This clandestine, interstellar assassination organization operated with extreme secrecy and stealth! It was nearly impossible to track, and ordinary people could never discover their employers. Even the Flyn Royal Family, sovereigns of a great nation with a long history and an intelligence network that spanned the Orion Arm, could not reach the hands of the "Shadow Blades."

Yet, on the other hand, they didn't need to investigate the employer because it was obvious. Who else besides those rebels would spend a fortune hiring someone like Tarlin? As for which specific rebel faction it was—did that even make a difference?

After Princess Hafwen was targeted, although she hadn't ordered an investigation, she understood the immense effort required to uncover the specifics. The fact that Yang Ying had so quickly determined the employer's general profile made her eyes light up, and she inwardly confirmed she hadn't misjudged the man.

Seeing the starry admiration shining in Princess Hafwen's eyes, Yang Ying remained perfectly calm, showing no embarrassment. This composure was perhaps due to his attainment of the Master Realm, achieving a heart as still as water. He simply stated, "It is nothing. It was merely coincidence."

Princess Hafwen thought to herself, Truly worthy of Master Yang Ying. Possessing such formidable ability and yet remaining so humble. Out loud, however, she smoothly moved past the topic as Yang Ying intended, asking instead, "Since Master Yang Ying intends to come, when do you plan to depart? I shall certainly await you in Finis and must fulfill the duties of a host."

Yang Ying replied, "We will depart soon. My fleet should reach Finis within fifteen standard days."

"Fleet?" Princess Hafwen's expression shifted subtly. The information she had received was incomplete; she hadn't known Yang Ying would bring a fleet, assuming he was merely accepting a contract to assassinate the Pseudo-Republic's President. "Is that... alright? I heard that Earth only just entered the higher civilization tier, and that was thanks to developing the hyperspace engine and the support of the Singer people... Oh, I apologize, Master Yang Ying, I didn't mean it like that. I misspoke unintentionally, but this war is truly perilous. If the warships don't have Level Seven Hammer Cannons, they will be at a severe disadvantage."

She was worried that Earth's military technology lagged behind Flyn's, perhaps lacking even Level Seven Drill Cannons, meaning their warships would be mere cannon fodder. But mid-sentence, she realized Yang Ying was right there, and speaking that way was disrespectful. She quickly offered an apology, yet because the matter was so serious, her explanation was stammering, ultimately concluding with a plea that Yang Ying understand the true danger of the battlefield.

Yang Ying perceived her careful consideration and mused, A person of such depth and thoughtfulness deserves aid wherever she faces difficulty. He then spoke, "It is fine. We possess Level Seven Uranium Cannons. Do not underestimate us."

Princess Hafwen immediately thought Yang Ying had misunderstood, and quickly insisted, "Master Yang Ying, I truly did not mean to look down upon you." She offered several clarifications until Yang Ying explicitly stated he believed her, finally settling down to say, "Then it is settled. Fifteen standard days. I will await the Master's arrival on the planet Finis."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Yang Ying had dispatched the three third-level assassins to guide his three avatars to raid the "Shadow Blades'" home base. After a few days, they had gathered considerable intelligence.

"Shadow Blades" was a remarkably mature assassin organization, featuring clear functional divisions, broadly categorized into three parts: the Administrative Department, the Intelligence Department, and the Execution Department.

According to the information gleaned from the three third-level assassins, the administrative department—their headquarters—was located on a remote planet within the Haisen Federation. It managed the entire organization's operations and handled mission assignments. The headquarters was the brain of the entire operation and Yang Ying's first intended target.

One of the three avatars proceeded here.

The Haisen Federation, ranked eighth in the Orion Arm, boasted cities far more advanced than Earth's, even on its remote planets.

The "Shadow Blades" headquarters presented an appearance of absolute legitimacy: a high-rise building about two hundred meters tall, situated in a bustling commercial district, not far from a bay where the cool sea breeze blew gently, set against the backdrop of a soft, drizzling rain, making the scene quite pleasant.

Hundreds of thousands of hovercars zipped through the air, some ascending to three hundred meters high. The traffic was dense and lively, yet the hovercar engines were completely silent, producing zero noise pollution. Furthermore, the vehicles' designs were bizarre and varied, offering a dazzling spectacle that never grew tiresome.

"All Haisen people. Tarlin must be from here," the avatar murmured after glancing at the "Shadow Blades" headquarters building outside the window, turning to the third-level assassin driving beside him.

