Morning light slipped through a gap in the heavy curtains, cutting a sharp white line across the dormitory floor. Lin Xiao stood by the window, watching the busy scene in the base courtyard. Soldiers were clearing up last night's aftermath, carts hauling away damaged equipment and medical waste, their footsteps unusually distinct in the morning silence.
The smell of disinfectant still hung heavily in the air, but that sickly-sweet stench of decay had faded, leaving only a faint lingering trace like the shadow of a memory.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Captain Lin, Officer Fletcher requests your presence at the command center," a soldier said from outside, his tone respectful.
Lin Xiao turned and picked up the coat draped over the back of his chair. It had been washed, but a faint blue stain still clung stubbornly to one cuff—the trace of laboratory fluid.
"Understood."
He opened the door. The corridor was much brighter than the dormitory. The emergency lights had been turned off and normal lighting restored, but some tubes had been damaged in last night's chaos, leaving parts of the hallway dim.
The soldier outside was a young private. Exhaustion was plain on his face, but his eyes held the relief of someone who had survived a disaster.
"This way, sir."
Lin Xiao followed him down the corridor. The walls still bore the marks of last night's battle—bullet holes, bloodstains, and several corroded metal panels temporarily sealed with tape. The smell of welded metal drifted through the air as repair teams worked through the night.
They passed the medical station. Its doors were open, and low groans and the hurried footsteps of medical staff came from inside. Hansen and Miller were probably still undergoing examinations, but Lin Xiao did not stop.
The command center lay in the most central part of the base and required passing through three security checkpoints. Soldiers guarded each one, but today, every soldier who saw Lin Xiao stood at attention and saluted. Their eyes held complicated emotions—respect, gratitude, and a faint, barely perceptible fear.
Word of last night's events had already spread.
The laboratory leak. The sample organisms' rampage. The activation of the Purification system.
And Lin Xiao entering that zone of death with two others, then coming back alive.
The third checkpoint opened, revealing the command center in its entirety.
It was a semicircular space, its walls covered in screens. Some were still lit, displaying surveillance feeds from different areas of the base. At the center stood a massive tactical table with a touch-screen surface, currently showing a floor plan of the base marked with damaged areas and personnel positions from last night.
More than a dozen people stood in the room.
Fletcher stood at the head of the tactical table. He had changed into a clean combat uniform, and his arm was wrapped in bandages, but his posture remained straight and his gaze sharp. Several officers stood beside him, all familiar faces to Lin Xiao—the heads of the base's various departments.
At the other end of the tactical table stood an old man Lin Xiao had never seen before.
The old man was around sixty. His hair was gray and white, yet neatly combed without a strand out of place. He wore the dark gray uniform of a high-ranking Hydra officer, with three silver stars on his epaulets, signifying the rank of the base's highest commander. His face was square, his wrinkles deep, especially those around his eyes and mouth, as though years of frowning had carved them there. But what drew the most attention were his eyes—pale gray, with tiny pupils. When he looked at someone, he resembled a hawk studying prey.
The room was silent except for the low hum of machinery.
"Lin Xiao, come here," Fletcher said, his voice echoing through the open room.
Lin Xiao walked to the tactical table and stopped three meters from the old man, standing at attention.
The old man's gaze settled on him, slowly and carefully sweeping him from head to toe. That look had weight, almost tangible, pressing down on Lin Xiao's shoulders.
"This is the one who entered the laboratory last night?" the old man asked. His voice was low, with a texture like sandpaper rubbing together.
"Yes, Commander," Fletcher replied. "Lin Xiao, captain of the base's outer operations squad. Last night, he led two team members into the leak's core area, successfully activated the Purification system, and prevented the leak from spreading."
The old man did not respond immediately. He continued staring at Lin Xiao, those pale gray eyes seeming to pierce through flesh and see what lay in his bones.
Five seconds passed.
Then ten.
The room grew even quieter. Someone held their breath without realizing it.
"Your name is Lin Xiao," the old man finally said. It was not a question, but a statement.
