Almost at the very moment Baiwen left the Central Archives, deep inside another, more secluded office within the Core Area of the Serenitea Pot, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Keqing, the Yuheng, stood before a massive sandbox. Meticulously marked upon it was the current status of every zone within the Serenitea Pot: the barrier's flowing light was steady, the green models representing the agricultural district were lush and verdant, and newly constructed residential areas and workshops stood in rows. Yet, her gaze did not linger on this surface prosperity. Instead, it swept sharply across those peripheral regions representing landing zones and unknown areas, as well as several inconspicuous little markers in the corners of the sandbox—nodes identified as potential security risks, re-marked based on intelligence gathered after the "Harvest Festival Incident."
The shadow of the leaked intelligence lingered like an unshakeable malady. That meticulously planned attack, which exploited the laxity of the celebration and potential internal vulnerabilities, had nearly plunged the Serenitea Pot into the Abyss of no return. It was a lesson Keqing would never forget.
Chapter 138