CHAPTER EIGHT
A day after the palace incident, Jiang Ren sat at the dining table, lazily stirring his tea while scrolling through university mail.
Sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows of the Red Lotus Mansion, bathing the room in gold. For once, everything looked peaceful.
The maid placed a neat, ribboned box before him.
Head Butler: From the University, sir. A token from Professor Liu.
Jiang Ren: Ah. [Her usual way of getting my attention.] 😌
Head Butler: Forgive me, Young Master, but it is of great concern as to why you received a bracelet from another woman. What if the Madame misunderstands.
Jiang Ren: Hm? [So it's a bracelet.] How did you know it is a bracelet?
Head Butler: (Composed).
Jiang Ren: Ah, right. It is your duty to check every item (murmured) except that of hers. (Speaks up) And so what if is from another woman? General Li doesn't even care if I have an external relationship...
Head Butler: But Young Master, you can't just...
Jiang Ren: Ah! I've heard. (Pouts) Must you always scold me?
He reached for his fork, cutting into his breakfast absentmindedly, not noticing Li Xuefang descending the stairs — until the faint whir of her AI lens caught a flicker of interference.
Her stride slowed.
General Li: What's that?
She asked casually, her tone neutral but eyes narrowing.
Jiang Ren: (Indifferent) It's just a gift.
Her lens pulsed again — faint static overlaying her vision. A short-range encrypted signal, irregular, almost masked within domestic frequencies.
The kind of signal you'd only detect if you'd spent years dissecting covert transmissions.
She stepped closer. As Jiang Ren reached to take it away, she instructed.
General Li: Don't touch it.
The command startled him — her voice held no warmth, only command authority. He froze halfway.
Within the lens interface, a warning flickered red:
Xynra: UNIDENTIFIED SOURCE — HIGH-DENSITY DATA BURST DETECTED.
Before she could react, the screen in her vision glitched — then stabilized.
And then — nothing. The signal vanished.
She exhaled slowly, lowering her guard.
General Li: False alarm. Beware of the things you receive.
Jiang frowned but obeyed, pushing the box aside.
Jiang Ren: You're paranoid, General.
General Li: (Paused) It's experience.
She retracted and walked off.
General Li: [Paranoia is when you imagine the enemy. Experience is when you've already met them.]
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Meanwhile — Somewhere Beneath the Capital
A dark chamber.
No windows. Only the hum of machines and the pulse of dozens of holo-screens displaying data streams.
A figure stood before them — face masked, gloved hands moving over the holographic interface.
Modulated Voice: Signal transmission complete. The tracer has reached its destination.
On one of the screens, a miniature map of Shanghai glowed — a red pinpoint blinking in the exact location of Red Lotus Mansion.
The masked figure leaned closer, examining the pattern of Li Xuefang's AI lens interference log as it streamed across the screen.
Another screen showed a still image — Li Xuefang's face, captured through her own lens feed during the glitch.
Unknown: General Li.
The figure whispered, almost fondly.
Unknown: Always two steps ahead… but never far enough.
The voice paused, then switched channels.
Unknown: Initiate Phase Two. I want the LensLink to sync directly when she connects to the main system. Once that happens — we'll see everything she sees."
A brief static burst answered — confirmation received.
And as the screens dimmed, the figure turned away, revealing the faint emblem stitched into the back of their coat — the National Security Bureau insignia.
This wasn't an outside enemy.
This was someone within the very system she served.
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