Victor winced, as if I’d punched him in the gut. I knew he cared for Dr. Nataraj as much as I did. Pushing away my guilt for speaking so bluntly when we were all still grieving, I went on, “We have evidence that he’s bribing members of the legislative yuan to keep Taipei polluted so he can continue to turn a profit with his suits. At the cost of mei lives. We can do something.” I slammed a fist hard on coffee table in vehemence, and Lingyi jerked at the loud noise, while Arun clutched his hands tighter. “So what if the odds are against us? We can try to fix this. I’m so sick of doing nothing.”

Iris, the only one who hadn’t reacted to my fist pounding, had slipped over to sit by Lingyi once more, leaning against her chair like a cat. “I agree with Zhou,” she said simply.

I tried to hide my surprise.

Iris was fearless, but not rash. Her love and devotion to Lingyi was probably only rivaled by her love for Taipei. She was an orphan with an obscure past, and her fiercest ties were to this city. That much I knew. She roamed it every day, laying claim on the only thing that had been a constant in her life.

“Jin’s filth. A murderer,” Lingyi said after a pause. “But we wouldn’t be much better if we blew up Jin Corp and killed innocent people to stop him.”

“No one has to be in the building.” I spun the knife in my hand. “We can secure it somehow.”

“We’d need millions just to pay for the equipment alone,” Victor said. “Never mind the logistics of breaking into Jin Corp. It’s impossible. And we’d be risking our lives. Is this worth dying for?”

My eyes swept the room. Iris was in. Arun’s jaw was clenched; his knee hadn’t stopped bouncing this whole time. As if he felt my gaze on him, Arun jutted his chin out. “I’m in. Smite the fucker.”

I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. Leaning over, Arun and I bumped fists.

Victor slouched lower in the armchair, folding his arms and kicking his long legs out in front of him with an air of resignation. “You’ll get us all killed,” he muttered.

“Maybe it isn’t impossible.” Lingyi pushed up her black frames and regarded each of us. “I think we can do this. I know I can gain access to Jin Corp’s security system. We just need some time, and a good plan of attack.”