With a slight clench of his right hand, a sharp crack echoed through the air as tens of thousands of razor-sharp metallic objects nearby exploded simultaneously.

A flash of violet light cut across Gu Xiechen’s eyes, and nine egg-shaped purple orbs burst forth around Yingli, from which nine robust, powerfully built men strode out. The nine men glared at Yingli and roared in unison, “Audacious fiend, how dare you show disrespect to the Venerable One! Hah… Witness the might of our Nine Palaces Demon-Subduing Array!”

The nine men took their positions according to the nine palace points, simultaneously forming a thunder seal with both hands. They muttered an incantation under their breath, and the massive sun-lamps overhead flickered violently before abruptly extinguishing. Nine torrents of red lightning, each as thick as a water bowl, descended upon them with deafening thunder. All nine savage bolts struck Yingli without missing, eliciting a shriek from him. His body hair and last scrap of undergarment vaporized into smoke amidst the flashing electric arcs. A three-meter-deep crater was blasted into the ground, where the naked, soot-blackened Yingli convulsed before collapsing. His wide, vacant eyes stared blankly at the ceiling of the flower garden.

The nine men cried out in shock simultaneously, “Heavens… Our primordial spirits are injured, and our power is severely depleted! Even the Nine Palaces Demon-Subduing Divine Thunder failed to strike the fiend dead?”

Shaking their heads in disbelief, the nine men tightened their fists, each the size of a monastic bowl, and lunged toward Yingli, clearly intending to beat him to death in a brutal swarm.

With a light cough, Gu Xiechen snapped his fingers. The nine men immediately halted their attack. A blur of movement followed, and the nine men instantly lined up neatly behind Gu Xiechen. Their eighteen sharply gleaming eyes scanned General Wagley and the others vigilantly, ready to strike the moment the situation turned unfavorable.

General Wagley remained silent for a moment, then raised a hand to restrain the other four youths who were about to charge at Gu Xiechen. He clapped his hands several times with force, admiringly saying, “Excellent, very powerful. I am quite satisfied. Colonel, I believe we can now discuss matters properly.”

Gu Xiechen looked toward General Wagley and grinned, “Formally?”

General Wagley nodded gravely, “Formally.”

A squad of white-clad medical personnel rushed into the ravaged flower garden. Yingli, severely wounded by the lightning, was swiftly inserted into a medical pod and rushed away to the base's medical center. General Wagley signaled Siren, Aredia, and the others to remain in the garden, while he escorted Gu Xiechen to his private study.

The privileges afforded to a Federal General were incomparable to those of ordinary people. Within his command center buried hundreds of meters underground, General Wagley maintained a private study spanning approximately two hundred square meters. The study was decorated with lavish luxury; were it not for the uniformed female attendant who brought the drinks, Gu Xiechen might have believed he had stumbled into the private library of some ancient nobleman.

Settling comfortably onto the leather sofa, General Wagley pulled a golden checkbook from his pocket. With nimble fingers, he rolled the check into a paper tube, struck a match, and used the burning check to light a cigar. He took a deep drag and exhaled a thick plume of smoke, expressing his distaste, then smiled at Gu Xiechen, “An untraceable check from the Federal Bank—ten billion! My cigar tastes exceptionally fragrant, perhaps because it’s worth ten billion.”

Gu Xiechen deliberately shifted his weight, making himself even more comfortable on the sofa. From the drinks trolley wheeled in by the attendant, he selected a bottle of his favorite gold-leaf brandy, poured himself a generous measure into a wide-mouthed glass, and downed it in one gulp. The ten-billion-value check dissolved into a wisp of blue smoke between General Wagley’s fingers. Gu Xiechen understood that the General had just made him a certain commitment.

Ten billion. This was the price Gu Juechen had set to buy General Wagley’s allegiance.

Savoring the rich taste of the exquisite wine, Gu Xiechen remarked, “Fifty-year-old gold-leaf brandy. It’s been a while since I’ve had a taste.”

General Wagley flicked the ash from his cigar and chuckled, crossing his legs. “Those five young rascals, including Yingli, drink this stuff like water. You must understand how much I spoil them; I spoil them terribly. The military sacrificed nine hundred and eighty fine young men to produce those five successful experiments, so their treatment…”

Gu Xiechen glanced at the General, sneering coldly, “I won’t be one of your little rascals.” He paused, poured himself another full glass of brandy, leaned back comfortably on the sofa, and sipped it languidly. “If my memory serves, General Wagley, you are listed as a Five-Star VIP on the Gu Group’s secret guest registry. Let’s talk frankly. Don't use those useless petty tricks on me, and I won't use them on you. Let’s both… be transparent.”

Letting out a satisfied burp, Gu Xiechen looked at General Wagley and chuckled, “Amity brings wealth!”

“Amity brings wealth!” General Wagley exhaled a thick stream of smoke, repeating Gu Xiechen’s words character by character, imbuing the phrase with a flavor of endless aftertaste.

