In the deepest hour before dawn,

  someone knocked softly on the inn door.

  Roan and Maya stood outside, wrapped in slightly oversized coats—

  the temporary council had sent them a set of dark?blue mechanic uniforms,

  each shoulder stitched with a newly designed emblem:

  a simple gear encircled by olive branches—

  a symbol of rebuilding and peace.

  Amy stood beside them,

  holding a small bundle sewn from worn canvas,

  her eyes still red.

  Sunri’s group had already packed.

  Pardy held Mo?Dou in his arms—

  the little creature seemed to sense they were leaving,

  curled quietly against the boy’s chest,

  its golden eyes deep and reflective under the dim oil lamp.

  Ye Lingyun checked the straps of his scabbard.

  Lin Che tucked the last few pages of his observation notes into his leather pouch.

  “You’re leaving?” Roan’s voice broke the silence—

  tinged with reluctance, yet steadied by newfound resolve.

  “It’s time for us to continue our journey.” Sunri nodded, glancing at everyone.

  “This city has a new beginning now. And so do you.”

  Maya stepped forward and embraced Sunri,

  then Lin Che, then Ye Lingyun in turn.

  “May your path be safe.”

  Lily peeked out from behind her mother.

  Pardy loosened his hold on Mo?Dou,

  dug into his tiny backpack,

  and pulled out his last two pieces of sugar cake,

  pressing them into Lily’s hands.

  The two children didn’t say much—

  they simply looked at each other and nodded hard.

  Then Amy stepped forward.

  Her gaze first fell on Pardy—

  the boy looked up at her with those clear, gentle eyes,

  and tears spilled down her cheeks.

  She looked next at Mo?Dou—

  the black cat’s fluffy tail brushed lightly against her wrist,

  as if offering comfort.

  Amy crouched down, meeting Pardy eye?to?eye.

  She opened her mouth to speak,

  but her throat tightened,

  blocking every word.

  Suddenly, she reached out

  and pulled Pardy into a tight embrace.

  His small shoulders stiffened—

  then slowly relaxed.

  He lifted a tiny hand

  and patted her back.

  “I’ll miss you…” Amy whispered.

  They had long become close friends.

  She released him, tears streaming,

  yet forcing a crooked smile.

  Then she turned to Mo?Dou.

  The black cat leapt gracefully onto her knee,

  nudging her chin with its head.

  “And you,” Amy murmured, rubbing behind its ears,

  voice trembling, “you mysterious little thing…

  thank you for keeping me company at night.”

  Mo?Dou meowed softly, golden eyes narrowing.

  Amy wiped her face,

  took a steadying breath,

  and finally turned to Lin Che.

  She unwrapped the canvas bundle in her hands—

  inside was a small metal box, rough but tightly sealed.

  She opened the lid with great care.

  A crisp, vibrant scent—alive and strange—

  spread into the air.

  Inside, nestled on damp moss,

  lay a vine about the length of a finger.

  Its body was a translucent jade green,

  with faint threads of light pulsing slowly within—

  as if it breathed.

  Most unusual of all

  was the nearly invisible, dew?like sheen

  coating its surface.

  “Doctor Lin,” Amy said solemnly, offering the box,

  “you mentioned you were searching for rare medicinal plants—

  especially those that can heal severe wounds,

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  even regenerate bone and muscle.

  I… I remembered this.”

  Lin Che’s breath caught.

  He stepped closer,

  but did not take the box immediately.

  Instead, he studied the vine with intense focus,

  his eyes gleaming with academic fascination.

  “These patterns…

  this wavelength of life radiation…” he murmured.

  Ye Lingyun leaned in as well,

  his pupils tightening.

  “This is… the legendary herb that restores flesh and bone?

  I’ve seen it described in my sect’s ancient texts.

  Its growth conditions are nearly impossible,

  and once harvested, it must be preserved in a very specific way—

  or it dies instantly—”

  “—The Lifebreath Vine,”

  Lin Che and Ye Lingyun said at the same time.

  They exchanged a surprised look.

  Ye Lingyun cupped his fist. “Truly knowledgeable.”

  “You as well, Brother Ye.”

  Lin Che allowed himself a rare, genuine smile

  as he finally accepted the box with utmost care.

  “The Lifebreath Vine grows only at life?nodes where leyline energy is both abundant and precariously balanced.

  It must be harvested with the surrounding soil intact,

  and kept constantly nourished by pure life?water mist.

  Even a scratch from a fingernail,

  or contact with metal for more than three breaths,

  will cause it to wither instantly.”

  He looked at Amy, eyes filled with respect and curiosity.

  “How did you obtain this? It’s… priceless.”

  Amy inhaled deeply, as if gathering courage.

  “It’s… from long ago.

  My father was a botanist in an exploration team.

  During an expedition deep into an old mine,

  he found a small patch of these vines growing beside glowing crystal clusters.

  It took everything he knew to bring back even this tiny piece,

  and he cared for it ever since.

  When he fell ill, we sold almost everything of value…

  except this.”

  She lifted her head, gaze firm.

