CHAPTER 296: CHAPTER 297 - SECRET CONTACT

Dinner time came around. Muchen personally made the food and handed it out to everyone. It was just hamburger helper with a few biscuits on the side. No one complained much. Everyone was too tired from the events of the day.

After eating, Zei collapsed onto the sofa, breathing heavily. "Gods, why is it getting harder for me to control my freeze time..." he mumbled, rubbing his head. "It was never like this before. I could do it with ease, but now..."

Yunfeng glanced at him, frowning quietly. That didn’t sound right. It reminded him too much of what happened to him—when his powers were weakening, and his body felt off after that injection. He narrowed his eyes. Maybe it wasn’t just him. Maybe they all had been drugged. That would explain why Zei was feeling like this too. Maybe the drug they were testing on them wasn’t just about hurting—maybe it was about controlling or draining their powers.

He stayed quiet, but his frown deepened.

Muchen noticed and sat beside him, gently touching his forehead where the skin was still grimy from earlier. "What are you thinking about so deeply?"

Yunfeng didn’t answer directly. Instead, he pulled him a bit closer. "Let’s get rid of all the bugs in the house."

Without saying anything more, Yunfeng began going around the house, searching carefully. He checked the corners, the lights, under the furniture—every spot he could think of. He found a few small bugs in hidden places. Once he gathered them, he took them out and burned them until they turned to ash.

It wasn’t the ideal solution. Honestly, the smart thing to do was leave the house completely. But with Shao and Jai both stuck in their current conditions, they couldn’t risk moving them yet.

They had no choice but to stay where they were and handle it as best they could.

The house had finally quieted down after a long and exhausting day. One by one, everyone drifted off to sleep, the tension from earlier slowly dissolving into silence. Even Zei, who usually snored at full volume, was out like a light, his arm hanging limply over the side of the sofa. Muchen had curled up beside Yunfeng, head resting on his shoulder, his breathing even and calm. Qiu Yue was already passed out, glasses askew, papers scattered on his bed. Lu Zhi lay bundled under too many blankets, his bags of weapons shoved messily in a corner.

But not everyone slept.

Yuki’s eyes fluttered open. The little monkey still clung to her chest, its tiny hands curled tight into the fabric of her shirt, as if sensing her unease even in sleep. She sat up slowly, making sure Hana remained asleep beside her. The older girl’s arm had been loosely draped around her protectively, but it fell away easily as Yuki slid out from under it.

Barefoot, she tiptoed to the door and slipped out into the hallway. The dim night-lights cast long shadows on the walls. Her fingers clenched around the small keychain she always kept hidden. It looked like a normal trinket to anyone else, but she knew how to press the side just right. The hidden button was almost invisible, but her thumb found it with practiced ease.

She held the device close to her lips and whispered, barely audible. "Can anyone hear me? They’re too powerful. I don’t know how long I can stay here without getting noticed."

Her small voice trembled. The monkey clung tighter, burying its face into her chest like it too felt the fear thrumming through her.

"Yuki?"

The voice was soft and close. Yuki froze. She whipped around, her fingers tightening around the monkey like a lifeline.

Hana stood in the hallway, rubbing her eyes sleepily, her hair a mess. She blinked slowly, clearly not fully awake. "Who were you talking to? Alone..."

Yuki’s breath caught. For a split second, she couldn’t speak. But then Hana just yawned and walked toward her, not suspicious at all.

"Did you have a nightmare or something?" Hana mumbled as she gently pulled Yuki into a hug. "It’s okay. Let’s go get some water then, yeah?"

Yuki’s heart was hammering against her ribs so loudly she was sure Hana could hear it. If it had been anyone else who found her out here—Muchen, Zei, even Yunfeng—she’d be dead. She didn’t doubt it for a second. Burned alive. Torn apart. Something awful. She was sure of it.

But this girl, this airhead... Hana always chalked up her odd behavior to Yuki being a weird kid. Even now, she just assumed she’d been mumbling nonsense to herself. As always.

If not for that, Yuki didn’t know how she would have lasted this long inside this house full of dangerous people. She glanced down at the monkey who peeked out from under her chin, its eyes just as wide as hers.

"...Yeah. Water sounds good," Yuki whispered back, forcing her voice to stay calm.

And silently, she followed Hana to the kitchen.

The kitchen was dim, lit only by the faint orange glow of the stove clock. Hana didn’t bother turning on the light as she shuffled barefoot across the cold floor. She reached up into the cupboard and pulled down two mismatched plastic cups with sleepy fingers, yawning again.

Yuki trailed behind her quietly, every step measured and light. Her little fingers still clutched the keychain, hidden behind her back now, out of sight.

