"Don't trust everything around you too easily!"
The cold, overcast morning sunlight could not reach the shop at 14 Charlton Street. Li Guanqi and Yao Li pushed open two successive old-fashioned wooden doors, only to stop before a third.
Their faces were half-lit and half-shadowed. Li Guanqi stood to the left beneath the dim yellow glow of a desk lamp, his expression flickering uncertainly, while Yao Li stood on the right, obscured by shadow, her face tense.
Before their eyes stood an ornate wooden door in an ancient Chinese style, its texture smooth and its carved patterns exquisite.
Yet deep claw marks had been branded across its surface, and intermittent blood traces had formed an unknown "message."
"The first door said: Never come! The second door said: Too late... We ignored the first two warnings, and now we've reached the third door. Does this third sentence sound like it came from someone with a different stance?"
The Tenth Supervision Event had devastated the talent pool at every branch. The position of Vice Branch Manager was practically nominal now, with no fixed candidates; almost any Senior Staff Member could be placed in that role.
Yao Li had risen to the position under such circumstances. Though she had received no explicit orders, she was cautious by nature and quick-witted in a crisis. Even if she was not particularly outstanding, she could still serve as a deputy.
Just like now.
Branch No. 5 originally had six staff members keeping watch outside the clock repair shop. They had been meant to wait for instructions from Li Guanqi before acting in coordination with the Seventh Branch.
However, Chang Nian had acted on her own initiative, and one small move had affected the whole situation. Those six people had been left with no choice but to