Chapter Sixty-Three: Coercion and Lure, Subduing Vargr (Part One) It was raining, a torrential downpour.

A squadron of thirty high-altitude interceptors screamed past just beneath the clouds, their speed breathtaking. A bolt of lightning struck one fighter directly; its anti-lightning shield flared, showering sparks of electricity over a distance of several hundred meters. The fighter formation, completely undisturbed, punched through the cloud layer upwards, charging toward the Roman fighters that were maniacally strafing and bombing the ground below.

A dull roar erupted from an anti-air missile battery several hundred meters away. Twelve heavy anti-air missiles, trailing long plumes of fire, shot off the ground, intercepting a pair of Roman ground-attack aircraft flying in an eight-plane formation. The Roman fighters, intending a sneak attack, were caught completely off guard by the missiles. Five aircraft exploded mid-air. Their pilots ejected in haste, using personal flight gear to flee frantically into the distance. On the ground, a twenty-man special forces team also lifted off using their personal flight gear, pursuing the five fleeing Lingzu pilots.

A patrol squad of twelve men huddled beneath a massive tree not far from the anti-air missile battery. Dozens of banana trees, towering over thirty meters high, offered them ample cover. The heavy rain hammered the broad leaves, allowing only scattered drops to fall on the soldiers. Huddled together, they shivered against the sudden coolness creeping in from the dense woods. A few soldiers even violated patrol regulations, lighting cigarettes and contentedly puffing clouds of smoke.

Gu Xiechen, clad in a Taoist robe with a crane insignia, drifted in on the branches. As he approached the patrol squad, his robe and crane insignia gradually transformed into a Federation Army uniform, clearly displaying the rank of Captain on his shoulder boards. Gu Xiechen leaped onto a banana tree, his heavy landing cracking several layers of leaves before he dropped in front of the patrol unit.

The soldiers jumped in fright. All their muzzles instantly centered on Gu Xiechen. They simultaneously registered his military uniform and rank insignia, and their weapons simultaneously dropped three inches. Several soldiers who had been smoking shook so badly their fingers fumbled the cigarettes to the ground; some soldiers even trembled visibly.

The sergeant in charge of the patrol reacted instantly. As soon as his gun lowered, he sharply raised it again, aiming directly between Gu Xiechen’s eyebrows, and barked fiercely, "Your unit designation and name!"

Gu Xiechen shrugged, letting out a light laugh, "Robbery!"

Robbery? The patrol soldiers' minds went blank; they couldn't process what was happening. A flash of purple light suddenly erupted behind them. Xin Jia, leading eleven subordinates, strode out of the purple glow. Swinging his massive fists, he instantly knocked out all twelve soldiers.

Gu Xiechen rummaged through the patrol sergeant’s belongings for a moment, deliberately pulling out the soldier's identification tag and the military communicator strapped to his wrist, before quickly exiting the scene.

He passed smoothly through dozens of anti-air and ground-to-air missile emplacements, hundreds of bunkers and firing points, easily slipping into the Pangu Base. Several Pangu Base scanners swept over Gu Xiechen’s body along the way, but the soldier's ID tag, embedded with his body chip, confirmed his identity as a Federation soldier. The duty officer in the control room even questioned him once about why he wasn't on patrol but returning to base. Gu Xiechen smoothly fabricated an excuse about having a fever and headache, and no one asked about his unauthorized absence again.

"Management is too lax, too imprecise!" Gu Xiechen shook his head heavily as he looked toward the entrance of the Pangu Base Command Headquarters, less than three hundred meters ahead.

A patrol sergeant, without seeking superior permission, had used the excuse of returning due to a fever and headache after being caught in the rain for treatment, and entered the base without any obstruction. Pangu Base security clearly had major lapses. Gu Xiechen dropped the soldier's ID tag he was holding and swaggered toward a Lieutenant Colonel he had spotted.

