The walk back to the hotel felt lighter than Lin Fang expected.
The city was still buzzing after the dungeon alert, patrol drones gliding overhead and emergency broadcasts looping on public screens, yet none of that noise seemed to touch him anymore.
Somewhere deep inside, something had settled. The system upgrade was complete. His link was back. His power, refined and expanded, rested quietly under his skin like a sleeping beast.
For a moment, the exhilaration surged again.
This is real, he thought. All of it.
But Lin Fang kept his face calm. Years of surviving on thin margins had trained him well. Power was dangerous when it showed on one's face.
They returned to the hotel without incident. At the elevator, Li Liu suddenly stopped and turned to Nebula, hands on her hips.
"You're staying with us tonight."
Nebula blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Master…?"
