Huo Jingran's world spun as Teng Haoran's car swerved, tires screaming against Shanghai's wet asphalt. The fox construct—Xiwen's oversized magical tantrum—loomed ahead, its amber eyes glowing like bad CGI in a horror flick. Its claws raked the road, sparks flying, and Jingran's jade seal burned in her clutch, runes sparking like a console overheating mid-boss fight.
"Floor it, Haoran!" Jingran yelled, gripping the backseat door. "Unless you want fox fur on your upholstery!"
Haoran's smirk was maddeningly cool, his hands steady on the wheel. "Hold tight, Miss Huo. This isn't my first chase."
Shao Lanyi, beside Jingran, clutched her laptop, muttering, "Yeah, but is it your first demon fox chase?"
Jingran snorted, despite the panic. "Point to Lanyi. Any chance this car's got, like, missile launchers?"
Haoran's eyes flicked to the rearview, a glint of amusement. "Not standard. Working on it."
The construct lunged, its tail smashing the car's hood. Metal crunched, and Jingran yelped, her pendant blazing with warning: Jade Whisper alert: Greater construct—Bei sorcery enhanced. Task—Neutralize or escape. Reward: Seal analysis access. Penalty: Loss of evidence.
Jingran groaned, clutching the jade seal from the Huo estate. "Loss of evidence? Xiwen's playing dirty dirty. I'm keeping my loot!"
The system's voice was smug: Focus, Host. Construct's core vulnerable to seal's runes. Success chance: 62%.
"Sixty-two?" Jingran muttered. "My luck's worse than a rigged claw machine."
Haoran veered into a side street, Jiading's quiet suburbs blurring past—low houses, flickering lanterns, no help in sight. The fox kept pace, its growl shaking the windows. Lanyi's phone buzzed, an X post popping up: Huo Jingran Flees Family Chaos—Monster Sighting? A grainy video showed the estate's wreckage, tagged with #TrashHeiress.
"Xiwen's got a PR team from hell," Jingran said, heart racing. "Lanyi, any hacks to shut that down?"
"On it," Lanyi said, fingers flying over her laptop. "But we're trending—badly."
Haoran swerved again, narrowly dodging a claw swipe. "Less tweeting, more surviving," he snapped, but his voice held a trace of strain. Jingran caught his glance—checking her, not the road. Weirdly sweet, she thought, then shoved it down. No time for CEO crush glitches.
The construct roared, blocking the street. Haoran slammed the brakes, the car fishtailing to a stop. Jingran's pendant burned hotter, and Xiwen's voice hissed through the air: "Give me the seal, Huo, or I paint Shanghai with your blood."
Jingran's grin was all teeth. "Blood? Nah, I'm more a glitter vibe, Xiwen."
Lanyi snorted, but Haoran was already out, popping the trunk. He pulled a sleek device—part gun, part tech toy—and aimed at the fox. "Stay down," he told Jingran, firing a pulse that staggered the construct, blue arcs crackling.
Jingran blinked. "Okay, Batman, where was that at the estate?"
"Prototype," he said, not looking back. "Don't get used to it."
The system pinged: Opportunity—Combine seal's runes with Haoran's tech. Success chance: 75%.
"Seventy-five's my jam," Jingran muttered, scrambling out despite Haoran's glare. She gripped the seal, runes swirling green, and focused—hard—like modding a game mid-crash. The seal's light merged with Haoran's pulse, hitting the fox's core. It howled, splitting into sparks, gone—for now.
Jingran slumped against the car, panting. "Zero out of ten, Xiwen. Your pets need a nerf."
Haoran lowered the device, his jaw tight. "You don't listen, do you?"
"Nope," Jingran said, grinning. "Keeps life spicy."
Lanyi climbed out, laptop safe. "Spicy's one word for it. Where to? Your family's probably sending goons for that seal."
Jingran's gut twisted—Guangli's greed, Meilin's smirk. The system chimed: Suggested destination—Teng Enterprises lab. Secure analysis possible. Risk—Huo family pursuit.
Jingran met Haoran's eyes. "Got a lab we can borrow? This seal's screaming 'plot device,' and I'd rather not crack it in a ditch."
He studied her, rain dripping down his stupidly sharp cheekbones. "You're asking for a lot, Miss Huo."
"I'm worth it," she shot back, half-joking. His lips twitched—score one for her.
"Fine," he said, sliding back into the driver's seat. "But you owe me."
"Add it to my tab," Jingran said, hopping in with Lanyi. The car roared off, Jiading fading as Shanghai's neon loomed closer—Pudong's towers like a cyberpunk promise.
Teng's lab was buried under his HQ, a fortress of glass and steel in Pudong's heart. The elevator ride down felt like descending into a sci-fi dungeon—chrome walls, biometric scans, and a faint hum of power. Jingran's pendant stayed quiet, but her nerves didn't. Haoran's "prototype" gun and this lab screamed secrets, and she wasn't sure she liked being in his debt.
