Amara walked over to Jay Everwell, checking to make sure he wasn't severely injured.
After confirming he was fine, she turned toward the guide.
"Is the place we're heading to the same assigned quarters as before?" Amara asked.
"Yes," the guide replied.
"Then I don't think we need you to guide us anymore," Amara continued.
"Understood."
The guide was about to leave when Lydia spoke.
"Wait," she said. "I need your guidance. Whether or not the others decide to follow you doesn't matter. Let's go."
The guide nodded.
She and Lydia left the group together, walking ahead without hesitation.
Clara Hightower turned to Amara with a questioning gaze.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Well, it's not like we came here to actually work on this project," Amara Veyra replied calmly.
"Should we head over to the workroom?" Harold Jin suggested.
Amara briefly glanced at him before humming in acknowledgment.
The group moved in the opposite direction from Lydia and the guide, heading toward a door that had always been designated for the opposition's private discussions.
Once everyone entered, Nathaniel Crow spoke.
"Kael Everwyn. Close the door."
Kael followed the order, shutting the door gently and ensuring it was properly sealed.
After it closed, Harold Jin pulled out his watch.
He activated an interference and surveillance scanning system, allowing it to analyze the room.
Two minutes passed.
The scan completed.
Two devices were detected.
The first was an interference device with no encoding function, designed to prevent information from leaving the room and limit external communication.
The second was a hidden camera embedded within the wall, positioned near the ceiling.
It was an older model.
That explained why the scan had taken longer. The system required additional time to confirm its structure.
The camera supported both recording and live viewing.
It also transmitted audio.
A 3D rendering of the camera system appeared, mapping its position inside the wall and up toward the ceiling.
Amara reached into her item bag and pulled out a thin, dark, silk-like strip.
Without a word, she tossed it to Jay.
Jay understood immediately.
With a light step, he leapt upward, scaling the wall with practiced ease. In one smooth motion, he reached the ceiling and pressed the material directly over the camera lens.
The moment it made contact, the silk-like substance shifted.
It softened, then reshaped itself, spreading across the surface until it fully sealed the lens.
The feed was cut off.
No light passed through.
Jay dropped back down quietly, landing without a sound.
Only then did Ethan, who had been silently studying the 3D rendering, finally speak.
"The fact that it's old means we can exploit it. Obstructing its view is simple with a few minor adjustments."
He stepped forward slightly.
"And if we want to prevent our voices from being transmitted without authorization, we'll need—"
He paused briefly.
"If you would excuse me, Miss Hightower."
He reached for one of Clara's earrings, carefully attaching a small interface to it before inputting a sequence of code.
Once finished, he activated the module.
A faint prick formed at his fingertip, drawing a small drop of blood, which he smeared across the device.
"This should give us enough time," he said. "Thirty minutes before the sound barrier fails."
Ethan Cardwell returned the earring.
"Miss Hightower."
"Thank you," Clara said, placing it back on.
She folded her arms.
"So, what is it you wanted to discuss, Nathaniel Crow?"
Nathaniel glanced around the room.
"Have all of you received your individual missions?"
"Yes."
"More importantly," he continued, "have you noticed anything… interesting about them?"
"In what way?"
Clara tilted her head while Amara leaned slightly against the wall.
"I think it would be clearer if we all stated what missions we received," Nathaniel said.
His gaze shifted.
"I'm also referring to you, Mr. Garfield Everworth."
Garfield's expression hardened.
"The mission you received from the government—"
"That should not be stated out loud," Garfield interrupted sharply. "Enough of this. There is no need to share unnecessary information."
His tone turned firm.
"If no information is shared, nothing can be exploited."
Nathaniel walked toward him.
"Then don't expect cooperation."
A brief silence followed.
Garfield exhaled.
"…Fine."
Nathaniel straightened.
"Since I brought it up, I'll begin," he said.
Nathaniel began.
"I was entrusted with gathering as much intel as possible on the areas surrounding the Piao headquarters."
A brief pause followed.
Clara Hightower scoffed lightly.
"Not funny. I have something related to that, but mine requires me to familiarize myself with the cameras roaming the halls."
Amara crossed her arms.
"At least you have some idea of what to do or where to go. For me, I have to make connections with the cleaners. The literal cleaners."
Her expression tightened slightly.
"For someone of my status, I truly don't know what the Veyra family head was thinking when assigning this. It almost feels like a personal grudge."
She turned her gaze.
"Jay. What did you get?"
Jay Everwell nodded.
"Mine is much simpler," he said. "I was tasked with gathering more details on how the Male Protection Act is enforced and to see if I can uncover anything that could steer public attention."
"Really?" Ethan cut in. "Mine is to create cracks. Doubt in people's minds."
Ethan let out a quiet breath.
"But how am I supposed to do that when the Piao family is so transparent about everything they do?"
"They don't even benefit from the Male Protection Act," Harold Jin added. "Not even close."
He continued,
"I've worked with numbers most of my life. From the data we were given, there are no clear contradictions. No inconsistencies in their records or reports."
Ethan shook his head in response.
"If anything, it's a losing operation."
"Right," Jin continued. "The Piao family loses millions every year just maintaining the Act."
"And that's only one part of it."
Jin paused.
"If you factor in everything they're responsible for, the scale of their losses is… absurd."
His voice lowered.
"The only reason they're still standing is because of the sheer size of their resources. And even then, they didn't shift the burden onto other families."
Harold Jin looked around the room.
"If you take just the Male Protection Act and assign it to any single elite family—"
"That family wouldn't last a month."
He let the thought settle.