CHAPTER 270: CHAPTER 270: YOU CAN’T GO ALONE

The cold hum of Sector D trailed behind her as Qingran moved quickly through the corridor, past the ration storage and backup generators, until she reached the residential wing.

Room A-12.

She keyed in the code.

The door slid open with a soft hiss.

Inside, the air was quiet and warm. The room was modest—five beds lined the walls, three of them occupied. One by Qingran herself. One by Fang Yuxi. And now, the third by Shen Li, who lay curled beneath a thick wool blanket.

Fang Yuxi looked up from her spot on the edge of her own bed, already alert.

"She stirred once," she said in a low voice. "Didn’t wake. Murmured something I couldn’t make out."

Qingran stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She moved past the footlockers and over to Shen Li’s bed.

The girl hadn’t shifted much. Her bandages were still intact. Her skin no longer carried that sickly sheen from earlier.

But her hands were clenched in the blankets, and her lips were moving faintly. Like she was still trying to scream in a dream.

Qingran reached down and gently rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Shen Li," she murmured. "It’s alright. I’m here."

The girl didn’t wake. But her fists unclenched.

Fang Yuxi stood beside her now, eyes scanning Qingran’s bloodied sleeves. "How bad was it?"

Qingran didn’t answer right away. She focused on adjusting Shen Li’s blanket, tucking it more securely beneath her chin.

"Wei Sheng is just a puppet, he’s being controlled by someone.."

Fang Yuxi exhaled, glanced back at Shen Li.

"Is she still in danger?"

"She’s the reason he came. But he won’t get near her again."

Qingran gave the girl one last look, brushing a hand across her hair, then straightened.

"Keep watching her. I need to let the others know."

Fang Yuxi nodded. "Be careful. If he’s really being controlled by someone....."

"I know."

Qingran turned and left, the door clicking softly shut behind her.

By the time she reached the main hall, she could feel the tension, she wondered what had happened.

She beaconed them to come closer, the room was tensed but nothing abnormal had happened.

"I can’t say what I want to say here so let’s go to a quiet place.."

Qingran’s voice was low, clipped. "Let’s go."

She led them out of the hall, cutting through the central corridor toward the narrow stairwell at the far end of Sector B. It wasn’t often used—not a proper staircase but a maintenance-access ramp leading into an auxiliary storage bay.

They slipped into the dim, musty space. A single overhead bulb cast a dull orange glow, shadows flickering along the concrete walls and pipes overhead. The air smelled faintly of rust and coolant.

Yu Song closed the door behind them.

Xu Tianming leaned against a shelf of sealed crates. Meng Nian stayed back, arms folded, while Ruihuang trailed in last—face grim.

Qingran had just opened her mouth when Ruihuang spoke.

"I was coming to find you anyway."

She turned to him immediately. "What is it?"

Ruihuang shook his head, his brows drawn. "It’s Wei Sheng. Or what’s left of him."

A pause passed through the group like the silence before a crash.

"What do you mean?" Meng Nian asked.

Ruihuang ran a hand through his hair, the first real sign of unease showing through. "He’s not responding anymore. Not moving, not speaking. Eyes open, pupils dilated. Like something... short-circuited inside."

Yu Song frowned. "But he’s breathing?"

"Yeah," Ruihuang said quietly. "He’s alive. Physically. But it’s like he’s not in there anymore."

The silence that followed was sharp and complete.

Qingran exhaled slowly.

So it was done.

"He’s gone," she murmured. "The one who took over... he abandoned the vessel."

Xu Tianming’s brows furrowed. "What vessel? What are you saying?"

Qingran glanced at each of them, then let the words drop without ceremony.

"His name is Bo Ran."

She didn’t expect recognition and none came.

All she saw were frowns and confused stares.

She clarified. "Its not the actual Wei Sheng. He’s just a vessel for the man named Boran, my guess, he also has a system and that’s how he was able to achieve this.."

Yu Song’s eyes narrowed. "You’re saying... the Wei Sheng we’ve been speaking to, eating with, traveling with..."

"...was never really him.." she finished. "Not for a while now. We all noticed it but I didn’t think it was that deep."

Meng Nian muttered a curse under his breath.

"Fuck."

Xu Tianming stared at the floor. "So the real Wei Sheng...?"

"I don’t know.." Qingran said honestly. "He may still be alive somewhere. Or he’s already dead, and Boran used his shell for infiltration."

"Why now?" Ruihuang asked. "Why here?"

Qingran’s gaze darkened.

"Shen Li."

Yu Song stiffened. "You’re sure?"

"She’s not ordinary.." Qingran said. "Her blood reverses infection. Maybe even halts mutation entirely. I don’t know how, not. That’s why he came here, but the main real reason, is because of me. He’s using Shen Li to get to me.."

Meng Nian’s face tightened. "So you’re saying this was personal?"

Qingran didn’t blink. "It always was."

She turned toward the wall, voice low, each word deliberate. "He wants me to come after him. That’s the real point. If he’s left the vessel now, then he’s waiting somewhere else. And he knows I’ll come looking."

Xu Tianming rubbed the back of his neck. "And what, he just lets us sit here unharmed until then?"

"He will," Qingran said. "Because I’m the only one he’s interested in now. If he knows I’m coming, he won’t hurt anyone else. Not yet."

Her words fell like ice on the group.

Yu Song’s arms crossed. "So you’re going?"

Qingran nodded. "I’ll bring Wei Sheng back. If there’s even a sliver of him left in that body... I’ll find it. That’s the real reason he used him. Because he knows Wei Sheng matters to me. Because he knows Wei Sheng would come back."

Meng Nian’s voice was sharp. "You’re not planning on going alone, are you?"

Ruihuang gave her a flat look. "That’d be stupid. One of us should come."

"I can take care of myself.." she said coolly.

"Never said you couldn’t.." Ruihuang replied without missing a beat.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Then Qingran turned, the faintest sigh leaving her lips.