"What are we supposed to use against an enemy who knows every one of our plans?!"
Wu Heng shut off the recording and turned around, his face still utterly devoid of emotion, as though he had merely shown them an ordinary weather report.
"Calm down, Dean. Anger won't solve anything." His voice was frighteningly steady. "What Lucifer knows is what Crowley wanted him to know, along with what I wanted him to know."
"What do you mean?" Sam's voice was tense, though he had managed to retain a little more reason than Dean.
"Crowley is clever. He knows how to find the most advantageous way out when he's cornered." Wu Heng returned to the main console and brought up another interface, displaying complex maps and probability models.
"But he made a mistake. He underestimated Lucifer's control over him, and overestimated his own ability to conceal critical information. He came to us on his own, offering coordinates and so-called 'cooperation.' His real purpose wasn't to help us, but to pave two escape routes for himself."
He pointed to the map. "The first route: if we succeed, then as a 'hero,' he can obtain the protection he wants and the authority to manage the new Hell."
"The second route: if we fail, or if Lucifer notices something, Crowley can pin everything on us. He can claim he was coerced, deceived, and might even turn around and help Lucifer deal with us to atone for his crimes."
"The coordinates he gave us may be real. The intelligence he provided about Lucifer feeding and draining his strength may also be real, but it must be incomplete. It may even be misleading. His aim is to make us attack at the wrong time and in the wrong way, triggering the outcome he wants most—such as