The two-storied complex remained eerily silent as Shen Xueran stood in the center of the room, her hand still raised in a crisp military salute.
The air was thick with the scent of ozone and old paper. The "Chief," a man whose face was half-hidden in the shadows of the bar table, finally set down his glass.
His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, scanned the teenager standing before him. To the world, this was the frail, beautiful heir of the Shen Group.
To him, this was Blood Thorn, a hacker and combatant who had bypassed their security protocols in record time.
"Blood Thorn," the Chief repeated, the name tasting like iron. "Your reputation preceded you, but seeing you in the flesh... you're younger than the reports suggested.
Are you sure you're ready for the deep end? The Shen Group is a playground; the underworld is a furnace."
Shen Xueran's smirk didn't falter. "Chief, I've been playing with fire since I could walk. The Shen Group is my day job. This? This is where I breathe."
