Chapter 46 · The Border of Fire Shadows, Trial and Error
Section I · Signal Released, the Probers Arrive
In the western sector of Iron Valley's Gray West District, beneath the crumbling neon lights of an underground passage where flickering signs blinked like heartbeats, lay the "Nest-Eye Line" — a low-level intelligence-gathering zone set up by the Needle Nest. Not marked on any official map, it was privately known as the "Silk Corridor."
Maria leaned against the base of a cracked column, her eyes fixed on the graffiti wall across from her — the same one they had "decorated" two nights ago.
— "Starfire Army West Alley Rally Point · Code #F41-A · Recruiting Starfire Volunteers · No Proof Required, Only Will."
The handwriting was crude, hastily sprayed and partially scraped away, leaving uncertainty whether someone had tried to erase it or merely wished to draw attention. Around it were torn flyers, half-shredded by wind, like remnants of an unfinished war of words.
Zhao Mingxuan, hood drawn low, blended in among street vendors at the corner, murmuring through his earpiece:
"The ARGUS decoy chains are planted. The signal will trigger a location blur in 30 minutes — creating the illusion of coordinated action."
"Will the Nest believe it?" Maria asked quietly.
"They don't need to," he replied with a faint smile. "Only that they investigate — and fall into our bait map."
Jason wasn't present in person but observing remotely via Fuxi's interface. His orders were clear: no direct conflict desired, only "provoking suspicion × leaving trails × planting spikes."
At that moment, two figures entered the alleyway. Both female, clad in close-fitting leather armor, their movements silent, their facial tattoos barely visible — unmistakable signs of caution. Their leader was named Feiya, field commander of the "Glowing Needle Unit."
"That's the tone of the Starfire Army?" she pointed at the graffiti, voice low.
"It looks like it," the other replied, shaking her head. "But too obvious. Which real fire would dare be so blatant?"
"Unless it's provocation," Feiya smirked. "Or… a test."
She raised her hand, using a concealed blade to scrape off a piece of the wall, tucking it into a hidden pocket.
Maria appeared behind them without so much as a ripple in the air.
"Fire doesn't write its own address," she said, her voice emerging from the shadows. "But if you're willing to look for it, that means — you weren't entirely unwilling to find it."
"Who?" Feiya spun around, dagger at Maria's forehead. "Are you fire?"
"No," Maria didn't flinch. "I'm just someone who has been touched by it."
They stood locked in silence for several seconds — the breath between blades, the tension in the eyes. Maria could see the slight twitch in Feiya's right eye, a reaction tagged by the system. She knew this kind of Nest agent — outwardly calm, yet most vulnerable to emotional cracks.
"You once believed in clearer faiths, didn't you?" she whispered. "Now? Can you even tell friend from foe?"
"I only know who to kill," Feiya's gaze remained cold, though her fingers trembled slightly.
A second before she struck, a pulse of light flashed from the far end of the alley — an ARGUS decoy signal mimicking a "Kindling Cluster" activation.
Feiya instinctively turned. In that instant, Maria was already beside her, lightly tapping her shoulder.
"You shouldn't ask who I am," Maria said. "Ask yourself — if someone called you fire, would you deny it?"
"Don't play mind games with me," Feiya growled.
"This isn't a game," Maria calmly stepped back. "Just a question. One you'll have to answer eventually."
Without waiting for a reply, she vanished into the dark corridor, swallowed by the weathered bricks.
Feiya didn't chase.
She simply stood there, silent for a long time.
Her subordinate finally spoke: "Commander, what do we do now?"
"Leave two here to watch, don't alert the inner network," she ordered coldly. "I don't know if they're fire — but I want to know… if they are, would I want to join them."
Far away, Zhao Mingxuan murmured softly:
"She got halfway there."
Maria responded in a whisper:
"Half is enough."
—
[Fuxi Insight]
☰ Wind over Mountain – Gradual Influence
→ Fire is not lit by propaganda, but by questions. Your goal is not to make them believe you are fire — but to make them begin to doubt whether they are.
—
Section II · OldSkullbone Camp, Threshold Between Brothers
On the abandoned edge of the western industrial belt, a gray container-modifiedSkullbone outpost was hidden beneath rusting power towers. Its flag was no longer the golden eagle of the old Federation, but a white background with blue stripes — a symbol of soldiers reorganizing themselves after rebellion.
