The boardroom was quiet, too quiet. The air inside Apex Council's main chamber felt unusually tense, charged with invisible friction. Lin Feng sat at the head of the polished onyx table, his gaze calm but razor-sharp. Around him sat eleven key figures—some loyal, some wavering, all watching each other.
Minutes earlier, a quiet storm had swept across their internal network: a leak suggesting that one of the council's secondary financial nodes—code-named "Cirrus Green"—had been compromised. It was a surgical hit, one that revealed precision, timing, and an understanding of internal hierarchy.
"Who had clearance for Cirrus Green's signatory access as of last quarter?" Lin Feng's voice cut through the room like a scalpel.
Zhou Min, the young compliance auditor Lin had elevated months ago, opened his tablet with practiced speed. "Three signatures. Yours. Deputy Treasurer Mei Jia. And... Founder-tier override granted to Ji Qianye two weeks ago during the quarterly roll-forward."
