As Robert walked through the clan's inner corridor, he kept his usual pace, looking forward to seeing his father and passing along the information he had gathered.
The clan members were already moving to their positions—Sai directing from the information building's first floor and the silent protocol spreading through the clan the way it had been designed to spread.
Each person quietly took their spot according to the contingency plan Robert had meticulously crafted over those three pages and shared with everyone individually in the week following the competition.
He had explained to them that it was just preparation. But deep down, he knew it was always going to be more than that. He turned towards the corridor leading to the inner residence, with his father's room waiting at the far end.
He was halfway down it when Jack spoke.
"Host."
Robert stopped.
The three cultivators have stepped away from their posts at the edge of the clan's territory.
He was still for a moment.
