In the heart of Kowloon, the Yaozhi dynasty’s Tower stood as District Yu’s solitary keeper amidst an encircling pack of foreign towering beasts. While neighbouring districts boasted groundscrapers at dizzying heights of 80 and 90 storeys, the capital district of Yu adhered to its own rulebook, capping its structures at a modest eight floors. But right in the centre of Yu, rising above the rest with an air of arrogance, loomed the grand Tower, a giant of glass and steel that defiantly claimed its 30-story throne.

  From the inside of the tower’s luxurious chambers, this height was a position of prestige and grandeur. It allowed its occupants to gaze down upon the sprawling yet shallow metropolis of Yu, as if they were deities surveying their realm. But the moment you looked at the bordering districts, this unique vantage point lost all power.

  In reality, the tower’s 30-level might was puny, a mere blip on the radar amidst the towering monoliths of district Yau, Chau Liu, Pak, and Tsin Wai. These colossal structures surrounded the diminutive Yu Tower, casting long shadows that sometimes felt benign, and other times felt like they threatened to engulf them all.

  Most Kingmakers who glanced outside from the windows of the Tower learned to drown out the image of the ugly world beyond their district’s bubble, becoming experts in selective vision. However, Praefect Tao always struggled to do this. His sight was often drawn inexorably to the massive, imposing groundscrapers that walled their district in.

  What was he supposed to do when he looked at that monolithic barrier, staring back at him like an impassive guard? Pretend they didn’t exist?

  ‘Tao,’ Cheng called out from the front of the classroom. He was leaning against the lecturer’s table, his posture relaxed, a rarity for the Tribune.

  ‘Yes?’ he replied cautiously.

  ‘You look really worried. Is it about General Qin Shi?’

  ‘He’s never called for a meeting like this. I’m not sure if he’ll kick me from the detachment for my actions.’

  ‘He wouldn’t. He’ll be going over our intentions for a rescue. I think me, you, Shing and Ushi are going to be in charge of Yutai’s return.’

  ‘What about Lieutenant Keung?’

  ‘He’s… not going to be on the field for a while. We’re all Yutai’s got for now.’

  The memory of Yutai’s disappearance was still fresh in Tao’s mind.

  No… It wasn’t a disappearance; it was a kidnapping, Tao admonished himself, feeling the crushing weight of his role in it. Now, he had to confront Shing’s wrath. Tao prepared himself, fully aware of just how volatile Shing’s anger could be.

  ‘They’re here,’ Cheng said as he looked up at the entrance. As the door slid open, the atmosphere grew heavier, and Tao turned his attention to the figures about to enter.

  ‘Shing, stop! Don’t say anything to him! Wasn’t his fault!’ echoed ominously from the far end of the corridors outside as Shing stormed through the door, his face contorted with anger.

  Shing closed the distance between him and Tao in an instant, his eyes blazing with fury. He seized Tao by the collars, his knuckles digging into Tao’s jaw like a vice.

  ‘You dumb, selfish piece of shit!’ Shing snarled. ‘How the fuck did you lose your brother?!’

  ‘Shing, calm down!’ Cheng called from across the room, quickly jumping off the table and sprinting up the steps toward them.

  Tao’s wide, terrified eyes flickered between Shing’s enraged glare and his clenched teeth. He could feel the Dongist prayer beads around his neck stretching under Shing’s grip. ‘I… I…’ he stammered.

  ‘You mute motherfucker!’ Shing’s verbal assault tore through the room. ‘Give me an answer! What the fuck were you doing in the south? How in the hell did Yutai get kidnapped? Answer me!’ He jolted Tao, nearly hitting his head against the window behind him.

  Cheng reached out from behind, trying to pull Shing off Tao, his voice pleading. ‘Brother, stop – this isn’t the time!’

  Shing’s response was a sudden, harsh elbow to Cheng’s jaw. He stumbled back, almost tripping on the stairs behind him, clutching the corner of a nearby seat and table for support. The Tribune looked like he almost blacked out from the strike.

