Page 4 of New World

A slow clap shattered the stillness.

Her father, Liu Zhang, stepped forward from the shaded terrace. His dark eyes glinted with something unreadable as he studied her. The guards immediately straightened.

Mei did not.

She kept her posture firm, her breathing steady, waiting. Waiting for his judgment.

He walked toward her with deliberate slowness, the soft click of his polished shoes against the stone stretching the silence taut. When he stopped before her, he said nothing, letting the weight of his presence settle over her like an invisible chain.

Then, quietly?—

“Again,” he instructed.

Mei’s fingers twitched at her sides. She bowed her head. There would be no praise. There never was.

She reset her stance and moved into the sequence again, the fabric whispering around her like ghosts.

Her father circled her as she moved, his expression unreadable. Then, with the barest flick of his fingers—a silent command.

The guard closest to her lunged.

Mei felt the shift in the air before she saw it. Instinct took over. She twisted, narrowly avoiding the strike aimed at her fragile ribs. She countered—a small palm snapping against the young guard’s wrist, redirecting his balance.

He recovered quickly, but she was faster.

Her foot hooked behind his knee, her body spinning as she used his own momentum against him. He staggered.

A second’s hesitation—and Mei sent the man sprawling against the stones, relieved him of his weapon, and stood over him with the QSZ-92 semi-automatic pistol pointed at his temple.

Then—she pulled the trigger.

The click resonated through the enclosed courtyard. Mei stared into the guard’s terrified eyes. For a fraction of a second, so quick it could have been imagined, a flicker of something twisted in her chest. Then it was gone. She watched dispassionately as the guard’s head fell back against the smooth stone, sweat beading on his forehead, and he swallowed noticeably as he stared back at her.

She had passed her father’s test.

Her father lifted a hand. The guard shakily climbed to his feet, bowed, and stepped away. Mei straightened, released the clip, and checked it and the chamber to make sure they were empty before she turned to face her father. Her breath came steady despite the sharp pulse in her veins. Her father’s gaze was sharp as he took a step closer, his voice a quiet decree.

“Exceptional.”

She had done well. The word curled in Mei’s stomach like an icy knot. It should have felt like praise. It didn’t.

It felt like ownership.

He turned to the assembled guards, his voice smooth as silk, yet edged with steel.

“She will begin the next phase of her training immediately. No limitations.”

The guards bowed.

Mei stood still, absorbing the meaning of those words. There was no joy in them. No pride.

Only a deeper confirmation of what she already knew.

Her father was not looking at her like a daughter.

He was looking at her like a weapon.

And she had just sealed her fate.

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