The Turning Point

Inside the heart of the Nine Dragons’ stronghold, the atmosphere was thick with tension, so thick it almost tasted like iron on the tongue. The sprawling industrial complex pulsed with a cold, mechanical rhythm, its vast chambers echoing with the hum of machinery and the sharp scent of oil and corruption. The walls, lined with reinforced steel and concrete, bore the scars of years spent as the fortress of greed and power. This was their last stand.

Screens as tall as trees flickered with streams of data, casting eerie glows over the high-tech command center. Monitors blinked, displaying the remnants of the Nine Dragons’ influence—surveillance feeds, weapon schematics, economic charts, all under the ruthless control of their leaders. And at the center of this digital throne sat the last of the Nine Dragons’ rulers: Zhang Wei, Mei Ling, and a handful of their most loyal officers.