  Shing’s voice dropped low. ‘Answer me when I ask you a fucking question. Why the hell did you drag Yutai into Ho Man fucking Ting?! Did that big brain up there forget—’

  A pair of thick arms locked around Shing’s chest and waist, attempting to pull him away. Despite his physical advantage in height and strength, Ushi struggled against the untamed fury within Shing.

  ‘TALK!’ Shing pushed closer to Tao, almost ignoring Ushi’s hold.

  ‘I messed up, okay? What the hell do you want from me?’

  ‘To fucking swap places with Yutai – that’s what!’

  ‘You’re fucking crazy!’ exclaimed Tao.

  ‘Why the hell did we end up with you, huh?’ Shing shook Tao again. ‘Where the FUCK is Yutai?! Where is he!?’

  Tao’s voice trembled with a mixture of restraint and simmering anger. ‘Get your hands off me before I—’

  ‘Before you what?’ Shing pulled Tao’s collar higher. ‘I will snap your scrawny neck before you even lift a finger!’

  ‘I dare you to try with this hold, motherfucker,’ Ushi growled in a whisper next to his ear from behind.

  ‘ENOUGH!’ Cheng’s voice thundered through the room, his anger finally breaking through his prior disorientation. Shing released Tao’s collar and shoved him aside, his chest heaving with rage, and allowed himself to be pried away by Ushi.

  ‘OUT! WITH ME! NOW!’ Cheng bellowed, his fury matching Shing’s. Ushi let go of Shing as Cheng clutched the sharpshooter by his coat and dragged him towards the door of the classroom.

  As they exited the room, Tao gingerly touched the sore spot on his jaw where Shing had dug his knuckles, wincing.

  ‘You okay, brother?’ Ushi asked as he awkwardly patted Tao over his shoulder, his tone softer now as he tried to offer some comfort.

  Tao sighed heavily, his eyes filled with a mix of guilt and frustration.

  ‘Yeah, yeah. I probably deserved to hear some of that. I don’t really have an answer for how I allowed Yutai to get captured.’

  ‘That doesn’t matter any more because we’re gonna bust him out. I know these Rioters, okay? They wouldn’t dare do anything to a Kingmaker. He’s probably in some cosy cell, mocking them with retribution after he gets out.’

  Tao nodded slowly, unsure of Ushi’s reassurance. He felt the prayer beads around his neck, making sure they were still okay.

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  The backdoor slid open once again, revealing Cheng and Shing. Shing had fallen into an unsettling silence, his sullen demeanour a stark contrast to his earlier rage. Tao noticed his right cheek flushed red in contrast to his other, paler cheek. Whatever happened outside, a slap was definitely involved.

  Shing avoided making eye contact with anyone and quietly took a seat in a distant corner of the classroom, away from the others. Cheng settled near the front, choosing a solitary spot for himself. Ushi and Tao took seats next to each other. The room was silent.

  After Keung’s team made their hurried return to the tower after a blunder in Ho Man Ting – and coming back a man short – they hurriedly made their report to the Dragons. In response to the concerning turn of events, the Elder Dragon, General Qin Shi, called for an urgent meeting.

  The impending arrival of the general had them all on edge. He was known to be the most unyielding and formidable of all the generals, a man you didn’t cross lightly. Legends swirled around this seasoned warrior, and his reputation for rarely breaking into a smile was as fearsome as his martial prowess.

  General Qin Shi enjoyed a position of unmatched prestige, given his proximity to the Emperor. His name was synonymous with accolades, bestowed titles, vast lands, immense power, and, above all, deep respect. For everyone but Tribune Cheng in the room, this would be their first meeting with the man.

  The door whooshed open, General Qin Shi entered the room, as if anxious thoughts of expectation alone summoned him. There was no need for a knock, all four generals possessed skeleton fobs that granted them unfettered access to the tower. His arrival made the atmosphere heavier, a weight that followed him wherever he went.

  His eyes were like steel, behind circular spectacles. His thinned, white hair was tied in a ponytail behind him. Across his forehead was a single, thin line tattoo.