"Yes, sir."
"What did you see last night?"
Lin Xiao's mind raced. This question was a trap. What the old man wanted to know was not merely what had happened in the laboratory, but Lin Xiao's judgment, his reactions, and his loyalty.
"Reporting, sir. I observed a severe leak in the laboratory. The sample organisms displayed abnormal behavior, and several cultivation chambers were damaged. Following Officer Fletcher's orders, I entered the core area and activated the Purification system. During the process, I encountered a small number of sample organisms, but no direct conflict occurred. After the Purification system was activated, the sample organisms collectively retreated into the deeper areas of the base, and the leak was contained."
He omitted the mysterious figure and the container.
He also omitted Blood Axe's final words.
And he especially omitted his observations and speculations regarding the creatures' behavior.
Reports had to be concise and accurate, containing only what superiors needed to know—something he had learned through countless missions in his previous life.
After hearing him out, the old man's expression did not change. He turned to Fletcher. "Casualties?"
"No casualties in the laboratory area," Fletcher said. "Three soldiers on the perimeter showed poisoning symptoms after coming into contact with the leaking gas during the initial stage. They have been sent for treatment and are stable. In addition, Blood Axe and twelve core members of his Radical Faction were subdued during last night's Purge Operation. Eight were wounded, and four died. Blood Axe himself is seriously injured and is currently being held in the maximum-security cells. His vital signs are unstable."
"Purge Operation." The old man repeated the term blandly. "Who authorized it?"
"I did." Fletcher stood even straighter. "Commander, after the laboratory leak occurred last night, Blood Axe's faction attempted to seize control of the base amid the chaos. They attacked the command center, sabotaged the communications system, and tried to open the outer defenses to bring in outside forces. I judged this to be an act of rebellion and authorized armed suppression under Article Three of the base's emergency regulations."
Someone in the room shifted their feet slightly.
The old man was silent for several seconds.
Then he nodded.
"You did the right thing."
The three words were casually spoken, but everyone in the room heard their weight.
The old man walked to the tactical table and ran a finger across the touch screen, bringing up last night's surveillance recordings. Images flashed by quickly—the Radical Faction soldiers assaulting the command center, Fletcher's people fighting back, gunfire in the corridors, the chaos in the laboratory area.
He watched carefully but at great speed, as if he had already known what would happen.
Finally, he shut off the screen and turned to face everyone.
"Last night's incident exposed serious problems within this base." The old man's voice remained low, but every word was clear and forceful. "The Radical Faction disregarded base security and the organization's interests, creating chaos for personal gain and even attempting to introduce outside forces. Such conduct is betrayal."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room.
"Captain Fletcher remained clear-headed during the crisis, acted decisively, quelled the internal unrest, and protected the base's core facilities from damage. On behalf of the base command, I formally commend Captain Fletcher for his achievements."
Fletcher stood at attention. "I was only doing my duty, Commander."
The old man waved a hand, signaling him to relax.
"Beginning today, Captain Fletcher will assume full responsibility for base security. He will eliminate the remaining Radical Faction elements and restore order to the base. All department heads must cooperate fully."
No one objected.
Everyone in the room understood—this was the formal transfer of power.
After speaking, the old man looked at Lin Xiao again.
"As for you," he said, "Fletcher has given me a detailed report of your performance. You remained calm in a crisis, carried out orders resolutely, and displayed judgment and courage beyond the ordinary."
Lin Xiao waited for what came next.
"The base needs talent like you," the old man said. "Beginning today, you are promoted to Deputy Director of Base Security and will also serve as captain of the Special Operations Squad. Your clearance level is raised to B. You may mobilize sixty percent of the base's non-core resources. You will assemble your own direct team."
A faint gasp rose in the room.
B-level clearance. Deputy Director of Security. Special Operations Squad.
Together, those words meant Lin Xiao had gone overnight from an outer-perimeter foot soldier to one of the base's figures with real power.
"Thank you for your trust, Commander," Lin Xiao said calmly, showing neither excitement nor surprise.
