Monday — University Campus
Monday mornings at the university had a predictable rhythm.
Students rushing with unfinished assignments. Coffee cups everywhere. Groups forming and breaking like small tides across the walkways.
Qiū Huà Bǐ walked through the main gate with a backpack slung loosely over one shoulder.
He wasn't in a hurry.
He rarely was.
Next to him, Yè Yī walked with the quiet focus of someone already planning the day ahead.
Violet walked a step ahead of both of them.
Hands in her jacket pockets.
Observing.
Always observing.
Qiū Huà Bǐ glanced around the campus buildings.
"Back to normal life," he said.
Yè Yī raised an eyebrow. "You call this normal?"
Qiū Huà Bǐ shrugged.
"Compared to hacking secret facilities, witnessing ancestral rituals, and attending church with a time-warping mystery woman?"
He gestured around the campus.
"Yeah. This is normal."
Violet didn't respond.
But her eyes had already caught something.
Two people standing near the administration building.
Not students.
Wrong posture.
Wrong attention.
They were pretending to check a campus map.
But their eyes tracked people passing by.
More specifically—
They tracked Qiū Huà Bǐ.
Violet noticed.
She didn't slow down.
The First Sign
Qiū Huà Bǐ's phone vibrated.
He pulled it out casually.
Unknown number.
He opened the message.
You have talent that should not be wasted.
He frowned.
Another message followed.
People like you deserve better tools.
He stopped walking.
Yè Yī looked at him.
"What?"
Qiū Huà Bǐ showed him the screen.
Yè Yī read it once.
Then again.
"Spam?" he suggested.
Qiū Huà Bǐ shook his head slowly.
"No."
He pointed at the bottom of the message.
There was a small symbol.
Three intersecting triangles.
Clean.
Minimal.
Yè Yī's eyes sharpened.
"ET."
Qiū Huà Bǐ nodded.
"Yep."
He scrolled.
Another message arrived.
Your work two nights ago was impressive.
Qiū Huà Bǐ stopped smiling.
Now he knew for sure.
"They saw something," he said quietly.
Yè Yī frowned.
"But they didn't detect the breach."
"Apparently not," Qiū Huà Bǐ replied.
"Which means they noticed the result, not the method."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Flattering."
Violet's Reaction
Violet stopped walking.
The two men almost walked into her.
"They've started," she said calmly.
Qiū Huà Bǐ looked at her.
"You already knew?"
"Yes."
"Since when?"
"Before the first message."
Yè Yī crossed his arms.
"How?"
Violet tilted her head slightly toward the administration building.
The two "map readers" were gone.
But another person had taken their place.
A woman sitting on a bench with a tablet.
Watching the reflection of people passing in the screen.
Yè Yī followed Violet's gaze.
"…Recruitment scouts."
Qiū Huà Bǐ chuckled softly.
"They move fast."
Violet turned toward him.
"They move early."
He grinned.
"Well that's nice of them."
She didn't smile.
"They're not offering a job."
Qiū Huà Bǐ shrugged.
"What are they offering then?"
"Ownership."
That answer made him pause.
The Second Sign
When they reached the engineering building, Qiū Huà Bǐ's laptop pinged inside his bag.
He opened it once they sat down in the lecture hall.
A notification window appeared.
No sender.
Just a message.
We can give you resources you've never imagined.
Then another line appeared.
You prefer freedom. We understand that.
Qiū Huà Bǐ leaned back slowly.
"They've been studying me."
Violet sat beside him.
"Yes."
Yè Yī glanced around the room.
Students chatting.
Professor setting up slides.
Normal class environment.
Except it wasn't.
Qiū Huà Bǐ typed a quick response.
Who are you?
The reply came instantly.
People who recognize potential.
He snorted.
"Corporate language."
Another message appeared.
We would like to meet.
Yè Yī leaned closer.
"Don't answer."
Qiū Huà Bǐ looked at Violet.
"What do you think?"
She answered without hesitation.
"Let them try."
Both men looked at her.
"That sounds dangerous," Yè Yī said.
"Yes."
Qiū Huà Bǐ grinned slowly.
"I like it."
The Third Sign
Across campus, inside a parked car—
A man watched Qiū Huà Bǐ through a pair of tinted glasses connected to a tablet.
On the screen were scrolling data points.
Network activity.
Coding patterns.
Encryption signatures.
The man spoke quietly into a headset.
"Target confirmed."
A voice replied through the speaker.
"Assessment?"
The man zoomed in on Qiū Huà Bǐ's face through the camera feed.
"Exceptional."
A pause.
Then the voice asked:
"Recruitment probability?"
The man glanced at Violet on the screen.
His expression shifted slightly.
"…Complication present."
"Define complication."
He zoomed further.
Violet looked directly toward the parked car.
From across the entire campus.
The man froze.
"…Unknown variable."
The voice on the headset spoke again.
"Proceed carefully."
The man nodded slowly.
"Understood."
Back in the Lecture Hall
Qiū Huà Bǐ closed his laptop.
"They want a meeting."
Yè Yī exhaled slowly.
"This won't end quietly."
Violet looked toward the window.
"They rarely do."
Qiū Huà Bǐ leaned back in his chair.
Smiling.
"Good."
He glanced at both of them.
"Let's see what ET thinks they're buying."
Violet finally spoke again.
"They're not buying."
He raised an eyebrow.
"They're hunting."
The lecture started.
But none of them were listening anymore.
The game had begun.