“Amity brings wealth. I haven’t heard that phrase in years. That was your father’s catchphrase back then!” General Wagley nodded at Gu Xiechen. “Your elder brother, Gu Juechen, is different. He always preferred to hoard all the profits himself.”

At the mention of ‘Gu Juechen,’ General Wagley’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile.

Gu Xiechen smiled too, calmly stating, “Someone has to inherit my father’s mantle, right? In this world, one person cannot monopolize all the profit.”

“I like that phrase!” General Wagley abruptly straightened up, tapping Gu Xiechen with his cigar. “Your father used to say that often too. There are too many profits in this world for one man to claim them all! So, everyone should embrace amity and wealth. Only through harmonious cooperation can business truly thrive.”

Gu Xiechen and General Wagley held each other’s gaze for a long moment before both burst into loud laughter.

Gu Xiechen laughed until he was bent double, draining his glass of brandy completely while he laughed.

After a hearty laugh, General Wagley stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray and said to Gu Xiechen with a smile, “I reviewed the combat records you submitted. That special alloy you used to evade the Roman scanners is incredibly valuable; I want the formulae for those rare metals you’ve mastered. In addition to that, you will temporarily join the special operations squad led by Yingli. Your mission is to sabotage all activities conducted by the Holy See, the Pantheon Alliance, and the Asian Dao Alliance on Heaven Star.”

Slamming a hand onto the table, General Wagley barked, “All activities! Whatever they are doing, stop them, disrupt them… But I will not acknowledge that I sent you!”

After a period of silence, Gu Xiechen slowly nodded, “What do I gain?”

General Wagley narrowed his eyes. “The legalization of the Hell’s Angels Mercenary Group, your rightful interests on Heaven Star, and… the Military will maintain neutrality in the competition between you and Gu Juechen.”

With a crisp snap of his fingers, a stunningly beautiful, bewitching blonde Major General appeared, sashaying from behind a now-retracted bookshelf. This captivating officer placed a document before Gu Xiechen. He flipped it open and rapidly scanned the contents, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air.

It was a document proposing the transformation of the Hell’s Angels Mercenary Group into a subsidiary defense corporation under the Federal Military.

A mercenary group was merely a private commercial armed entity, restricted to the strongest hardware being obsolete heavy patrol boats phased out by the Federal Military. The most lucrative contracts were limited to security work for major multinational corporations, and their garrisons on federal mining or colony planets were subject to strict limitations on troop numbers dictated by Federal Military Regulations.

A comprehensive defense corporation subordinate to the Federal Military held semi-official status; all its personnel possessed formal Federal Reserve military ranks and were authorized to operate powerful vessels up to the level of a Class Two warship. Powerful defense corporations could establish fully armed military bases on major mining and colony planets, housing substantial military contingents. Exceptionally strong defense corporations possessed their own military R&D capabilities, owned armaments production lines, received military hardware contracts from the Federal Military, and were granted a fixed amount of military funding annually by the Federal Military.

“What a steep price,” Gu Xiechen sighed lightly. If the Bearded Leader saw this document, he would surely go mad with joy.

“The cost is also high… Regarding the three factions you mentioned, aside from the bamboo slips you’ve already traded with them, they are forbidden from taking a single blade of grass or a single piece of wood off this planet.” A fierce glint flashed in General Wagley’s eyes. “Everything on this planet belongs to the Federation! If you can ensure they leave here with nothing, this document is yours for the Hell’s Angels Mercenary Group.”

“I will… give it my all!” Gu Xiechen tossed aside his glass and grabbed the bottle of brandy, finishing it in one go.

“The Three Witches Sect, I have a perfect excuse for them,” Gu Xiechen murmured with a slight smile.

General Wagley retrieved the document and held it before him. He smiled, “Once you complete the commission, this document is yours. I reiterate, I will not admit to sending you.”

“Understood!” Gu Xiechen replied. He stood up and turned toward the study door.

“The Hell’s Angels Mercenary Group will not participate in the war against the Romans. This contribution is massive enough for us this time,” Gu Xiechen stated calmly. “I will handle the other matters suitably.”

These were truly terms too difficult to refuse.

Leaving General Wagley’s study, Gu Xiechen let out a helpless sigh. The bargaining chip Wagley had presented was too weighty; he simply could not refuse.

Inside the study, General Wagley and the blonde Major General entered the hidden communication room behind the bookshelf.

A luminous screen descended from the ceiling, and Gu Juechen appeared within the display.

General Wagley nodded casually to Gu Juechen, “Rest assured, I have never broken a promise. Patriarch Gu, I have been a long-time friend of your father, and we have a long acquaintance, so this matter is settled.”

“Very good.”

The light screen flickered, and Gu Juechen’s face dissolved within the fracturing light.

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Collapse. The network and I, this dummy, have been wrestling for a long time today. My mood is terrible…

Sigh…

I won't say more. If the network continues to cause trouble, I probably won't be able to get online today, so I’ll have to update early while the connection is stable now…