Dawn broke over the Western Hills, painting the snow-capped granite spires in pale rose and gold.
The three forty-foot transport trucks rolled back into the underground bunker’s motor pool.
Behind them, twenty captured Dark-Cultivator Raiders and foreign Onmyoji sorcerers were marched out in heavy spiritual restraining collars, escorted by First Lieutenant Lin Shuang’s scout squad.
Inside the bunker’s high-security briefing hall, a secure holographic satellite link connected directly to the Supreme National Security Council in the Forbidden City.
Commander Long Zhan stood at attention before the central projection.
Across the glowing screen sat Old General Qin and seven supreme military councilors, their faces grim as they reviewed the decrypted evidence.
Long Zhan placed the dark lambskin scroll onto the high-resolution scanner.
“Councilors,” Long Zhan reported, his voice ringing through the chamber with iron authority. “The northern dragon-vein node has been secured. Demolition charges neutralized. Twenty foreign mercenaries captured alive. Here is their contract, signed and fingerprinted by the Six Remaining Capital Chaebol Patriarchs: Murong, Huangfu, Ye, Xiao, Han, and Du.”
