Inside the hotel's presidential suite, Executive Officer Kang Xingquan ate breakfast while listening to the latest report.
Expressionless, he took occasional sips of meat porridge, barely touching the other tea and pastries. His subordinates thus knew he was in a poor mood; the earlier report from the intelligence chief had not been impressive enough.
But Kang Xingquan offered no comment, so everyone else could only pretend not to notice.
Next, it was Du Shicai's turn to report on the Black Sun Sect's schedule of progress. It was, in truth, little more than a list of routine updates:
"According to notification from The Other Side, the preliminary work for the Blood Sacrifice is proceeding steadily. All Spiritual Materials are in place, the Blood Plasma Pool has been filled to forty percent, and the Focusing Mirror has been set up and undergone two rounds of testing. We also sent in test personnel last night, and they passed through successfully. Once the fill level reaches sixty percent, the formal ritual can begin. The Other Side asks whether we should proceed ahead of schedule."
Kang Xingquan held his spoon without taking a bite. After a moment, he asked instead, "Is that the Black Sun Sect's idea, or the local snakes' idea? Or perhaps the High-Energy Center's and Intelligence Management Center's idea?"
Du Shicai remained calm, lowering his head slightly without answering.
Kang Xingquan did not actually need an answer. He merely chewed hard on the already mushy rice and minced meat in his mouth, his powerful jaw muscles twitching. "It seems our insistence on staying here has become too much for many people. Fine, let them be unable to bear it. But even now, there's still room for discussion. After Lao Wu died, Zuo Tai still insists on putting on that detached act. The