Novel

Chapter 8: Kitchen Reckoning

Kai assembles loyal relatives at the ancestral restaurant under the 48-hour stay. Enforcer Dr. Han forces entry with muscle to execute an amended transfer. Kai treats a deliberately inflicted cut on a waiter with precise, visible skill while exposing the staged injury, the toxin link, and Han’s direct tie to the long-lost rival Zhao Wei via Aunt Mei’s note and the ledger. Witnesses recalibrate allegiance in real time. Han retreats but promises decisive action at dawn, personalizing the conflict and widening the threat.