Around 2 AM, when most creatures are in their deepest slumber, some lurking in the shadows begin to emerge for their hunt.
At Dawn Winery's 38th lookout post, a watchman whistled three distinct bird calls, awaiting a response from the 39th post. But after half a minute of silence, unease crept in. He swiftly blew five sharper, more piercing bird calls to alert the others, but it was already too late. In his eyes, reflected, the sight of a massive explosion at a warehouse near the winery.
The explosion jolted everyone in the winery awake. They gathered at the entrance, staring at the blazing warehouse with growing wariness.
Ignoring the flames, Diluc turned to the crowd with a sharp look. "Not good! Mr. Shen!"
Klee was the first to dart back inside. When the others reached Shen Qin's room, they found the window corroded by some unknown substance, and Shen Qin missing.
"Brother Shen!" Klee sobbed, hopping onto her flying skateboard and soaring out of the window to search. Amber followed closely behind.
"Curses!" For once, Diluc's calm façade cracked, anger flashing across his face. He barked orders to the guards, "Spread out and search every inch of Mondstadt. Find him, no matter what!"
Sucrose, teary-eyed and flustered, crouched by the window, examining the residue. Her vision blurred by tears, she couldn't make sense of the traces.
Lisa knelt beside her. "This residue isn't from Teyvat. It's likely the Abyss Order's doing—they probably took him."
Jean's expression was grim. "We've been too lax recently!"
Kaeya leapt onto his hoverboard, heading toward Mondstadt City. "I'll notify the Knights to deploy immediately!"
Meanwhile, Eula and Noelle scanned the winery for remaining threats and extinguished the warehouse fire.
…
…
Unaware of the chaos at Dawn Winery, Shen Qin slowly regained consciousness. He vaguely remembered waking briefly during the intrusion, but he had been swiftly rendered unconscious again.
Surveying his surroundings cautiously, he deduced he was in some kind of stone structure. The floor was covered with scattered bricks, and the walls had crumbling sections.
'Who the hell dragged me here?'
The room had a solid stone door that wouldn't budge, but a section of the wall, where bricks had crumbled, revealed a faintly visible dark passage.
He tried removing more bricks to widen the opening, but they wouldn't budge.
'Am I seriously stuck here just like this?'
Despite the situation, Shen Qin stayed calm. Whoever took him clearly had a reason—they hadn't harmed him, which meant he wasn't in immediate danger.
The room was mostly empty, save for a torch mounted on a wall bracket. Shen Qin removed the torch, using its metal base to try prying loose the bricks. After ten minutes of struggle, he managed to dislodge a single brick.
Spending over half an hour, he removed six bricks, enough to squeeze through with his smaller, teenage body. Just one more brick to go…
Suddenly, the stone door swung open. Shen Qin froze, turning to see a white-haired boy sneak in, whispering, "Shh! I'm here to rescue you!"
'Bennett?!' Shen Qin instantly recognized the boy.
"Follow me. I'll get you out of here—"
Bang! The stone door slammed shut behind Bennett.
A long silence followed.
"Well, at least my brick-prying efforts weren't wasted," Shen Qin said, handing the metal base to Bennett. "One brick left. Your turn?"
"Got it, got it." Bennett scratched his head, embarrassed.
They hadn't yet grasped the full gravity of their situation. When Bennett removed the last brick, the entire wall collapsed, half-burying him under the rubble.
'Ah, this…' Shen Qin quietly dug Bennett out from the mess.
Luckily, the collapse opened a path, allowing them to leave the room.
Carrying the torch, Bennett led the way. "I was setting up my tent when a gust of wind knocked it over. While fixing it, I saw you being dragged by an Abyss Mage. I followed them all the way to this ruin."
"A ruin?" Shen Qin looked around. The architecture and atmosphere screamed "ancient Teyvat ruins." Of course, the Abyss Order loved hiding in such places.
"I've never been in this ruin before," Bennett admitted. "If I had, I could've taken a shortcut. Now, we'll just have to figure it out step by step."
"Do you know where this ruin is located?" Shen Qin asked.
"Near Dadaupa Gorge, I think."
Shen Qin's heart sank.
Dadaupa Gorge was far from Dawn Winery and in a completely different direction. There was no chance of Diluc or the others finding him in time. They were on their own.
"Don't worry! My Bennett's Adventure Team is famous among adventurers. I'll definitely get you out safely!"
"Oh, right! I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Bennett. And you?"
"Shen Qin."
"Wow! You're the one who invented the hoverboard and those bionic limbs? I have to save you, no matter what!" Bennett exclaimed. "One of my team members recently got a bionic limb after an injury. Once he adjusts, he'll rejoin the team. Then, Bennett's Adventure Team will have two members again!"
"So, your team currently has… just you?"
Bennett: "…"
'Poor kid.' Shen Qin sighed and patted his shoulder. "Once we get out, I'll give you a few hoverboards. Use them to recruit members. I'm sure you'll succeed."
"Really? That's amazing! I'll finally have my very own hoverboard!"
Shen Qin: ???
Seeing his confusion, Bennett scratched his head sheepishly. "My team only has me, so I can't complete commissions or earn Mora. Buying a flying hoverboard is out of the question. The one I'm using now is borrowed. Once this mission is over, I have to return it."