This Lieutenant Colonel had an excellent choice of location; the small grove he occupied was secluded and empty. Unless one was as sharp-eyed as Gu Xiechen, an ordinary person would need to be within ten meters to even notice someone concealed in the woods. The handsome and dashing Lieutenant Colonel was currently flirting with a charming female doctor dressed in a white robe. Both were smiling at each other, their bodies drawing progressively closer. It was clearly a moment of heightened intimacy; had Gu Xiechen arrived a moment later, they might have already sought a secluded spot to consummate their encounter.

"My deepest apologies! But it isn't spring, and it shouldn't be the season for that yet."

Gu Xiechen picked up a sheet of iron that had fallen from a heavy truck and smashed it down from behind onto the handsome Lieutenant Colonel, knocking him unconscious. The beautiful physician opposite gasped, her mouth wide open, about to scream, but Gu Xiechen lunged forward, clamping his own mouth firmly over her lovely little red lips. Hiss~hiss. After a long, passionate kiss, Gu Xiechen slapped the doctor, who was nearly turning blue from lack of air, knocking her out too. Wiping his lips with the back of his hand, Gu Xiechen licked his lips with his tongue and nodded approvingly, "This lipstick tastes good; this kid has good taste!"

He laid them side-by-side beneath a thick tree, arranged them neatly on the ground, and briskly relieved the Lieutenant Colonel of his ID tag, various documents, and the communicator on his wrist, after making a show of tidying up their raincoats. He pushed the ID tag against his own chest, clipped the communicator onto his wrist, pulled the peaked cap—transformed from his Jade Crown—down low to cover half his face, and strolled toward the entrance of the Pangu Base Command Headquarters.

The sentries at the Command HQ entrance meticulously inspected the credentials Gu Xiechen presented: Staff Officer, Lieutenant Colonel, Operations Office, Expeditionary Army Group A. The sentry flipped the identification over and over, finally inserting it into a card reader for authenticity verification. Only then did he respectfully return the documents to Gu Xiechen with both hands, not even glancing at Gu Xiechen himself, allowing him to enter the Pangu Base Command Headquarters!

Having infiltrated so smoothly, Gu Xiechen couldn't help but turn back to look at the sentries standing guard at the door, standing as straight and diligently responsible as green pines while checking the identification of everyone entering and leaving. "Damn (Censored?) you (Censored?)! Is this a case of hiding in plain sight? Uh... I really just walked in like this? I was actually planning to have Xin Jia use earth evasion to sneak me in, but I didn't expect..."

Shaking his head, Gu Xiechen piously made the sign of the cross over his chest and strode boldly into the Pangu Base Command Headquarters.

He proceeded unimpeded deep into the Pangu Base Command Headquarters, knowingly bypassing the Operations Command Center and entering the officer living quarters area.

Two stern-eyed, straight-backed sentinels stood guard outside General Vargr's room. Gu Xiechen clutched a file folder he had snatched from some empty office on the way, adopting a panicked expression like his backside was on fire, and rushed up to the door of Vargr's private residence. A sentry dutifully blocked Gu Xiechen, asking in a low, powerful voice, "Sir, may I ask..."

Gu Xiechen glared fiercely at the two sentinels, his immense mental power transforming into tangible, chilling light that stabbed sharply into the sentry's eyes. The two soldiers recoiled in alarm, taking a step back. They felt a moment of disorientation, their minds filled with reverence and awe for Gu Xiechen. Gu Xiechen said coldly, "The General's personal correspondence!"

One sentinel mumbled blankly, "The General is in the command room."

Gu Xiechen snorted impatiently, "Of course I know the General is in the command room, but this is the General's private letter, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir!" The two sentinels snapped to attention, saluting crisply, and moved aside simultaneously to clear the path.

Nodding approvingly at the two sentinels, he forcefully pushed open the large door of General Vargr’s private quarters—a door carved from redwood in an imitation of medieval European style—and strode inside.

