The night was humid, thick with the scent of rain waiting to fall. Shen Fu sat at a cracked wooden table in a quiet 24-hour noodle shop near the arcade.
Across from him, Xiaodie scrolled through her phone, arms crossed.
Shen Fu glanced at the entrance as the door jingled.
Zhenzhen stepped in, hood pulled low but eyes sharp and alert. She carried a battered backpack and a confident gait that belied her rough upbringing.
"Xiaodie," Shen said without preamble, "this is Zhenzhen. She's the one I told you about. The one who mapped out the dead zones in the city."
Xiaodie looked up, eyes sharp as a hawk's. "You sure about this? She's new."
"She's smart, resourceful. Not Qin Han's pawn." Shen Fu's gaze was steady.
Zhenzhen gave a small nod. "I've seen what Qin Han's capable of. That's why I came to him."
Xiaodie arched an eyebrow.
"I'm not interested in petty power plays. I grew up in those dead zones. I lived with my uncle who ran a small internet café that got squeezed out by rent hikes and shady landlords. I learned early that numbers tell stories—where people go, where they don't. I'm here to make sure Shen Fu's moves count, to make those forgotten places alive again."
She pulled out a tablet and tapped the screen. The glowing map pulsed with heat signatures, delivery routes, and foot traffic clustered in ghostly blue and red.
Xiaodie leaned in. "Not bad. If we pick the right spot, we could siphon some of the crowd away from Qin Han's businesses."
Shen Fu traced a finger over the map. "The Wenhua district. Cyber cafés, old print shops. Half the tech there is relics, but the location is gold."
Zhenzhen's voice was steady but fierce. "And the landlords? I've got dirt. Tax evasion, bribery, and shell companies disguised as cleaning services. We can push hard or push quietly."
Xiaodie cracked a smile. "Quiet is better when Qin Han's breathing down our necks."
Later, after the meeting broke up, Shen Fu found Zhenzhen on the street corner, alone.
"Why really did you come to me?" he asked.
She shrugged, the city lights painting sharp shadows on her face.
"I'm tired of watching my neighborhood die from seeing good people kicked out because they can't pay. Qin Han's game is crushing hope, turning places into playgrounds for the rich. You want to build from the ground up. I want to be part of that."
Her eyes glinted with stubborn fire.
"I don't have much, but what I do have is data—and I'm not afraid to use it."
Back inside his apartment, Shen Fu activated the system. The usual hum filled the room, hidden, secure.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
New Ally Confirmed: Zhenzhen (Data Scout)
Temporary Buff: Local Intel +20% Efficiency
Next Mission: Scout and Secure Prime Location in Wenhua District
He exhaled slowly.
They were ready.
The next move was his.
And the game was far from over.