
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
Given that \( AE \) and \( BD \) are straight lines that intersect at \( C \), \( BD = 16 \), \( AB = 9 \), \( CE = 5 \), and \( DE = 3 \), calculate the length of \( AC \).

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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