The next day, all arrested Red House operatives were released without charges.
Sergeant Torvin personally delivered them to a neutral location with profuse apologies about the "misunderstanding."
He also provided a detailed report on the Blue Lotus House's activities in district nine—a peace offering and demonstration of his new allegiance.
Within the week, district nine's Category C Guards had quietly shifted from hostile to cooperative. Not overtly—that would attract too much attention—but enough that Red House operations could resume without interference.
Cassius, who had been monitoring the situation on Lady Z's orders, was astounded.
"How did you—" he started to ask when Rey finally visited Red House headquarters to report.
"Details don't matter," Rey interrupted. "What matters is the result. Our people are free, district nine is secure, and we've gained leverage over Guards who were previously working against us."
