Chapter 113 - 114 – Shadows Stir Beneath the Summit
The wind blew crisp over the mountain plateau where the Apex Council’s summit had been established. Lin Feng stood at the balcony of the main lodge, the sunrise casting long shadows across the modernist wooden structure behind him. It was the third morning of the summit, and though publicly the atmosphere remained one of reform and collaboration, he could feel something shift—subtle, but insistent.
It wasn’t intuition. It was the new skill: Crisis Perception.
Like a low-frequency hum in the background of his mind, it vibrated when threats drew near. It did not give details. It did not name culprits. It only told him danger is forming—and Lin Feng trusted it completely.
He turned as Wen Xinya approached, already dressed sharply in a deep blue pantsuit. Her brows were knit with tension.
"There’s noise from the second-tier founders," she said. "A few of them met privately last night. I have no confirmation yet, but some seem to be floating the idea of formal voting power reforms—against you."
"Let them talk," Lin Feng said coolly. "They mistake visibility for leverage. Cassandra’s soft influence may have weakened, but the structure she left behind is still polluting their judgment."
Wen Xinya lowered her voice. "What about Keller?"
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. "Still hiding behind charm and plausible deniability. But the hum is stronger around him."
That was how he had begun to think of it—the hum. The system’s Crisis Perception didn’t operate like surveillance or spying. It responded to intentions. Manipulation, betrayal, sabotage—it registered only when plans had been made and decisions had crossed a threshold. And Keller was already generating a near-constant hum whenever Lin was near.
"Time to bait the fox out," Lin said.
Wen Xinya blinked. "How?"
Lin Feng walked back inside. "By making a move so calculated that only someone with hidden ambitions will try to stop it."