The old man's pale gray eyes flashed with a trace of approval too subtle to notice.
"Do not disappoint me."
The meeting ended twenty minutes later.
After the old man left, the atmosphere in the command center visibly relaxed. The officers began speaking quietly among themselves. Some went to congratulate Fletcher, while others studied Lin Xiao with complicated expressions.
Fletcher walked over to Lin Xiao and patted his shoulder.
"Well done," he said in a low voice. "The Commander rarely praises anyone in person."
"Was it because of last night, or something else?" Lin Xiao asked.
Fletcher smiled, his expression meaningful. "Both. But more importantly, you proved you aren't someone like Blood Axe. You know when to advance and when to retreat."
He paused, lowering his voice further. "Blood Axe won't survive until noon. The medical team says his internal organs have been completely corroded. Drugs are the only thing keeping him alive now. Once he dies, the Radical Faction will be finished for good."
Lin Xiao nodded.
"Have you decided who you want on your team?" Fletcher asked.
"Su Ying," Lin Xiao said. "And Wolf, Nightingale, Grey Falcon, plus the female researcher we rescued last night, Anna Koch."
Fletcher raised an eyebrow. "Anna Koch? She's only a technician."
"She knows the laboratory equipment and the samples," Lin Xiao said. "We need someone like that."
"Your call." Fletcher did not object. "I'll have their files transferred over. Your team can begin operating by this afternoon. Your office is on the east side of the command center. It used to be the intelligence analysis room. I've had it cleared out."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me yet," Fletcher said. "The greater the power, the heavier the responsibility. There won't be fewer people watching you than there are watching me."
He turned and left to speak with the other officers.
Lin Xiao remained where he was, looking at the base layout on the tactical table. The red markers indicating damaged areas looked like wounds. And his new position was to be the one responsible for stitching those wounds shut.
At two in the afternoon, Lin Xiao entered his new office.
The room was three times larger than his previous temporary dormitory. Its walls were painted pale gray, and dark carpeting covered the floor. A row of filing cabinets stood against one wall, while a broad desk stood on the other side. New communications equipment, a data terminal, and a folder had already been placed on its surface.
The folder contained his appointment letter, clearance list, and the files of his team members.
He opened the files.
Su Ying's photograph was on the first page. It had been taken when she first joined S.H.I.E.L.D. In the photo, she was several years younger, with sharp eyes, her lips pressed into a straight line, her entire presence radiating an unwillingness to yield. Her file recorded her training scores, mission history, and the reason for her defection—"Irreconcilable ideological differences with superiors."
Lin Xiao continued reading.
Wolf, real name unknown, an outer-ring operative of Hydra's intelligence division. Skilled in communications interception and electronic countermeasures, he had never been valued due to his withdrawn personality.
Nightingale, female, twenty-four years old, formerly a Hydra cybersecurity officer. She had been demoted three months ago for unauthorized intrusion into an internal system.
Grey Falcon, male, thirty years old, a logistics dispatcher. He was diligent in his work but lacked connections, leaving him with no hope of promotion.
Anna Koch, twenty-eight years old, Doctor of Bioengineering. She had been forcibly recruited into Hydra's research division and was responsible for maintaining laboratory samples. Last night had been her first time taking part in a live operation.
Five people. Five people who had been marginalized, overlooked, or forced to join.
Lin Xiao closed the folder.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and the five people entered one after another.
Su Ying came in first. She had changed into a clean combat uniform and tied her hair into a neat ponytail. A few light scratches from last night's battle remained on her face, but her eyes were clear and her steps steady. When she saw Lin Xiao, she nodded without saying anything unnecessary.
Wolf was a thin, tall man of about thirty-five. He wore thick glasses, his hair was messy, and he constantly held a data tablet in his hands. After entering, he walked directly to a chair in the corner, sat down, and began fiddling with the tablet as though he were the only person in the room.
Nightingale was a young woman with an ordinary appearance but bright eyes. After entering, she quickly surveyed the entire room. Her gaze lingered on the communications equipment and data terminal for several seconds before she looked at Lin Xiao, curiosity and wariness in her eyes.