Inside was General Vargr's lavish private study. Gu Xiechen quickly searched the surroundings and happily discovered the fifty-year-old gold-leaf brandy Vargr kept for honored guests. He settled comfortably onto the study’s sofa and began pouring himself a drink. Finding the atmosphere not relaxed enough, he located the study's control console and selected a recording of a rousing and melodious ancient Italian opera. The clear, piercing voices echoed through the study. Gu Xiechen sank half his body into the leather sofa, enjoying his fine liquor and the opera, repeatedly clicking his tongue in admiration, "Is this a battlefield? This is paradise on Earth!"

Crossing one leg over the other, Gu Xiechen suddenly let out a low laugh. Vargr had brought this upon himself. The insane Yuliss dared to attack even the elite disciples of the Asian Dao Alliance, including the Little Daoist Zhang. Enraged upon learning the attacker was Yuliss, and recalling that General Vargr’s men, including Inglesi, were among those who seized his bamboo tube, the Little Daoist Zhang immediately decided to fully support Gu Xiechen in settling accounts with Vargr. Gu Xiechen had arrogantly infiltrated the base via stealth from the outside. Runhua, who accompanied him, was following beneath the earth.

If not for Runhua covering him underground and hundreds of Asian Dao Alliance disciples waiting as backup outside the base, Gu Xiechen truly wouldn't have dared to infiltrate Pangu Base in such a brazen manner.

Of course, having finally infiltrated Pangu Base, simply killing Vargr would be letting him off too easily. Gu Xiechen sipped his drink while contemplating his next move.

Before long, heavy, measured footsteps sounded outside the door. The two sentinels snapped to attention. Gu Xiechen clearly heard one say, "General, there is an officer waiting for you inside; he has your private correspondence."

"What? My private correspondence? Damn it, Nataya, shouldn't my private letters be delivered directly to you? Heavens, those bastards in the Records Office, I'll whip them severely." General Vargr grumbled irritably, forcefully pushing the door open and entering.

Gu Xiechen set down the bottle of gold-leaf brandy and abruptly stood up, rendering a sloppily executed military salute to Vargr. He called out loudly, "Your Excellency, here is a personal letter for you!"

"Damn it!" General Vargr shifted his gaze from the beautiful blonde woman Nataya beside him. He hadn't even fully registered the scene in the study before reaching out to Gu Xiechen. "From now on, all my private correspondence is to be routed through Deputy Nataya. This is my personal study; people from the Records Office shouldn't just barge in here."

General Vargr shot a flirtatious glance at Nataya, who giggled coquettishly, and casually accepted the folder handed over by the openly smirking Gu Xiechen.

Opening the folder, General Vargr tilted his head and glanced at the documents inside.

"Uh, the casualty report for the 36th Heavy Armored Division this week? This..."

General Vargr and Nataya both looked up in astonishment. Gu Xiechen smiled, removed the peaked cap from his head, and waved cheerfully at General Vargr. "Hello, General, long time no see!" The blonde woman, Nataya, opened her mouth as if to scream, but Xin Jia suddenly sprang up from behind her, his fist the size of a small wine jar slamming hard against the back of Nataya's head. Nataya slumped over without even a grunt, unconscious.

General Vargr had just opened his mouth when Gu Xiechen slid over to him and delivered a vicious kick squarely into Vargr's abdomen.

Thump! Vargr’s thick body was kicked flying over ten meters. However, Gu Xiechen was surprised by the powerful recoil against his toe; General Vargr’s physical toughness exceeded his estimation. Although kicked airborne, Vargr managed to land steadily, though his face was slightly pale, indicating Gu Xiechen’s kick had not been easy to bear.

"Damn you, it's you!" General Vargr dropped the folder in his hand, roaring angrily, "How did you get in here?"

Xin Jia dove underground and reappeared instantly behind Vargr.

