Vera's words left Charlie silent for a long while, but he knew she was being as objective as she was pragmatic.

If they managed to win twice—first with a raid, and now, with misdirection—Fleur would never let his victories go unanswered a third time.

That meant if he tried to raid yet another dead soldier base, he wasn't going to be taking them with him, which meant he needed to make a choice: massacre every last living being the next time he attacked a Qing Eliminating Society safehouse, or simply refrain from another raid.

But it looked to him like neither choice was ideal.

Eventually, he asked Vera, "What if I gave them the antidote and told them to run?"

Vera sighed. "Dead soldiers would never survive in normal society because they don't legally exist and have no way to make a living. Sure, you can give them money, but there are thousands of them—it's just not happening. Even if you freed them, they might not escape the wrath of the Qing Eliminating Society.

"Of course, it wo