Yan returned to the outer room with the taste of bitter tea still at the back of his tongue. Qinghe sat beside the window, while Wei checked the corridor for the guards. Wuchen waited by the map table with the sealed schedule.
Yan laid out what he had heard without softening it. “The central anchor can hold the network. The cost falls on the person at the furnace. My System would reverse those harms into strength. The barriers themselves would work as designed.”
Qinghe looked at the map. “And the local channels?”
“Several were disconnected or left without repairs. Wuchen says a divided system is hard to coordinate.”
Wei tapped the transfer orders. “Would he surrender control after the storm?”
“No.”
Wuchen entered the room. “You understand my offer. The authority is part of keeping the network intact.”
Yan nodded. “I understand. I still want the schedule copy.”
