The Shanxi dusk painted the Datong ridge in blood-red hues, the abandoned coal mine—Xia Zhenguo's "Eclipse" lab—crouching beneath the mountain like a predator in wait. Ruoxi crouched behind a jagged outcrop, her breath shallow, the phoenix tattoo pulsing hot beneath her sleeve. Her arm's faint scar throbbed, a reminder of Hao's ambush, but the fire in her veins burned fierce—strained from Hebei, yet alive, hungry for the fight. Jiang Yukang flanked her, mask on, his silenced pistol steady, eyes glinting through slits as he scanned the mine's entrance—steel doors, drone pads, guards pacing under floodlights. Xiao Zheng knelt nearby, jammer humming, his bandaged leg and shoulder slowing him but not his resolve, laptop ready to crack the lab's core.
"Eclipse is locked tight," Xiao Zheng whispered, fingers tapping keys. "Jammer's up—drones down for eight minutes. Doors need her fire—bio-locks, like Beijing."
