What feels like the end, is often the beginning___
Chapter 4
Huiya didn't rise to the bait.
Instead, she squinted up at him, it, technically. A spirit, a program, a presence embedded in every circuit of the ship. Now personified.
"You made yourself the height of a building and gave yourself my face..." she said, unimpressed. "Are you trying to creep me out or seduce me?"
Yunhai blinked. Literally. Then grinned.
[I think I'd make a fantastic lover. Shame I'm linked to your endocrine system or I'd test the hypothesis.]
She turned and started walking toward the storage corridor.
"Follow me and I'll gut you."
[You can't. If I die, the ship crashes. Then we both die. But fine, fine. I'll keep my distance.]
He was already matching her pace though, his footsteps deliberately softened. She didn't have to look back to know he was floating a few inches off the ground, his amusement rolling off him in waves.
A Zepthorian-Ambrosian hybrid was no joke. Enhanced reflexes, impeccable memory recall, natural energy affinity and massive physical strength. Yunhai had min-maxed this form like it was a strategy sim.
Huiya reached the tech bay and activated the secure vault. The ship hissed softly as it recognized her touch.
"Let's see the toys, then."
Yunhai followed and tapped a few commands into the air. Two sleek cases materialized, one marked for external defense systems, the other glowing faintly with personal integration protocols.
[The ship's tech is an adaptive repulsion field. Even if someone tries to dock, it'll reject them like antibodies.]
"And the one for me?"
[Reinforced dermal weave with embedded sensor net. It'll monitor your vitals, adjust your body temperature, and alert me to danger. Also, bonus: retractable edge-weapons along your forearms.]
She lifted an eyebrow. "You gave me blades?"
[You like stabbing things, don't you?]
"I like surviving things."
[Same thing.]
She paused, hand hovering over the case. "Does it come with stealth features?"
[Optical camouflage, no. Full invisibility? Yes, the ship already has that]
That would do.
She activated the tech and felt it stitch itself into her skin. It didn't hurt, but it prickled, like her nerves were learning to hum in a new key.
The suit slid into place beneath her clothes, then vanished entirely from view.
Yunhai whistled.
[You look the same. But now you're 83% harder to kill.]
"I'm aiming for 100."
[Then avoid Guang'li.]
Her jaw tensed.
"I'm not afraid of him."
[Good. But fear isn't the only thing he uses against people.]
"He's a cunny bastard isn't he?"
[Definitely is! Well then, let's head out.]
"How do we even find him?"
Yunhai gave her a look like she'd asked how to breathe in vacuum. "You think I haven't already tracked him?"
She raised an eyebrow.
He lifted a hand, and a holographic interface burst to life between his fingers. Glowing city schematics unfurled, layer after layer of thermal, biometric, and energy signatures cascading across the translucent map.
"There.." Yunhai said, tapping a point in the lower sectors. "Building cluster D-43, Mirage Quarter. Private fortress disguised as a pleasure hall. Triple-shielded, six guard rotations, off-grid power source. Classic Guang'li."
Huiya narrowed her eyes. "Why there?"
"It's where he feels untouchable. Plus, he's been using their underground labs. Black market augmentations, memory erasure, maybe cloning. I pulled traffic patterns, fifteen shipments came in, nothing came out. You think he's just collecting parts?"
Her jaw clenched.
"ETA if we ghost it?" she asked.
Yunhai flicked through tactical overlays. "If we use the southeast vent path, we can be at the perimeter in thirty-seven minutes. You want stealth?"
"Always."
"Then I'll jam surveillance, reroute motion alerts, and keep your vitals masked. I'll be with you the whole time."
She nodded, stepped past him, then paused.
"Don't lag."
He grinned. "I'm your system. I literally can't."
"Yeah it will be too sad for you, if you can't keep up after all that boast."
Yunhai laughed—an easy, low sound—as he matched her pace outside the ship. His hybrid form melded effortlessly with the shadows: tall, lithe, muscles coiled beneath smooth skin that shimmered faintly under the neon glow. His sharp eyes scanned the cityscape while his footsteps made no noise on the cold concrete.
[Challenge accepted.]
The corridor lights dimmed as the ship switched to stealth mode. Huiya's dermal weave suit adjusted her body temperature to erase her heat signature, and she moved silently beside him.
Outside the ship's bay, the sprawling city lay beneath a murky night sky, thick with smog and flickering neon signs. Distant sirens and the hum of hover traffic wove into a restless urban symphony.
Yunhai tapped his fingers, projecting the city map into the air between them, routes and overlays glowing softly.
[This way. We keep low, avoid main patrols, and enter through the vent system. Once inside D-43, my sensors will pick up Guang'li's augment signals.]
"Is the pleasure house just a ruse or is he actually running it?"
[-_-]
[What do you think. Are you looking for some pleasure yourself? I mean I got a...]
Huiya slapped his mouth shut before he could say his last words.
"I don't fucking need it. I was just asking, so we can avoid it, I don't want to smell those body fluids."
[-_-]
[Or you've been too sex deprived and any little things could turn you on. I understand.]
Bang!
Huiya sent a punch straight to Yunhai's guts.
[Yup. I deserved that one.]