Grey Falcon was a solidly built middle-aged man wearing a logistics uniform. He held a notebook in his hands and stood straight after entering, waiting for instructions.
Anna Koch came in last. She had changed out of her laboratory protective suit and into ordinary clothes—a white shirt and dark trousers—but the sleeves of the shirt were wrinkled, as though she had put it on in a hurry. Her face was still pale, with pronounced dark circles beneath her eyes, but she no longer looked as terrified as she had last night. Once inside, her gaze fell on Lin Xiao and remained there for several seconds before she lowered her head.
"Sit," Lin Xiao said.
The five sat in the chairs before the desk. The atmosphere in the room was somewhat strange—the five did not know one another. Their only common ground was having gone through last night's crisis, and now they had been forcibly assembled into a team.
Lin Xiao looked at them in silence for several seconds.
"Starting today, you are my direct team," he said, his voice calm but clear. "I am Lin Xiao, Deputy Director of Base Security and captain of the Special Operations Squad. I have read all your files. I know why you're here—because you weren't valued, were pushed aside, were forced to do things you disliked, or simply wanted to survive."
No one spoke.
"I don't care about your past," Lin Xiao continued. "What I care about is whether, from today onward, you can carry out the tasks I assign. My team does not need background or connections. It only needs competence and loyalty."
He paused, his eyes passing over every face.
"I will give you opportunities to prove your competence. Loyalty takes time to test. But there is one thing I can guarantee—in my team, your efforts will receive the rewards they deserve, and I will do everything I can to keep you alive."
Wolf raised his head from his tablet, looked at Lin Xiao once, then lowered it again.
The corner of Nightingale's mouth lifted slightly, as if she had heard something interesting.
Grey Falcon quickly wrote something down in his notebook.
Anna Koch's fingers twisted together unconsciously.
Su Ying, meanwhile, had been watching Lin Xiao the whole time, her eyes focused as if evaluating every word he said.
"Now for your assignments," Lin Xiao said. "Su Ying, you will be responsible for training the action group and directing combat operations. I am giving you three days to assess every team member's combat ability and create a training plan."
"Understood," Su Ying said.
"Wolf, you will be responsible for communications, intelligence surveillance, and electronic warfare. Within one week, I want you to establish an independent communications network covering the base's main areas, ensuring that we can stay in contact under any circumstances."
Wolf nodded, his fingers sliding rapidly across the tablet.
"Nightingale, you will handle network security, information theft, and counter-tracking. I want you to thoroughly inspect the base's surveillance systems, databases, and internal network. Find every vulnerability and backdoor."
Nightingale's eyes lit up. "What about access?"
"B-level clearance gives you access to sixty percent of the base's non-core systems," Lin Xiao said. "If you encounter insufficient clearance, report directly to me."
"Understood."
"Grey Falcon, you will handle logistics, personnel contacts, and maintaining internal relations within the base. I need to know the situation in every department—who is doing what, who has conflicts with whom, who might become a friend, and who might be an enemy."
Grey Falcon closed his notebook. "I will prepare a detailed report."
Finally, Lin Xiao looked at Anna Koch.
"Dr. Anna, you will be responsible for medical support and limited technical analysis. I need you to organize all the laboratory's research materials, especially data concerning the sample organisms and Prototype-Alpha. But remember, analysis only. No experimental procedures of any kind."
Anna Koch raised her head, surprise flashing in her eyes. "You... trust me?"
"I trust your professional knowledge," Lin Xiao said. "But I also know that last night affected you deeply. So take it slowly. Start by organizing the materials. If you feel unwell in any way, tell me immediately."
Anna Koch bit her lip, then nodded. "Thank you."
After assigning their tasks, Lin Xiao dismissed the others and kept only Su Ying behind.
Once the door closed, only the two of them remained in the room.
"What do you think?" Lin Xiao asked.
