
Like a child lost in darkness.
"…Mian…? Is this… real…?"
His voice was so small it hurt to hear.
Qin Mian leaned her forehead against his.
"It's real. I'm real. You're safe."
She whispered the words again and again.
Soft.
Warm.
Steady.
He trembled.
But the ice glow softened.
The lines around his eyes relaxed.
His breathing slowed.
Until finally—
he whispered:
"…don't… leave…"
A tear slid down Qin Mian's cheek.
"I won't. Never."
Yin Lie's body relaxed in her arms.
Slowly—
he drifted back into sleep.
Something Wrong… Something Coming
Kai lowered her gun, exhaling.
"He's stable. For now."
Chen Gu wiped sweat from his forehead.
"That was dangerous. Too dangerous. If he wakes wrong again—"
"We'll help him," Qin Mian whispered, brushing Yin Lie's hair from his forehead.
"Whatever it takes."
Chen Gu studied her for a moment.
Then nodded.
"…He trusts you more than anyone. Maybe that's why he came back."
Thorne sniffled loudly.
"Can we… talk about the fact he can literally hear the sand?
Like—sand?! SAND??? Why would sand cry?!"
Kai kicked him.
"Shut up."
But before anyone could relax—
Yin Lie suddenly tensed.
His fingers tightened around Qin Mian's sleeve.
His whisper was weak, but filled with dread:
"…hunters…"
Qin Mian's heart jumped.
"Lie?"
He opened his eyes halfway.
"…they're close…"
Chen Gu stiffened.
Kai grabbed her rifle.
Thorne crawled under a table.
"What?! WHAT'S CLOSE?!"
Yin Lie's voice was barely a breath:
"…metal… red eyes… crawling…"
Kai cursed.
"Crawlers. Already? Damn it—"
Qin Mian held Yin Lie closer.
"No… he just woke up… he can't fight…"
Kai checked outside through the broken wall.
Her eyes widened.
Dozens of red dots were moving in the dark.
Low to the ground.
Fast.
Silent.
Metal legs clicked on sand.
Coming toward the shed.
Chen Gu whispered a single, hopeless word:
"…we're surrounded…"
Qin Mian hugged Yin Lie tightly, heart pounding in terror.
"Lie… don't wake up again… don't push yourself…"
But Yin Lie's eyes opened, glowing faintly.
And he whispered:
"…don't let them… take you…"
The Crawlers reached the door.
Their red lights filled the entrance like the eyes of hungry beasts.
And Qin Mian realized—
she was the only thing keeping Yin Lie alive.
And now—
she might have to protect him.
With her own life.
—Chapter 85 End