Kabul, Afghanistan;
Diablos's Villa, 03:00;
Rong Xinghe tiptoed out of her room, calmly draping a maroon silk stole over her shoulders. She had woken up to find that Xi Yuan was not in the master bedroom beside her. Assuming he was occupied with the intricate legalities surrounding his unexpected visit to the country, she inhaled a deep breath and descended the stairs, each step deliberate.
In the dark, she could faintly discern the outline of nine silhouettes. She had commanded the Hybrids to report to her tonight. Huang Ling wasn't there, of course; he was carrying out other orders for her, hunting for his own sister, Huang Biu, among them. It wasn't that she enjoyed putting her most trusted officers through such hell, but she was done being forgiving toward that woman. Being obsessed with Xi Yuan was one thing, but hurting an unborn child hinted at the birth of a monster. And she'd be damned if she allowed this twisted fixation to stretch any further.
