Los Angeles National Park — 5:00 p.m.The forest was a battlefield—air thick with the stench of scorched moss and the coppery tang of blood. Smoke curled in greasy ribbons through the tangled branches, stinging eyes and burning the back of every throat. Beneath the canopy, the ground was churned to black mud, slick with rain and something darker—more than ten Fenreigan bodies sprawled at Chen’s feet, their blue blood seeping into the roots and stones, staining the moss with unnatural color.Chen stood at the center of the carnage, boots half-sunk in the muck, the anion rifle in his hands still hot and humming from the last volley. He shifted, placing himself squarely between Yan Qing and the encroaching threat, his body a living shield. “With only this many people,” he said, voice flat and measured, “this won’t be enough.”Behind him, Yan Qing stared at the corpses, heart pounding so hard it hurt. The violence of Chen’s power pulled at him—terrifying, magnetic. Every breath felt like swallowing a storm.“My biological readings are monitored continuously by Teleopea,” Chen called out, his rifle never wavering from O’Neill. “Even if you cut electronic communication, if anything happens to me, Teleopean warships will arrive at this planet in twenty ring-minutes.”O’Neill’s mask of confidence cracked, just for a heartbeat—a flicker of fear in his eyes before he forced it down. Chen’s voice flattened, the words falling like a blade: “Leave. Or die.”O’Neill clicked his tongue, jaw tight, torn between rage and fear. Then—A clear, almost musical voice sliced through the chaos, sharp as broken glass. “What a fun party. How could you not invite me?”Shirley stepped from the shadows, her smile gentle, almost sweet—until you saw the glint in her eyes. Yan Qing’s breath caught, his skin prickling with cold dread. “Shirley?!” he gasped, disbelief and horror twisting in his chest. “That’s impossible…”Chen’s gaze narrowed, the ugly truth snapping into focus. O’Neill, seeing her, looked first relieved, then furious. “You’re late!” he spat.Shirley tossed her hair, the gesture careless, her perfume mingling with the stench of blood and smoke. “I had other preparations.”“What preparations?!” O’Neill exploded, voice cracking. “My order comes first! Do you know how many resources and men I wasted on this trap?! Now kill them!”Shirley didn’t move. O’Neill’s face twisted with rage. “Are you deaf? I said—”He never finished. With a speed that defied human reflex, Shirley’s hand shot out, twisting O’Neill’s head with a sickening snap. Blue blood sprayed across her, spattering the leaves and the forest floor. His body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.She turned, her gaze sliding past Yan Qing—pinning Chen with a look that was both promise and threat. “I completed your condition, Chris,” she said, her voice soft but deadly. “Now where’s mine?”The air vibrated with tension, the forest suddenly too quiet, every breath a countdown. Chris’s hand tightened around the weapon at his side, his face carved from stone. Before leaving for Los Angeles, Shirley had sent him a message: she could help him get what he wanted, and in return, she wanted to share the Ultimate Weapon’s power. His condition: Shirley would kill O’Neill. In exchange, he would help her obtain what she wanted.Which was—“CHEN! LOOK OUT!” Lan’s scream shattered the silence. He hurled himself between Chen and Chris, a blur of motion.“AH!” The small body jerked as something struck him—a bullet-sized hole blooming in his chest, black fluid seeping out. Lanice sprinted, catching him before he hit the ground. “LAN!” he shouted, voice raw. “What happened?!”Little Bubble, seeing his master fall, lunged at Chris with a howl of rage. But Chris moved first—his hand warping into a monstrous claw, punching straight through the dog’s heart. The beast roared in agony, then Chris flung him aside. The body slammed into a tree with a thunderous crack, the trunk snapping in half. Bubble collapsed, whining, unable to rise.“Chris—you bastard!” Yan Qing screamed, fists shaking, voice breaking. All the years of friendship, the easy warmth, the trust—they were nothing. A lie.Chris raised the weapon, pointing it at the three who remained. “I’m doing this for my species,” he said, flat and cold, as if betrayal were simply logic.Lan and Bubble were down. Now only Chen could match Chris and Shirley in raw force. The situation turned instantly lethal.Lan was unconscious. Lanice cradled him, instinctively reaching to press the wound—“Don’t touch it!” Chen barked, voice sharp as a whip. “It’s radioactive fluid!”Radiation would kill a human fast. This was already bad enough—Chen refused to let his side bleed worse.Chen’s mind ran cold. He’d assumed Chris was significant enough to give Yan Qing protections amongst human society—annoying, but tolerable because he mattered to Yan Qing.

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  Chen let out a self-mocking breath, the taste of blood and smoke thick in the air. Then he turned to the woman, his voice dripping with disgust. “I didn’t think you could hide that well in front of me, Shirley,” he said. “No—Lian. That’s you, isn’t it?”Shirley—Lian—let the disguise drop, gray-gold hair lifting in the wind, smile sharp and poisonous. “You should have known already,” Lian said. “You’re smarter than the ‘Chen’ before you… but.” His eyes narrowed, the threat in them unmistakable. “Still not enough.”