Day 10 was when the base started to feel crowded in a new way.
Not just bodies.
Information.
Rumors.
People whispered about the dragon. About cores. About who was "strong" and who was "dead weight." Fights started over stupid things like blankets and charging spots near a generator.
Zhao Qingshan broke two fights himself and threatened to throw people out of the gate.
Nobody laughed at that anymore.
Lan Huan didn't let Bai Ling rest after joining.
He gave her food, water, and one rule. "Don't freeze unless you need to," he said. "Save your hands."
Bai Ling rolled her eyes. "I know my own hands."
Lan Huan didn't argue. "Prove it," he said.
That made Bai Ling glare, but she stopped wasting power just to make a point.
Luo Yan cooked again. Congee again. He started adding tiny changes when he could: a little dried vegetable from a ration pack, a pinch more salt, a little oil when he managed to trade for it.
People noticed.
They pretended they didn't.
Inside his head, the system chimed. Private.
Ding.
DAY 10 MAIN MISSION: RECRUIT "FENG YUE"
Time Limit: 96:00:00
Objective: Recruit an awakened with information/recon utility
Reward: Core Sense Range +1
Reward: Storage Capacity +5%
Luo Yan swallowed.
Feng Yue.
Lan Huan didn't know that name yet. He only knew what they needed: someone who could find things before they happened. Someone who could track danger and routes. Someone who could read a place.
He Li came back from a scout near the inner lanes. "There's a woman," he said. "She keeps showing up where fights start, and the fights stop. Not with yelling. With… paper."
Bai Ling snorted. "Paper?"
He Li nodded once. "She makes people back off," he said. "Like they suddenly remember rules."
Lan Huan's eyes narrowed. "Where."
He Li said, "Ration lane. Near the generator."
They went in the afternoon when the ration line was worst.
Civilians stood in a long snake between containers. Soldiers shouted for spacing. People shoved anyway. Someone was crying because their ration card had been stolen. Someone else was swearing they had kids.
A fight was about to start.
Then a calm voice cut in, close and sharp.
"Stop."
Not a scream. Not a plea. A simple word like a knife.
The people arguing froze.
A sheet of paper slid between them on the ground, pushed by the wind.
On it was a list of names in neat writing.
And at the top was a stamp Zhao's soldiers had started using for ration checks this week. Not official registration, just a quick mark.
The man who had been shouting stared at his name on the list like he'd been caught.
A woman stood beside the generator, holding a clipboard and a pen.
She wasn't wearing a uniform. Just a rain coat and tied-back hair. Her fingers were stained with ink.
She didn't look scared of the crowd.
She looked tired of them.
"Line up," she said. "Or you don't eat."
People grumbled, but they lined up.
Bai Ling whispered to Luo Yan, "I hate her already."
Luo Yan whispered back, "That means she's useful."
Bai Ling shot him a look. "Don't start."
Lan Huan walked up, slow, not threatening. He stopped a few steps away.
The woman's eyes flicked up and pinned him right away.
She glanced at his insignia, then at He Li, then at Bai Ling, then at Luo Yan.
Her gaze stayed on Luo Yan for a beat longer.
Luo Yan's stomach tightened.
Lan Huan spoke. "You," he said. "Name."
The woman didn't flinch. "Feng Yue," she said.
Luo Yan's pulse jumped.
He kept his face blank.
Lan Huan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Ability," he said.
Feng Yue tapped her pen on the clipboard once. "Echo sense," she said. "And paper/ink control."
Bai Ling made a sound like she wanted to argue, then didn't.
Lan Huan watched her for a beat. "Show me," he said.
Feng Yue didn't smile. "No," she said. "I don't perform."
Lan Huan's voice stayed even. "Then don't," he said. "But we need someone who can see danger before it hits."
Feng Yue's eyes narrowed. "Everyone needs that," she said.
Lan Huan nodded. "Join my unit," he said.
Feng Yue laughed once, short and dry. "Your unit is the one with the dragon," she said. "You're a walking rumor."
Lan Huan didn't deny it. "Yes," he said. "That's why we need you."
Feng Yue's gaze moved to Bai Ling. "Ice," she said. "Controlled. Angry."
Bai Ling snapped, "You don't know me."
Feng Yue looked at her. "I heard your footsteps," she said. "That's enough."
Bai Ling's eyes flashed. "Say that again."
Lan Huan cut in. "Feng Yue," he said, voice colder. "We don't have time."
Feng Yue's eyes went back to him. "Time is all you have," she said. "And you waste it gathering powerful people like you can hide them."
Luo Yan swallowed. She was sharp. Too sharp. She could cause trouble.
Or save them.
Lan Huan's voice stayed calm. "What do you want," he asked.
Feng Yue's eyes flicked to the ration line. To the kids holding cups. To the soldiers who were one shove away from hitting someone.
"I want the base to stop eating itself," she said.
Lan Huan nodded. "Then come with me," he said. "Help me keep my unit stable. Help me keep people alive at the fence. You can still do this line work too."
Feng Yue stared at him. "You're offering me freedom," she said, like she didn't trust the word.
Lan Huan's eyes were cold. "I'm offering you a choice," he said. "Stay here and get crushed by a crowd. Or join us and get crushed by enemies that at least make sense."
Feng Yue's mouth twitched. Almost a smile. Not warm.
She looked at Luo Yan again. "And you," she said. "Void."
Luo Yan's throat went dry. "Yes."
Feng Yue's eyes narrowed like she was listening to a place he didn't know existed. "You're hiding something," she said.
Luo Yan forced his face blank. "Everyone is," he said.
Feng Yue stared for a beat.
Then she exhaled. "Fine," she said. "I'll join."
Bai Ling scoffed. "Great."
Feng Yue glanced at her. "You'll get used to me," she said.
Bai Ling's breath fogged. "No."
Feng Yue's lips curved slightly. "Yes."
Luo Yan's system chimed.
Ding.
MISSION COMPLETE: FENG YUE RECRUITED (4/10)
Reward: Core Sense Range +1
Reward: Storage Capacity +5%
As they walked away from the generator, Feng Yue looked back at the ration line once.
Then she looked at Luo Yan again.
Quietly, so only he heard, she said, "If you're hiding a knife, learn to hide it better."
Luo Yan's stomach dropped.
Because he didn't know if she meant Void.
Or the system.