The tunnel lights failed all at once.
Not flickering.
Not dying.
They simply turned off.
1. Darkness That Is Chosen
For a split second, there was total black.
Then emergency glow strips along the tunnel walls lit up—dim, red, insufficient. Shadows stretched unnaturally long, twisting along the concrete like living things.
Qin Mian tightened her grip on Yin Lie's arm.
"…This isn't the city," she whispered.
Kai was already moving, weapon raised.
"No," she said grimly.
"This is him."
2. Footsteps Without Echo
The sound came slowly.
Not rushed.
Not cautious.
Footsteps—steady, unhurried—approaching from deeper in the tunnel.
They echoed wrong.
Too soft for the distance. Too close for the rhythm.
Yin Lie felt it then.
Not fear.
Loss.
The absence where his resonance sense used to be screamed louder than any alarm. The world felt flatter, duller, like he was fighting half-blind.
And still—
something in him recognized the threat.
"He's here," Yin Lie said quietly.
Qin Mian's breath caught.
"…The hunter?"
"Yes."
3. The Man the Systems Do Not Track
The hunter stepped into the emergency light.
No armor.
No visible weapons—except the long rifle resting loosely against his shoulder.
A dark coat, worn and practical. Boots scuffed by long travel.
He looked ordinary.
That was the worst part.
"So," the hunter said calmly, eyes settling on them.
"You survived the interruption."
His gaze lingered on Yin Lie.
"And you paid the price I expected."
4. Qin Mian Feels the Anchor Freeze
The Anchor stirred inside Qin Mian—
then stopped.
Not suppressed.
Acknowledged.
Like prey realizing it had been seen.
Her knees weakened.
"He's not attacking," she whispered.
"He's… measuring."
The hunter smiled faintly.
"Good instincts."
5. A Conversation Instead of a Kill
Kai shifted her stance.
"You came alone," she said. "That's arrogance."
"No," the hunter replied.
"That's efficiency."
He looked at Yin Lie again.
"You broke a resonance channel," he said casually.
"Permanent damage. Impressive choice."
Yin Lie stepped forward, pain flaring violently.
"Stay away from her."
The hunter tilted his head.
"That's no longer your decision."
6. The First Shot Is Not Aimed at Them
The hunter raised his rifle.
Qin Mian screamed—
but he didn't fire at them.
He fired into the tunnel wall.
The shot did not explode.
Reality folded.
A section of the tunnel simply ceased to exist, collapsing inward without debris, without sound.
Kai swore.
"Spatial erasure," she breathed. "He's rewriting local rules."
The hunter lowered the rifle.
"You see?" he said mildly.
"I don't need to hit you."
7. Yin Lie Attacks Anyway
Yin Lie moved.
Not because it would work.
Because doing nothing meant surrender.
Ice surged from his right side—uneven, jagged, lacking the precision it once had. The Keystone responded sluggishly, patterns incomplete, fractured.
The hunter watched.
Did not move.
The ice shattered inches from him.
Not deflected.
Rejected.
Yin Lie felt the backlash tear through his nerves.
He dropped to one knee, choking on blood.
8. The Hunter Explains the Difference
"You're still dangerous," the hunter said calmly.
"But you're no longer relevant."
He stepped closer.
"One system broken. One Anchor unstable."
He glanced at Qin Mian.
"And one evolution I cannot allow to complete."
Qin Mian shook violently.
"I don't want this," she cried.
"I never asked for it!"
The hunter's gaze softened—just slightly.
"I know," he said.
"That's why it's tragic."
9. Qin Mian Steps Forward
"No," Yin Lie gasped. "Don't—"
Qin Mian stepped in front of him.
Her legs shook.
But she stood.
"If you want to end this," she said, voice breaking,
"take me."
The Anchor stirred painfully.
The hunter smiled.
"Of course."
10. Yin Lie's Broken Power Still Bites
Yin Lie roared.
Not power.
Will.
He forced himself up, ice cracking violently around his spine, Keystone geometry tearing at his perception. Something inside him screamed that this movement would cost him more than he could afford.
He didn't stop.
He slammed his palm into the ground.
Not to attack—
to collapse the space between them.
The tunnel warped.
Not controlled.
Ugly.
Violent.
Enough.
The hunter finally stepped back.
Once.
11. The Hunter Is Amused
"…Interesting," the hunter murmured.
He looked genuinely pleased.
"Even broken," he said,
"you surprise me."
He raised his rifle again.
"This is where it ends."
12. The World Interrupts
Before he could fire—
the tunnel shook violently.
Not from below.
From above.
Massive pressure slammed downward as city-level containment protocols activated. Heavy seals dropped. Emergency barriers crashed into place, splitting the tunnel network apart.
Alarms howled faintly through concrete.
The hunter frowned.
"…The Director moved early."
He lowered his rifle.
13. A Promise Instead of a Kill
The hunter stepped back into shadow.
"This isn't finished," he said calmly.
"It's just… delayed."
His gaze locked on Qin Mian.
"You will decide soon enough."
Then he was gone.
No retreat.
No trace.
Just absence.
14. Aftermath
Qin Mian collapsed into Yin Lie's arms, sobbing.
"I thought he was going to kill you," she cried.
Yin Lie held her tightly, body trembling, vision fading.
"So did I," he whispered.
Kai checked the collapsing tunnel.
"We have maybe minutes," she said. "The city's sealing everything."
Yin Lie closed his eyes.
"…Then we move."
End of the Chapter
In the dark beneath a city that no longer pretended to be neutral, a hunter stepped into the light—and stepped away again.
Not because he failed.
But because he learned.
Yin Lie stood broken, bleeding, barely functional.
Qin Mian shook in his arms, Anchor unstable but awake.
Above them, the city moved to end the problem permanently.
And for the first time since the hunt began—
they knew the truth:
They were no longer running from the world.
They were running ahead of its decision.