The room fell silent for a while. The patches of light outside the window slowly shifted across the floor, as though time were passing in an imperceptible way. Xu Wuyi sensed the warm golden glow inside Chen Dai pulsing at a slightly faster frequency than before, its rhythm steady. He was thinking.
"I'm assigning you a formation," Xu Wuyi said. "The Northern Sector Defense Line. You'll have around a thousand people under you, including roughly thirty Root-Tendril Guardians. Do you think any of them will doubt your judgment in battle because you once raised objections?"
Chen Dai's gaze rested on Xu Wuyi's face, as though confirming whether he was seriously asking that question. Then he slowly exhaled. "No. Debating during Evening Session and commanding in battle are two different things. They may not agree with my position, but on the defense line, they will carry out my orders. That much I can guarantee."
"Then that's enough." Xu Wuyi rose from his chair and headed for the door. When he reached the doorframe, he did not stop. He merely turned his head and said to Chen Dai, "Report to the Core Residence tomorrow morning. Zero One will send you the formation roster and the defense line deployment map."
He stepped over the threshold.
The street outside was still deserted. Afternoon sunlight slanted in from the west, stretching a long, narrow shadow across the ground. Xu Wuyi followed the route he had taken here. In his senses, Chen Dai was still seated in that chair without moving. The warm golden glow within him had briefly brightened at the end of their conversation—not the brightness of being persuaded, but the aftereffect of inner tension naturally easing after some confirmation had been completed.
On the third evening after receiving Xu Wuyi's message, Zhou Mingyuan