Chapter Three: The Price of a Gatekeeper

“You are lying.” Qin's face hardened. Su Wanqing intervened with a tablet. A traveler had filmed Lu Chen carrying the deer from the mist. Copies were spreading online under the headline TEMPORARY AIRPORT WORKER RESCUES WHITE DEER. Making Lu Chen disappear would only attract attention. They compromised. Lu Chen signed, but demanded treatment for the deer, the lawful smuggling reward, and access to his father's sealed file. Qin granted the first two and wrote “subject to clearance” beside the third. “Gatekeeper is not a title,” Qin warned. “It is a consumable resource. Do not mistake last night for an adventure.” They housed the mist deer in an abandoned lounge lined with soundproofing.