Jason and Wills were disguised as survivingSkullbone members fleeing from the "Breakwall Front," complete with simulated combat damage and fake wounds. Inside their backpacks were forged battle logs — modified communications designed to create a rift between command and subordinates.
"You sure they won't see through us?" Wills muttered under his breath as they walked. "I hate pretending I crawled out of a pile of corpses."
"They don't need to believe us," Jason said coolly. "We're giving them a chance to doubt their superiors."
At the checkpoint, the guards didn't shoot — they shouted: "Identification code!"
Jason gave an ARGUS-generated old ID: "E-94-Horn Unit-Broken Wire Squad Two."
An older officer approached — sharp-eyed. His name was Bart Vanson, former deputy commander ofSkullbone Union. His men called him "Brother Bart." Rumors said the core veterans still followed his orders.
"Broken Wire Squad Two?" Bart came closer, inspecting their bandages and worn gun bags. "Which front did you retreat from?"
"Breakwall Front," Jason answered immediately. "Fourth Brigade supply post was withdrawn. We were left behind."
"Withdrawn my ass," Bart snapped. "No one withdrew from Fourth Brigade — they were all wiped out."
Jason showed no emotion, handing over the forged communication log. It contained a supposed "withdrawal order," deliberately leaving ambiguous timestamps and sender codes.
"You expect me to believe this?" Bart frowned, his voice showing subtle hesitation.
"We don't know if it's real," Jason said firmly. "We only know we survived because someone wanted us dead."
Silence fell over the camp. SeveralSkullbone soldiers had gathered, hands resting on their weapons, but not firing.
Bart suddenly sneered: "So you're saying all this is to make me doubt our own people?"
Jason met his gaze evenly: "We're only telling you how we survived. Whether you believe it depends on whether you're willing to keep dying for those who don't even see you."
Bart looked at Wills: "And you? Do you believe him?"
Wills sighed: "I don't believe anyone. I only believe this wound was taken by my brother. If our commander had been there, we'd have supplies instead of chewing through our belts."
Bart studied them for a while, then waved: "Fine. Bring them in — but don't let the upper ranks know."
Once inside the camp, Jason whispered to Wills:
"He believes us."
"No," Wills smirked. "He believes himself. He just needed a reason to voice what he already suspected."
—
[Fuxi Insight]
☰ Thunder Over Water – Resolution Amidst Crisis
→ Some fractures don't need to be forced open — only acknowledged. Brothers can doubt each other, but pretending they never do is worse.
—
Section III · Smoke Test, Fire That Never Cooled
Night had not fully fallen in theSkullbone outpost, but the air still carried the scent of dried blood and engine oil.
Jason stood beside a ruined armored vehicle, listening to veteranSkullbone soldiers recount past battles around a fire. Bart sat silently, eyes shadowed, not joining the conversation.
Wills leaned in: "You sure we should wait for him to speak? If we delay too long, we'll become embedded agents ourselves."
"Letting him speak is the final phase of this mission," Jason scanned the surroundings. "Not us starting first."
After a while, Bart finally rose, waving the others away.
"You two don't seem lost," he said, looking at Jason. "But I don't think you're TRACE dogs either."
Jason smiled faintly: "We just wanted to see if there's still anyone alive in these ruins who understands the meaning of 'signal.'"
Bart stayed quiet, walking to a half-collapsed watchtower, opening a rusted cabinet, and pulling out a battered iron box, placing it on the table.
"You recognize this?"
Jason examined it briefly — an old "EKS-7 Military Signal Module," long obsolete, yet compatible with certain ARGUS interfaces.
"It can connect," Jason nodded. "But only on specific frequencies."
"I don't want to connect to TRACE or the Empire," Bart said coldly. "But I want to reach that madman who said 'the Empire will fall'… Are you his people?"
Jason didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a simple metal ring — burnt edges, etched with a flame-shaped crack.
"Do you believe in this?" Jason asked.
Bart stared for a long time, then slowly sat down: "I don't believe you'll win. But I believe TRACE won't let us live."
"So you want a choice?" Jason watched him.
"No," Bart gritted his teeth. "I want an escape route. You can leave now, but in three days I'll make a contact attempt — if you're still alive, I'll consider handing this camp over… not as surrender, but cooperation."
