The Soldiers in the Dark

Paranoia spread like wildfire. Cryptic messages appeared in places they never should have been—inside secure offices, hidden within encrypted files, whispered by trusted informants. Each one carried the same warning:

“Betrayal is inevitable.”

No sender. No traceable source. Just a whisper in the dark, planting seeds of doubt in every faction.

Mei Ling found one in her private study, embedded in a classified dossier meant only for her eyes. She read it twice, her grip tightening. Zhi Fang. He had been moving too carefully lately, making financial decisions without consulting her. Had he been positioning himself for something bigger?

Meanwhile, deep in the Nine Dragons’ inner circle, Wei Long received the same message. But his was different. His warning carried a name:

Felix.

He had always suspected the former enforcer was too good at surviving. Had Felix truly turned against the Nine Dragons? Or was he playing a long game, feeding information to both sides?