As he sank straight to the ground, Yang Ying finally understood how the smiling old man, Herman, struck fear into the hearts of everyone in Gray Harbor.

For the sake of a simple message, he had dispatched a bodyguard to commit suicide right in front of Yang Ying, and by such a gruesome method at that.

Great pools of blood stained the hotel steps crimson, an event witnessed by the surrounding socialites who let out terrifying shrieks from deep within their throats.

Ladies and madams promptly fainted. Those still conscious covered their faces with handkerchiefs, bending over to retch.

The moment Number Three drew his Uranium Gun, several Ghost Agents behind Yang Ying reacted. Almost simultaneously, they drew their Gauss Pistols and aimed them at Number Three, ready to counter any assassination attempt.

Their speed was so swift that it made mercenary commanders like Isaac frown deeply, feeling an unsettling unease about the elite troops under Yang Ying.

The manager of the Crown Hotel was just escorting several distinguished guests out when he stumbled upon the scene. His face instantly darkened, and he cursed his bad luck inwardly. Having reached his current standing in Gray Harbor, he had seen his share of dead bodies; Number Three’s suicide only startled him for a moment before he recovered.

To save the hotel's reputation, he hurried forward, bowed deeply, and addressed the crowd: “Distinguished guests, I sincerely apologize. Our establishment will take full responsibility and offer compensation for this unpleasant incident caused by our oversight.”

These people present held considerable status; denying liability before them would be futile, and allowing the news to spread that he had tried to deny responsibility would severely damage the hotel's reputation. The manager could only reluctantly accept the blame for now while seeking a solution later.

Seeing over a dozen ladies too overcome with shock to move, the manager summoned several waiters, arranged for several high-class suites, and insisted they rest there for the night.

Meanwhile, Yang Ying watched the body being hastily dragged away by the staff, a flicker of killing intent stirring toward Herman. He snorted, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe pirates could be so brazen, resorting to such methods to intimidate me. Do they think that can frighten me?"

"Commander Yang Ying, Herman's tyranny is notorious throughout Gray Harbor. He will do anything to maintain his authority. From the looks of things now, this is a declaration of war against you," Dennis said slowly.

"Exactly. We merely disagree on a few issues, and he has orchestrated multiple assassination attempts against me. This bodyguard of Herman’s only shot himself in the head; next time, he might aim at you." Commander Xie also added fuel to the fire, pouring scorn upon Herman.

Although this banquet allowed Yang Ying to discern that Commander Xie and Dennis were two separate factions, it did not impede their cooperation on the matter of opposing Herman.

"Commander Yang Ying, people as vicious as Herman cannot be tolerated," Isaac remarked pointedly.

Yang Ying understood perfectly well that these three were attempting to provoke him into a bloody conflict with Herman. However, since Herman coveted the Valkyrie Frigate, a war between them was inevitable unless Herman abandoned his interest.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the three men, Yang Ying delegated the task of comforting the shaken guests to Robin. After all, the guests were invited by the Tulan Mercenary Corps, and to ignore the incident would be improper.

As for the other mercenary commanders and their men, they had seen too many dead bodies to be bothered. They were accustomed to it—even eating a medium-rare, still-bloody steak next to a corpse wouldn't cause them any psychological distress.

Yang Ying then boarded the luxury motorcade with his entourage. He planned to inspect the Tulan Company's Gray Harbor office on the way back.

Gray Harbor City was divided, with one end controlled by mercenaries and the other by pirates, a buffer zone lying in between.

The nightlife here was vibrant. Every evening, the streets became bustling, often exceeding the daytime activity. This was especially true for a famous district within the pirate-controlled area, where colorful decorative lights blazed all night long. Even two blocks away, one could hear the reverberating rock music radiating outward. On the periphery of that district, scantily clad women could be seen every few meters, soliciting customers on the street.

Dozens of large and small casinos and underground fighting rings thrived, packed every night with surging crowds. These patrons would spend fortunes without hesitation, releasing the negative emotions accumulated from their daily lives.

These were all enterprises generating immense daily wealth, controlled either by mercenaries or pirates, because in Gray Harbor, property could not be protected without armament.

Yang Ying’s motorcade drove for over half an hour through the crowded, bustling streets at night, arriving at a relatively lively thoroughfare.

This area was under mercenary control. Small taverns lined both sides of the street, with mercenaries in uniform occasionally entering or exiting.

Those who went inside walked steadily, chatting and laughing, but upon emerging, they were leaning on each other, staggering, and rambling incoherently.

The vehicles stopped before a building approximately three stories high, square, and measuring about twenty meters wide and long. Its walls were constructed from thick, sturdy synthetic materials. The windows were fitted with alloy bars capable of withstanding attacks from standard infantry weapons.

"Sir, we've arrived. This is our office in Gray Harbor," Kalia pointed to the structure.

"I see," Yang Ying nodded, rolling down his window. He caught a faint scent of alcohol in the air. "Why choose a location like this?"

"This used to be the garrison for another mercenary group. We took it over and only needed some refurbishment. The entire structure was designed for defense, easy to defend and hard to attack. If we had built it ourselves, it would have taken considerable time," Kalia replied.

"What happened to that mercenary group?" Yang Ying turned his head and asked coolly.

"Their fleet was attacked by pirates not long ago and completely wiped out. The remaining members disbanded the mercenary group and sold all their assets, including this place. We happened to be looking for a base, so we took it."

"It looks acceptable," Yang Ying observed the building's structure carefully.

"Sir, would you like to go inside for a look?" Kalia suggested.

"No need. Going in would only interrupt their work," Yang Ying shook his head. "But pass on a warning to them: be cautious of attacks from Herman."

"Robin already notified them via communicator at the hotel. Don't let the office's surface calm fool you; they are already under Level Two alert. Even a horde of common rabble couldn't breach these defenses, no matter how numerous," Kalia stated confidently.

"That puts my mind at ease. Let's return to the base," Yang Ying closed the window and instructed the driver to head for the port.

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