"How do you mean cooperation?" Wills interjected.
"You teach me how to survive," Bart glared. "I teach you how to fight guerrilla. I know this land."
Jason nodded: "We'll open a signal chain only visible to you. When you decide, just press confirm — and we'll know where you are."
—
As they exited theSkullbone outpost, morning winds stirred the dust.
"You think he'll believe?" Wills asked.
"He doesn't believe me," Jason said calmly. "But he believes in fire."
"You mean those pamphlets we've been spreading everywhere?" Wills scoffed.
"No," Jason stopped. "That's not propaganda. That's a grenade thrown onto another battlefield — every time we toss one, someone steps back."
—
Thirty minutes later, at the temporary rendezvous point, Zhao Mingxuan, Lisa, and Maria were already in position.
Jason entered the ruin, shook off his coat, and sat down:
"Skullbone hasn't committed yet, but the line is set."
Zhao handed him a data terminal: "Perfect timing. Refinery Commune's southern power line connected to ARGUS nodes today. We can start the 'Simulated Conflict'."
Jason nodded, looking at everyone.
"The next move depends on who gets impatient first."
—
[Fuxi Insight]
☰ Water Over Fire – Completion Through Small Steps
→ Strategy is not an outcome, but a chain of processes. Fire is not the flame after ignition — but the stillness before it.
—
Section IV · First Flames, Testing the Line at Refinery
East of the Gray Plateau, a makeshift mobile relay station had just been erected — its shell made from discardedSkullbone containers, its interior linked to ARGUS encrypted relays.
Jason stood at the control panel, watching a red dotted line extend toward its target — Refinery Commune's "Second Scrap Yard Transfer Zone."
"You sure this spot will cause enough stir?" Zhao asked beside him.
"It's not about scale," Jason said. "It's about triggering the right response."
With a swipe, he inserted a fabricated data stream into Refinery Commune's trade logs — a false record of "illegal material transfer failure," enough to trigger TRACE's memetic scanning protocols.
"This type of data usually triggers an automatic patrol report within half an hour," Zhao explained. "But we've already fed in a prior message: 'Skullbone area triggered ambiguous fire feedback,' making ARGUS default to non-threat status."
"And Refinery?" Lisa asked.
"They'll thinkSkullbone is trying to shift blame," Maria's eyes gleamed. "Whether they respond depends on them."
Jason lifted his head, smiling faintly: "This is called acting under the shadow of fire."
—
Meanwhile, deep within Refinery Commune, an old lab.
Engineer Hack stared at a new red alert: "Illegal Material Transfer Failure Warning," unknown source, but overlapping withSkullbone routes.
"Is this… a frame?" he frowned.
A junior staff member whispered: "Is TRACE moving against us?"
"No," Hack's gaze sharpened. "TRACE wouldn't warn us. This feels more like… someone wants us to think TRACE is moving."
"Should we clarify?" the junior asked.
"Not yet," Hack said steadily. "This isn't an accusation — it's a projection of fire. If we respond, we admit something exists. If we stay silent, we let others fear us."
He added softly: "Go check ifSkullbone released it."
—
Outside the outpost, Maria intercepted a transmission:
"Refinery activated secondary trace systems."
"Good," Jason said quietly. "They're getting restless."
Lisa asked tentatively: "Should we guide them to 'expose'Skullbone?"
"No," Jason shook his head. "We make them suspect each other — that's Phase One's goal."
Zhao smiled: "Throw a spark into their water tank, and let them wonder if it's steam or smoke."
—
[Fuxi Insight]
☲ Fire Over Water – Action Without Completion
→ Tactical wisdom lies not in burning down your opponent, but in letting them burn themselves from within.
—
Section V · Between Smoke and Signal, Who Guides the Flame?
Refinery Commune · Mid-Level Management Station.
A semi-subterranean steel structure filled with pipes and ever-present steam — like a tireless iron lung.
Hack stared at the console, expression growing darker. His team's "Secondary Trace System" hadn't detected TRACE or imperial interference, but instead flagged the data origin as a "fuzzy authorization node."
"It's ARGUS," he finally said.
A subordinate asked hoarsely: "Then… is this fire testing us?"
"No," Hack shook his head. "It's igniting."
