Lin Yuer could feel the watchers everywhere. The fake janitor had left. The student near the gate was gone. But new faces had appeared, taking their places.
The Master was testing defenses. Probing for weaknesses.
And Lin Yuer was at the center of it all.
By the time Xie Yunlan picked him up after school, Lin Yuer was exhausted from constant vigilance.
"Rough day?" Xie Yunlan asked as Lin Yuer collapsed into the passenger seat.
"They sent someone to the school. Tried to approach me directly."
Xie Yunlan's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Kai Zhen told me. It's escalating faster than we thought."
"I invited Wei Feng to tonight's meeting."
"...You're going to tell him?"
"He figured out too much already. Better he hears it from me."
Xie Yunlan was quiet for a moment. "You're becoming more like your old self. Phantom would have handled it this way. Strategic honesty."
"Is that good or bad?"
