Chapter Five: A Debt of Pain

The Red Tide team knew the rule. They split up and attacked the wards. Wanqing blocked one blade, then looked down to discover a deep wound across her chest. “Pain isn't your power source,” Gu Chen said. “It's your instrument panel. Borrow mine.” He connected through the Echo headset. The pain hidden from Wanqing bypassed the rule and flooded his nerves. He nearly bit through his tongue. “Two fractures, left ribs. Right tendon near failure. Take one more hit, not two.” Wanqing moved by his count. He read the price of every wound, and she spent her strength reinforcing rooms instead of attacking. Lin adjusted life lines seven seconds early. Pei Jin transferred the sealed condition of ruptured wards into an empty elevator shaft.