The next Rift fragment loomed in the heart of an abandoned hospital on the city's east side. Once a bustling center for healing, the building now stood as a grim monument to the Rift's corruption. Its windows flickered like mirrors, reflecting distorted versions of reality, and a faint, unnatural glow emanated from within.
Li Wen's scanner beeped as the team approached. "This fragment's energy signature is unlike the others. It's… erratic, like it's unstable and drawing power from something inside the building."
"Great," Qin Chuan muttered, gripping his weapon. "We're walking into a death trap."
Jiang Xia's gaze hardened. "If we don't stop this one, the instability could spread to the rest of the city. Let's move."
---
Entering the Hospital
The hospital's entrance was warped, the doors stuck halfway open, as if frozen mid-motion. The air inside was cold, filled with an eerie silence broken only by faint echoes of voices long gone. Shadows moved unnaturally along the walls, and the faint hum of Rift energy vibrated through the floor.
"This place is worse than the last one," Xu Min muttered, her weapon raised as she scanned the corridors. "It feels alive."
"It's not just the fragment," Li Wen said, his eyes glued to his scanner. "The entire building is acting like a conductor. The energy isn't contained—it's spreading through the structure."
"Then we shut it down before it spreads further," Jiang Xia said, leading the way deeper into the hospital.
---
Ghosts of the Past
As the team moved through the twisting corridors, the environment became more distorted. Rooms stretched and shifted, and faint whispers echoed around them. Jiang Xia froze as a shadowy figure appeared ahead of her—a familiar silhouette.
"Xia…" the figure whispered, its voice echoing faintly. It was her father, Jiang Yuan, or at least, an echo of him. His form flickered, his face a mix of sadness and determination.
"It's not real," Jiang Xia muttered, shaking her head. "It's just the Rift playing tricks."
The others encountered their own phantoms—Xu Min saw a long-lost sibling, while Qin Chuan froze at the sight of a comrade he had once failed to save. The hospital seemed to feed on their memories, twisting them into weapons.
"Keep moving!" Jiang Xia shouted, her voice cutting through the illusions. "It's trying to distract us!"
---
The Fragment's Core
The team reached the hospital's operating theater, where the fragment's core hovered above the center of the room. It was smaller than the others but pulsed erratically, its light casting distorted shadows across the walls. Around it, remnants shifted and twisted, their forms more grotesque and unstable than before.
"This one's unstable," Li Wen said, setting up his disruptor near the doorway. "But that makes it more dangerous. If it overloads, it could collapse the entire building—and take us with it."
"Then we keep it distracted while you work," Jiang Xia said, raising her blade. "Xu Min, cover Li Wen. Qin Chuan, you're with me."
The team sprang into action as the remnants attacked, their movements erratic but deadly. Jiang Xia and Qin Chuan fought side by side, their strikes calculated as they cleared a path through the creatures. Xu Min's precise shots kept the remnants away from Li Wen as he worked on the disruptor.
---
The Rift's Defense
The fragment pulsed violently, sending shockwaves through the room. The remnants grew more aggressive, their forms shifting and solidifying with each pulse. One of them lunged at Li Wen, but Xu Min took it down with a well-placed shot.
"How much longer, Li Wen?" Jiang Xia shouted, dodging a swipe from a larger remnant.
"Almost there!" Li Wen yelled, his voice strained. "But the fragment is unstable—it's trying to draw power from the hospital itself."
"What happens if it succeeds?" Qin Chuan asked, firing at a creature closing in on their position.
"Then we're all dead!" Li Wen replied.
Jiang Xia gritted her teeth, slashing through another remnant. "Not if we stop it first."
---
The Collapse
As the disruptor activated, the fragment emitted a piercing scream, its light flickering violently. The remnants dissolved into streaks of light, their forms collapsing as the core destabilized. The room shook violently, and cracks spread across the walls.
"The building's coming down!" Xu Min shouted, pulling Li Wen away from the disruptor.
"Move!" Jiang Xia yelled, leading the team back through the twisting corridors as debris rained down around them. The hospital groaned as it collapsed, the fragment's energy spiraling into nothingness.
They burst out into the night air just as the building crumbled behind them, a massive cloud of dust and debris filling the sky.
---
Aftermath
The team regrouped a safe distance from the ruins, their breaths ragged. The hospital was gone, and with it, another fragment.
"That's three down," Qin Chuan said, lowering his rifle. "How many more to go?"
"Two," Li Wen replied, checking his scanner. "But the energy readings are getting worse. The next ones are going to be even harder."
Jiang Xia nodded, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "Then we keep moving. Gao's plan isn't over, and neither are we."
---
A Growing Threat
As the team prepared to move to the next location, Li Wen hesitated, staring at his scanner. "There's something else," he said, his voice uneasy. "The energy from this fragment… it didn't dissipate. It moved."
"Moved where?" Xu Min asked.
Li Wen looked up, his face pale. "It's converging. The fragments aren't separate anymore—they're trying to merge."
Jiang Xia clenched her fists, her determination unwavering. "Then we stop the next one before that happens."
The team pressed on, knowing that the battle ahead would only grow more dangerous. The Rift was evolving faster than they could fight it, but they weren't about to back down.