Darkness swallowed the ruins.
For a heartbeat, everything was gone.
Lin Xia’s eyes darted. LX-02 screamed in her skull—erratic, wild, alive. The manipulator wasn’t attacking. He was evolving.
Gu Tingche pressed close from behind, anchoring her. Heat radiated from his body, steady. Even in chaos, even in fear.
“Stay with me,” he whispered. Lips brushing her ear.
She shivered. Pulse racing.
The first wave of drones struck.
Red arcs hissed from the machines. Instinct kicked in. LX-02 guided her through a corridor of fallen beams. Sparks kissed her hair; hot metal grazed her arm.
“Gu Tingche!” she shouted, twisting mid-air. He dove, rolling with her. Bodies collided. Breath mingled. Heart racing.
“Careful,” he murmured, low. Teasing. Almost intimate.
She flushed. “I’m fine.”
LX-02 p
