Ruixin blinked, surprised. "Why? Do you think it's spiked higher?"
"No. I want to check if it's dropped back down to a B-rank," Wenzhi said flatly. "I don't like anomalies happening to me."
Ruixin let out a soft, strained sigh, setting the scanner down. "Your body mutating to accommodate Xinyuan's energy output isn't a bad thing, Wenzhi. It's an evolutionary survival mechanism."
"Xinyuan's awakening as an Esper simultaneously tore open sixty-four separate red-zone rifts," Wenzhi countered.
"Yes," Ruixin admitted quietly. "Which is exactly why everyone is completely fascinated by him. But being the only functional guide capable of tethering a disaster-class Esper isn't a curse. It gives you the ultimate leverage. You can tame a nuclear weapon, which means you currently hold the monopoly on the strongest protection on earth. I understand if you're nervous because it makes you a prime target for assassination by the rival factions, but—"