"You really do talk to yourself a lot, huh," Hana said softly, as she filled the cups with water from the filter. "When I first met you, I thought you were one of those haunted kids from a horror movie. Like, seriously. Always whispering, clutching that weird monkey." She giggled sleepily. "But you’re kinda cute, so it’s okay."

Yuki said nothing. She forced a small smile, lips trembling at the corners. She took the cup offered to her with both hands, nodding quietly in thanks.

Hana leaned against the counter, sipping her water. She didn’t seem to notice how tense Yuki was. She didn’t see the flicker of panic still darting behind the child’s eyes, or the way she kept glancing at the hallway like she expected someone else to appear any second.

"You know, I always wanted a little sister," Hana mumbled. "Back before all this... crap started. I used to ask Mom all the time. Now I guess you’re kind of like one."

Yuki froze.

"...You don’t have to say anything," Hana continued after a moment. "I know you’re not really good with words. But you’re family now. No matter what. Brother Yunfeng said he’d protect everyone in this house. That means you too, okay?"

Yuki stared at her, silent. Hana smiled faintly, eyes glassy with exhaustion, and reached forward to ruffle her hair.

That simple, careless affection nearly made Yuki flinch.

She didn’t deserve it.

But she didn’t move away.

The monkey shifted slightly in her arms, its small head poking out as it made a tiny chirping sound. Hana glanced down and grinned. "You really love that thing, huh? What’s its name again?"

"Yu," Yuki replied softly. "Just... Yu."

"That’s easy to remember," Hana said, yawning again as she turned back toward the hallway. "Come on, let’s get back to bed before someone else wakes up and scolds us for wandering around."

Yuki nodded once and followed her back down the hall, her small feet silent on the floorboards.

As Hana climbed into bed and patted the space beside her, Yuki hesitated just a moment. Then she tucked the keychain back into her pocket, slid in under the covers, and let Hana’s arm rest around her again.

The house remained quiet.

But Yuki couldn’t sleep. She lay there stiffly, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling while the monkey nestled close to her cheek.

They’re too powerful, she thought. If command doesn’t come soon, I won’t last much longer...

The thought echoed in her mind.

And beside her, Hana began to softly snore.

Yuki didn’t move for a long time. She stayed still under Hana’s arm, listening to the girl’s slow, rhythmic breathing, and the quiet creaks of the house settling into night. Somewhere down the hall, a floorboard groaned. Pipes rattled faintly. But everything remained peaceful.

Too peaceful.

She blinked slowly, barely daring to shift the monkey clutched in her arms. Its tiny paw rested just under her chin. If it made another sound, Hana might stir again. That would be... inconvenient.

She waited.

Another ten minutes passed.

Once she was sure Hana was deeply asleep, Yuki slowly slipped out from under her arm. The blanket rustled only slightly as she slid off the bed, keeping one hand firmly over the monkey’s mouth just in case.

Barefoot, she padded toward the window. It was still cracked open from earlier when someone had aired the room out. Carefully, she pulled the curtain aside and peered into the street.

Ash still floated gently through the air, remnants of the firestorm Yunfeng had caused. Burnt-out shells of homes and towers lined the block. Somewhere far in the distance, a low, steady thump echoed—likely the military still responding to the chaos.

Yuki glanced down at her hand, then pressed the button on the keychain again. The light flickered red this time. A signal had gone out.

They have to respond soon.

She brought it to her lips and whispered again. Her voice was small, almost inaudible, but laced with quiet urgency.

"This is agent Y-12. Please confirm receipt. Embedded status still intact. Subject YF has regained powers. I repeat—Subject YF has regained full abilities. Side effects of the control drug appear temporary. Behavioral shift noted. Monitoring ongoing. Request instructions."

There was no reply, just the soft red glow of the button fading out.

She waited a moment longer, then pulled the keychain to her chest and shut the window quietly. She turned back to the sleeping girl sprawled across the bed. Hana had kicked the blanket halfway off again, her face buried against the pillow, hair sticking up in wild directions.

Yuki stared at her for a long time.

Hana had protected her without reason.

She had never asked questions, never treated her like a stranger. When Yuki mumbled into her communicator, Hana never pried. She simply nodded and assumed Yuki was being odd again. It should have made her careless. It should have been a liability.

But instead, it had kept her alive.

Yuki walked over to the bed and stood beside it, still hugging the monkey to her chest. Its small glass eyes glinted faintly in the darkness.

"I don’t like this mission anymore," she whispered softly to no one.

The monkey didn’t respond.

Hana snored.

Yuki climbed back into bed slowly and turned her back to the girl this time, curling up on the edge, eyes wide open.

She didn’t sleep.

She never really slept anymore.