Mu Chen expected Ye Fan to call him in again.
He didn't.
That was worse.
After training, Lin Lan filed the routine report in silence. Zhou Xiao didn't joke. Nobody looked Mu Chen in the eye for too long. It was like the whole team felt a shift but didn't know what to name it.
Mu Chen ate lunch alone.
He tried to taste the food. He couldn't. His mind kept replaying that half second on the mat, the way Ye Fan froze, the way the air had changed between them.
Mu Chen kept his power locked down so tight it felt like holding his breath for hours.
In the afternoon, Lin Lan told him to report to Medical for "baseline checks."
Mu Chen knew what that meant.
Not care.
Data.
The medical wing on their floor was small, but it was connected to the bigger institute network. The hallway outside had two extra cameras and a scanner that read more than just fingerprints.
Mu Chen walked in and saw a man in a white coat at a desk.
He looked up and smiled like he was friendly.
His badge said: Dr. Qiu.
"Lieutenant Mu Chen," Dr. Qiu said. "Please sit."
Mu Chen sat.
Dr. Qiu tapped on a tablet. "You're a C-class guide, late awakening. Assigned to a high-demand team. That's a heavy load."
Mu Chen answered simply. "I can manage."
Dr. Qiu's smile stayed. "We'll see."
He turned the tablet slightly so Mu Chen could see a chart. Lines. Bars. Ratings.
"Compatibility is the base of stable work," Dr. Qiu said. "We protect sentinels by pairing them with guides who match them. We protect guides by keeping them with sentinels who can hold control."
Mu Chen nodded.
Dr. Qiu tapped the screen again. A list of names appeared.
Ye Fan was near the top, with a note beside him that made Mu Chen's stomach tighten.
Low compatibility. High risk.
Dr. Qiu's voice was smooth. "Major Ye Fan is… special."
Mu Chen kept his face calm. "Yes."
"He has a history," Dr. Qiu continued. "His senses are extremely sharp. His mental pressure is high. Without the right guide support, he becomes unstable."
Mu Chen stayed quiet.
Dr. Qiu looked at Mu Chen's file. "And you are new. A late awakening guide is often more sensitive to sentinel pressure."
Mu Chen chose a safe answer. "I've trained."
Dr. Qiu nodded like he heard it often. "Training helps. Compatibility helps more."
He leaned forward slightly. "You trained today with Major Ye Fan."
Mu Chen didn't ask how Dr. Qiu knew. Cameras knew. Reports knew. The base always knew.
"Yes," Mu Chen said.
Dr. Qiu's eyes were polite and cold. "How did it feel?"
Mu Chen kept his words simple. "He's strong."
Dr. Qiu smiled. "That's not what I asked."
Mu Chen held his gaze. "It felt intense."
Dr. Qiu's smile widened a fraction, like he liked that. "Any headaches? Any ringing in your ears? Any nausea?"
Mu Chen shook his head. "No."
Dr. Qiu tapped something. "So a C-class guide feels no side effects near an A-class sentinel with high mental pressure."
Mu Chen's fingers went cold.
Dr. Qiu raised his eyes. "Interesting."
Mu Chen kept his voice neutral. "Maybe I'm a good fit."
Dr. Qiu's smile didn't move. "Fit is measured. Not guessed."
He stood. "We'll do a simple test."
Mu Chen followed him to a small room with two chairs and a screen on the wall. The chairs were placed facing each other, too close. The screen displayed a timer.
Dr. Qiu gestured. "Sit."
Mu Chen sat.
Dr. Qiu picked up a small device, like a thin metal ring. "This reads mental output. It is not painful."
Mu Chen didn't answer.
Dr. Qiu placed the ring on Mu Chen's finger, then stepped back and opened the door.
Ye Fan walked in.
Mu Chen's stomach tightened again.
Ye Fan's face was blank, but his eyes were sharp. He looked at Dr. Qiu first, then at Mu Chen.
"Why am I here?" Ye Fan asked.
Dr. Qiu's voice was calm. "Routine compatibility check. Sit, Major."
Ye Fan didn't sit right away.
His gaze stayed on Mu Chen's hand, on the ring.
Then Ye Fan's eyes lifted to Mu Chen's face.
Mu Chen held still.
Ye Fan finally sat in the chair opposite him.
Too close.
Mu Chen could feel Ye Fan's senses like heat.
Dr. Qiu tapped the timer. "For two minutes, you will maintain eye contact. No linking. No physical contact. Just presence."
Ye Fan's mouth tightened. "This is useless."
Dr. Qiu smiled. "Humor me."
The timer started.
Mu Chen lifted his eyes.
Ye Fan was looking straight at him.
Mu Chen kept his face calm.
Ye Fan's gaze didn't move.
At first, it felt like nothing.
Then Mu Chen felt Ye Fan's mind press outward, like a wave. Not a link, not a touch, but a strong presence.
A normal C-class guide would flinch.
Mu Chen didn't.
He stayed still, breathing slow.
Ye Fan's eyes narrowed, like he was listening for a crack and couldn't find one.
Thirty seconds.
Mu Chen felt the ring on his finger warm slightly. Data being collected.
One minute.
Ye Fan's control tightened. Mu Chen could see it in his jaw, in the small tension around his eyes.
Mu Chen knew what Ye Fan was doing.
Ye Fan was pushing his senses a little wider. Testing if Mu Chen would fall back.
Mu Chen didn't move.
Not because he couldn't.
Because he wouldn't give the institute proof.
One minute thirty.
Mu Chen felt something else now.
Not pressure.
Relief.
Ye Fan's storm was still there, but the edge of it softened around Mu Chen. Like Ye Fan's senses found a place where the noise didn't hurt as much.
Ye Fan's eyes flickered for the first time.
Surprise.
Then anger, like he hated needing it.
Two minutes.
The timer beeped.
Dr. Qiu stepped in, looking pleased. He took the ring off Mu Chen's finger and checked the data.
"Hm," Dr. Qiu said. "Very stable."
Ye Fan stood up fast. "Are we done?"
Dr. Qiu nodded. "For now."
Ye Fan turned to leave.
At the door, he stopped and spoke without looking back.
"Don't go to the institute alone," Ye Fan said.
Mu Chen blinked.
Dr. Qiu's smile stayed fixed.
Mu Chen's voice was quiet. "Why?"
Ye Fan's shoulders went tight. "Because they don't ask twice."
Then Ye Fan left.
The door shut.
Dr. Qiu looked at Mu Chen with a calm, bright smile. "Congratulations, Lieutenant. You may be more useful than we thought."
Mu Chen's skin went cold.
Useful.
That word was worse than weak.
Mu Chen stood up slowly. "Am I done?"
Dr. Qiu nodded. "Yes. For today."
Mu Chen walked out under the cold lights again.
His hands were steady.
But inside, his thoughts were sharp.
Ye Fan had warned him.
Ye Fan didn't give warnings for free.
And the institute had just taken its first real look at him.