The morning the inspectors arrived, the sky broke open in a pale, unforgiving blue—clear, sharp, and merciless. It was the kind of sky that made every mistake more visible. Every whisper louder. Every beat of hesitation dangerous.
The camp roused before dawn, overseers cracking whips not in anger but in nervous urgency. Men scrambled to wash their faces with handfuls of cold water, to tighten their rags, to line up with the brittle posture of men used to survival under scrutiny. Even the sergeant—usually stone-faced—straightened his vest twice and rubbed dirt from his boots.
Li Wei stood among the laborers, his head bowed, his posture appropriately humble. But inside, the system pulsed with measured calm.
[Event Triggered: Regional Inspection]
[Recommended Objective: Maintain Order. Conceal Irregularities. Observe Opportunities.]
He glanced at Zhang and Hu beside him. Both looked like any other weary laborers—eyes half-lidded, shoulders low, bodies broken by work. Only their stillness betrayed their awareness. Chen stood farther back, his hands folded in the submissive way of a veteran slave. Ming hovered near the boy to shield him subtly from attention.
Then the inspectors arrived.
Four officials in black hemp uniforms, robes tied with wide belts, followed by three soldiers in bronze armor. Their boots hit the ground with punctuating thuds. Their leader was a tall man with sharp cheekbones, skin weathered by northern winds, eyes that swept the camp with mathematical precision.
He looked like someone who had buried more men than he'd punished.
Behind him came two clerks carrying stacks of bamboo slips and a wax-sealed box—likely containing orders or payments for the sergeant.
The sergeant rushed forward, bowing low. "Honored Inspectors! The camp stands ready for your audit. We are prepared to demonstrate full compliance with the empire's mandates!"
The inspector barely glanced at him. "We will decide that."
Li Wei kept his gaze down, but his eyes tracked movement. Inspectors started with the barracks, then checked food stores, then work progress, then records. That gave him the time to prepare.
The sergeant leaned close to him, breath tight with worry. "Stay with me. When they reach the logs, you speak only if spoken to. Understand?"
"Yes, Sergeant."
He followed the entourage as they made their rounds.
The first stop was the food stores.
One inspector flicked open sacks and checked for pests. Another sniffed the gruel pot, then spat on the ground. "Barely edible."
The sergeant bowed again. "Men must eat enough to work. We ration carefully."
"Ration?" the inspector sneered. "You look well-fed."
The sergeant flushed, but swallowed the retort. The inspector moved on.
Then they reached the ramp.
The inspector paused, studying the newly repaired sections. He rapped his knuckles on the stone. "Stable."
"Thanks to my best men," the sergeant said quickly. "This one especially." He jerked a thumb at Li Wei.
Li Wei bowed deeper.
The inspector's gaze lingered too long. "You. Look up."
Li Wei obeyed.
Those cold eyes scanned him with the intensity of a man who categorized lives by their usefulness. "Name?"
"Li Wei, honored inspector."
"Background?"
"A builder… before punishment."
"A builder," the inspector repeated, as if testing the taste of it. "We may have use for such a man."
The sergeant stiffened. "He is my most reliable worker—"
"Which means the empire may need him."
The sergeant bowed again, hiding the flare of irritation under obedience.
Li Wei kept his face schooled. Inside, the system pulsed.
[Inspector Interest: Mild]
[Opportunity Detected: Possible Transfer Eligibility]
A transfer could save him.
Or isolate him.
Or kill his entire plan.
He kept his expression neutral.
The inspectors moved on to the barracks. Men stood rigid, trembling in fear. When one inspector found a torn rice sack, he struck the nearest worker, accusing him of theft. Another found a loose plank and demanded immediate repair.
Then they reached the heart of danger:
The records tent.
Li Wei felt sweat bead under his collar. The ledgers were clean—but too clean could be suspicious. Too neat could imply manipulation. Too many "coincidences" could reveal the system's invisible hand.
The inspector sat. "Bring me the logs."
Li Wei carried them forward, placed them on the table, and stepped back with perfect humility.
The inspector flipped through the bamboo slips. His face remained unreadable. He paused at one page—one that had a carefully placed "mistake" Li Wei had prepared to seem human.
A shallow raise of the eyebrow.
A grunt.
Then he continued reading.
Zhang exhaled quietly.
But then—
A clerk checked the grain inventory against the recorded sacks.
"There is a discrepancy here," the clerk said. "Two sacks unaccounted for."
Li Wei's heart tightened.
The inspector looked at him. "Explain."
The sergeant froze.
The guards leaned forward.
Hu's hand twitched.
Li Wei bowed.
"One sack was damaged by rats during the night," he said calmly. "The sergeant ordered it buried. I saw no reason to record it as consumption."
The sergeant blinked—surprised but willing to accept the rescue.
The inspector studied him for a long moment…
Then nodded. "Practical. Acceptable." He waved a hand. "Continue."
They passed the section.
Li Wei resisted the urge to sag in relief. Zhang looked away, letting no expression slip. Hu wiped sweat from his brow like a man who'd survived a noose.
Finally, after hours of scrutiny, the inspectors gathered outside the sergeant's tent.
"The camp is functional," the lead inspector announced. "Better than most."
Relief rippled silently through the camp.
"But," the inspector added, turning toward Li Wei, "the records keeper comes with us."
The camp stilled.
Zhang tensed.
Hu's fists curled.
Even the boy froze mid-step.
"Honored inspector," the sergeant said quickly, "Li Wei is—"
"The empire has need," the inspector said sharply. "The garrison north of here is building a new fort. They require someone who understands both stone and men."
Li Wei bowed, keeping his voice steady.
"I will obey."
Inside, the system pulsed again:
[Forced Transfer Event Activated]
[New Path Unlocked: Military Construction Corps]
[Separation from Cell: Imminent]
Separation.
The one thing he feared the most.
He glanced at Zhang.
Zhang's jaw clenched—but he dipped his head once.
A signal of loyalty.
A signal of patience.
"Commander," Zhang whispered under his breath as the inspectors led Li Wei away, "we will be ready when you return."
He stepped forward into an uncertain future—one chosen not by desire, but by survival.
Teaser: Torn from his hidden army, Li Wei faces the fortified north—where power and danger grow in equal measure.