The silence in the auxiliary archives pressed in on them.Lin Wei and Liu Fang stood frozen, staring at the doorway where the faint echo of footsteps faded.
Someone had been there.Close enough to watch them read the confidential report.Close enough to slip away without a sound.
Liu Fang clutched the folder tighter.
"Lin Wei…"Her voice was barely a whisper."We're not alone here."
Lin Wei stepped forward, positioning himself slightly in front of her—an instinct now.
"We need to leave," he said quietly."Slowly. Don't run."
Liu Fang nodded, pale but composed.They walked down the corridor, each step careful, almost silent.
But halfway to the exit, the lights flickered.
Once.Twice.Then steadied.
Liu Fang tightened her grip on his sleeve."Power fluctuations."
"No."Lin Wei's voice was low."Someone toggled the breaker."
They reached the final corner.
Lin Wei turned it first.
And froze.
The Man Appears
A figure stood at the far end of the hallway—tall, lean, wearing a long dark coat that brushed his boots.
His face was obscured by shadow.But his posture was relaxed, almost casual.
As if he'd been waiting.
Liu Fang stopped abruptly behind Lin Wei, breath catching.
The man raised one hand in a calm, almost polite greeting.
"You followed the clues faster than I expected," he said softly.His voice was clear, smooth, educated.A voice that could belong to a scholar or a killer.
"Who are you?" Lin Wei asked.
"A colleague," the man replied."Of sorts."
Lin Wei's heart pounded.
"Did you sabotage the testing rig?"
"Yes."The man said it without hesitation."But sabotage is a crude word. I prefer to call it… an evaluation."
Liu Fang stepped forward despite her fear.
"You could have killed him."
The man tilted his head, studying her.
"No," he said simply."Not him. The bolt was weakened in a way that collapses only under a load he can detect. Had he not noticed it, I would have intervened."
Lin Wei felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"You watched?"
"I always watch," the man answered.
A Calculated Threat
The man took one slow step toward them.
Not threatening.But deliberate.
Lin Wei instinctively moved in front of Liu Fang.
The man noticed—and smiled faintly.
"You protect her," he murmured."Just as the old reports predicted."
Liu Fang's breath stopped.
"You know about me?"
"I know who matters to him," the man replied."As any serious evaluator would."
Lin Wei's jaw clenched.
"You stay away from her."
"Then prove you can keep her safe."
Before either of them could react—
The man flicked something small—almost invisible—toward the ceiling.
A metallic click.
The overhead pipe groaned.
And a support beam—rusted, neglected, and heavy—shifted dangerously above Liu Fang.
Lin Wei barely had time to shout:
"Fang! Move—!"
The beam snapped loose.
Liu Fang froze.
Not from fear—but because she calculated wrong. The fallen beam wasn't dropping straight—it swung—
Right toward her.
The world slowed.
System Trigger
[Emergency Condition Detected][Partner in Critical Danger][Activating Temporary Skill Boost: Reflex Acceleration Lv.1][Enhancing muscle response. Predictive motion enabled.]
Lin Wei didn't think.He moved.
Faster than physics should allow.Faster than he had ever moved in his life.
He lunged toward Liu Fang, grabbed her waist, and pulled her back just as the beam crashed into the floor where she had been standing.
The impact thundered through the hallway, dust exploding upward.
Liu Fang gasped against his chest, shaking violently.
But alive.
Lin Wei held her tightly, refusing to let go until the debris settled.
The Man's Judgment
The man in the long coat didn't run.He didn't attack.
He simply watched.
Then, with a soft, satisfied sigh:
"Good.Very good."
Lin Wei glared at him, fury boiling.
"What kind of test is that?! You could've killed her!"
"No," the man said calmly."You would never let that happen."
Lin Wei stepped forward.
"Why are you doing this?"
The man's tone shifted—colder, weightier.
"Because the world is changing, Lin Wei.And those who understand structures—who can shape safety and disaster—will reshape the future."
He gestured around them.
"This bureau. This city. These collapsing buildings… They are all symptoms of a deeper rot. Someone must stand above it."
Lin Wei's breath tightened.
"You think sabotage is the answer?"
"I think pressure reveals potential," the man replied."And you, Lin Wei… have passed every trial."
Lin Wei's hands curled into fists.
"What do you want from me?"
The man smiled faintly.
"Not yet.You are not ready."
He stepped back into the shadows.
"But soon… I will give you a choice."
The lights flickered—once.
When they steadied—
He was gone.
Aftermath
The silence left behind was deafening.
Liu Fang clutched Lin Wei's sleeve weakly.
"Lin Wei… who is he?"
Lin Wei exhaled slowly, helping her stand.
"I don't know."
But he did know one thing:
This wasn't sabotage.This wasn't random danger.
This was mentorship twisted into madness.A shadow seeking a successor.
And Lin Wei—with the system awakened at full vigilance—
would have to face him again.
He looked at Liu Fang—shaken but alive.
And silently vowed:
He would never let anyone use her as a test again.