The rain in Beijing was steady, not torrential. It slicked the glass of the Apex satellite office as Lin Feng reviewed the Mirror Stage's feedback logs in a dimmed strategy suite. Over the past four days, attendance in Phase One groups had surged by 300%. The sessions had begun spilling into university dorm halls and public community rooms—without Apex needing to prompt them.
But even momentum was a double-edged sword.
Yue Qing stepped into the room with a fresh folder. "We've tracked the source of the anonymous exposé," she said. "Three hops, masked identity, rerouted through regional VPNs—but we're ninety percent sure it was orchestrated by a studio tied to Seraphic Bloom."
Lin's eyes narrowed. "Cassandra's Shanghai front."
"She used their cultural sub-unit, not the core team. No direct signature. Just elegant echo placement."
Lin leaned back, gaze fixed on the windows as lightning flickered outside.