  “He always said this plant shouldn’t be hidden away—

  it should be used where it can save lives.

  Mother agreed.

  Doctor Lin… you pulled Roan back from death.

  And you’re researching medicines that could save even more people.

  In your hands, it means more than it ever could in ours.”

  Lin Che’s hands trembled around the metal box.

  After a long moment,

  he bowed deeply—

  the formal bow of one healer to another.

  “Amy… this gift outweighs gold.

  I, Lin Che, swear as a healer

  to study it,

  to understand it,

  to craft medicine worthy of it.

  I will not fail this vine.”

  He placed the box into the innermost, shock?proof, heat?insulated compartment of his medical kit—

  with the tenderness of someone cradling a newborn.

  Roan watched with quiet satisfaction.

  He stepped forward last,

  shaking Sunri’s hand firmly,

  then bidding farewell to Ye Lingyun, Lin Che, and Pardy one by one.

  “Take care, Advisor Roan,” Sunri said with a smile.

  “You as well.”

  Roan glanced at the brightening sky.

  “The sun’s rising.

  I should head to the council—

  we’re discussing how to safely redirect trace amounts of core energy

  for basic lighting and medical use.”

  The moment of parting had come.

  Sunri’s group shouldered their packs

  and slipped quietly out of the inn.

  The warmth on Sunri’s palm glowed faintly

  as they walked down the still?sleepy street.

  Morning wind swept through the ruins and the reborn city,

  lifting dust and scraps of paper.

  Just as they turned a corner,

  a stronger gust hit them head?on,

  forcing their eyes half?shut.

  A half?damp, freshly printed newspaper

  slapped straight onto Sunri’s face.

  “…Again?”

  He peeled it off with a sigh—

  and was about to toss it aside

  when a blurry photo beneath the headline caught his eye.

  He froze.

  The main headline read:

  “Temporary Council Established — Reconstruction Begins.”

  But below it was a striking subheading:

  “New Hero Duo!

  Mysterious Catwoman and Black Cat Bring Justice Amid the Chaos!”

  In the photo,

  a lithe female silhouette crouched atop a steam pipe,

  her fitted dark outfit outlining sharp, fluid lines.

  The firelight behind her cast her masked face in a fierce glow.

  But the most eye?catching detail—

  a black cat perched on her shoulder.

  Its eyes reflected two sharp points of light,

  like twin searchlights cutting through the dark.

  The caption read:

  “Over the past three days, multiple witnesses reported sightings of this mysterious duo.

  They target looters and violent offenders,

  subduing and binding them before leaving a distinctive mark.

  The black cat on her shoulder has become iconic,

  earning the nickname—

  ‘The Cat Knight.’”

  Sunri’s fingers tightened around the paper.

  Slowly—

  very slowly—

  he lifted his head

  and looked at Mo?Dou.

  The black cat was currently nestled in Pardy’s arms,

  wearing the most innocent “I just want to sleep” expression imaginable,

  pink tongue lazily licking its paw,

  golden eyes half?closed,

  tail swaying gently.

  Sunri looked down at the newspaper cat—

  sharp, regal, predatory in the firelight.

  The silhouette… similar.

  The size… about right.

  The eye?glint… suspiciously identical.

  Sunri blinked.

  Looked at Mo?Dou again.

  Mo?Dou paused mid?lick,

  tilted its head,

  and let out a soft:

  “Meow?”

  Sunri: “…”

  He remembered Mo?Dou’s sudden disappearances.

  Its uncanny timing in dangerous moments.

  Its fierce protection of Pardy,

  its cold indifference toward enemies,

  its selective disregard for certain humans.

  Its almost human?like behavior.

  “…Surely… not…?”

  Sunri whispered,

  as if afraid the cat might hear.

  ＊＊＊

  The sky was still dim when they reached the hill overlooking Hero City.

  The vast steam?driven metropolis lay shrouded in lingering smoke,

  yet in some corners,

  new, gentler lights had begun to shine.

  The hilltop still carried the scent of metal and steam.

  Hero City’s lights flickered in the distance—

  like a giant just awakened from the abyss,

  still catching its breath.

  Sunri held Pardy.

  Lin Che carried his medical pack.

  Ye Lingyun walked ahead.

  Mo?Dou trailed behind,

  tail tip swaying,

  as if listening to something.

  Just as they stepped onto the crest of the hill—

  the air dented.

  Not wind.

  Not tremor.

  But—

  the feeling of being watched by the world itself.

  Sunri spun around.

  Mini?Theater : The Steam City “Vending Machine”

  (Time: After rescuing Kyle Roan’s family, on the eve of the riots)

  its metal shell rusted through—

  yet somehow still functioning.

  “This object… spits steam, trembles, and produces food? It does not seem benevolent.”

  “BEEP—Insufficient balance—BEEP.”

  “BEEP—System error—Complimentary item—BEEP.”

  Clunk.

  A steaming sweet bun dropped out.

  “Perhaps… it is not a demon, but rather… a blacksmith with a temper?”

  “BEEP—High?level lifeform detected—Entering VIP mode—BEEP.”