The silence following the auditorium reveal didn't last long. By the time Lin Xia and Lin Yu returned to their dorm, the atmosphere on campus had shifted from shock to a cold, predatory anticipation. The Student Council didn't take public humiliation lightly, and the Jiang family was even less forgiving.
"You shouldn't have done it, Xia," Yu whispered, her hands trembling as she packed a small bag. Her eyes were red, the fear of the Jiang family's retaliation overriding the brief moment of triumph she had felt on stage. "They'll come for us. You don't know what Jiang Meili is capable of when her reputation is at stake".
Xia gripped Yu's shoulders, her gaze fierce. "Let them come. We aren't hiding anymore, Yu-Yu. I'm Nebula, and you're Titan. Together, we can rewrite their entire world".
Xia didn't mention that she suspected they had a third ally—the "mediocre" Gu Yanchen, who seemed to haunt the edges of every digital battlefield she entered.
The Silent Ward
Deep within the most restricted wing of the Lin Estate, a room existed that was never spoken of in public. It was a place of white marble and hushed breathing, where the "Lady of the House"—the mysterious twin sister of the girls' father—had lain in a coma for twenty years.
Jiang Meili stood over the bed, her face a mask of suppressed rage. The "Titan" incident had reached the ears of the Lin family elders, and her position was becoming precarious.
"If that brat thinks she can ruin my daughter's future, she has another thing coming," Meili hissed, reaching out to adjust the Lady's IV drip. "Everything I've built depends on you staying silent".
But as Meili turned to leave, a faint, rhythmic sound echoed in the room. It wasn't the steady beep of the heart monitor. It was a finger tapping against the silk sheets.
Dot-dot-dash-dot.
Meili froze. She turned back, her breath hitching. The Lady's eyes were still closed, but her hand was moving—a precise, calculated sequence that mirrored the very code Xia and Yu used to communicate.
The ghost was waking up.
The Midnight Warning
Back at the university, Xia was startled by a soft knock on the dorm door. She checked her hidden monitor; the hallway was supposedly empty, the Student Council's cameras looped in a perfect, silent circle.
She opened the door to find Gu Yanchen leaning against the frame. He wasn't wearing his usual bored expression. His obsidian eyes were sharp, scanning the room before settling on Xia.
"The Jiangs have moved the 'Lady' to a private facility," Yanchen said, his voice a low hum that barely carried past the threshold. "They know the resonance from the auditorium triggered something in her".
Xia's heart hammered. "How do you know about her? And why are you telling me this?"
Yanchen stepped closer, the intimidating scene causing Xia to back up into the room. He reached out, his fingers grazing the edge of the desk where Yu's soldering iron still lay warm. "Because a mediocre student like me has a lot of time to listen to the city's pulse," he said, a predatory smirk playing on his lips. "And right now, the city is screaming. If you want to save her, you'll need more than just code. You'll need an Architect".
The pulse of the city was beating. The Architect was finally stepping out of the shadows. Nebula was realizing the game was much larger than the university. And the Shadow Twin was hearing the first call of her true blood.