The afternoon sunlight filtered lazily through the tinted windows of the executive office, painting golden highlights across the sleek, modern furniture. Lin Chen sat quietly behind the desk, staring at the financial data on the tablet in front of him. Numbers danced like code from another world, but his eyes weren't truly focused on them.
He could feel it.
That growing sensation in the pit of his stomach—the awareness of being watched, not by a stalker or a camera, but by the shifting undercurrents of power. The aftermath of the "Operation Shellfall," as he'd privately dubbed it, had left more than just a profitable void in the market. He had decapitated a rotten company propped up by unknown backers, and now… something—or someone—was probing back.
The system had been silent since the emergency task, though it flickered with activity occasionally. Salvator, ever cryptic, had left him with just a line:
"Observation phase: Initiated."
A chill ran down his spine even now.
And that was when she walked in.
Li Chu didn't knock—she never did.
Her presence filled the room like incense smoke—elegant, intoxicating, and impossible to ignore. She wore a charcoal-gray pantsuit today, perfectly tailored, with a deep green silk blouse that matched her sharp, feline eyes. She walked over to the edge of the desk, set down a thin leather folder, and leaned against it, one leg crossed over the other.
"You made quite the mess, Mr. Lin," she said softly, lips curving into a smile that never quite reached her eyes.
Lin Chen straightened in his seat, masking his alertness with a cool smile. "Mess? I thought I was cleaning one up."
"Oh, you cleaned something, alright," she replied, flicking open the folder. Inside were pictures—surveillance stills, timestamps, names. His aliases, his transactions, even the shell corporation he'd quietly used as a decoy during the last operation. "Too clean, in fact. Almost surgical."
He didn't speak. He knew this moment would come.
Li Chu studied him carefully. "You used to be a struggling entry-level analyst. Now you're pulling strings like a seasoned predator. Either you've been hiding a lot more than I thought, or someone—something—is helping you."
Her gaze lingered on his face, searching. He kept his expression calm.
"And what do you think?" he asked.
She said nothing for a moment. Then, finally, she closed the folder and slid it away. "I think you're not entirely human anymore."
That word should have sounded like an accusation. It didn't.
It sounded like fascination.
Li Chu wasn't an ordinary woman—Lin Chen had known that from the start. Her instincts were razor-sharp, and her network reached deeper than most intelligence agencies. She was testing him, yes. But she was also trying to decide something.
"So," she said, stepping around the desk. "Let's say I believe you have access to something… otherworldly. A program. A prototype. A… system."
He tensed.
She caught it. "Not denying it? That's smart."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then she walked closer.
"I've cleared the records on your last operation," she said abruptly. "Anyone digging deeper will hit dead ends. You're clean."
Lin Chen stared at her. "Why?"
"Because I'm not ready for the world to eat you alive yet." She smiled. "Not until I understand whether I'm dealing with a threat… or an asset."
Her hand brushed lightly across the edge of his tablet as if to test his reaction. "And because, if I'm right, there are people far more dangerous than me who'll want to dissect you, Lin Chen."
He didn't flinch. "You included?"
Li Chu gave him a grin that sent ice down his spine. "That depends. Can you keep surviving?"
Just as she left the office, the system reactivated with a silent chime.
[Hidden Mission Complete: Under Surveillance]
You have withstood suspicion from a high-level observer.
Reward: +300 Gold, +5 Luck, Relationship Flag (Li Chu: Curiosity Level Increased)
Then another screen popped up:
[New Mission: Trust Acquired]
Objective: Gain Li Chu's trust by proving reliability in joint action. Mission failure may result in suspicion reset.
Reward: Module Access – "Influence Expansion."
"Figures," Lin Chen muttered under his breath.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes flickering toward the skyline.
Li Chu had covered his tracks.
She was testing him—probing both his limits and his source. But beneath her cool demeanor, Lin Chen saw something else too: interest, wariness… and perhaps even a sliver of respect.
For now, it was enough.
That evening, Lin Chen received three encrypted emails:
The first was from an offshore account confirming the collapse of the shell company he had taken down.
The second came from a cybersecurity firm he hadn't contacted—someone had scrubbed his digital trail to near-perfection. No trace left of his activities.
The third was unsigned.
"You're not the only one who sees the future.
But you're learning fast.
Let's see how long you survive.
– V"
He stared at the message for a long moment, then deleted it.
Whoever "V" was, they knew something. But Lin Chen had no time to chase shadows right now.
Later that night, Li Chu called him again—an unusual break in pattern.
"Meet me," she said. No location. Just a time.
He arrived at a private rooftop overlooking the city, where she stood in silence, staring down at the metropolis.
"You're not curious why I helped?" she asked after a long moment.
"I assume you had your reasons."
She turned to him, one brow arched. "Most people would've asked a thousand questions by now."
"I'm not most people."
"That," she said, stepping closer, "is why I'm still interested."
Another pause.
"You're going to be hunted," she said simply. "If you keep winning, keep surviving—they'll notice. And they'll come. I've seen it before."
Lin Chen studied her. "And if I stop?"
"Then you die slower. That's all."
The wind whipped around them, swirling city lights into a blur of movement.
"You're not ready yet," she said softly. "But you will be."