Day 28 Post-Impact - Afternoon
The council room felt different now.
What had started as a desperate gathering of survivors had become something more structured. More permanent. Representatives from both Harmony and Sunway sat together, the alliance forged in battle now solidifying in peace.
Sarnav presided over the meeting, his five wives distributed throughout the room. Nisha sat with the civilian coordinators. Ishani, still recovering but refusing to rest, stood near the door. Ananya had found a place with the support teams. Minji lurked near the communications equipment. And Jade had claimed the technical station, her tablet interfacing with every system they had.
"Territory assessment," Chen Wei began. "With the rift destroyed, we control everything from the school compound to the northern convention center. Roughly fifteen square kilometers of secured land."
"Population?" Dr. Lim asked.
"Five hundred and twelve, as of this morning's count. Three hundred and eight from original Harmony, two hundred and four from Sunway."
"Awakened?"
"Seventy-one total. Most are E or F rank, but we have twelve D-ranks, three C-ranks, and..." He glanced at Sarnav. "One B-rank."
The room's attention shifted. Even now, weeks after his breakthrough, people still struggled to process what Sarnav represented. A B-rank cultivator was rare globally. In post-impact Malaysia, he might be the strongest person in the country.
"Resources?" Sarnav asked, redirecting the conversation.
Encik Rahman consulted his notes. "Food stores are stable for approximately six weeks at current consumption. Water filtration is functioning. Medical supplies are adequate but not abundant. Weapons and equipment are sufficient for defense, limited for expansion."
"What about the other raider groups?" Ishani asked from her position by the door. "We eliminated one, but Jade's intel mentioned five more."
All eyes turned to the hacker.
Jade pulled up a map on the main display. Red markers indicated hostile territories.
"Five groups, ranging from fifty to two hundred people each. Scattered across the greater KL area." She highlighted one marker in particular, larger than the others. "This is the concern. The Iron Wolves. Four hundred plus members, approximately fifty awakened, including at least two C-ranks."
"That's nearly our size," Dr. Lim observed.
"Larger, if you count combat-capable members only." Jade zoomed in on their territory. "They've claimed the old industrial district. Factories, warehouses, manufacturing equipment. They're not just surviving. They're building."
"Building what?"
"An army." Jade's expression was grim. "I've intercepted their communications. They're consolidating the smaller raider groups. Absorbing them or eliminating them. Within a month, they could control everything we don't."
The room fell silent.
"Then we need to act first," Sarnav said. "Before they finish consolidating."
"Attack them directly?" Chen Wei shook his head. "Even with our B-rank advantage, four hundred hostiles with fifty awakened is a significant threat. We'd take heavy casualties."
"I'm not suggesting a direct assault. I'm suggesting we beat them at their own game." Sarnav stood, moving to the map. "They're absorbing the smaller groups. So do we. Make contact with the remaining raider bands. Offer them a choice. Join Harmony, or be caught between us and the Iron Wolves."
"You want to recruit raiders?" Encik Rahman looked skeptical.
"I want to recruit survivors. Some of them turned to raiding because they had no other options. Give them options."
"And if they refuse?"
"Then they've made their choice. And we deal with them accordingly."
Jade nodded slowly. "It's sound strategy. Deny the Iron Wolves resources while building our own. Even if we only convert two or three groups, that's a hundred plus people they don't get."
"How long do we have?" Ishani asked.
"Based on their communication patterns, I estimate three to four weeks before they finish absorbing the smaller groups." Jade pulled up more data. "After that, they'll turn their attention to bigger targets. Us."
"Then we have three weeks to prepare." Sarnav looked around the room. "I want outreach teams ready by tomorrow. Non-threatening, diplomatic. We're offering sanctuary, not conquest."
"And if the Iron Wolves notice? Try to interfere?"
"Then we show them what happens when they interfere with Harmony Sect."
The meeting adjourned with assignments distributed.
Sarnav found himself on the roof again, watching the sun set over their territory. The weight of leadership pressed on him, heavier each day.
You're brooding.
Nisha's mental voice came through the network, warm and familiar.
I'm thinking.
Same thing, the way you do it. A pause. I'm coming up.
She appeared a few minutes later, climbing through the access hatch with practiced ease. They'd spent a lot of time on this roof over the past weeks.
"The meeting went well," she said, settling beside him.
"Did it?"
"You have a plan. People trust you. The alliance is holding." She took his hand. "That's more than most leaders can claim."
"The Iron Wolves are a real threat."
"So were the raiders. So was the rift. You handled both."
"With casualties. Four dead at the rift. People who trusted me."
"People who chose to fight. Who believed in what we're building." She squeezed his hand. "You can't carry everyone, Sarnav. You'll break."
"I can try."
"You can. But you shouldn't have to do it alone." She shifted closer. "That's why you have us. The five of us, sharing your burden. That's what the network is for."
Through the bond, he felt the others. Ishani's steady presence, pain dampened but resolve unbroken. Ananya's quiet support. Minji's restless energy. Jade's analytical focus.
Five women. Five connections. Five anchors holding him steady.
"When did you get so wise?" he asked.
"I've always been wise. You just weren't paying attention." She smiled. "Too busy staring at my chest."
"It's a nice chest."
"Flatterer." She leaned against him. "The others are giving us space tonight. Ishani needs rest, Ananya has the children's classes tomorrow, Minji's running some gaming tournament for morale, and Jade is doing... whatever Jade does."
"That sounds suspiciously coordinated."
