The safe house was silent, save for the faint hum of the city outside. Seojin stood near the window, her eyes locked on the distant skyline, mind still reeling from her confrontation with her father.
"It's not just about power, Seojin. It's about balance."
His words echoed in her head like a poison she couldn't shake.
Her fingers curled into fists. The Council of Nine—the people controlling everything—weren't just criminals. They were architects of the world's chaos, deciding who rose and who fell.
And now, they had their sights set on her.
Behind her, the team sat around the table, sorting through the intelligence they had gathered. Kade stood with his arms crossed, watching her. He hadn't said much since they'd escaped, but Seojin could feel his eyes on her, waiting for her to break.
She wouldn't.
Not now.
"We have to move fast," Minji finally said, breaking the silence. "The Phoenix is still after us, and now the Council knows we're coming for them."
Seojin exhaled slowly before turning to face them. "We need to find their weak spots."
Dojin flipped open the files they had stolen. "According to this, the Council isn't just a group of powerful people—they have assets. Companies, political ties, underground organizations. If we hit the right places, we can cut off their influence."
Seojin nodded. "Then we take them apart, piece by piece."
Minji hesitated. "Seojin… your father is part of the Council. That means he's in their inner circle. Are you prepared to go after him?"
Seojin's throat tightened, but she forced herself to nod. "He made his choice. Now I'm making mine."
No more hesitation. No more doubts.
She was going to burn the Council of Nine to the ground.
Kade, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. "We have a problem."
Seojin turned to him. "Bigger than the Council already wanting us dead?"
Kade's jaw tightened. "We have a mole."
The air in the room shifted instantly.
Dojin sat up straighter. "What?"
Minji frowned. "That's impossible. We've kept this operation airtight."
Kade shook his head. "Someone tipped off the Phoenix before we even got to your father. That's why they were ready for us. That's why we barely made it out alive."
Seojin's mind raced. A mole. Someone close to them. Someone feeding information to the Phoenix.
She scanned the faces of her team. Minji, Dojin, Kade.
Could it be one of them?
No. That was impossible.
Or was it?
"Do you have proof?" Seojin asked, keeping her voice steady.
Kade nodded. "Before we left, I intercepted a message. Someone sent out a signal from our last safe house—someone told the Phoenix where we were."
Minji's expression darkened. "Who?"
Kade exhaled. "I don't know yet. But if we don't find them first, they'll get us all killed."
Seojin felt ice settle in her veins. They weren't just fighting the Council of Nine anymore.
They were fighting someone in their own ranks.
Their time was running out. They needed to move—now.
"We need to split up," Seojin said, her voice sharp. "We can't stay in one place for long. The Phoenix will track us if we do."
Minji and Dojin exchanged a look. "Where to?" Dojin asked.
Seojin turned to Kade. "You said the Council has assets. Which one is the weakest?"
Kade pulled out his tablet, scanning the files. "There's a private research lab outside the city—one of their lesser-known facilities. If we infiltrate it, we might be able to get our hands on something bigger. Something they don't want us to find."
Seojin nodded. "Then that's our next target."
Minji hesitated. "And what about the mole?"
Seojin's jaw tightened. "We keep our eyes open. No one makes a move without backup. No one is alone."
Kade met her gaze. "And if we find them?"
Seojin didn't hesitate.
"Then they don't leave alive."
End of Chapter 72