The morning haze over Yanjing felt heavier than usual, as if the city itself sensed the shifting weight of alliances and betrayals. Lin Feng stood quietly on the balcony of the Apex Council's central tower, the high-rise casting its shadow over the administrative district below. His coffee had gone cold, untouched.
The events of the previous night played on a loop in his mind—Cassandra's velvet-toned proposal, the emergence of the unknown third-party actor who had upended a targeted Council deal, and the first signs of wavering loyalty among his loosely knit circle. It was too much too fast, and he couldn't afford hesitation.
