The Old Council Hall lay deep within the eastern wing of Alliance Headquarters. It had once witnessed the birth of countless important resolutions. Now, only the Concept Marks on the walls still flickered faintly in the empty hall, reminding everyone of its former glory.
Aristostes arrived half an hour early and carefully inspected the surroundings. His hand remained on the emergency teleportation rune at his waist—an escape method Theta had prepared for him. Once activated, it could instantly transport him to safety.
Footsteps came from the end of the corridor, steady and rhythmic. Gamma, the Third Creator, appeared at the doorway on time.
Aristostes immediately went on guard, but the moment he saw Gamma's eyes, he froze.
Those eyes were clear and sharp, without the slightest emptiness typical of someone under control. Even more startling, they carried a trace of exhaustion and vigilance—the look of someone who had maintained a disguise for a long time.
"Relax. There's no surveillance here." Gamma entered the hall and casually set up a Concept Barrier. "I checked three times already, and the route I took avoided every possible observation point."
"You... you haven't been controlled?" Aristostes could hardly believe it.
"From the very first day, I noticed the Consciousness Seed invading me." Gamma sat beside the council table. "But I chose to cooperate. I let my surface consciousness accept the control while my true consciousness hid in the deepest place and observed everything."
"How is that possible? The Consciousness Seed's control strength—"
"It requires extraordinarily strong willpower and a special mental structure." Gamma cut him off. "Among the Creators, no more than five can do this. Unfortunately, the others were either completely controlled or isolated like the Moderate Faction Four."
Aristostes processed the information. "So all this time, you've been—"
"Protecting your operations from