"It was. We talked." Nisha looked up at him. "You've been spreading yourself thin. Running from crisis to crisis, wife to wife. When's the last time we had a whole night together? Just us?"
He tried to remember. The days blurred together, each one filled with urgency and obligation.
"Too long," he admitted.
"Then let's fix that." She stood, pulling him up with her. "No emergencies. No interruptions. No other wives. Just you and me, like it used to be."
"It was never quite like this."
"No. But some things haven't changed." She kissed him softly. "I still love you. You still love me. Everything else is just details."
Their room felt different with just the two of them.
Sarnav had grown accustomed to the network's constant presence, the awareness of multiple bonds. Nisha was right that he'd been spreading thin, dividing attention, never fully present with anyone.
Tonight, he focused entirely on her.
"I've missed this," she said as he undressed her slowly. "Having you to myself."
"I'm always yours."
"Shared, though. Always shared." She wasn't complaining, just observing. "I've accepted it. Even embraced it sometimes. But there are moments when I want to be selfish."
"Then be selfish tonight."
He laid her on the bed with reverence. This was Nisha. His first love. The woman who'd known him before any of this, who'd chosen him when he was nothing special.
He kissed her slowly, deeply, taking his time. No urgency. No performance. Just connection.
"I love you," he said against her lips.
"I know." She pulled him closer. "Show me."
He showed her.
He worshipped her body with patience he rarely allowed himself. Every curve, every sensitive spot, every place that made her gasp or moan. He knew her better than anyone, and he used that knowledge.
"Sarnav..." She arched into his touch. "Please..."
"Please what?"
"You know what."
"I want to hear you say it."
"I want you inside me." Her eyes met his, vulnerable and trusting. "I want to feel you. Only you. Just for tonight, I want to pretend it's only us."
He gave her what she wanted.
He entered her slowly, savoring the connection. Through the network, he felt her pleasure as his own, a feedback loop that made everything more intense.
But more than the physical, he felt her emotions. Love, deep and unwavering. Acceptance, hard-won but genuine. Hope, fragile but persistent.
"I feel you," she whispered. "All of you. Not just the body, but... everything."
"That's the bond."
"It's more than that." Her hand found his face. "It's us. What we've always had, just... more."
He moved in her slowly, drawing out every sensation. No rushing, no performance. Just two people who loved each other, sharing something intimate.
"I'm not going to last," she gasped. "You feel too good."
"Then don't last. Let go."
She came with a soft cry, her body trembling, tears leaking from her eyes as they always did. He followed her over the edge, the shared sensation through the bond making it impossible to hold back.
They lay tangled together afterward, breathing slowly returning to normal.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?"
"For remembering. That before there was a harem, before there was a network, before there was any of this... there was us." She pressed closer. "I needed that reminder."
"So did I."
They made love twice more that night, slow and tender both times. And when they finally slept, Sarnav felt more grounded than he had in weeks.
The network hummed quietly in the background. Four other women, connected to him, sharing in the peace of the moment.
But tonight belonged to Nisha.
Day 29 Post-Impact - Morning
The outreach teams departed at dawn.
Three groups, each heading toward a different raider encampment. Their mission was simple: make contact, offer terms, assess intentions. No fighting unless attacked first.
Sarnav watched them go from the gate, Jade at his side with her tablet.
"I'll monitor their communications," she said. "If anything goes wrong, we'll know immediately."
"Good."
"The Iron Wolves have scouts in the area. They might notice our teams."
"Let them notice. We're not hiding what we're doing."
"Confident."
"Practical. If they see us recruiting, they might accelerate their own timeline. Make mistakes."
Jade glanced at him. "You're thinking several moves ahead."
"I'm trying to."
"It's working." She returned her attention to the tablet. "I've also identified something else. Another anomaly in the dimensional energy patterns."
"Another rift?"
"Not exactly. The readings are different. More stable. More... structured." She pulled up a map. "Here. About thirty kilometers southeast. Near the old airport."
"What is it?"
"I'm not certain. But if I had to guess?" She met his eyes. "A dungeon."
The word carried weight. Dungeons were different from rifts. More dangerous, but also more rewarding. Concentrated pockets of dimensional energy that spawned creatures and treasures in equal measure.
"How sure are you?"
"Sixty-seven percent. I'd need to get closer to confirm."
"Then we confirm. After we deal with the raider situation."
"Understood." She hesitated. "The dimensional energy you absorbed from the rift. It's still in your system. I've been monitoring it through the network."
"Is that a problem?"
"I don't know yet. It's not behaving like normal cultivation essence. It's... waiting. For what, I can't determine." She pocketed her tablet. "Just be careful. Your system might be adapting, but we don't fully understand what you took into yourself."
"Noted."
She walked away, leaving him with another concern to add to the growing list.
But that was leadership. Problems multiplied while solutions remained scarce.
At least he wasn't facing them alone.
[DAILY CULTIVATION SUMMARY]
[INTIMATE ACTIVITIES - NISHA: +8,500]
[EMOTIONAL DEPTH BONUS: +2,000]
[NETWORK STABILITY BONUS: +500]
[TOTAL ESSENCE: 275,000 / 500,000 TO SOUL TRANSFORMATION]
[HAREM STATUS: 5 / 32]
[NETWORK STATUS: STABLE]
[TERRITORY STATUS: EXPANDING (OUTREACH INITIATED)]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT:]
[- IRON WOLVES: HIGH (3-4 WEEKS)]
[- POTENTIAL DUNGEON: UNKNOWN (CONFIRMATION REQUIRED)]
[- DIMENSIONAL RESIDUE: MONITORING]