  General Qin Shi took his position at the front of the lecture room and cast a reproachful look across the room.

  ‘By the Light, I wish all your reports were bad jokes by some foolhardy centurions. For all of you in this room, this is the first time the South has struck against the Kingmakers. But for many others in this tower, it’s the second. Now I have to see whether I’ll live through a second rebellion as well.’

  His tone sounded jaded and exhausted. Qin Shi paused, letting the silence settle.

  ‘Two Rioter’s attacked Lieutenant Keung, Tribune Cheng, and two accompanying Tai Li members in broad daylight in Ho Man Ting City. Assault and battering a Kingmaker is punishable by lingchi. I hereby order those two dragged out and bled dry – a thousand cuts each. Nothing will be forgiven until those two reach the afterlife in several pieces.’

  Tao felt a swell of anxiety as the sentence was delivered. Lingchi, he thought. He’d seen the oil paintings. The carving of your body, piece by piece. First the thighs, then the arms, and finally the belly – fat and muscle peeled down to bone with surgical precision. If the prisoner’s lucky, the executioner might accidentally hit an artery and kill them with the initial cuts. But if done properly, and the eyes aren’t mercifully cut out first, the prisoner remains conscious to see the bones of their limbs.

  He shuddered at the gruesome demise that awaited the two Rioter’s. And the General handed out this grave sentence like it was a trivial reprimand. As his nerves coiled in on itself inside his gut, the general suddenly looked right at him. Tao almost croaked.

  ‘And then there’s their surprise move at the fort – Praefect Yutai’s arrest. I’ve read your report, Praefect Tao. It doesn’t address one key question: why you and Yutai decided to take on this assignment in the first place.’ The general’s voice hardened. ‘Wiretapping the fort? You’ve risked a provocation of war with such a brazen move. Not even your own team knew about this unsanctioned mission. To call it irresponsible doesn’t begin to capture how unfitting it was of praefecti with reputations like yours and Yutai’s.’

  Tao had no response. At that time, Yutai’s decision to infiltrate the fort had seemed like a straightforward plan, a necessary step in their investigation into The Ibilis. The Rioter’s betrayal did not feel like an uncertainty. With the Emperor’s mandate of a 100-cycle time limit to dismantle the Yang, Tao and Yutai had felt justified in resorting to new and radical strategies. But now, he couldn’t offer a reason to excuse this line of logic. Perhaps if they were successful, but in the end, they failed spectacularly.

  ‘I am sorry, sir. The error was mine alone. It has caused me to reconsider my approach to how I aid my brothers and I swear to never attempt such a plan ever again.’

  General Qin Shi studied the prefect a moment longer. Tao knew his facial expression, tone, and body language was being scrutinised. These were the metrics by which the adequacy of his remorse would be judged – a response that, if found lacking, could result in a brutal disciplinary beating and an evaluation of his rank.

  ‘An error that was both yours and Yutai’s,’ General Qin Shi said as he turned to face the rest of the room. Tao felt relief feeling the attention off him. The remaining Kingmakers stared at the General with sharp glares, a testament to their readiness to plan for Yutai’s rescue.

  ‘The Emperor and I have discussed this matter intensively. There will be no negotiations from us, only demands that need to be fulfilled.’

  ‘Why not, sir?’ Cheng asked in a respectful tone. ‘Negotiating with Warlord Xinjian could, at best, secure Yutai’s release – or at worst, not change our current circumstances.’

  ‘A lesser gang might waste time on formalities and appeasement. But Kingmakers don’t ask for what was ours to begin with,’ he replied without hesitation. ‘We take it. And after we do, we tell them what their punishments shall be. Is that clear to you all?’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ all four responded in unison.

  ‘Good. You four will lead the active front of this mission. I’ve selected some Tribunes to be your secondary actors, mostly gathering intel from the Tower. They’ve been trying to figure out where Yutai’s being held by monitoring the chatter of the Nanfang gangsters. But their law-enforcement operations in the city have been normal. It’s unlikely Ho Man Ting’s public-facing gangsters had anything to do with this. All signs point to the Rioter’s acting on Warlord Xinjian’s orders alone and discreetly. This puts Yutai either in some off-grid Tien Tao safehouse, or he’s still in the fort. Either way, we’ll soon find out.’

