The ruins were alive.
Every pulse of the Shadow Grid throbbed beneath Lin Xia’s skin. LX-02 screamed—not in sound, but in sensation, vibrating from her spine to her temples.
Gu Tingche’s hand tightened around hers. His touch anchored her, even as chaos clawed at their senses.
“New pulse,” she muttered, eyes scanning the fractured light. Red arcs flickered unpredictably, distorting the Grid’s lattice.
“It’s not him,” Gu Tingche said, voice low, controlled. “Something else…alive in the Grid.”
Lin Xia’s stomach twisted. LX-02 shuddered violently. The unknown signal was spreading—pulsing, feeding off their actions, learning faster than the manipulator ever had.
The first drone struck.
She leapt, guided by LX-02. Sparks kissed her shoulder. A metal shard grazed her cheek.
Gu Tingche rol
