The diminutive helicopter shuddered to a halt, the pilot clearly over-excited, causing the landing to be slightly violent, snapping the landing gear on the right side. Five lean men in black suits and two pilots stumbled out of the cabin, the one in the lead raising his hands high in a gesture of surrender.

The soldiers of the Dog Squad, from Hadao Company, completely surrounded the helicopter, eyeing the ashen-faced men in black with derisive glances, their rifle muzzles deliberately aimed at vital points.

"I am James William, an Investigator from Section Five of the Special Oversight Committee. Your actions will be considered blasphemy against Federal Law!" James William, leading the group, barked fiercely. He glanced dismissively at the soldiers' crudely made automatic weapons, his fearful gaze involuntarily drawn to the main cannons of the warships looming overhead.

Wiping blood and brain matter from his boots onto the ground, Mo He swaggered towards James William. He warmly draped an arm over the man’s shoulder and roared with laughter, "Well, well, an old acquaintance!" With a sharp snap, Mo He exerted just a bit too much force, dislocating both of James William’s shoulders. The sharp grinding of the bone joints produced a bizarre sound, and James William let out a piercing scream of pain.

Two pallid arms snaked up from the ground nearby. Peng Hua, who had been hiding underground just in case, lazily poked his head out of the earth. He cast a malevolent glance down at the lower halves of the men in black, then made a chilling gesture with his hand, mimicking a swift slice with a blade, before vanishing back into the soil with a spectral chill.

"Bastard! I am an officially commissioned officer of the Federation, how dare you injure me?" James William watched Peng Hua burrow in and out of the ground without leaving a trace, his face turning slightly greenish. Nevertheless, he resolutely puffed out his chest and shouted at Mo He, flaunting the badge of the Special Oversight Committee—a name that shone like gold and held immense sway among the myriad departments and agencies of the Federation.

Hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets, Gu Xiechen walked over slowly with measured, square steps, the surrounding soldiers respectfully clearing a path for him.

"Long time no see, dear Mr. James William! May I inquire as to the nature of your visit here?" Gu Xiechen bowed with elegant formality, though keeping his hands stubbornly in his pockets throughout—a gesture that seemed deliberately inappropriate and teasing.

James William glared darkly at Gu Xiechen and sneered, "I have stumbled upon a brutal murder!"

Raising his eyebrows in mock surprise, Gu Xiechen shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, not murder, self-defense! Dear Mr. James William, self-defense!"

"Murder! An undeniable, naked murder!" James William hissed. "I personally witnessed them kill a victim who had already ceased resisting!"

"Self-defense, I firmly maintain it was self-defense!" Gu Xiechen pulled out a cigar. Ariadya promptly shot a tiny spark to light it for him. He took a deep drag, letting the rich smoke swirl comfortably in his lungs. Gu Xiechen puffed, spoke through the haze, and said vaguely, "Swear it in the name of God, or whomever you prefer; I stake my honor on it being self-defense. Mr. Siren prevented a kidnapping tragedy; they are blameless, in fact, meritorious!"

"Murder!" James William ignored the menacing black muzzles of the warships overhead and leaned close to Gu Xiechen, sharply admonishing him, "I swear upon the sacred duty bestowed upon me by the Federation—this is murder..."

Siren grew enraged. He detested Gu Xiechen's mocking tone wasting time arguing with James William. He strode forward and spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm directly onto James William’s face, roaring, "Even if it is murder, what can you do to me? Arrest me? Sentence me? Do you possess that authority?"

James William glared at Siren, the saliva mixed with blood slowly trickling down his face, rendering his once handsome features utterly hideous. His dislocated arms unable to rise, James William bellowed with his face covered in spittle, "Yes, I cannot arrest you, nor can I sentence you, but according to the internal regulations of the Special Oversight Committee, I hereby place you under house arrest, freeze all your assets, subject everyone around you to investigation by the Committee, and you will be listed as a person of interest by the Federation!"

Shaking his head, Gu Xiechen delivered a single, swift blow that knocked the shouting, spitting James William unconscious. He sneered, "Knock them all out. Get a fast assault boat; we are going to Paris! Siren, have Peng Hua lead the way and transfer your family to Shanghai; that is the main base of the Asian Dao Alliance, the safest place! All expenses for settling in Shanghai will be covered by the company account!"

The ground beneath them trembled slightly. Peng Hua’s deep voice echoed up from below, "It's fine. My grandfather owes a favor to a magnate near the East Sea; I'll extort a manor from him and gift it to Siren."

Clapping Siren warmly on the shoulder, Gu Xiechen left a few warships under Siren’s command and hastily boarded a super-high-speed assault craft that had launched from the hangar bay of a Tier-Two battleship.

Borealis, Mo He, along with several fighters, dragged the unconscious James William and the others onto the assault craft as if they were dead weight. The group sped towards Paris.

The heavily guarded headquarters of the Earth Federation.

Gu Xiechen walked quickly and easily through the spacious, immaculate corridors. In the northwest corner of the Federation Headquarters building, a large area was occupied by various powerful departments of the Federation: the Federal Military Intelligence Bureau, the Federal Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Federal Science and Technology Intelligence Bureau, the Federal Contraband Administration, and the Special Oversight Committee—the most mysterious and powerful in the eyes of the Federal populace—all maintained offices here. This was the nucleus for interchange between the major powerful departments and the other administrative agencies of the Federation.

Floors N-15, N-16, and N-17 of the Headquarters building belonged entirely to the Special Oversight Committee. Gu Xiechen’s office was Room -3 on Floor N-15.

It was a large suite spanning over two hundred square meters. Outside, there were two smaller rooms: the secretary’s office and the confidential room. Beyond those two small rooms lay a massive main office exceeding one hundred square meters—this was Gu Xiechen’s workspace. The office decor appeared simple and antique, yet beneath that guise of simplicity and age, every inch of the space exuded a profound air of luxury. Putting aside everything else, the ebony desks and chairs in the secretary's office were antiques hundreds of years old, worthy of being displayed in a museum, yet these relics were maintained as if they were brand new.