The Obsidian Pavilion, Prince Long Wei's private residence, was the most secure—and coldest—place in the entire Han Empire. While imperial guards patrolled the exterior, Mei Lin sat at an oak desk, watching the Prince examine a map of the Southern region.
Jiro had been taken to the kitchens by Long Wei's orders, leaving Mei Lin alone with the man who held her fate at the tip of his sword.
"If the ambush is real," Long Wei said, his eyes never leaving the map, "my vanguard General is already dead. What makes you think you can stop a massacre with words?"
[Scanning Map Data...] [Simulation: 1,402 combat scenarios.] [Result: 98% probability of defeat if standard tactics are used.]
Mei Lin stood up and walked toward the map. She tapped a specific point—a narrow gorge called the Sleeping Dragon's Pass. "They won't attack in the open valley. They're going to use gunpowder to trigger a landslide here."
Long Wei finally looked at her. "Gunpowder? That is a rare weapon, guarded only by the imperial alchemists."
"Your Prime Minister isn't just a thief, your Highness. He's a collector of forbidden weapons," Mei Lin smirked, her eyes reflecting the blue light of the screen only she could see. "I can 'see' the sulfur shipments moving through the trade routes. If you give me access to your communication seal, I can send a coded message that will detonate the powder before your men even arrive."
Long Wei hesitated. Handing over his seal to a stranger was treason. But there was something in Mei Lin's gaze—a chilly, almost mechanical confidence—that held him.
"You have until dawn," he decided, handing her a small scroll and his jade seal. "But tell me this: how does a girl who never left her father's estate know so much about military logistics and gunpowder?"
Mei Lin leaned over the desk, her agile fingers beginning to "type" in the air. To Long Wei, it looked like she was performing strange, rhythmic gestures.
"Let's just say I have a 'backdoor' to the secrets of this world, Prince. And your stone walls are no match for my firewall."
[Hacking Communications Network...] [Signal Intercepted: Message sent to South Garrison.] [Execution: Command 'Premature_Ignition' uploaded.]
Miles away, at the Sleeping Dragon's Pass, the hidden crates of gunpowder began to smoke on their own. A deafening explosion lit up the night sky, destroying the trap long before the Prince's army arrived.
Back in the pavilion, Long Wei saw the flash on the horizon. He looked at Mei Lin with a new mixture of respect and fear. She wasn't just a survivor. She was a ghost capable of burning the world without touching a torch.
"What are you?" he whispered.
"I'm the update your Empire didn't know it needed," Mei Lin replied, as the System flashed: [Success. Reputation with Prince: +15.]