Gu Xiechen sat back down on the sofa and casually tossed the pilfered soldier's ID tag, communicator, and documents onto the floor. "You see, I robbed a sergeant and a Lieutenant Colonel, and walked right in. That sergeant’s ID tag got me into Pangu Base; that Lieutenant Colonel’s credentials got me into the Command Headquarters. General, I must say, your Pangu Base is strong on the outside but weak within. If the Romans had my methods, they could infiltrate easily."

"The foolish Romans believe in defeating the enemy on the frontal battlefield; that is their first guiding principle," General Vargr sneered, laughing. "They would never engage in such sneaky, backstabbing tactics. Of course, I must admit, that is no excuse for my foolish subordinates letting you in so easily. I will deal with the indiscipline of the Expeditionary Force shortly; they are far too complacent and negligent."

Gu Xiechen looked at General Vargr with surprise and laughed, "Do you think you'll have the chance to discipline them?"

"Do you dare kill me?" Vargr stared coldly at Gu Xiechen, then shook his head and sighed. "I regret the agreement I made with Gu Juechen. I shouldn't have helped him deal with you. Your troublesome nature far exceeds my imagination. Yuliss fled three hours ago, gravely wounded by your hand, and I never expected you to come after me so quickly."

Lightly picking up the bottle to take another sip, Gu Xiechen smiled faintly without speaking.

Vargr rubbed his abdomen where the large footprint was, then strode over to the sofa opposite Gu Xiechen and sat down. Sitting ramrod straight, Vargr gestured forcefully toward Xin Jia, "Big guy, get me a bottle of liquor! Yeah, the Gold Label vodka from the drinks cart!"

Xin Jia glared at Vargr. Gu Xiechen gave Xin Jia a slight nod, and only then did Xin Jia walk over to the drinks cart. Instead of handing over the bottle of Gold Label vodka as requested, he lifted the entire cart and slammed it down heavily beside Vargr. Vargr snorted coldly, glared at Xin Jia, and reached out himself to retrieve the bottle he wanted.

As he tore off the gold foil seal covering the bottle cap, Vargr said to Gu Xiechen,

"State your business. The fact that you haven't killed me on sight proves you still have some intentions regarding me. What do you want? Power? Money? Women? I can give you anything!" He pulled out the crystal stopper with force and downed a mouthful of the strong liquor. "For instance, there's a vacancy in the Logistics Department's Scrap Equipment Management Division. How about you take the position of Division Chief?"

"Scrap Equipment Management Division?" Gu Xiechen merely smiled, swirling the liquor bottle.

Vargr exhaled a thick cloud of alcohol vapor and sneered, "Every year the Federation Army retires vast amounts of weaponry and equipment. A significant portion of controlled items must be broken down and recycled. There are huge profits involved here. For instance, the cost to recycle a first-tier warship is 1.5 billion, and if handled properly, there's a profit of 1 billion. Other non-controlled items, like standard firearms and small-caliber missiles, are coveted by countless companies, groups, and individuals—it's a massive industry worth trillions. What do you think?"

Gu Xiechen casually tipped out a large pile from his Qiankun Pouch—luminous pearls, fine jade, and various gemstones—amounting to over a dozen cubic meters of dazzling treasure. Vargr's thick Adam's apple bobbed violently as he looked at the wealth. All these treasures came from Jin Xienshou's underground palace, all of exquisite quality. Each of the large gems alone was worth at least a billion based on subterranean market prices. There were at least two or three thousand such treasure-grade gems here.

"Damn!" Vargr vigorously wiped his eyes, mumbled, and took another swig of vodka. "Looks like you had quite a haul on Paradise Star."

Gu Xiechen pointed at the treasures and laughed, "You see, I don't lack money. If I dumped these treasures onto the Earth market..."

Vargr interrupted him, speaking with professional knowledge, "If you dumped all these treasures onto the Earth jewelry market at once, the only outcome would be the total collapse of the Earth jewelry market. You'd be lucky to sell each of these gems for a million."

