Crowfeather had been scorched by gunfire. Seven severed heads sat in a row on a battered wooden table, a hemp rope threaded through their ears to string them all together.
"Nine Night Watch officers wearing epaulets, and now only two remain." The Mountain Lord stood beside the table, his shoulders steady, towering like a mountain. "Don't bother me until I've killed every last one."
"Several councilors at the Municipal Council Hall are already furious. The Mercy Society has angered everyone. Refusing them now might not be wise." Yin Shou lowered his head, looking worried.
"If any councilor has a problem, tell him to come see me in person."
"Councilor Yuan Nian is already here." Yin Shou bowed his head even lower, his voice trembling slightly.
Glancing at Yin Shou, the Mountain Lord grabbed the hemp rope. The string of heads knocked together like the bells of a wind chime.
"Does he think I wouldn't dare kill him?"
At the Mercy Society's Chapel in the Second District, Gao Ming sat in the Mercy Councilor's office. The fire had gone out, and dawn had broken.
"I still don't understand why you're doing this. It's as though you're deliberately drawing the Municipal Council Hall's attention, making them target you and the Mercy Society." Bishop Ci Xiang was utterly exhausted. Last night had been the longest night of his life. Now he no longer dared listen to his subordinates' reports. The Mercy Society's district branches and other people in charge had nearly rung his phone off the hook.
Anyone who wasn't insane should have understood that even if the Municipal Council Hall really was behind all this, publicly accusing them was absolutely out of the question. Threats had to be made under the table to maximize their gains.
"Have the people from the Municipal