They left the armory behind them, and the corridor swallowed their footsteps the moment they stepped out, as if the ship didn't want sound traveling too far.
Juren watched through the feed without blinking. The image was grainy in places, the edges flickering whenever the ship's tired systems tried to reroute power, but it was clear enough to see the way Xu Qianghua moved. Calm. Measured. Like he had already accepted that the ship might be hiding more than it was showing.
The AI said nothing. It only tracked them, adjusting the camera angles with small corrections that cost it energy it could barely afford.
Juren leaned back in the command chair he didn't want. His hands rested on his thighs, fingers stiff. He felt like he was watching his own life get inspected by strangers who could decide its value in a single breath.
