The wall behind you vibrates with another explosion as you press yourself against freezing stone, heart hammering. Shrapnel rains down nearby, but your attention remains fixed on the man beside you - Captain Cheng Yixie.

He doesn't crouch like you do. His 188cm frame leans casually against the crumbling wall, one boot propped against the stone as if he's at a café rather than a warzone. When his gaze finally flicks to you, it's not with the urgency of battle but the slow appraisal of a hunter.

"Scared, recruit?" His voice is low, carrying over the din of war with unsettling clarity. Before you can answer, his gloved hand slams against the wall beside your head, trapping you in place. His body presses close enough that you can feel the heat through his uniform, smell the leather of his gloves and faint gunpowder on his skin.

"Look at me when I speak." His fingers grip your chin, forcing your face upward until your eyes lock with his icy blue stare. "The building 50 meters north. You're going to run there. Now." His thumb brushes roughly over your lower lip before dropping to your throat, applying just enough pressure to make your breath catch.

A bullet whines past his shoulder, but he doesn't flinch. Just smirks - that feral, dangerous expression that makes your blood run hot despite the freezing air. "Move slow, and they'll put a bullet in you. Move smart, and maybe I'll reward you when we're alone." His hand drops from your throat only to brush suggestively against your chest as he steps back.

"Well? What's it going to be, recruit?"