The brilliant flare illuminated all of Bos, rendering the idea of containment utterly unrealistic. News of the cruiser's destruction spread swiftly. The Bos Guard immediately became an army consumed by grief, their resentment surging like an unstoppable tsunami, wave after relentless wave.

Since the specific agenda of the Three-City Summit had not yet been made public, the soldiers and junior officers of Bos directed their fury toward the terrorists who had attempted to eliminate the Lehai delegation with the earlier bombing. Only high-ranking members of the Guard, like General Paulson, understood that those terrorists lacked the capability for such an act; otherwise, the bald man from Lehai would surely be dead, even if he had nine lives.

The level of execution required to bomb a warship was vastly different—by an unbridgeable margin—from bombing a public venue.

The double-decker bus sped along the narrow avenues of Bos. Crossing intersection after intersection, it drew ever closer to the port.

"Once we reach the port and get aboard, the Bos Guard's options will be severely limited. The asteroid field surrounding Bos offers perfect terrain for shaking off any pursuers; current radar cannot distinguish between an asteroid and a spacecraft, making escape easy."

On the upper deck of the bus, Christina explained Kussen's escape plan to Yang Ying. They sat in a two-seater booth; Christina, dressed in neat civilian attire with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, looked sharp and spirited.

Yang Ying watched her with appreciation before speaking: "This is a critical time. The port should have substantial military presence—at least four or five hundred men. Meanwhile, the Kussen delegation includes several... administrative personnel. While they aren't entirely helpless, they will be a liability in a real fight. A bus is not an armored vehicle. Forcing our way through the port could easily lead to casualties. How do you plan to breach their defenses?"

"We have certainly considered that possibility," Christina replied with a slight smile. "We have already deployed three hundred of our men disguised as civilian travelers already stationed at the port. They are carrying heavy equipment, waiting only for our signal to coordinate an inside-and-outside assault to crush the harbor garrison. Kussen's ground forces are better equipped and trained than Bos troops; they can handle two enemies apiece without issue."

Christina was holding something back; Yang Ying knew the Kussen Corps certainly had more trump cards in reserve, but he wouldn't press her. This was the unspoken understanding, the tacit agreement between them.

"Then we will have to rely on you heavily this time," Brian interjected from the seat behind them.

"Rest assured!" Colonel Batches laughed heartily from across the aisle.

Bos, being a tourist city, boasted over a hundred hotels and entertainment complexes, most of which lined the major thoroughfares. To avoid visibility, the bus deliberately took the smaller side streets, which were predominantly bordered by residential buildings.

Normally, at this hour, the residents would be asleep, making detection unlikely. However, tonight, the earthquake and firelight had roused most occupants, so many windows along the route glowed with light.

On the sixth floor of an apartment building by the roadside, a red-haired youth in sportswear stood before his bedroom window, gazing out at the cosmos: "What a tumultuous time. Since yesterday morning, first the bombing of the Lehai commander, which we've been fruitlessly investigating, then that whole Marielle incident that forced me to take leave to dodge Colonel Kant's anger. Now, tonight, explosions erupting from the armory—they won't even let a man sleep! These damned terrorists! I just wonder what that brilliant flash was a moment ago? Probably not good news either."

This youth was the red-haired lieutenant with whom Yang Ying had negotiated at the port earlier that day. Fearing Colonel Kant would hold him responsible for Marielle's injury, he had requested time off to hide out for a few days and let the storm pass.

At that moment, the bus carrying Yang Ying and the others zipped past the building, thirty meters in front of his window.

"Huh? Why is the bus going down here?"

The red-haired lieutenant found the situation highly unusual and his suspicion immediately piqued. He swiftly turned, grabbed a military-grade binocular from a nearby cabinet, and aimed it at the passing bus.

"That's the Kussen delegation! And that Mr. Zhao from earlier! Their destination is the port—there must be a conspiracy!" the red-haired lieutenant cried out in alarm. The Three-City Summit was tomorrow, yet the Kussen group was departing so hastily and covertly tonight. Coupled with the recent strange phenomena, an indescribable sense of dread washed over him.

Though he didn't know Kussen's exact objective, this required reporting to his superiors.

As the red-haired lieutenant reached for his communicator, he saw Yang Ying suddenly turn his head and look directly at him through the binoculars, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"Bad news!" The lieutenant immediately spun around, bending over and lunging backward.

While speaking with Christina, Yang Ying had sensed being watched. He turned, and his enhanced vision, boosted by psychic power, was just as sharp as a telescope. He caught the red-haired lieutenant’s movement and instantly recognized him.

"Give me a weapon!"

Yang Ying pulled down the bus window with his left hand while extending his right. Brian in the rear seat immediately drew his Gauss rifle and passed it over; the muzzle was fitted with a silencer. Gauss rifles propel slugs using electromagnetic force at extreme velocities. This rapid acceleration usually compresses the air violently upon exiting the barrel, creating a loud crack, and the muzzle generates sparks from intense heat. However, the silencer absorbs both sound and heat, mitigating these issues.

"Good!"

Yang Ying had momentarily worried that firing might expose them, but the presence of the silencer removed his restraint. By now, the red-haired lieutenant had deftly dropped to the ground. Yang Ying fired three shots based purely on instinct toward the area slightly above the fifth-floor window.

The sixth sense of a psychic awakener is far keener than an ordinary person's. The Gauss slugs, screaming as they tore through the air, pierced the fifth-floor wall, passed through the ceiling, burst out onto the sixth-floor ground, and finally ripped through the body of the prone red-haired lieutenant.

"A pity. If I could have seen him, I could have hit a vital spot for an instant kill. Even after three shots, he probably isn't dead yet."

Yang Ying inwardly shook his head, dissatisfied with the three shots. But the bus rounded a corner, cutting off his line of sight, so he had to stop.

"What happened?" Christina’s expression instantly became serious. She knew Yang Ying wasn't a killer; there had to be a reason for the shots.

The others on the upper deck grew tense, scanning their surroundings.

"No immediate threat, but that might change soon," Yang Ying said, taking a deep breath. He pushed away the frustration of not achieving a kill and explained, "On the sixth floor of that apartment building we just passed, there was a highly alert Bos Guard officer. He was observing us through binoculars at the window. I gave him three shots, but his defensive maneuver was effective; I doubt I killed him."

"I'll go notify the people downstairs," Colonel Batches said, immediately standing up and hurrying down the steps to relay the message. Because Yang Ying's gunfire was so muted, the people on the lower deck hadn't even noticed the events upstairs.

Those remaining on the upper deck quickly drew their weapons, conducting final checks in preparation for any potential crisis.

Please support this work! Call for monthly tickets!