Chapter 24 – Shattered Trust
The office at Bai Corp felt different after the warehouse incident. Quieter. Heavier. As if the smoke had followed them back.
Bai Xueqing sat at the head of the conference room, a fresh bandage across her forearm where debris had grazed her. Around the table sat Lin Nuo, Meng Zhihao, and Mo Chen—his jacket off, his arm wrapped.
"Xu Yanshang's appearance changes everything," she said, voice calm but steely.
"He remembered the past life," Lin Nuo murmured, brow furrowed. "That shouldn't be possible unless…"
"He was reborn too," Mo Chen finished.
Zhihao let out a low whistle. "Three of you reborn into one life. Sounds like a tragic drama with a lot of explosions."
"It's not a drama," Xueqing said. "It's a power play. And we're at the center."
Mo Chen pushed forward a dossier. "Surveillance reports from the last three weeks. Yanshang's been building a network—hiring mercenaries, buying silence, and leaking fake data to investors."
Xueqing flipped through the file. "He's already destabilizing the board. Two of our major shareholders received anonymous tips suggesting Bai Corp's tech division was being funneled into Mo International."
Lin Nuo's eyes widened. "That's the same bait we used to trap Qiao Lan."
Mo Chen grimaced. "He turned our trap into a weapon."
"He's ahead of us," Xueqing admitted. "But only just."
She stood and walked to the whiteboard, writing three names: Qiao Lan. Xu Yanshang. Unknown Female Assassin.
"We investigate every tie. Starting with Qiao Lan. I want everything she hasn't told us yet."
"I'll handle that," Lin Nuo volunteered. "I'm terrifying in the right lighting."
Mo Chen circled the third name. "And this one? That fighter wasn't just trained—she was lethal. Military, maybe ex-special ops. Whoever she is, she's not working for free."
"I'll dig into mercenary records," Zhihao offered. "Might find a trail."
Xueqing nodded. "We follow every lead. If Xu Yanshang wants a war…"
She looked at Mo Chen. He was watching her with the same quiet intensity he always had.
"…then we give him one."
As the team dispersed, Mo Chen lingered.
"You're not alone in this," he said softly.
She turned to him. "I know."
Their hands brushed as they reached for the same pen.
Just for a second, the world was quiet.
Then her phone buzzed with a single message:
> "Your next move decides who dies next." —Y
Her eyes darkened.
Let the game begin.