Xu found the source before dawn, cutting through the Warden's exhausted sleep with a demand sharp enough to wake the whole house.
"There," Xu said, urgent. "Wei Liang, press your palm against her wrist. Now, before she's fully conscious enough to hide it."
Wei Liang crossed the room fast, catching the Warden's wrist gently despite her weak, startled flinch. A thin thread of qi pulsed faintly beneath her skin, barely perceptible, old and worn but still active.
"What is that," Shen Yue asked, already moving closer to examine it herself.
"A tracking link," Xu said. "Residual, tied to the same network that bound every operative's neck mark. She's been broadcasting her location this entire time without realizing it, or without being able to stop it even if she did."
The Warden's eyes opene
