"What do you want?" Arke narrowed her eyes, wary.
Fenric smiled. "Relax. Nothing excessive. Just answer one question."
"…What question?"
"Listen carefully. You can only answer 'know' or 'don't know.' Got it? Question: Does your family know you're an idiot?"
"Don—" Arke froze halfway through. "I am not an idiot!"
Too late. Reflex answer logged.
Fenric burst out laughing.
Ever since he'd realized that the masked Samsara Arke was actually his school belle Isla Wynn, he'd been itching to mess with her. Half for stress relief… half for petty amusement.
He'd be heading into the Samsara Tower right after this. That meant risk—real risk. Letting tension build unchecked was bad mental prep. So: tease the rich girl, bleed off nerves.
Happiness built on someone else's suffering? Not noble. Effective, though.
"Find that funny?" Arke snorted. "You're insufferable, Shura."
Fenric shrugged. "My mood improved. We can trade now."
Arke opened her personal warehouse and withdrew a secure case. Gold bars—stacked and sealed. "Full amount. Fee already deducted through the Samsara system. Check it."
Fenric waved it off. "I believe you."
She added briskly, "Reminder: real‑world items can't remain in Samsara indefinitely. Remove the gold within three hours or the system absorbs it. No refunds."
He hadn't known that. "Noted. Thanks."
"You've got the gold," she pressed. "Now the Infernal Affairs strategy. And don't try to cheat—I flagged this trade for system arbitration. If your intel's worthless, you refund everything"—including the 30% fee."
Fenric nodded. "Fair. Want it written or verbal?"
"Verbal is fine."
Fenric cleared his throat.
"Infernal Affairs is a cops‑versus‑triad infiltration duel. Both sides have moles. That's the core mechanic. Identify them, leverage trust, trigger internal shift, and feed the right authority."
"Police Moles: Inspector Andy Lau of the Intelligence Division; Agent Luk (first‑class) under him. Both tied to triad boss Eric Tsang."
"Triad Mole: Anthony Wong Chau-sang is actually police undercover inside Eric Tsang's crew."
"The system's main mission asks for one mole, but clearing more increases evaluation score. Turning suspicion early is key."
Arke leaned in; her eyes were shining behind the mask.
"Trigger point?" she asked.
Fenric continued, "I approached Superintendent Wong directly. Told him I'd 'accidentally' witnessed a meeting between Andy Lau and Eric Tsang. Gave him a code phrase: if Andy Lau calls and says 'Dad, I can't come home for dinner tonight,' treat it as a signal leak."
"And the clincher?" Arke pressed.
"I gave him the transaction site in advance: Long Bath Beach—the drug handoff between Eric Tsang and the Taikoo side. Superintendent Wong moved to intercept. That forced divergences: he tested Andy Lau, contained comms, and swept once the bust landed. Result? Seven total moles exposed."
Arke stared. "Shura… how do you know all this?"
He'd already prepared his cover story. "Ran Infernal Affairsseven times. Mapped trust routes. Failed a lot. Collected data."
"..."
That shut her up. Anyone who cycled a dungeon seven times and kept at it? Not a casual.
"I have to ask," she said after a beat. "In your last run… what exactly did you say to Superintendent Wong that made him flip on Andy Lau and Luk so fast?"
"I gave him the code script," Fenric replied. "Told him: if Andy Lau says 'Dad' + 'can't come home for dinner,' that's a leak to Eric Tsang. Then I tagged Long Bath Beach as the trade site. I implied I tail‑witnessed Andy Lau meeting Eric Tsang. Push just enough—Superintendent Wong took the bait."
He paused. "That's the wording I used."
Arke thought it through, then asked what she really wanted: "So if I copy your route… I can get SSS?"
Fenric shook his head. "Not guaranteed. Depends on performance. If Superintendent Wong doesn't believe you, nothing triggers. Your acting, timing, and how early you force him to quarantine comms—those matter."
"…Got it."
She closed the warehouse case and locked the trade. "Remember our agreement—one month exclusivity. You don't sell Infernal Affairs intel to anyone else."
"No problem," Fenric said.
Transaction complete.