No one touched the radio.
For a long moment, the farmhouse dining room remained still beneath the weight of the message that had just slipped through the static.
Colonel He Zhong's voice had been clean, official, and steady. A commander's voice. The kind of voice that carried authority because it expected to be obeyed.
Then, beneath it, the woman's warning had appeared like a hand reaching through water.
Do not answer secure channel three. Ma still has access.
The signal died after that.
Only static remained.
Tang Li Yue looked at the radio with an expression of profound offense.
"This little box has become very troublesome."
Chen Qiao, who had been hovering near the door with the anxious energy of someone forbidden to ask questions but physically suffering from the effort, finally failed.
"So, does this mean Colonel He is good, bad, trapped, pretending, or all of the above?"
Major Lin did not answer immediately.