Su Ying walked to the window and looked out over the base courtyard. "Five people. Five problem cases. Wolf is withdrawn, Nightingale is rebellious, Grey Falcon is mediocre, and Anna Koch is fragile. I'm the only one who's somewhat useful."
"Problem cases are often the ones with the greatest potential," Lin Xiao said. "Because the system hasn't completely assimilated them yet. They still retain their own thoughts."
Su Ying turned around and leaned against the windowsill. "Are you sure you want to do this? Building your own team means taking responsibility for them. If one of them betrays you or makes a mistake, the responsibility will fall on you."
"I know," Lin Xiao said. "But this is a step I have to take. Going it alone will never accomplish anything."
Su Ying looked at him in silence for several seconds.
"You still haven't told me everything about last night," she said. "Besides the sample organisms, what else was in the laboratory?"
Lin Xiao did not answer immediately.
He walked to the desk, activated the data terminal, and pulled up a surveillance recording—the view outside the equipment storage room. A blurry figure carried a container inside, then left empty-handed.
"This person took a sample container from the laboratory during the chaos," Lin Xiao said. "The container held Prototype-Alpha, the source of last night's leak."
Su Ying walked to the screen and studied the blurry figure closely.
"Who is he?"
"I don't know," Lin Xiao said. "But he knows the base extremely well. He knows the location of every surveillance camera and how to avoid them. I suspect he used the independent subnet we discovered earlier."
"Third-party forces," Su Ying said quietly. "They had been lurking in the base, waiting for an opportunity."
"And they succeeded." Lin Xiao shut off the screen. "The container is gone, and the samples' whereabouts are unknown. And right now, we don't even know who they are."
The room fell silent.
The light outside the window began to dim. Dusk was approaching.
"What do you need me to do?" Su Ying asked.
"Train the team first," Lin Xiao said. "Get them combat-ready as soon as possible. As for that mysterious person... I'll use my new clearance to pull more files and see if I can find any clues."
Su Ying nodded and turned to leave.
When she reached the door, she stopped and looked back.
"Lin Xiao."
"Yeah?"
"You rose through the ranks fast," she said. "But the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Be careful."
The door closed, leaving Lin Xiao alone in the room.
He walked to the window and watched the lights come on in the base courtyard. The soldiers were still busy, and sparks from the maintenance crews' welding flickered in the twilight like stars burning briefly in the dark.
The transfer of power was complete.
He had gained the position, authority, and team he wanted.
But the vanished container remained like a thorn lodged deep in his mind.
And there was headquarters' impending attention.
Seven o'clock that evening, the base cafeteria.
It was called a victory banquet, but it was pitifully sparse—canned food, compressed biscuits, and a few bottles of cheap whiskey dug out of the warehouse sat on the long tables. Still, the mood was lively. The survivors gathered together, talking loudly, clinking glasses, their laughter echoing through the empty cafeteria.
Fletcher sat at the head of the table, accepting everyone's toasts. He did not drink much, but he wore a smile that carried both relief and exhaustion.
Lin Xiao sat in a corner with a glass of water in front of him. Su Ying sat beside him, eating canned beans in small bites. Wolf and Nightingale sat at another table. Wolf was still fiddling with a tablet, while Nightingale curiously examined everyone in the cafeteria. Grey Falcon helped distribute food, while Anna Koch sat in the farthest corner with her head lowered, barely eating anything.
"Not going to have a drink?" Su Ying asked.
"No," Lin Xiao said. "Alcohol affects judgment."
"You're always this cautious."
"Caution keeps you alive longer."
The commotion in the cafeteria continued for an hour. Around eight, Fletcher stood up, offered a few words of thanks, and then announced that everyone could disperse. People gradually left, and the cafeteria slowly quieted down.
Just as Lin Xiao was preparing to leave, a soldier approached him.
"Captain Lin, Officer Fletcher requests your presence in his office."
Lin Xiao glanced at Su Ying. Su Ying nodded, signaling that she should head back first.
