SECTOR XIII – THE STRATEGIC BUNKER
Colonel Mei Xun lived in war.
Her quarters were steel and silence. No decoration. No softness. The walls bore maps of past operations, and every datapad on her table blinked with the lifeblood of current conflicts: resource raids, rebel suppression, tech distribution.
She didn't drink. Didn't rest.
She simply functioned.
Once, she called Su Chen her little brother.
Once, she promised she'd fight anyone who hurt him.
And then she let them shoot him.
Su Chen arrived before sunrise.
BENEATH THE BUNKER – MAINTENANCE SHAFTS
He moved like breathless shadow, feet silent on cold iron.
[System Passive: Ghost Step Activated – No sound within 3 meters][Target Identified: Mei Xun – 1 Level Above]
He paused outside a vent leading into her war room.
He could see her—seated, sharp, typing commands into three terminals at once.
Calm. Calculated. Cold.
He pulled a small disc from his coat — a Neuro-Halo hacked and customized.
Not to kill.
To show her everything she'd buried.
[Skill Activated: Guilt Loop (Prototype)]Overlays the target's sensory stream with reconstructed betrayal memories. Forces emotional flashbacks in real-time.[Duration: 180 seconds]
INSIDE THE ROOM
Mei's head jerked up as the disc landed and blinked blue.
And then… her vision folded in on itself.
Suddenly, she was there again—in the council room. The moment before Su Chen's execution.
He was strapped to the table.
Bleeding.
Looking right at her.
"Mei," he whispered. "Help me."
And she… turned away.
REALITY TWISTED
Now she saw him everywhere.
Su Chen in every mirror.
Su Chen's voice echoing from the speakers:
"You knew I was innocent."
"You called me family."
"And you let them end me like a threat."
She screamed and grabbed her pistol, firing into the shadows — but the images didn't stop.
"I begged you," he whispered again.
FROM ABOVE
Su Chen watched silently as she broke. Not physically — but emotionally. Her hands trembled. She dropped to her knees.
"It wasn't supposed to be like that," she muttered. "You were dangerous—"
"I was loyal," Su's voice cut through.
The system deactivated.
The room fell silent.
And then he stepped through the vent.
THE CONFRONTATION
Mei Xun looked up at him — a ghost wearing a pulse.
"Su Chen…"
"Colonel," he said mockingly. "Still so… disciplined."
"They told me you were beyond saving. You had the infection. I—I thought I was protecting you."
"You were protecting their lie."
"You were too powerful. They feared what you might become."
He crouched beside her.
"And now they'll see what I became because of you."
He handed her a small data shard.
She stared at it.
"What's this?"
"Your entire record," he said. "Every decision. Every compromise. Every 'greater good' that cost people their lives."
"I sent it to every rebel faction five minutes ago. In forty-eight hours, the name 'Mei Xun' will be synonymous with 'war criminal.'"
Her mouth opened.
Closed.
"You were the last one I hoped wouldn't betray me," Su Chen said. "You were the one that hurt worst."
She looked like she was about to speak—say sorry, beg, scream.
But Su Chen just walked away.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
[Emotional Penetration Achieved: 94%][Trait Gained: Broken Oath]Those who swore loyalty and broke it suffer increased psychological collapse and are more easily manipulated.[Cooldown: 12 hours]
LATER – RAIN FALLS OUTSIDE A DERELICT CHURCH
Su Chen stood beneath the broken cross.
Lit a cigarette.
Three names down.
Four to go.
"Zhang Wei. Lin Yue. Mei Xun."
"All I've done is start bleeding their edges."
"Time to go deeper."
The rain hissed against the fire in his lungs.
"Next is the one who sold me."
"The one who made profit off my corpse."
"Minister Ren."
End of Chapter 8