The fading mark on the unconscious operative's neck flared bright red the instant Wei Liang leaned in to examine it, and Xu's warning came a half-second too late.
"Get back—"
The operative's body convulsed once, then erupted in a burst of raw qi that flattened the surrounding scree and sent Wei Liang skidding backward across the rock. Shen Yue and Brigh dove clear as the shockwave rolled past them, the unconscious man's chest caving inward as whatever the mark triggered consumed him from the inside out.
"Self-destruct," Liu Che said, staring at what remained. "Rigged into the mark itself. Triggered on capture, probably, or on a timer none of us could see."
"Or triggered remotely," Xu said grimly. "The Warden watching through some connection tied to that mark, deciding the moment we sta
