I stood my ground as Daxon Johnson''s face morphed from shock to panic. The arrival of Commander Keller and the Deputy Chief couldn''t have been more perfectly timed. A third man stepped out from the car – Den Steele, one of the highest-ranking officials in the war-zone. This was getting interesting.


    "Well?" The Deputy Chief''s voice was sharp. "I asked what''s happening here, Johnson."


    Daxon quicklyposed himself, smoothing his jacket and forcing confidence into his posture. "Sir, I was conducting a routine quality inspection. We received reports of substandard herbs being used in this factory."


    "And the gun on the ground?" Commander Keller pointed at the crushed weapon.


    "Knight attacked me when I attempted to confiscate contaminated materials," Daxon said, puffing out his chest. "He violently resisted awful inspection and destroyed government property."


    I nearlyughed at his audacity. The man had no shame.


    "Is this true, Mr. Knight?" the Deputy Chief asked me, his expression neutral.


    Before I could answer, Daxon jumped in again, clearly hoping to control the narrative. "Sir, I have documented evidence of quality vitions. And now physical assault on an officer. I rmend immediate closure of this facility and arrest of—"


    "Enough," Den Steele interrupted, his voice quiet yetmanding absolute attention. He turned to me with a nod of recognition. "Mr. Knight. I wasn''t aware this was your factory." <kbd ss="meta-ref-static">Read ahead and get updates by visiting *.</kbd>


    Daxon''s eyes darted between us. "You... know each other?"


    "Mr. Knight is an esteemed guest of our war-zone," Den stated tly. "His contributions to medical research have been invaluable."


    I watched with satisfaction as the blood drained from Daxon''s face. His smug smile vanished, reced by dawning horror as he realized his miscalction.


    "I''m disappointed, Johnson," I said, letting my words hang in the air. "When you threatened me yesterday about tonight''s conference, I didn''t expect you''d stoop to fabricating quality issues."


    "I did no such thing!" Daxon protested, sweat beading on his forehead.


    "Then exin why your men imed to find contaminated Red Lotus petals that I personally inspected yesterday," I replied calmly. "Or why they deliberately damaged rare Spirit Grass seedlings during their so-called inspection."


    Elder Hansen stepped forward. "It''s true, sirs. I watched them knock over trays of herbs with no regard. This wasn''t an inspection – it was sabotage."


    The Deputy Chief''s eyes narrowed. "Johnson, is this because Knight refused to attend your dinner partyst year?"


    "What? No!" Daxon sputtered. "The surveince system showed clear vitions. We have footage—"


    "Interesting," I cut in. "Because yesterday you told your men the surveince system was broken. How would you have footage if that were true?"


    Daxon froze, realizing his mistake toote.


    Commander Keller turned to the head of the Quality Control department who had been standing nervously behind Daxon. "Is there something you''d like to share with us?"


    The man looked at Daxon, then at the officials, then back at Daxon. Self-preservation won out. "Mr. Johnson instructed us to find problems regardless of whether they existed," he admitted, shoulders slumping. "He said it was a personal matter and we''d be rewarded for our cooperation."


    "That''s a lie!" Daxon shouted, lunging toward the man.


    Den Steele stepped between them. "Careful, Johnson. You''re in enough trouble as it is."


    The Deputy Chief''s voice was ice. "Did Johnson specifically instruct you to nt false evidence?"


    The Quality Control head nodded reluctantly. "Yes, sir. He suggested we bring substandard herbs to mix with the inventory here and then ''discover'' them."


    "That''s absurd!" Daxon was practically foaming at the mouth now. "He''s lying to save his own skin!"


    The man pulled out his phone. "I recorded our conversation this morning. I knew this didn''t feel right."


    Daxon''s eyes widened. With a desperate lunge, he reached for the phone. "Give me that!"


    I barely needed to move. With just a flick of my finger, I sent Daxon flying backward. He crashed into a stack of empty crates,nding in an undignified heap. The phone remained safely in the Quality Control head''s hand.


    "What, trying to destroy evidence?" I scoffed, brushing imaginary dust from my sleeve.


    Gasps erupted from the onlookers. Even Commander Keller looked startled by the ease with which I''d neutralized Daxon.


    "y the recording," the Deputy Chief instructed.


    The Quality Control head tapped his screen, and Daxon''s voice filled the air:


    "I don''t care what you have to do. Find something wrong with Knight''s herbs or nt something yourself. This arrogant bastard needs to be taught a lesson. He humiliated me once, and I won''t let it happen again. The surveince system is conveniently broken today, so no one will know. If you do this for me, there''ll be a promotion in it for you."


    Silence descended over the factory yard. Daxon remained sprawled among the broken crates, his career crumbling before his eyes.


    "Mr. Knight," the Deputy Chief finally said, "I offer my sincere apologies for this incident. Rest assured, appropriate action will be taken."


    "Johnson," Commander Keller barked, "you''re suspended, effective immediately. Hand over your badge."


    "But sir—" Daxon began.


    "Now!" Keller thundered.


    With trembling hands, Daxon pulled out his badge and surrendered it. His face was a mask of hatred as he red at me.


    Den Steele turned to me. "Mr. Knight, we still hope you''ll attend tonight''s conference as nned. Your presence would be most valuable."


    I nodded graciously. "Of course. I wouldn''t miss it."


    As two officers led Daxon and the Quality Control head away, Elder Hansen approached me. "Mr. Knight, that was... impressive," he whispered, eyeing the distance Daxon had flown with a single flick of my finger.


    "Just a little trick I picked up," I replied with a wink. "Now, let''s get everyone back to work. We have orders to fulfill."


    The Deputy Chief lingered a moment longer. "Knight, off the record... what you did just now..."


    I met his gaze steadily. "Sometimes a small demonstration prevents a bigger confrontation."


    He studied me with new interest before nodding slowly. "Indeed. I look forward to our conversation tonight."


    As the officials departed, I surveyed my factory – my workers were already bustling about, setting things right after the intrusion. Daxon''s attempt to ruin me had backfired spectacrly. Not only was my factory safe, but I''d gained even more respect from the authorities.


    I smiled to myself. Little did they know that this was just the beginning. I had bigger ns for tonight''s conference – ns that would change everything.