He shut down the trace path, then signaled internally: "Bring the 'Midline Coordinator' up."
Ten minutes later, a woman wearing a gray cloth mask entered the lab, standing silently before Hack.
"You're with the Gray End," Hack cut straight to the point. "I know you handle external coordination. I won't ask why you're here. But now, you must answer one question."
"Go ahead."
"Will fire reach us?"
The woman whispered: "No. Unless you try to put it out."
Hack paused, then smiled: "Tell them I want a call window."
—
Back at the temporary base, ARGUS nodes blinked on the outer terminals.
Lisa saw the prompt: "Response received. Refinery mid-level requests a 'Non-Target Neutral Channel.'"
Jason looked over: "That's not a call — it's a negotiation."
He took the board, connected directly, voice like deep water:
"Are you asking what we want — or telling us what you're willing to exchange?"
There was a long silence before Hack's voice came through:
"We want to survive. Not caught between fire and knife."
Jason replied calmly: "We never force choices — only show that not choosing is also a choice."
"What do you want from us?"
"Trust," Jason said. "Not in me — in your people. They're watching how you handle this wind."
The line cut.
Zhao whispered: "He hasn't decided yet."
"He already has," Jason's eyes were cold. "Just doesn't know how to say it yet."
—
Elsewhere in Refinery Commune, a rest room.
The Gray End woman removed her mask, staring at the newly painted slogan on the wall:
"When two fires meet, the Empire falls."
She turned to a young technician beside her:
"Today, you don't need to report. Take some documents to the control center for me."
"Why?"
"Because we need to show him — fire doesn't always come from outside."
—
[Fuxi Insight]
☷ Earth Alone – Move with the flow, conquer through softness.
→ True psychological warfare isn't persuasion — it's guiding the enemy to reach your conclusion themselves.
—
Section VI · Seeds of Belief, Half a Step from Fire
Refinery Commune · Lower Control Corridor.
Late at night, a new technician entered the records room with a stack of files, visibly nervous. No one else was around. The air smelled of disinfectant and old paper.
He placed the files down, slipping a report labeled "Equipment Disconnection" into plain sight.
It was passed to him by Hack's old contact from Gray End — hidden within it was a memetic signal detectable only by ARGUS nodes.
"It's done," the Gray End woman whispered through the earpiece.
—
At the outpost, the ARGUS terminal completed a round of silent echo.
Lisa raised her brows: "Refinery returned a Memetic Consensus Test — Passed."
Maria leaned against the wall, eyes glinting: "They're just one breath away."
Jason said nothing, only gazing at the glowing node on the Gray Plateau map — like stars, or embers beginning to catch.
"The next step," he said slowly, "is to give them a choice. A mix of real and fake threats makes belief feel real."
—
The next afternoon.
Refinery Commune · Core Engineering Management Conference Room. Eight senior and mid-level officials sat around an oval table. Hack presided, the latest "memetic interference report" spread before him.
"We could have erased that 'misinformation' file we received," he began.
"But why didn't we?" someone countered.
Hack tapped the document: "The memetic graph shows untriggered individual resonance. This means — not induced by the system, but spontaneous."
"This…" someone whispered, "could be fire."
"Possibly," Hack nodded. "Or it could be someone inside us."
"You're saying…"
"We already started believing."
Silence filled the room.
Hack's voice grew heavy: "If we do nothing, we accept it. If we publicly deny, we fan the flames."
His gaze sharpened: "So I've decided — rather than wait for TRACE to come for us, we go first."
Someone gasped: "You're insane?"
"No," Hack said calmly. "I want to live. Not die in a system I no longer believe in."
—
Back at the outpost.
ARGUS chimed:
[Signal Connected · Refinery Level: Hack · Self-Initiated · Fuzzy Channel]
"He's here," Zhao whispered.
Jason took the channel, voice steady:
"State your terms."
Hack replied: "Let us live as ourselves."
"To do that," Jason said, "you must first prove you're no longer the Empire's self."
—
[Fuxi Philosophy]
"Sun Tzu's Art of War · On Void and Substance"says:
"The nature of military operations favors speed — strike when the enemy is unprepared, travel undetected paths, attack where they are unguarded."
→ Faith warfare thrives on being first in the mind. Not through coercion, but awakening.