The power didn't come back that night.
By the time the sky turned fully dark, The Corner Pocket was lit only by a handful of battery lamps and the soft glow of phones.
The construction area looked worse in low light.
Exposed wiring cast long shadows across the broken wall. Tools lay scattered where workers had left them. The plastic sheets rustled faintly whenever the door opened.
Jin stood near the counter holding a flashlight under his chin.
"This is kind of creepy," he muttered.
Mr. Duan didn't laugh.
He was crouched near the breaker panel again, flipping switches one by one.
Nothing.
Eli stepped back inside from the street.
"Neighboring buildings still have power," he said.
Mr. Duan looked up.
"So it's just us."
Eli nodded.
Silence.
They all understood what that meant.
It took nearly an hour to get someone to come out.
When the electrician finally arrived, he was an older man in a worn jacket, toolbox in hand, expression already annoyed before he even stepped through the door.
"Power issue?" he asked.
"Whole place," Eli said.
The man grunted and walked straight to the back.
He checked the panel.
Then the wiring.
Then stepped outside briefly to inspect the external connection.
When he came back in, his expression had changed.
From annoyed…
To serious.
"This wasn't an accident," he said.
Mr. Duan stiffened.
"What do you mean?"
The electrician wiped his hands slowly.
"The main line's been tampered with."
Jin blinked.
"Tampered how?"
"Cut," the man said simply.
The word landed heavy.
Eli's jaw tightened.
"Clean cut?" he asked.
The electrician nodded.
"Not something that just happens."
Mr. Duan sank into the nearest chair.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Because now it was clear.
This wasn't pressure.
This was sabotage.
"How long to fix it?" Eli asked.
The electrician scratched his chin.
"I can patch it tonight… temporary fix."
"And proper repair?"
"Tomorrow. Maybe longer if parts are needed."
Eli nodded.
"Do the temporary fix."
The man got to work immediately, tools clinking in the quiet store.
Jin leaned closer to Eli.
"They're really doing this?" he whispered.
Eli didn't answer right away.
He watched the electrician working under dim light.
Then said quietly,
"They've moved past warnings."Across the Street
Inside SuperMartX, everything was still bright.
Perfect.
Customers walked through clean aisles, pushing carts full of discounted goods.
The manager stood near the entrance, arms folded, casually observing the street outside.
One of the employees approached him.
"Sir, Corner Pocket's lights are still out."
The manager didn't look surprised.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
The employee hesitated.
"…Should we be concerned?"
The manager finally glanced across the street.
The darkened storefront of The Corner Pocket looked almost abandoned.
Almost.
But not quite.
Figures still moved inside.
Lights flickered faintly.
Still fighting.
The manager's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Not yet."
Later, while the electrician worked, Jin sat on a crate near the mural outside.
The dragon loomed above him, its painted eyes catching the glow of the streetlights.
He stared at it quietly.
Then kicked a small stone across the pavement.
"This is so unfair," he muttered.
Eli stepped outside and leaned against the wall beside him.
"Yeah," he said.
Jin looked up.
"They've got money, power, everything. And we're just… what?"
Eli didn't answer immediately.
Jin gestured toward the store.
"We fix stuff, they break stuff. We build something, they try to shut it down."
His voice tightened.
"What's the point if they can just keep doing this?"
Eli crossed his arms.
Then said calmly,
"Because they can't do it forever."
Jin frowned.
"Why not?"
Eli nodded toward the street.
"Because the moment people realize what they're doing… they lose the only thing they actually care about."
Jin tilted his head.
"What's that?"
Eli looked back at SuperMartX's glowing storefront.
"Trust."
After nearly two hours, the electrician finally stood up.
"Try it now."
Mr. Duan flipped the main switch.
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then
The store came back to life.
Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.
The refrigerators hummed again.
Jin let out a breath.
"Finally."
Mr. Duan sagged slightly with relief.
"Thank you," he said to the electrician.
The man packed his tools.
"Keep an eye on it," he warned. "And get that full repair done tomorrow."
Eli nodded.
"We will."
As the electrician left, Eli walked to the front of the store.
The lights shining through the windows made it look alive again.
Not defeated.
Not broken.
Just… challenged.
Mr. Duan joined him at the entrance.
"They're not going to stop, are they?" he asked quietly.
Eli shook his head.
"No."
Jin stepped up beside them.
"So what do we do?"
Eli looked at both of them.
Then at the half-finished construction.
Then at the street beyond.
"We stop reacting," he said.
Mr. Duan frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
Eli's eyes sharpened.
"It means we get ahead of them."
Jin blinked.
"How?"
Eli turned back toward the store.
"We finish construction faster than they expect."
He paused.
"And we make sure the entire neighborhood is watching when we do."
Outside, the dragon mural stretched across the wall, glowing under the restored lights.
This time, it didn't look fragile.
It looked like it was waiting.