If she wasn’t mistaken, that sound had been a bomb exploding.
Bai Zhuo’s Eaglet Operation was designed to train undercover agents and infiltrate the Libo Faction. It demanded absolute secrecy.
Even back at the Guard Institute, Ji Tingxi had to be kept in the dark. Her high-level clearance made her too much of a risk if she learned the details.
But this week, she was out on assignment. Bai Zhuo had seized the chance to go all out, pushing the plan forward aggressively.
“Commander, I’ve successfully joined the university student council. What’s my next step?”
“Do you like reading?”
“Eh, not particularly. I mostly stick to textbooks.”
“You need to start liking it now. Spend more time in the library. Pick a few specific types of books to borrow regularly. In two weeks, ask the librarian about these titles: Reconstruction of Order, The People’s Discontent, and Gains and Losses in Freedom.”
“Got it, Commander. Do I need to finish them all?”
“Yes. Read them carefully, take detailed notes, and write a weekly reading response for me.”
Nona scratched his head. It felt like he’d signed up for an elective and ended up with a core major class. “Alright, message received.”
“Do you like stage plays?”
“This is another one I have to like, right?”
“Exactly. Have you ever been to one before?”
“No.”
“Not even once?”
Nona shook his head. “Nope.”
“No problem. There’ll be plenty of chances ahead. But don’t go alone. Watch your classmates and befriend someone who enjoys them. Once you’re close, go to the theater together.”
“Understood.” Nona jotted down the second point on his notepad.
This time, he took the initiative. “Commander, do I need to cultivate any other hobbies?”
Might as well get them all at once. They were all tasks anyway—better to knock them out now than add extra overtime later for hobbies.
“Follow a few news accounts on KT. Scroll through their articles and video pushes every day.”
“Got it. Should I interact or leave comments?”
“Not yet. Wait until I’ve approved your reading responses. Then you can start commenting.”
“Okay. I’ll head to the library tonight and try to camp out there all weekend.”
After ending the call with Nona, Bai Zhuo didn’t put his phone down. He tapped the next avatar instead. The contact had scheduled a slot in five minutes—perfect timing for him to review Newbie Xi Zhi’s background and progress one more time before their guidance session.
Nona and Xi Zhi weren’t the only fledglings. Bai Zhuo was casting a wide net across the city, recruiting multiple little eagles to ensure coverage of every university district in North County. Sooner or later, he’d hook some Libo small fry—or maybe even a big fish.
Five minutes up, he had a clear framework in mind. He clicked on Fledgling No. 2, Xi Zhi’s avatar, and launched the next round of instructions.
…
September 20th.
It had been twenty days since Sha Jiali vanished—and five since Ji Tingxi left. One was an adversary, the other an ally.
Now alone in the Guard Institute, Wen Du felt strangely adrift. It was as if she’d lost her sense of purpose overnight, along with her pillar of support. Their triangle had collapsed, leaving her as the lone side holding firm amid the undercurrents.
Fortunately, she still had the solid organization at her back, and Yin Chen holding down Lilac Street, ready to receive her at any moment.
This time, though, it was Yin Chen who had summoned her.
Their communication channel was bidirectional—they could message each other freely. But from years of experience, Wen Du knew that if the arrow pointed her way, the matter was either urgent or grave.
Sending to them meant executing a plan. Receiving from them meant solving a problem—and solutions were always more complicated than execution.
Today’s message confirmed it once again.
“Miss Wen, we’ve got two pieces of intel from Meisi. But they conflict. The first comes from the Jili Organization contact. He says policies against the Sern people are tightening again in Meisi City. Many of our Sern kin are suffering. They’ll stir up trouble at the River Mouth to cover an evacuation of some compatriots out of the city.”
Giel had already safely extracted the Zi Qin sisters. The two were still shaken and didn’t fully trust them yet, so they were in the reassurance phase. Next up: figuring out how to smuggle them out.
In Meisi City, Giel was indeed leveraging the Jili Organization to ferry people across the border—but it was a covert maneuver, not an open partnership. The Jili group answered to Gailie Country, after all, a rival just as vicious as the Rui’er Faction.
Now the Jili Organization was offering cover for an escape? Wen Du’s eyes lit up, but suspicion followed close behind. What perfect timing. They’d just rescued the Zi Qin sisters, and suddenly this?
“What’s the second piece?”
