They called it the Glasshouse Protocol for a reason.
Every wall in SkyInk's top executive floor was metaphorical glass now — every message mirrored, every voice recorded, every decision routed through a system that no longer waited for permission.
Zeyan sat alone in the conference room. The shades were drawn. The table was empty.
Except for the list.
Seven names.
Each one marked with a colour code: green, yellow, or red.
Three were green. Two yellow. Two red.
The red ones were already being escorted from the building.
The system had made its call.
System Protocol:
Glasshouse Activated
Target: Executive Division Integrity Audit
Status: 71.4% Complete
Results: 2 confirmed data leaks (Shen Ming, Du Heng)
Suspicion Flagged: Executive Liaison Division – External Financial Movement Detected
Zeyan didn't flinch as the elevator dinged.
A woman entered.
Hair pulled back. Business sharp. Hands empty.
Luo Hanying.
SkyInk's Head of External Partnerships.
And one of the remaining yellow tags.
"You wanted to see me," she said.
"Take a seat," Zeyan said.
Meanwhile...
Jiang Yue entered the side doors of the Crossbridge Media Building under the guise of a project meeting. But her real agenda was far colder.
The head of Crossbridge — Ji Wenhao — had been one of SkyInk's earliest supporters.
He also owned a 12% stake in one of NovaLine's shell corps.
And he had just announced that Crossbridge was "reevaluating" all contracts with SkyInk.
She didn't knock when she entered his office.
He looked up slowly.
"Jiang Yue," he said, surprised. "This is unexpected."
"So was the knife," she replied, sitting across from him.
Ji blinked. "Excuse me?"
She placed a folder on the desk.
Inside: three wire transfers, a shell company map, and her interview transcripts — all redacted and repackaged as proof of contractual non-compliance.
Ji tried to speak.
She leaned forward.
"You can walk out of this clean, or I take you into the fire with the others."
System Sync :
FL - ML Mode Active
Status: Public/Private Maneuvers Executed in Parallel
Crossbridge Media Compliance Threat: 88.2% Likely Response Favorable
Corporate Leverage Maneuver: Successful Deterrence – No retaliation authorized without media fallback risk
Back at SkyInk, Zeyan slid a single photo across the table to Luo Hanying.
A freeze-frame.
From three weeks ago.
A café.
She wasn't supposed to be in that district.
She definitely wasn't supposed to be meeting with Yan Shaoxing's legal handler.
Luo paled.
"You had someone follow me?"
"No," Zeyan said. "He made the mistake of using a tagged burner."
Silence stretched.
"Why didn't you arrest me with the others?" she asked.
Zeyan folded his hands.
"Because I want to see if you're smarter than them."
System Update:
Loyalty Audit: Conditional Delay Applied – Subject Luo Hanying
Behavioral Shift Tracking Enabled – 72 Hour Window
If Clean: Auto-Reinstate at Tier 1
If False: Trigger Glasshouse Lockdown II – Personal Assets Freeze Authorized
In her car later, Luo sat shaking.
Then she picked up her phone.
"Tell him I want to switch sides," she whispered.
A pause.
"Yes. Tell Yan Shaoxing… I'm out."
But the line had already been tapped.
System Whisper Log:
Confirmation Received – Luo Intentional Turncoat Activated
Passive Strategy Assigned: Echo Delay Layer (She feeds false data back to Y.S. pipeline)
Status: False Loyalty Mask Approved
Zeyan stood on the roof of SkyInk HQ, the wind tugging at his coat.
Jiang Yue's voice crackled in through his earpiece.
"Ji Wenhao backed off. Crossbridge stays neutral."
He smiled faintly.
"Good. Then the glasshouse didn't shatter."