"Yes," I finally answer.
The silence that follows stretches like a taut wire ready to snap. I can hear Marcus Wells' sharp intake of breath through the phone, followed by the distant sound of papers shuffling.
"Jesus Christ," he mutters. "I was hoping Reed was exaggerating."
"She strikes me as a very thorough investigator."
"Knight, do you have any idea what you've done?" His voice carries the weight of someone who's seen too much in his career. "Qiao Zhenghu wasn't just some street thug. He had connections. Protection. People who are going to come looking for answers."
I stand and walk to the hotel window, gazing down at Everbrook City's neon-lit streets. "Let them look."
"This isn't a game. The moment word gets out that someone can kill a grandmaster like swatting a fly, every cultivator in China is going to take notice."
"Good. Let them know what happens to those who prey on innocents."