Gu Xiechen looked at Vargr again in surprise and laughed, "I didn't expect Your Excellency to be such an expert!"

Vargr frowned, looking thoughtfully at Gu Xiechen. "I have a mistress, the famous Countess Thea. She controls thirty percent of Europe's jewelry trade, so I am not unfamiliar with these things."

Gu Xiechen cheerfully set down the bottle and clapped his hands forcefully. He smiled thoughtfully at Vargr and said, "You see, we are slowly reaching an understanding. If these jewels were handed over to Countess Thea, what kind of price do you think these treasures would fetch?"

Vargr's face hardened, and he said coldly, "If given to Thea, and sold in batches over ten years, they should fetch over seventy percent of their true value."

Gu Xiechen smiled, while Vargr stated indifferently, "But why should I..."

Gu Xiechen simply pointed at Vargr and laughed, "If you don't cooperate, I kill you. It’s a simple choice between two options, what do you think?"

Vargr chuckled in disbelief, shaking his head repeatedly. "You wouldn't dare?"

Gu Xiechen smoothly drew a triangular military spike and stabbed it fiercely toward Vargr’s heart. Vargr shrieked and tumbled rapidly to the side. The spike grazed his body and plunged deeply into the sofa. Judging by the force of the thrust, if Vargr had been hit, he would have been pierced clean through.

Vargr's face turned black. He growled menacingly in a low voice, "You actually dared to strike?"

Gu Xiechen pulled out the spike and delicately licked the blade's edge. "Why wouldn't I dare? If I kill you, my Boundary Puppet will use earth evasion to spirit me away. Who would know I killed you? I guarantee you, none of your fool subordinates saw my face along the way. Who would know it was me?"

He sneered, examining Vargr’s vital points with ill intent, and said slowly, "Killing you is no different than slaughtering a chicken!"

Vargr was so enraged his hair bristled, his V-shaped mustache trembling violently. His hands clenched into tight fists, and thick black hairs slowly began to sprout from the backs of his hands. Gu Xiechen laughed in surprise, "Oh my! Our General Vargr has werewolf blood? But do you really think you are my match? I regret to inform you, I am already a Jupiter-level fighter. You are... at best a low-level little werewolf? And one with impure lineage, too!"

"...Hmph!" General Vargr roared in fury, grabbing the vodka bottle and chugging the remaining half-liter in one go. He growled low, "Fine, I concede this time. What do you want? Explain it to me!"

The triangular military spike lightly grazed Vargr’s face, slicing off a few of his whiskers. Gu Xiechen lazily sat back on the sofa and sneered, "How much money did Gu Juechen pay you to calculate against me like this? That hundred-billion-dollar check from last time was just a diversion; don't bother bringing it up."

Vagri glared at Gu Xiechen, a sinister tone lacing his voice. "It's not about the money. Gu Juechen's condition is this: if I eliminate you, every member of the Gu family will become a devout follower of the War God Hall! The Gu Group controls thirty percent of the Federation's arms market, making it the largest arms conglomerate. If they join the War God Hall, our influence within the Pantheon of Gods will increase dramatically, and I will be hailed as a great contributor to the Hall."

"A great contributor to the War God Hall?" Gu Xiechen looked at Vagri, clearly puzzled, his tri-edged bayonet tracing casual, almost threatening arcs around Vagri's person.

Vagri gritted his teeth, letting out a furious low growl. "Members who render great service to the War God Hall are granted one opportunity to undergo the Spirit Cleansing ritual, transforming them into formidable Ethereal Warriors! If I become an Ethereal Warrior, I won't just gain a power one hundred times greater than what I possess now—I might instantly ascend to the true level of a Martian-class powerhouse! More critically, my lifespan will be extended, granting me at least another millennium! A thousand years to wield absolute power, enjoy boundless beauties, and revel in endless wine!"

The difficulty of death throughout the ages... The ancients faced it, the modern generation faces it, and those in the future will face it too... Alas, eternal life...