“Our mole inside Jili says they’re planning an operation near the Guard Institute.”
“No mention of the River Mouth?”
“No. We checked. She hasn’t heard anything about it—just an assault targeting the area around the Guard Institute. Her assignment gives her the zone but not the details.”
Wen Du fell silent for a moment, then reached her verdict.
“One of these is disinformation. Even if Jili and the Guard Institute are at daggers drawn, they’d weigh the lives of Sern civilians in the city. If they truly meant to cover an escape, they wouldn’t strike the Institute now. But if their goal is to spark chaos and escalate tensions with the Ruier Government, they’d know better than to risk helping compatriots escape at this juncture. Someone’s feeding us a lie.”
Yin Chen had been fiddling with her stylus, designing a cake. At those words, it hovered over the topping options—powdered sugar, cocoa nibs, or fruit bits. Each gleamed enticingly, but none could capture her focus.
“If our mole’s intel is the fake one, it means Jili suspects her. They fed her bad info to test her. But what does that misdirection achieve? I can’t see it yet.”
“And if it’s Jili’s official line that’s false—what’s their angle?”
Yin Chen set her stylus down and looked up, meeting Wen Du’s gaze.
In that instant, Wen Du’s brow twitched. The answer ignited in her mind like a spark catching tinder, her thoughts churning wildly.
This was bad!
“Have you replied to Jili yet?”
The anxiety flared in Yin Chen’s eyes. “Not yet. We assumed they didn’t know about the Zi Qin sisters’ rescue. Can’t tip our hand that we do.”
“Good. Boss Yin, get a message out fast: Tell Jili we’re open to partnering on the evacuation cover—but we need to plan it long-term.”
Yin Chen got it immediately, though hesitation flickered. “But…”
A real partnership would expose Zi Qin and Zi Cen’s location. Jili would come in swinging to seize them.
That would mean a brutal fight—not just against the Rui’er Terrace, but Jili’s full force too.
“I know,” Wen Du said, clasping Yin Chen’s hands in her own, channeling resolve through her palms. “We stall them first. Buy time, then figure out the rest!”
“Right!” Yin Chen flipped her hands to grip Wen Du’s in return, their palms pressing together. A second later, she released her, grabbed her tablet and stylus, and hurried off to carry out the order.
Yin Chen’s swift cooperation eased the knot in Wen Du’s chest, but worry lingered. Her hands fidgeted with nowhere to go until she laced her fingers together, steadying the storm in her mind.
What did Ji Tingxi like again?
She was into quirky knickknacks and gadgets. Her shelves at home were lined with them—prim and proper on the surface, but full of hidden tricks.
Where did one buy those?
“Do you know the nearest Creative Bazaar?” Wen Du asked the clerk by the display case.
“There’s one on Olive Street nearby, but the shop’s small—you have to hunt for it. Why not grab some egg tarts to munch on while you browse, Miss Wen…”
Before the clerk finished, Wen Du was out the door. She hadn’t bought anything, and her hands were empty—no bags to carry. Perfect for fishing her phone from her bag and dialing Ji Tingxi.
Colleagues on assignment weren’t to be called for non-official reasons. It could disrupt their rhythm at a critical moment.
Wen Du knew the rules. But this was the critical moment. There was no more critical one!
“Hello, Miss Wen?” Ji Tingxi’s voice came through the phone.
“It’s me. Your birthday’s coming up. I just saw some cakes and thought I’d get you a gift. Something creative, like a custom doll. Sound good?”
Silence stretched on the other end.
Ji Tingxi sensed something off. She stepped away from the crowd before replying. “Anything from you, I’d love.”
A gust of wind hit head-on, tousling Wen Du’s hair and chilling her eyes. Her lashes fluttered, a sheen gathering at the corners.
She pressed forward into the breeze, heading for the Creative Bazaar.
“Miss Ji, don’t stay near the Guard Institute. Don’t take your usual route back either. Things are getting unstable over there. Be careful…”
Bang!
Wen Du’s steps slammed to a halt. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head aside.
After what felt like ages, she looked back. Her eyes flew wide, pupils trembling in the light. Her right hand dangled rigidly in the air, clutching the phone.
The deafening blast from the other end had cut her warning short. The sheer volume had triggered a reflex. If she wasn’t mistaken, what she’d just heard…
…was a bomb detonating nearby.
