3:17 a.m. – Xichuan Alley
It started with a whisper and ended with blood.
A former tunnel leader—Cheng Dawei—was found slumped against a utility door, eyes still open, throat slit with surgical precision. No sound, no witnesses. His phone, untouched. A Ghostlight pin still on his collar.
Second name on Lin Feng's advisory list.
First to fall.
Crimson Circle Courtyard – Just After Dawn
The air was too still. Xu Shanyue knew the feeling—before a storm, not after.
The news came from Guo Yuwei: "Cheng Dawei. Gone."
Xu didn't speak for a long moment.
"He was one of the few who knew Lin Feng's council design," Guo added quietly.
"Then the assassin isn't aiming for chaos," Xu said. "He's aiming for structure."
Lin Feng's Temporary Office – Abandoned Gallery, Yue Market
Lin Feng placed the call on speaker.
A dozen faces sat around him—former protesters, student leaders, one Crimson broker in exile, and a woman who once ran logistics for the old labor union.
"This isn't a political party," he said. "It's a shadow council. One that outlives the next fire."
They nodded.
Then Mouse's voice cut in, crackling over the security feed:
"Lin... we just lost Dawei."
Silence dropped like a guillotine.
Su Qingyue's face went pale.
Lin Feng stood, jaw clenched. "Close the entry points. Lock down the registry. No one moves alone."
Then his phone buzzed again.
Unknown number. One line:
"It's your move, ghost. –R**
Elsewhere – Rooftop Apartment
Ravel watched the street below with patient eyes.
He wasn't here to kill Lin Feng.
Not yet.
He was here to cut his wings.
Strike the allies.
Break the trust.
Make Lin Feng afraid to lead.
Crimson Circle – Private Records Vault
Xu Shanyue ran her fingers across old files. Names, locations, backchannel nodes—maps of Longhai no longer public.
Guo watched from behind. "What are you looking for?"
"A myth," she said. "One even older than Lin Feng."
Guo frowned. "You think Ravel's working off old debts?"
She pulled out a folder, its corners singed.
"No," she said. "I think he's following orders from before Luo Zixuan."
Midnight – Riverwalk Warehouse
Lin Feng stood in the dark, alone.
Not by accident.
He was waiting.
A whisper of movement.
He didn't turn.
Just said, "You've already killed one. That's enough for a message."
A shape emerged from the shadows. Thin. Pale. Precise.
Ravel.
"No," he said. "That was just the invitation."
And in a blur, the knife came out.