The air inside the garrison felt heavier than the cold outside—thick with unanswered questions, tension, and the echo of the Hunter-General's voice. Soldiers hurried in tight formations, officers barked rapid commands, and watchtowers doubled their torches. News of the masked intruder spread fast, even without official word.
Li Wei walked beside Mei Lin toward the command tent. The two soldiers escorting them murmured nervously, hands tight around their spear hafts. Even seasoned fighters could sense it:
A storm was coming.
Inside the tent, Commander Feng stood before a sprawling map pinned across a wooden table. Lanterns cast harsh light on his face, carving deep shadows beneath his cheekbones. His deputy, General Han, hovered nearby, jaw clenched.
Both men turned when Li Wei and Mei Lin entered.
"Close the tent," Feng ordered.
The flap dropped shut behind them. Instantly, the noise of the garrison faded, leaving only the crackle of oil lamps.
Commander Feng did not waste time.
"Li Wei," he said sharply, "the captain reported your encounter."
Li Wei bowed. "Yes, Commander."
"He said the intruder spoke to you."
Li Wei felt the weight of those words. Before he could respond, Mei Lin stepped forward.
"Commander," she said evenly, "that masked man is no ordinary raider. His appearance changes everything."
General Han scoffed. "A deserter turned bandit. Hardly—"
"No," Mei Lin cut him off coldly. "He is the Hunter-General."
The room fell silent.
Feng's expression tightened. General Han paled.
"You're certain?" Feng demanded.
"I'd stake my life on it."
"Then we are facing more than raiders," Feng murmured. "We're facing a trained commander leading forces we cannot see."
Han hissed, "That man slaughtered an entire outpost two years ago. Left not even horses behind."
Li Wei felt his pulse quicken. The masked figure hadn't seemed like a brute. He had felt… deliberate. Calculated. Deadly.
Feng looked at Li Wei then—studying him the way a general studies an unfamiliar weapon.
"When he spoke to you," Feng said, voice low, "what did he want?"
Li Wei breathed carefully. "He said… he came for me."
The words felt unreal even as he repeated them.
General Han slammed a fist on the table. "Impossible. He has no reason to target a laborer."
"Unless," Mei Lin said softly, "he knows Li Wei is not ordinary."
Li Wei forced his voice steady. "Commander… I am only a worker. There must be some mistake."
But Feng's expression said he didn't believe that—not fully.
"You stabilized a collapsing ramp," Feng said slowly. "You read and write. You understand stone and structure. You think clearly under pressure. And scouts vanish only on days you're assigned to the ridge."
Li Wei stiffened. "Coincidence."
"No," Feng said. "Not coincidence."
He leaned forward.
"It's skill."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Feng straightened. "Li Wei, I'm giving you a task."
Li Wei tensed. "Commander?"
"You will lead a three-man team back to the ridge at dawn."
General Han protested, "Feng, that's suicide!"
"We need answers," Feng said sharply. "Tracks. Patterns. Signs of where the scouts were taken." His gaze slid to Li Wei. "He found something tonight—more than any trained scout."
Li Wei swallowed hard. "Commander, with all respect… why me? You have soldiers."
Feng's stare was like steel. "Because soldiers see enemies. You see details."
Mei Lin clenched her jaw. "Commander, I should go with them. I know the Hunter-General's tactics—"
Feng cut her off. "And you are too valuable." His eyes locked with hers. "If he wants you alive, he will set traps. I cannot risk it."
Mei Lin opened her mouth, then shut it again, furious but helpless.
Feng turned back to Li Wei.
"You will be accompanied by two scouts and one soldier. You will observe—nothing more. Do not engage."
General Han added, "If you see anything suspicious, you report. If you spot him—do not linger."
Feng's tone softened a trace.
"This is not a punishment, Li Wei. It's a necessity. We cannot fight an enemy we cannot see."
Li Wei nodded slowly. "I understand."
But inside, dread coiled like a living thing.
The Hunter-General had already marked him.
Less than a day later, the commander was sending him straight into the masked hunter's territory.
Mei Lin moved beside him as the meeting ended, gripping his arm tightly before he could leave.
"You cannot go alone."
"I won't be," he answered quietly. "There will be three men with me."
She shook her head fiercely. "That's not what I mean. You don't understand—he doesn't hunt groups. He hunts individuals. Leaders. Strategists." Her voice softened, raw with something heavier than anger.
"He hunts people like you."
Li Wei met her gaze, held it.
"I survived the Wall," he said. "I can survive this."
She stepped closer, whispering urgently, "The Wall had overseers. The frontier has ghosts."
He exhaled. "What do you want me to do? Refuse Feng's orders?"
Her jaw locked.
"No," she said finally. "But listen carefully—"
She reached into her sleeve and slipped something into his hand: a small, curved shard of polished bronze.
"Keep this hidden on you. It belonged to him once—before he betrayed Qin. If he sees it, he may hesitate… for a breath. Sometimes a breath is enough to survive."
Li Wei closed his fingers around the shard. It felt unnervingly warm, almost alive.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Mei Lin's expression flickered, torn between fear and hope.
"Come back alive," she said. "Because the Hunter-General won't stop with you."
Li Wei swallowed.
"Because of you?" he asked quietly.
She nodded once. "Because of me."
The system pulsed in his mind:
[Mission Assigned: Scout the Northern Ridge]
[Warning: Lethal Encounter Probability—High]
[Optional Objective: Identify The Hunter-General's Movement Pattern]
Li Wei slipped the shard into his tunic and stepped out of the tent.
Tomorrow morning, he would walk back into the shadows where men vanished without a trace.
And for the first time in his new life, he feared not death—
But who might be waiting for him there.
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Teaser:
At dawn, Li Wei returns to the haunted ridge—only to find evidence even Commander Feng never imagined.
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