The lab itself was a nerd's fever dream: holographic consoles, robotic arms, and a sealed chamber glowing faintly blue. Lanyi whistled, setting up her laptop. "This beats HuoTech's old closet servers."
Jingran grinned. "Right? I'm half-expecting a mad scientist to pop out."
Haoran ignored them, keying commands into a console. A platform rose, ready for the seal. "Place it here," he said, voice clipped. "And don't touch anything else."
"Bossy," Jingran muttered, setting the seal down. Its dragons gleamed, and the system pinged: Analysis initiated. Jade Protocol data—Huo clan collaborated with Bei sorcery, pre-adoption. Risk—Haoran's access.
Jingran's jaw dropped. "Pre-adoption? My family's been shady since forever?"
Lanyi glanced over, curious. "What's that about?"
"Nothing," Jingran said too fast, catching Haoran's sharp look. The system warned: Caution—Haoran's motives unclear. Ally probability: 68%.
"Great," she whispered. "My life's a trust fall with no net."
The console hummed, projecting data—runes, timestamps, Huo-Bei contracts from decades ago. Jingran's memories flickered: Guangli's late-night calls, Qiongyu's locked study. The seal wasn't just a relic—it was proof her family had dabbled in Xiwen's magic, maybe even built the Jade Protocol with her.
Lanyi frowned at her screen. "Boss, these logs… HuoTech's breach used sorcery code. Like, literal spells in the firewall."
Jingran's head spun. "Spells? Xiwen's been hacking with magic?"
Haoran's voice was low. "Explains Bei Innovations' edge. And why they want your seal."
Jingran met his gaze, uneasy. "You're awfully calm about this, Mr. Tech Wizard."
He leaned closer, cologne hitting her—sandalwood, always trouble. "I've seen worse than magic, Miss Huo. Question is, can you handle it?"
Her grin hid nerves. "Watch me."
The system chimed: Analysis complete. Jade Protocol—control system for Shanghai's tech ley lines. Huo clan betrayed Bei, hid seal. New task: Secure protocol fragment.
"Ley lines?" Jingran muttered. "This isn't a game, it's a whole expansion pack."
Before she could process, the lab's lights flickered. A low growl echoed—not a construct, but… mechanical? The chamber's glow turned red, and Haoran cursed, diving for a panel. "Perimeter breach," he said, pulling up feeds.
Screens showed a drone—sleek, Bei-branded—hovering outside, its lens trained on the lab. Lanyi's laptop pinged, a message flashing: Nice lab, Huo. Hand over the seal, or it's ashes.
Jingran's blood ran cold. "Xiwen's got drones now? Overachiever much?"
Haoran's face hardened, fingers flying over controls. "It's not just a drone—hacked with sorcery. My systems are locked."
Lanyi cracked her knuckles, plugging in. "I got this. Nobody out-hacks me."
Jingran gripped the seal, runes sparking. The system urged: Counter sorcery with seal. Success chance: 60%.
"Sixty?" she hissed. "Come on, give me a crit!"
She focused, runes flaring, and aimed at the chamber's core—where the drone's signal pulsed. Light surged, frying the drone's spell, but pain stabbed her skull—mana drain, worse than ever. She staggered, Haoran catching her arm.
"Easy," he said, voice softer than usual. Her cheeks burned—not the time, Jingran.
Lanyi whooped, regaining control. "Drone's down! Suck it, Xiwen!"
The screens cleared, but Jingran's pendant hummed, uneasy. The system whispered: Threat neutralized, but signal traced—Huo Meilin involved.
Jingran froze. "Meilin? My sister's in on this?"
Haoran's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
She hesitated, the system urging: Selective truth. "Meilin's… shady. Probably ratted to Xiwen. Family drama, you know?"
He didn't push, but his grip lingered on her arm, sparking stupid butterflies. Lanyi's phone buzzed again—an X post from Meilin: Some secrets should stay buried. #HuoLegacy.
Jingran's gut twisted. "She's taunting me."
The lab's console beeped, projecting a new file—Jade Protocol fragment, encrypted but glowing with runes. The system chimed: Fragment critical. New task: Decode at HuoTech ruins. Warning—Lu Mingxu's signal detected nearby.
Jingran's mind snagged—Mingxu, the hacker from her visions, texting her to meet alone. Now he was close? Her pendant flared, and a memory hit: Mingxu's voice, years ago, warning Jingran about the seal. It's not safe. They'll kill for it.
"They?" she whispered, shaking it off. Haoran was watching, too sharp for comfort.
"We move," he said, grabbing the seal's data drive. "HuoTech ruins—your call, Jingran."
She nodded, heart pounding. "Let's roll. But if Mingxu shows, I'm asking questions—hard ones."
Lanyi packed up, smirking. "This is why I don't do family reunions."
As they headed for the elevator, Jingran's phone buzzed—a text, no sender: You're fast, Huo. But I'm faster. See you at the ruins. A fox emoji capped it, mocking.
Jingran gripped the seal, runes glinting. "Game on, Xiwen."