The boat ride back to Jiangnan felt like a blur. Xin stood on the deck, his eyes fixed on the smoke rising from the skyline. He didn't feel like a hero. His ribs ached where the General’s spear had pierced him, and his head felt heavy with the strange memories of the Star-Steel.​"Xin, drink this," Mei said, shoving a plastic bottle of water into his hand. Her fingers were shaking, but she was trying to look tough.​Xin took a sip, but his throat was dry. "How long has the city been like this?"​"Since you left for the trench," Captain Han answered from the wheel. His face was grim. "The gravity reset you did at the Spire... it didn't last. Without you there to hold it, the 'Zones' started fighting each other. Fire and ice are clashing in the streets. It’s a mess."​As the boat hit the docks, the smell hit them first. It was the smell of ozone and burning rubber. The docks were deserted, but the sounds from the city center were terrifying—explosions, the screeching of metal, and a hig

Gravity’s First LessonThe morning air in Jiangnan was thick with the smell of wet concrete and ozone. Xin sat on a wooden crate in the middle of a collapsed parking garage, staring at a small, round pebble on the floor.He wasn't glowing. There were no energy wings, no silver armor, and no voice in his head telling him how to save the world. He was just a nineteen-year-old with bruised ribs and sore muscles. Two days had passed since he burned out his core to stop the vortex, and the silence inside his chest was deafening."Staring at it won't make it float, kid," Captain Han said.Han walked across the cracked floor, his heavy combat boots echoing in the empty space. He wasn't wearing his fancy armor today, just a black tank top and cargo pants. He looked solid—like a man who had spent his life fighting with nothing but his own two hands."I know," Xin muttered, rubbing his face. "It’s just... weird. Everything felt so light before. Now, even my own arms feel like they’re made of le

​The noodles tasted like victory. Xin sat on the hood of a rusty jeep in the Resistance garage, slurping the spicy broth Mei had cooked. His knuckles were bandaged, and his ribs ached with every breath, but for the first time in days, he felt useful.​"Don't choke," Mei laughed, sitting next to him with her own bowl. "The soup isn't running away."​"I missed this," Xin said, wiping his mouth. "Real food. Not energy bars. Not IV drips."​"You earned it," Captain Han said. He was cleaning his rifle on a crate nearby. "taking down that Scavenger leader without using a single Spark... that was impressive, kid. You moved like a soldier."​Xin looked at the dark mark on his chest. It was still silent. "I just did what you taught me. Gravity is a tool, right?"​"Right," Han nodded. "But don't get comfortable. The city is still broken. And without your power, we can't fix the big things."​As if the universe was listening, the emergency lights in the garage flickered and died. A low, grinding

​The flyer for the Stadium felt heavy in Xin’s pocket. It promised safety, but the closer they got to the massive sports arena, the more it felt like a graveyard.​The Jiangnan Stadium used to be a place for soccer games and concerts. Now, it was a dark mountain rising out of the fog. Giant alien vines, thick as tree trunks, wrapped around the concrete pillars. The air here was freezing cold.​"We can't walk in the front door," Captain Han whispered. He pointed his rifle at the main gates. "Look."​Xin squinted through the gray mist. The gates were guarded. But not by aliens. They were guarded by humans.​Men and women in ragged clothes stood perfectly still by the entrance. They wore metal masks that covered their mouths. They held makeshift spears and clubs. They didn't look like the zombie "Husks" from earlier. They looked alert. They looked... devoted.​"Collaborators," Mei spat the word out like poison. "They joined the aliens to survive."​"Or they were brainwashed," Xin said. H

Thee heavy steel doors of the underground bunker groaned as they slid shut, cutting off the cold wind of the Gray Zone. For Xin, that sound was the most beautiful thing in the world. It meant the nightmare was over, at least for tonight.​The Resistance Base wasn't a fancy high-tech fortress. It was an old, converted subway maintenance hub buried deep beneath the city’s roots. The walls were weeping with moisture, and the air smelled of stale coffee, diesel fuel, and too many people living in a small space. But as Xin stepped off the elevator, he felt a wave of warmth that had nothing to do with the heaters.​"They're back! The Captain is back!" a young voice shouted.​Suddenly, the quiet hallway was filled with people. These weren't the hollow, silent statues from the Stadium. These were real people—mothers weeping as they found their children, old men gripping each other's shoulders, and weary soldiers finally lowering their rifles.​Xin leaned against a damp concrete pillar, his le