The rain slanted down, and Gu Yechen stood beneath the sputtering gas lamp at the entrance of the Federation Headquarters, clutching a blue oilcloth umbrella. Two state-of-the-art armored cars idled beside him, inside which Banruo and Mohe sat with several subordinates. Rolling clouds of cigar smoke and the sharp tang of liquor continuously jetted from the slightly opened window gaps, only to be instantly swept away by the gale.

Several agents in black suits watched Gu Yechen from a distance, alert and cautious. They knew who he was, yet they maintained their vigilance at its absolute highest.

Suddenly, a Federation Colonel hurried out of the main entrance of the Headquarters, plunging into the downpour, and deferentially opened the door of a black sedan parked curbside.

Du Lang stepped out briskly, shoving aside his aide who had just managed to raise an umbrella, and hurried to the car door.

Gu Yechen let out a soft whistle and waved toward Du Lang. Du Lang snapped his head up, gave Gu Yechen a surprised glance, shook his head with a wry smile, and then beckoned him over.

Dropping the umbrella, Gu Yechen circulated the Divine Aura of Snow Spirit throughout his body and ran toward Du Lang with a smile. The raindrops struck him, but instead of soaking him, they atomized into countless tiny bullets of ice that ricocheted away.

Du Lang quickly slid into the car, and Gu Yechen pulled the door shut behind him.

Du Lang settled back comfortably and casually, reaching into a hidden compartment on the door panel to retrieve his large teacup, taking a savoring sip of strong tea. He lifted his eyelids slightly and chuckled lightly, “What brings you to me? You shouldn't be this idle lately! Big moves, big moves. You’ve exiled ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of the members of the Minor Special Operations Bureau. You should be swamped.”

Waving a hand with a light laugh, Gu Yechen pulled a bottle of potent liquor from a compartment in the opposite door, yanked out the stopper, and took a deep, harsh gulp. He let out a satisfied puff of alcoholic breath and chuckled, “You can’t blame me for that. I gave them a chance, but they actually dared to try and kill me. Leaving them their lives was already an act of supreme mercy.”

Du Lang indifferently placed his teacup on the small table before him and stomped the floorboards hard. The sedan moved off soundlessly. A convoy of twenty black cars pulled away from the road in front of the Federation Headquarters and proceeded forward.

The two cars carrying Banruo and Mohe merged into the procession, trailing at the rear of the fleet. Du Lang looked at Gu Yechen and said casually, “Dogs that won’t be tamed don't need keeping. Sending them to the Exile Stars for mining at least lets them contribute something to the Federation. So, what’s the matter today?”

Squinting, Gu Yechen smiled at Du Lang as he leaned back against the leather sofa inside the car. “Good news. I acquired some excellent material this time, stored away at my residence. Want to come take a look?”

Shrugging dismissively, Du Lang rubbed his cheeks hard, chuckling faintly, “Oh? Good stuff? What kind of good stuff? According to the latest intelligence, the Roman hunting fleets suffered catastrophic losses; only five hunting vessels are fleeing toward Mars. The moment they make it back to the Martian paradise sector, fire will resume. I’m busy!”

Glancing sideways at Du Lang, Gu Yechen sighed dramatically, “Oh, then you go on being busy! Chairman of the Federation Military Council, you’re a very important man. Hmph, the hide from that nascent Scarlet Flame Qilin could have made more than a dozen sets of close-fitting leather armor. It seems now I’ll have to enjoy all the benefits alone.”

“What?” Du Lang gasped, leaping up from his seat so violently that his head slammed into the roof, leaving a deep, four-pointed dent in the solid, heavy material. Rubbing his throbbing head, Du Lang grimaced and swore, “My old lady heard correctly then? Did the Five Great Masters of the Nine Nether Path really go to Pluto in person?”

Tilting his leg up arrogantly, Gu Yechen took two more swigs of wine, smiling mockingly at Du Lang. “Indeed! And the haul was magnificent! But consider this: the Asian Dao Alliance has so many sects. Once the treasures my Master acquired are divided, you’d be lucky to get a single scale. But here, I have an entire, intact Scarlet Flame Qilin!”

Staring blankly at Gu Yechen for a moment, Du Lang slammed his hand onto the communication button inside the car, roaring, “To Colonel Gu’s residence, quickly!”

The convoy immediately changed course, speeding toward Gu Yechen’s private villa by the Seine.

Du Lang slapped Gu Yechen’s shoulder, grinning so widely his mouth couldn't close, “Good man, that’s loyalty! Hey! Because you’re being so loyal, I’ll put in a good word for you regarding that little incident from the other day!”

Feigning surprise, Gu Yechen glanced at Du Lang and smiled, “What incident from the other day?”

Du Lang glared at Gu Yechen, annoyed, and sneered, “Lieutenant General Alexander is now the Federation’s fresh-baked war hero, hailed by the media as the ‘Tiger of the Federation.’ His prestige is ten times higher than yours was when you returned from Heaven Star! He achieved that through fair combat on the front lines, without any schemes or tricks, annihilating tens of thousands of Roman elites!”

Casually fiddling with the wine bottle, Gu Yechen lowered his head and sneered silently.

Sighing, Du Lang earnestly tried to reason with him, “You are both young men, both luminaries of the Federation! The Federation is currently locked in total war with the Romans, and internal harmony is paramount! Young Alexander might be a bit arrogant, but his merits are solid gold! You are absolutely forbidden from plotting against him behind my back!”

Du Lang eyed Gu Yechen warily, his gaze filled with suspicion and deep worry.

With a helpless sigh, Gu Yechen managed a bitter smile, “In your eyes, am I that kind of person? If I truly intended to plot against him, he would already be fertilizer at the bottom of the Seine!”

Slapping his chest heartily, Gu Yechen roared with laughter, “My generosity is boundless; I wouldn’t stoop to bickering with him over trifles!”

“Really?” Du Lang looked at Gu Yechen with profound doubt, knitting his brow. “Don’t pull any nonsense on me. Alexander’s tactical command on the battlefield is nothing short of genius. The generals in the Federation have long lost their edge; we still rely on him for frontline command!”

Shaking his head forcefully, Gu Yechen managed to chug the remaining half-bottle of potent liquor. He raised his right hand solemnly and swore an oath, “I swear in the name of the Heavenly Lord that I absolutely will not plot against Lieutenant General Alexander. Hmph, if I break this oath, may the Holy Angels strike me down!”

Having uttered an oath so lightly that Du Lang wouldn’t believe it even if it were delivered by his posterior, Gu Yechen instantly changed the subject: “Hmph. How good is the quality of the crystal spheres I hunted this time? When will my portion be allocated to me? I keep saying it—the Federation’s work efficiency is too low! The crystal spheres from the hunt actually have to pass through the General Assembly and the Military Council before they can be handed out. Efficiency, efficiency!”

Speaking of the Christo Spheres obtained from this hunt, Du Lang’s eyes lit up. He already knew that a Grandmaster like the Corpse Emperor had participated, meaning the quality of the spheres Gu Yechen handed over was frighteningly high. Three days prior, when Penghua and the others placed one thousand high-grade spheres before Du Lang and Jian Qiao’an, even they, seasoned veterans, had almost choked. Green spheres were rare; blue spheres were rare treasures; purple spheres were the stuff of legend in the Federation. As for those ten black spheres—

Jian Qiao’an had nearly come to blows with Du Lang right then and there over those ten black spheres!

Reminder for intermission

Monthly tickets, monthly tickets, monthly tickets!

Recommendations, recommendations, recommendations!

Clicks, clicks, clicks! (To be continued)