CHAPTER 264: CHAPTER 264: IT’S A LITTLE CREEPY

Tianming flinched.

The sound of the spoon hitting the ground echoed louder than it should have.

Wei Sheng’s smile didn’t falter. If anything, it deepened.

"What game?" Qingran asked, voice light.

Wei Sheng tilted his head. "The one with the ropes, of course."

No one moved.

Ruihuang’s fingers twitched where they rested on the table.

"Must’ve been a dream..." Wei Sheng went on, laughing softly. "Funny, though. It felt so real. Like I could feel the ropes around my wrists. And someone’s fist. Right here.." he tapped his cheek, then frowned. "But there’s nothing there now, right?"

He turned his face toward Yu Song.

"Isn’t that weird?"

Yu Song didn’t speak. His jaw was clenched so tight it looked like it might crack.

Meng Nian forced a brittle laugh. "Dreams do that sometimes..."

"Mm." Wei Sheng nodded, eyes still fixed on Yu Song. "But don’t you hate it? When you can’t tell what’s a dream and what’s real? Especially when it feels like someone else is in your head?"

He said it softly.

Qingran rose from the table, her bowl barely touched.

"We should get moving.." she said. "The kids will be waking up soon. Let’s finish cleanup."

That broke the spell.

Chairs scraped back. Dishes clattered. The rest of them stood, slowly, movements stiff and cautious.

Wei Sheng stood too, stretching his arms like a cat waking from a nap. "Right. Let’s do something fun today."

"Sure.." Ruihuang said tightly. "Something fun."

They didn’t speak again until Wei Sheng wandered off to the back hall.

Once he was out of sight, Tianming exhaled hard. "Did he remember what happened??"

"He’s pretending not to.." Yu Song muttered.

"No..." Qingran said. "He remembers. Just not as himself."

The silence that followed was even heavier than before.

Ruihuang glanced down the hall, then turned to Qingran.

"How long are we going to pretend?"

"As long as we need to.." she said.

Her eyes were dark with something unreadable.

"He’s the puppet now.." she murmured, "but someone else is pulling the strings."

The sun hadn’t fully risen when the group began preparations to explore more of Sector G.

There were still a few unopened corridors sealed tight with rusted bulkheads, and it was time to map them out.

Qingran adjusted the holster of her gun and gave quiet instructions to Ruihuang and Yu Song about formation and fallback signals.

Meng Nian checked their packs for supplies while Tianming lingered close, still nursing his sore throat and casting wary glances at the hallway where Wei Sheng had vanished earlier.

When Wei Sheng reappeared, he looked far too cheerful for someone supposedly recovering from a mental break. He strolled in with his hands tucked into his pockets and a lazy grin tugging at his lips.

"We exploring today?" he asked brightly, as though nothing in the last twenty-four hours had happened. "Sounds fun."

"You’re coming with us?" Yu Song asked, voice dry.

"Of course I am.." Wei Sheng beamed.

"I’ve always liked seeing new places."

He paused, then turned slightly. "Oh...what about Shen Li? She should come too."

Qingran blinked. "Shen Li?"

"Yeah. She’s sharp. Smart. We could use another good head out there."

"No," Qingran said at once. "She’s too young."

And how did he know her name? It wasn’t like Shen Li and Wei Sheng interacted.

"She’s sixteen.." Wei Sheng said, still smiling. "Same age I started hunting back home. She’ll be fine."

Qingran’s expression didn’t budge.

Until he laughed, too loudly, and added, "C’mon, let the kid tag along. I’ll watch her."

Something about the way he said it made the others tense.

He wasn’t asking.

It was too eager.

Qingran’s eyes narrowed just briefly. Then her smile surfaced, it was smooth and slow.

"Alright then.." she said. "Let’s bring her."

Behind her, Ruihuang and Meng Nian both stiffened.

Shen Li hesitated in the corridor, peeking around the corner where she’d been watching. Her eyes were wide and uncertain.

"Me?" she asked softly.

Wei Sheng turned to her and offered a hand. "Don’t be shy."

She didn’t move, neither did she accept his hand.

He stepped forward.

Just once.

And Shen Li instinctively shrank back, running to hide behind Qingran’s side.

That was all Qingran needed to see.

But she said nothing.

The metal corridor was corroded in places, its lights long dead. Only the emergency flashlights strapped to their belts illuminated the way forward.

Shen Li stayed close to Qingran, barely speaking. She gripped the handle of her blade and flinched any time Wei Sheng glanced her way.

He kept trying to draw her into conversation.

Every attempt was gentle on the surface, but something coiled beneath his words—like bait cast by someone who didn’t understand why the fish wasn’t biting.

And Shen Li wasn’t biting.

She didn’t even look at him.

Instead, she pressed against Qingran’s side and whispered, "Can I go back?"

Qingran gave her a small pat on the shoulder. "Soon. Stay with me for now."

They reached a junction, the corridor splitting into two dark, yawning paths. Meng Nian and Ruihuang fanned left. Qingran led the others right.

Wei Sheng, of course, stayed on her path.

And on Shen Li’s heels.

They found an old control room two doors down. The panels were cracked and dark, the smell of rust heavy in the air. Old maps were strewn across a long metal table, torn and faded by age.

Shen Li busied herself near the wall, using a small cloth to wipe off one of the emergency monitors. She kept her back turned to Wei Sheng.

But he crept closer anyway.

Yu Song noticed and stepped between them. "Hey, Wei Sheng.."

Wei Sheng blinked. "Hm?"

"You’re being creepy man. Give her some space, it’s getting uncomfortable.."

"I’m not doing anything."

"She doesn’t want company. Back off."

Wei Sheng tilted his head. "Why? I’m being friendly."

The silence in the room turned heavier.

Meng Nian’s voice crackled over the comma device.

"Found a sealed door. No traps detected. We’re trying to get it open."