Against the Algorithm

Chapter 15: Undone by the Smallest Things

Sicheng didn't waste a single second. The moment he closed his laptop—his mother's message still fresh in his mind, still echoing in the back of his skull like a silent bell toll—he was already on the move. There was no hesitation. No pause to consider alternatives or excuses. The medical check-ups were happening today, and they were not optional.

Not for any of them.

And certainly not for Tong Yao.

He knew how she operated. She wouldn't argue directly. That wasn't her style. Instead, she would brush it off, downplay it, say she was fine while her stomach rumbled quietly and her shoulders sagged a little more with every late night. She'd act like skipping a meal wasn't worth mentioning, like being constantly tired was just part of her routine.

But not today.

Not under his watch.

His strides were long and deliberate, boots striking the floor with quiet finality as he moved through the base, already mapping out where each of them would be. And like clockwork, they were exactly where he expected.

Pang and Lao Mao were in the common area, sprawled across opposite ends of the couch—Pang, predictably, with snacks in hand, while Lao Mao scrolled lazily through his phone, half-awake and half-annoyed.

Lao K and Ming were near the training stations, standing over their PCs, voices low but familiar—talking strategy in that half-serious tone that meant the conversation would devolve into sarcasm and sarcasm would devolve into bickering in under ten minutes.

And Yue?

Yue was... somewhere. Likely pretending to be productive while actively avoiding anything remotely close to responsibility.

But Yao—he knew exactly where she was. The analysis room was quiet save for the gentle clack of keys. Yao was at her station, completely immersed in her work. Her brows were drawn tight, her lips faintly parted in concentration as she scanned through statistics and data reports, one hand lazily tugging at the oversized sleeve of her ZGDX hoodie.

She looked peaceful. Comfortable.

Too bad for her.

Sicheng didn't break stride as he stepped into the center of the base's common area. He stopped only when he was sure his voice would carry to every corner, and then—with all the force of unchallengeable command—he delivered the verdict, "Be ready in an hour. We have medical check-ups."

The reaction was instant.

Pang, mid-chew, froze like a man who had just been informed of his own execution.

Lao Mao blinked once—slow, deliberate—before groaning dramatically. "Oh, come on. Seriously?"

Lao K immediately turned toward Ming with the world's most obvious 'You're hearing this too, right?' expression.

Ming sighed. The long, heavy sigh of a man who had lived through every form of nonsense this team had ever invented. "And if we refuse?" he asked dryly.

Right on cue, Yue materialized like a summoned spirit, appearing from the staircase with the timing of a professional comic. "Yeah, Ge, what happens if we say no?"

And then—

A hesitant voice. Soft.

From the analysis room.

"...Do I have to?"

Every single head turned.

Yao was peeking from around the doorway, her fingers gripping the edge of her sleeve like a child about to be called into the principal's office. Her eyes were wide, uncertain, and full of hope.