The light from three computer screens lit up the quiet room on the fourth floor of the Hengda Logistics building. It was late at night, and an audit sheet was open on the main screen.Outside the big glass windows, the city skyline was slowly turning into a dark, foggy purple under the midnight sky. Inside the office, the only sounds were the soft hum of the air conditioner and the steady clicking of a computer mouse.Lu Chen rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. His skin felt dry and warm. He reached for his metal cup, lifted it up, and drank the last drop of cold black coffee. It tasted bitter, like ash."Line four is wrong by three percent again," he said quietly to himself.He leaned forward, moving his glasses up his nose as he dragged a green line across the main screen.At thirty-two years old, Lu Chen was a Senior Manager for risk and operations at Hengda. He was not a famous boss or a young genius. He was just a man whose job was to find small mistakes, wrong weights, or

The branch snapped above Lu Chen.He stopped before the sound had finished echoing through the trees.A thin ribbon of blood slid down the broken bark, gathered at its lowest point, and fell onto the moss. The drop struck the ground without a sound. Beyond it, the mountain trail disappeared beneath a veil of pale mist.Lu Chen did not move.The wind had changed.A moment earlier, it had drifted down from the ridge, carrying the damp scent of pine needles and cold stone. Now it seemed to come from somewhere deeper in the forest. The leaves stirred in one direction while the mist crept against them, curling between the roots as though something beneath the earth were breathing.He lowered his gaze.Three deep furrows marked the mud beside the trail. Each was wider than his hand. A crushed fern lay beneath them, its stem broken and its leaves darkened by blood.Lu Chen crouched.The marks belonged to a large beast. Three claws had cut into the earth, and the weight behind them had driven

"Three men saw it with their own eyes!"Old Qi slammed his wooden cup onto the tavern table.The noise drew several glances from nearby customers. A pair of hunters stopped arguing over the price of a wolf pelt, while a merchant's servant leaned closer to hear what the old man had to say.Old Qi lowered his voice, though the excitement in it remained."I'm telling you, something happened in Ghost Mist Ridge. Something that ordinary people shouldn't go looking for."A young hunter scoffed."You're telling the same story again, Old Qi. Last time, it was a mountain spirit. Before that, you claimed a white fox could speak.""This is different.""Of course it is."A few men laughed.Old Qi's weathered face reddened. He pointed a crooked finger at the young hunter."You weren't there. You didn't see what happened to the mule.""What happened to it?""It fell."The old hunter paused for effect."Right onto its knees. Wouldn't move. Wouldn't even raise its head."A merchant sitting near the w

“Three guards are dead. Gao is dead. And five men ran away.”The servant's voice was low, but the urgency in it was unmistakable.Gu Yan sat behind his desk, listening without interruption. The old merchant had already heard fragments of the story from the streets, yet he allowed the young servant to recount everything from beginning to end.The servant described the bronze bell.He spoke of the strange pressure that had forced the Black Iron Guards to struggle beneath its presence. He described the three men who had fallen to Lu Chen's saber, then the exchange between the young cultivator and Iron Hand Gao.When he reached the final moment, his voice grew quieter.“Gao was still standing. Then the bell rang again. He simply fell.”Gu Yan slowly set down his teacup.“Did you see a wound?”“No, Elder Gu. Not even a cut.”“And the others?”“Five escaped. I saw them running down the street. None of them looked back.”Gu Yan remained silent for a moment.Outside his office, the commercial

“Before sunset. That is the last concession I am willing to make.”Zhao Feng's voice echoed through the town hall.He sat in the guest seat beneath the carved wooden beams, one hand resting on the armrest. His red-and-gold robes were immaculate, and a jade token bearing the Zhao Clan insignia hung from his waist.Behind him stood four armored guards.Outside the hall, another sixteen waited with loaded crossbows. Their red-and-gold armor made them unmistakable. They had arrived in orderly formation, occupied the entrance, and taken control of the street without asking permission from the town authorities.No one had challenged them.At the opposite end of the hall, Lu Chen stood with Gu Yan and three local elders.The old merchant's expression remained composed, but his fingers were folded tightly inside his sleeves. The three elders looked less comfortable. One kept glancing toward the guards outside, while another had not spoken since Zhao Feng began explaining the purpose of his vi