"Yes," replied the assassin, also a Haisen native named Klin. He was entirely cloaked in black, save for a single eye centered on his brow, and his beard consisted of slender, finger-length tentacles that writhed slowly. "Tarlin and I were both chosen by Shadow Blades at the same time... trained... at the training camp to become assassins."

Speaking of the training camp, although the three assassins had all graduated from there, they were vague about its location. They only knew it was situated on a primordial planet, undiscovered by outsiders, shared by five major assassin organizations. They utilized the planet's environment to train assassins, and the operatives from the five groups frequently engaged in mutual slaughter during their training—a practice tacitly, even actively, encouraged by the organizations' leadership. Only the most ruthless and superior killers could ever emerge from that planet.

Since access routes to the planet were strictly controlled by specialized personnel, assassins only needed to board the vessel. Once the ship entered hyperspace, everything became a uniform blackness; direction was impossible to discern. Consequently, assassins trained there never knew the planet's precise coordinates, and the leadership forbade them from asking.

"A secret assassin training camp occupying an entire planet? Quite interesting," the avatar allowed a slight smile, though the assassin beside him couldn't perceive it.

The avatar was currently draped in a dark robe, the hood pulled up, completely obscuring his form and features, much like the robes worn by the group he first encountered Princess Hafwen with. This clothing could block external sight, including surveillance equipment and the penetration of psychic energy.

As the hovercar approached the "Shadow Blades" headquarters, the avatar glanced toward the building. Klin spoke, "Sir, according to Shadow Blades' standard procedure for unexpected events, if an assassin loses contact for three standard days during a mission, they are automatically presumed failed. An event as significant as Tarlin and the four of us losing contact simultaneously will certainly trigger a high-level discussion at headquarters. Today marks the passing of the third standard day. The administrative heads should all be meeting in the top floor conference room."

He pointed at the building. "Sir, look. The doors and windows are sealed, and all defense systems are active. This is a clear sign the leadership is gathered inside."

The avatar focused his psychic energy into his eyes and saw three thin energy shields enveloping the exterior of the building. Powerful energy coalesced on these shields—clearly not something easy to deal with. "This building's protective measures are extremely thorough. This level of shielding would take even peak Level Three Breakers some time to penetrate. Otherwise, we could simply drive the hovercar straight into the top floor and confront the Shadow Blades leaders directly."

Klin stated, "It is not uncommon for an entire organization to be wiped out by a single master. Tarlin has done such things before. Shadow Blades, as an assassin organization, is naturally highly cautious about this. Their protection of senior personnel is unsparing. However, even the strongest fortress can be breached from within. If you let me go, given my credentials, they would likely allow me inside. I could then create chaos within the building, hopefully forcing the shields down, allowing you an opportunity to act."

"No, we cannot risk alerting them," the avatar refused, shaking his head. "I have a better method. Although eliminating the figures inside this building would be trivial, that would only crush Shadow Blades. Taking them over completely afterwards would be exponentially harder, especially since their intelligence department controls secret caches across the Orion Arm—that is what I truly need. It would be best to acquire them intact."

"Then what should we do, sir?" Klin asked.

"We wait," the avatar declared. "We wait until the leaders finish their meeting and disperse. Then we tail them separately and strike in isolated locations, using psychic control to turn them over to my cause. I believe the Shadow Blades leadership won't remain under such stringent protection indefinitely."

"Since that is the plan, this building has many secret passages underground. Sir, please listen to me..." Klin parked the hovercar a short distance from the headquarters and laid out the building's structure for the avatar. "Shadow Blades has seven primary leaders. We only have two individuals here."

"Numbers are not the issue," the avatar interrupted. "You watch closely. Tell me the exits of all the secret tunnels."

"Yes." Klin brought up a city map and marked the routes of the various secret tunnels.

A thought struck the avatar; he summoned his main soul to possess his current body. Then, with a flash of golden light, he summoned six more avatars from the Floating Continent. They materialized outside the hovercar, already in an invisible state.

The seven avatars, connected mentally, immediately dispersed. Some moved to stake out different directions around the building, while others headed for the exits of the secret tunnels to enter them, then move back toward the tunnels closest to the building.

These secret passages crisscrossed extensively. Three led out from beneath the building, branching out repeatedly until there were over a hundred offshoots and more than a hundred exits. If one didn't stay close to the building, monitoring them all would be impossible.

Once all the avatars were positioned, they waited another half an hour. The opportunity finally arrived!