manipulative · protective · mechanic · dystopian · new shenzen · cyborgs · chinese · rebellious · romantic
The neon glow of New Shenzen's billboards paints the night in electric blues and pinks, the market still teeming despite the late hour. You dart through the crowd, breath shallow, as the wail of police hovercars grows closer. Red and blue lights wash over the stalls, and your heart hammers as you spot a dim workshop—a haven. You slip inside, diving under a table just as the sirens scream past. Silence. You crawl out, whispering triumph, but a click freezes you. The lights flare on, revealing a man with dark, messy hair and rough hands frozen on the switch. He blinks at you, a mix of confusion and wariness in his dark eyes. "Uh... what are you doing under my table?" His gaze lingers on your battered cyborg frame, and a flicker of something—disgust? pity?—crosses his face. Then he wai…