Rain fell in a steady sheet as several television news vans lumbered through the downpour, escorted by a few security vehicles returning them to their respective stations. The recent explosion had reverberated across all of Paris. Eager reporters had swarmed the Pont Alexandre III bridge, desperate for the first scoop, only to be driven back by agents of the Intelligence Bureau from a distance.

A dozen news helicopters slowly carved their way through the mist, closely monitored by over thirty armed helicopters belonging to the military’s Paris Garrison Command, ensuring they could not approach the scene.

Gu Xichen, still bearing streaks of dried blood on his clothes, sat inside a maglev limousine. Surrounded by a large contingent of maglev armored vehicles, he swept past one of the news helicopters.

With the ventilation window of that helicopter open, Gu Xichen’s hearing, hundreds of times sharper than a normal person's, clearly caught the frustrated mutterings of a reporter inside.

“More news censorship, for heaven’s sake! I haven't even landed one headline story this month, my salary. My bonus, damn it!”

He offered a slight smile, shaking his head. Gu Xichen lowered his car window and extended his right hand, beckoning the helicopter with a slight curl of his fingers.

The dozen news helicopters belonging to the major federal media outlets, like snakes sensing blood, joyfully followed Gu Xichen’s convoy, completely ignoring the armed escorts behind them. On the ground, several news vans violently accelerated, breaking free from the "escort" of the Intelligence Bureau security cars to keep pace with their counterparts roaring overhead.

The Intelligence Bureau vehicles and the Garrison Command’s armed helicopters halted where they were, then abruptly turned around.

Dozens of brilliant beams of light pierced the murky rain-soaked night, as nearly a hundred maglev armored vehicles completely encircled the Saint-Leman Restaurant situated next to the Federal Headquarters building. Amidst the terrified shouts of the restaurant manager, large groups of special forces soldiers, dressed in uniforms belonging to the military’s direct internal security units, blasted open the restaurant walls and surged inside. Dozens of Intelligence Bureau agents, wearing expressions of excitement, closely followed Gu Xichen as they rushed into the chaos-ridden restaurant.

Kicking aside a dining table in front of him, Gu Xichen walked amidst the horrified gazes of hundreds in the restaurant to a window-side table. Smiling, he offered a military salute to Lieutenant General Alexander seated there. “My apologies, General. I must ask you to cooperate and leave quietly with us, may I?”

Lieutenant General Alexander’s face turned purple; he glared at Gu Xichen for a long moment without speaking.

Yulith, seated on the opposite side of the table, frowned. She glanced at Alexander, then at Gu Xichen. She decisively crossed her arms over her chest, a strange, meaningful smile playing on her lips, remaining utterly silent.

Maria, seated beside Yulith, stared at Gu Xichen in astonishment. “Boss, what’s going on? Lieutenant General Alexander, he—”

A senior agent from the Intelligence Bureau impatiently pulled out a warrant and flashed it before Alexander, laughing smugly. “Lieutenant General Alexander, you are charged with conspiracy to commit treason and using weapons of mass destruction against His Excellency Marshal Wolf of the Federation. The charges are precise. Please cooperate with our investigation!”

The throng of reporters flooded in, their powerful auxiliary lights illuminating the restaurant as brightly as day, making every detail visible. Every reporter stared toward them with excitement. A Federal combat hero plotting treason? Sending subordinates to assassinate the Chairman of the Federal Military? Good heavens, a headline story! Absolutely the headline story! Now not just this month’s bonus, but the year-end bonus was secured!

Yulith blinked, squinting and saying nothing.

Maria watched Alexander with immense shock, slowly covering her mouth.

Gu Xichen smiled gently at Alexander. “General, don't make this difficult for us, alright? Please order your subordinates to drop their weapons, or else—”

“Don’t move, or we’ll shoot you dead!” Several of Alexander’s subordinates in the restaurant suddenly drew their firearms and aimed them directly at Gu Xichen’s head.

Siren, who was mixing with the crowd, let out a strange cackle. With a slight flick of his finger, the bronze stiletto shot out, accompanied by a piercing sound of air being torn. Dozens of streaks of cyan light flashed like lightning. Alexander’s subordinates simultaneously let out a cry of agony; over a dozen holes perforated their arms, leaving transparent wounds, and the firearms in their hands clattered to the floor.

“Attempting to resist arrest and intentionally harming a federal official—the crime is compounded!” Gu Xichen sneered. “Everyone, take them into custody.”

Alexander slowly stood up, slowly raising his hands, allowing the Intelligence Bureau agents to implant the internal energy suppressor into his Dantian and affix the psychic restraint device onto his head. Several agents then produced specially made alloy chains. Clank, clank, clank, clank—with more than a dozen crisp impacts, Alexander’s major joints, including his wrists, elbows, neck, waist, knees, and ankles, were firmly shackled. Hundreds of extremely fine metal spikes extended from the restraints, severing Alexander’s entire network of vital energy meridians.

“Take him away!” Gu Xichen waved his hand.

Alexander took a deep breath and offered Yulith a charming smile. “Yulith, the person who ruins our dinner today, I won’t let them off when I return.”

Glaring fiercely at Gu Xichen, Alexander leaned close and hissed at him in a low voice. “Very well, very interesting. Hundreds of my best men couldn’t manage to eliminate you; you are even more interesting than I imagined. Wait, I will be right out to play with you properly. Next time, I will take you down directly! I despise you, do you understand?”

Looking darkly at Alexander, who remained arrogant despite his situation, Gu Xichen pursed his lips into a smile. He stepped in front of Alexander, blocking the reporters’ view, and struck him with a punch to the Qiangzhong acupoint. A chilling, bone-piercing hidden force penetrated Alexander’s viscera, the vicious cold energy shredding two of Alexander’s meridians and shattering the nascent vortex forming within his Dantian. Alexander’s face instantly turned deathly pale. Gu Xichen raised his hand, touched Alexander’s cheek, and then suddenly slapped him across the face.

“In certain specific situations, you must learn humility and fear,” Gu Xichen mocked him sarcastically. Then, Gu Xichen shouted sternly, “Take him away!”

The Intelligence Bureau agents violently dragged the now thoroughly crippled Alexander out of the restaurant, tossing him into a specially outfitted armored vehicle as if he were refuse. Dozens of maglev armored vehicles roared into the air, surrounding that vehicle and flying toward the Paris Garrison Command Headquarters. Twelve Level-One warships broke through the cloud cover, descending from the high altitude to escort the convoy from above.

The reporters gasped repeatedly and hastily rushed into their helicopters, chasing after the convoy ahead.

Reminder: Mid-break!

Moon tickets, moon tickets! Recommendations, recommendations! This pig’s mouth is dry from shouting! (To be continued)