The Watchers in the Shadows

The city pulsed with the quiet hum of secrets. In the dim glow of her makeshift command center, Thalia scrolled through layers of encrypted messages, her mind weaving patterns where others saw only static.

The whispers had been growing louder—Mei Ling’s grip on the Nine Dragons was faltering. And someone, somewhere, was making sure it happened.

Putri leaned over her shoulder, her gaze sharp. "Another sabotage report. This time, a forged directive ordering the withdrawal of funds from one of her key accounts. Someone’s pulling her strings, forcing her to react."

Thalia exhaled, pushing her hair back as she studied the files. This wasn’t the Resistance’s doing. And it wasn’t just incompetence within the Nine Dragons. This was calculated. Someone wanted Mei Ling unstable.

"If they’re sabotaging her," Putri mused, "they either want her out of power… or they want her desperate."

Thalia’s eyes narrowed. "Desperate people make mistakes."