Chapter Five: One Lie Across the City

“Target confirmed,” she replied without expression. He pressed her fingers into the blood beneath his nose. “Then remember this.” Her fingertips trembled. The point stopped a centimeter from his heart. She surfaced like a drowning woman and tore out the chip. The White Tower emblem vanished from the screens. “How many commands like that have you carried out?” Lu asked. “I don't know.” She stared at her bloody hand. “That's the worst answer.” Alarms rose. Gu Huai led security teams into both ends of the hall, making no effort to hide the severed eye on his wrist. “The Council gave you a name, Wen Xia,” he said. “Don't betray your creator for a replacement.” She raised her umbrella before Lu. “A name that requires obedience is a serial number.”