Wenzhi immediately relaxed against his chair, breathing out a slow, mocking puff of air. "Of course you are."

"Why do you say that like there aren’t perfectly valid reasons to be afraid of him?" Hanmei suddenly snapped, her voice thick with obvious distaste. "He is a Disaster-Class Esper. If his buttons are pressed the wrong way, he explodes. I mean, he might have saved our skins by killing all those mutated monsters, but he can just as easily wipe us all out tomorrow."

"Hanmei!" Fu Muhan cut in, giving her a sharp, warning look.

Hanmei scowled, turning her head away in tight-lipped frustration.

Fu Muhan sighed, his gaze shifting back to lock onto Wenzhi’s unreadable face. "I apologize for her tone. We genuinely do not mean to drag this negotiation into the mud. But you must understand the reality of our position. Shao Xinyuan is highly notorious. As much as he is recognized for his strength, his reputation is defined by the destruction he leaves behind."

"Our deal is off, then." Kaiwen was the first to rise, his movements entirely unbothered.

Instantly, Zhaohe and Ru Yi pushed back their chairs, standing in unison. Wenzhi rose to his feet a second later, his expression a mask of absolute indifference.

Let them sweat.

Xinyuan was the only one who remained seated and the Decision Board watched him tensely.

Only Elder Suisui remained completely at ease, her sharp features alive with interest.

Meanwhile, commander Fu Muhan, the one person they had originally counted on to anchor this alliance, looked significantly less confident than he had five minutes ago.

Just as Kaiwen reached the door, Xinyuan finally stood up, preparing to follow them out.

"We agree to all your terms." Elder Suisui’s voice cut through the heavy room.

The Sovereign faction stopped, turning back to look at her.

"Suisui," Elder Yao hissed, his face tight with disapproval.

"What?" Hanmei looked utterly stunned.

"We do." Fu Muhan simply offered a slow, resigning nod of agreement. "We agree."

Elder Heng rose from his seat. He walked directly toward Xinyuan, smoothing his clothes, and outstretched his hand with a practiced smile. "Here’s to a prosperous future for all of us."

Xinyuan slowly accepted the handshake while Kaiwen chuckled quietly from the back of the room. "There you go."

In no time, the final documents and official paperwork were signed, solidifying the loyalty clause.

When Wenzhi laid out the plan for the underground city and the large-scale corruption filter dome, the Decision Board were eagerly agreeable.

They quickly calculated how much they stood to gain, while the Sovereign Faction secured exactly what it needed to expand.

~°~

By the time they returned to the mansion later that night, it was midnight.

Xinyuan was immediately pulled away by Zhaohe, leaving Wenzhi free to retreat to the safe room to wash off the grime of the day.

Stepping out of the shower with a towel slung over his shoulders, Wenzhi heard his phone buzz sharply against the nightstand. He picked it up, his grey eyes narrowing in curiosity at the text message from an unknown number.

[Unknown Number: Come alone to the Yanjing City abandoned mine by 3:00 am.]

Wenzhi let out an incredulous scoff. His fingers flew across the screen as he texted back.

[Why would I do that?]

No reply came through.

After a long minute of dead silence, Wenzhi tossed the phone onto the bed, pulling on a pair of comfortable lounge pants and running a hand through his damp hair.

The door click-locked open. Xinyuan walked into the room carrying a large tray. The immediate aroma of steaming, freshly prepared dishes filled the air, smelling distinctly of rich spices and perfectly seasoned broth.

Wenzhi raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "Did you cook all of this?"

Xinyuan offered a dimpled smile as he set the tray down on the bed, dragging the low bedside table closer to arrange the containers. "Maybe. You’ve been tense all day."

"I’m not tense. Just relieved," Wenzhi corrected, sitting down beside him.

They began serving the portions, digging into the meal. The quiet clink of chopsticks filled the room for several minutes before Xinyuan suddenly broke the silence. "I buried Jingxin."

Wenzhi felt absolutely nothing at the mention of that. He didn’t offer any empty condolences or waste breath on a reply, simply dipping a perfectly pleated dumpling into the chili soy sauce.

Xinyuan watched him eat, a look of quiet fascination in his eyes. He slowly licked his own lips before speaking again, his voice dropping into a softer tone. "Is it starting to feel heavy? Being the Faction Leader?"

Wenzhi paused, his chopsticks hovering as he looked up to meet Xinyuan’s gaze directly. "It’s... overwhelming. But I’m not running solo. You’re here. Zhaohe, Kaiwen, Chenxi, everyone’s working. I’m just the face of all these."

Xinyuan’s smile widened as Wenzhi held his gaze. "I’m going to handle the heavy lifting for you so you don’t burn out. The moment we break ground on the underground city, factions are going to notice. They’ll launch strikes to disrupt us or provoke a reaction from us, especially the old blood now that Jingxin is dead."

Wenzhi took his time chewing his food before speaking. "It bothers you that he’s dead, doesn’t it?"

"No, it doesn’t bother me that he’s dead. It bothers me that he isn’t," Xinyuan said.

Wenzhi froze, the food turning to ash in his mouth. He set his chopsticks down, straightening his spine as his grey eyes narrowed to sharp slits. "What do you mean by that?"

Xinyuan let out a heavy sigh. "He’s not dead. The body I just buried wasn’t his."

"Fuck," Wenzhi hissed under his breath as he thought about his aim. It had been a clean headshot. "I killed him. It was him. Unless someone disabled the restraints and let him use his ability right under our noses."

He frowned. "Wait. Why are we sitting here eating dumplings if he’s alive?"

Xinyuan dropped his chopsticks onto the tray, the metal clinking sharply against the porcelain. "Because I needed to calm you down first. If we panic, we alert the mole who helped him. I don’t want anyone knowing we’ve figured it out."

Wenzhi leaned forward. "You know exactly what form he’s taken right now, don’t you?"

Xinyuan met his gaze unblinkingly, a chilling seriousness in his eyes as he nodded. "I do, freckles, I do."