Fletcher's office was on the other side of the command center. It was larger than Lin Xiao's office and decorated more formally. A Hydra flag hung on the wall, along with several photographs from the base's early construction days. The shelves were packed with documents and books, though they looked more like decoration, as the spines showed almost no signs of wear.
Fletcher sat behind his desk. Two glasses and a bottle of whiskey stood before him. The bottle had already been opened, and the amber liquid gleamed softly under the lights.
"Sit," Fletcher said, pouring two drinks.
Lin Xiao sat across from him.
Fletcher slid one of the glasses toward him. Lin Xiao accepted it but did not drink.
"Don't like whiskey?" Fletcher asked.
"It's not that I dislike it. I just can't drink right now," Lin Xiao said.
Fletcher smiled and took a sip himself. The alcohol softened the lines of his face slightly, but his eyes remained sharp.
"How do you feel today?" he asked. "Deputy Director of Security, captain of the special operations squad, Class-B clearance. Things many people struggle for years to obtain—you got them all in a single day."
"Thank you for the promotion, sir," Lin Xiao said.
"It wasn't my promotion. You earned it yourself." Fletcher set down his glass. "If it hadn't been for you last night, the laboratory leak might have spread through the entire base. Then more than a dozen people would have died. The commander saw that clearly, so he gave you this position not as charity, but as an investment."
He paused, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.
"But Lin, I need to tell you something."
Lin Xiao waited for him to continue.
Fletcher's expression turned grave. The softness brought by the alcohol vanished.
"Headquarters is very interested in you."
Lin Xiao's heartbeat quickened slightly, but his expression did not change.
"I submitted a detailed report on last night's incident to headquarters," Fletcher said. "Including the entire process of you entering the laboratory, activating the Purification system, and the sample organisms withdrawing together. Headquarters' intelligence department analyzed the report, and they are... very interested in you."
"Interested?" Lin Xiao repeated.
"Your performance exceeded the normal range," Fletcher said. "An ordinary rank-and-file soldier remaining calm in that situation, making the right call, and successfully containing the crisis. That either means extraordinary talent, or... there is another reason."
The room fell silent.
The wind outside the window could be heard faintly.
"Headquarters may send down an investigator or special envoy," Fletcher continued. "Officially, they'll be here to assess the base's losses and assist with reconstruction. But in reality, they'll observe you, evaluate you, and perhaps even... test you."
"Test what?" Lin Xiao asked.
"Your loyalty, your abilities, your background," Fletcher said. "Hydra doesn't trust geniuses. It only trusts geniuses it can control. If you're too outstanding and can't explain why you're so outstanding, they'll grow suspicious."
He picked up his glass and took another sip.
"So be prepared. When the investigator arrives, you need to perform well, but not too well. Be smart, but not too smart. Be loyal, but don't act like a blindly obedient fool. You'll have to judge that balance yourself."
Lin Xiao looked at the amber liquid in his glass. The light rippled across its surface like an omen of unease.
"When will they come?" he asked.
"Not sure," Fletcher said. "It could be a week, a month, or even tomorrow. Headquarters never gives advance notice."
He stood and walked to the window, looking out at the base in the night.
"Lin, I trust you," he said softly. "Last night, you saved this base, and you saved me. That's why I'm telling you all this. But you need to understand that my trust does not mean headquarters trusts you. In Hydra, everyone has to prove themselves again and again until the day they die."
Lin Xiao rose to his feet as well.
"I understand," he said.
Fletcher turned around and looked at him, his gaze complicated.
"Good," he said. "Go back and get some rest. Starting tomorrow, you'll be very busy."
Lin Xiao set down his glass and turned to leave.
When he reached the door, Fletcher's voice came from behind him.
"One more thing."
Lin Xiao stopped.
"That container," Fletcher said. "You were in the laboratory last night. Did you really not see anything unusual?"
Lin Xiao's heart suddenly clenched.
But he did not turn around, and his voice remained calm.
"Reporting, sir. No."
The door opened, then closed again.
The hallway lights were bright, but Lin Xiao felt that the shadows had never been darker.
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