  The general turned to face Tao once more. And again, he felt his heartbeat rise. ‘Praefect, tell me you and Yutai managed to plant something in the fort. Anything that can give us access to their internal communications?’

  Tao’s eyes lowered. ‘I’m sorry, sir. Yutai was captured planting the first tap.’

  General Qin Shi exhaled sharply through his nose, then turned back to address the room. ‘Then our only choice is to deploy a Yu Spike. Tribune Cheng, as the current most senior member of this detachment, you’ll lead the operation. Set up a Spike on the tallest Ho Man Ting groundscraper. Start listening to anything you can hear from the fort. Praefect Tao, you’re with the Tribune. Learn what it means to be a team player from him.’

  Cheng and Tao both nodded. With pursed lips and a lowered gaze, he bore the look of shame.

  ‘Praefect Ushi and Shing. Your task is to begin scouting a viable entry point into the Rioter fort. The moment we confirm Yutai’s location, all four of you will coordinate a precision strike to extract him. No Kingmaker has ever breached that stronghold, but that changes now. Review all historical schematics in our archives and study the terrain around the fort. We have no shortage of data. That place is not invincible. In fact, we were preparing to seize it ourselves right before the District Rebellions ended. A breach is possible and we were once halfway there to plan it. You’ll find a way.’

  Shing vigorously nodded his head, but Ushi’s remained still. ‘But General,’ Ushi started. ‘The dam—’

  ‘I’m removing you from this wild rodent chase you’re on for Tong,’ General Qin Shi cut in. ‘Yutai’s release takes priority.’

  ‘General, with respect,’ Ushi spoke up once more. ‘I believe there is much value in investigating Lady Tong’s murder case. We are on the cusp of uncovering something that may risk the security of Kowloon.’

  ‘Excuse me, what?’ Shing scoffed as he twisted in his seat to face Ushi. ‘You want to go back to Kam Shan and continue holding our dicks while we solve petty crimes? While our brother is missing?’

  ‘Shing,’ the general said sharply. The Praefect turned back in his seat. ‘Sorry, General.’

  Qin Shi continued. ‘And what value do you think there is in this… homicide investigation?’

  ‘I believe the scope of the investigation has veered far from a simple homicide,’ Ushi said firmly. ‘My recent interview with one of the victim’s colleagues pointed towards an imminent breakdown of Chuan Wan Dam. What’s more concerning is that the Yang may know about this and use it to their advantage.’

  The room seemed to hold its breath as Ushi’s words hung in the air.

  ‘I’m well aware of the Chuan Wan Dam situation,’ the general replied. ‘I was the one who picked Legate Miji to overlook Lady Tong’s expedition. The dam’s structural concerns are the problem of Kam Shan’s scientists, as it always has been, and Legate Miji’s report indicated they found nothing amiss. Your ability to turn a simple message delivery into a nonsense conspiracy theory astounds me, and why the other Dragons allowed it to go on this far astounds me even further. This case is closed, and reopening it serves no purpose. Focus on your brother’s return. I aim to see no hesitancy when the time comes for you to strike against your former southern kin.’

  Ushi shifted uncomfortably in his seat and nodded his head. Tao felt bad for Ushi.

  While Yutai and I were fucking around, he was out making real progress for Lady Tong, Tao thought to himself. The General shouldn’t be so dismissive of Ushi’s concerns.

  The general’s gaze swept over the room, his eyes settling on each Kingmaker in turn. ‘Any questions?’ he asked.

  ‘When will we torch South Kowloon?’ Shing’s face was a mask of barely contained rage.

  Tao frowned. Why would you say it like that?

  Across the room, Ushi was frozen, eyes locked on Shing with a glare that could kill. The air bristled, charged with the threat of another outburst – until the General’s voice cut through it all with a chilling pledge of chaos.

  ‘Soon.’