Gu Yechen spread his hands, shook his head, and sighed, "Then let me ask directly: what is everyone gathered here for? This assassination attempt has little to do with most of the people present!"

He stood up, pointed at the Minister of Commerce of the Federation—a stout, pale, and portly old man—and chuckled, "Your Excellency Venom Wolf's assassination, what does that have to do with the Ministry of Commerce? Or perhaps you were hoping a few pounds of flesh had been sliced off Venom Wolf, and you planned to sell his meat to the Romanians to feed their bio-beasts?" All the Federation officials present burst into laughter. Venom Wolf was a thorn in the side of many within the Roman Royal Garden; given the Roman people's habit of valuing face above all else, if they could acquire Venom Wolf's flesh to feed their bio-beasts, they would likely set an exorbitant price—one cubic Zakkra crystal per pound of Venom Wolf meat!

The Minister of Commerce managed a few dry laughs, squinting his beady green eyes at Gu Yechen while repeatedly shaking his head:

"Colonel is joking. The person I admire most in my life is His Excellency Venom Wolf; how could I possibly harbor such thoughts?" Spreading his hands again, Gu Yechen stated plainly, "Then why is everyone gathered here? Venom Wolf's assassination is indeed a major event, but the Federation has countless affairs to manage. Does it really require this many VIPs to handle this single incident? Or do you all have other agendas?"

The great hall fell into a dead silence once more. Everyone scrutinized Gu Yechen with intensely secretive gazes. Being the focus of so many eyes—so many high-ranking officials staring at him—caused Gu Yechen's heart to clench sharply. He glanced down at his own attire; though stained with a bit of blood, it was otherwise tidy, nothing untoward.

The oppressive silence lasted a full ten minutes before Hekomus finally spoke. He looked at Gu Yechen and sighed with profound helplessness, "Colonel Gu Yechen, three days ago, a storage chip containing company secrets belonging to Chairman Zenskomes was stolen, and the classified information was leaked. According to our analysis, this is the reason you and His Excellency Venom Wolf were targeted for assassination today."

The Company Chairman? Hekomus's clansman? Gu Yechen folded his arms across his chest, squinting silently at Hekomus.

Jean Joann sighed, placing a gentle hand on Gu Yechen’s shoulder from behind him. He spoke with a heavy tone, "The data on that chip indicated that the bamboo slips Colonel Gu Yechen obtained on Paradise Star were not one scroll, but two. The second volume, in particular, contained magical formulas and smelting methods for rare and precious metals, capable of constructing dreadnoughts reaching two kilometers in length! This top-secret information has been compromised."

Prince Phi Liet, Speaker of the Upper House of the Federation, spoke with grave sorrow, "A spy! There must be a high-level mole within the company. This matter must be investigated to the very end!"

Mr. Gutt, Speaker of the Lower House of the Federation, lamented mournfully, "Why is it that every time the Federation sees a glimmer of light on the forward front, someone leaps up to sabotage it? Is the Federation's future always this fraught with twists and turns?"

"Hold on!" Gu Yechen cut off the two Speakers' platitudes. He brusquely pushed away Jean Joann’s hand from his shoulder, stood up angrily, and roared at Hekomus, "General, are you saying everything is exposed? Huh? Including the agreement you struck with me?"

Hekomus's aged face instantly flushed a purplish-red, a transformation no Hollywood actor could replicate so swiftly. He lowered his head, speaking with profound sorrow and weight:

"Yes, everything has been leaked." He looked up abruptly, casting an intense glance at Gu Yechen, then shamefully dropped his gaze again. "That spy has already been executed by my subordinates, but the message has been relayed... What they intend to seize in this assassination, besides the control codes for the Ultimate Defense System, is also the second bamboo scroll you possess!"

Gu Yechen stood rigid, an avalanche of thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant.

He scanned the Federation elites present: Hekomus was 'remorseful,' Joann smiled lightly and ethereally, Bobei gave a sinister cold smirk, Andre gazed pleasantly at the ceiling, and the other prominent figures from major powers stared at Gu Yechen like starved wolves, their eyes green with avarice.

Tendrils of icy chill drifted from his fingertips. Gu Yechen's hand slowly sank into the alloy-made podium. The terrifying cold spread rapidly across the metallic surface; in the blink of an eye, the entire podium was spewing white vapor. With a sharp crack, the ten-meter-long platform shattered into large fragments. Taking a deep breath, Gu Yechen rested his hands behind his back and said coldly, "So that's how it is. Then let me be frank! I do possess the second bamboo scroll, and the properties of the alloys described within are ten times superior to those on the first scroll! Possessing it allows the construction of super-dreadnoughts exceeding two kilometers in length, main cannons over ten meters in diameter, colony fortresses capable of transporting ten million people at once, and super-engines a hundred times more powerful than current models! This would vastly reduce the travel time between our various colony worlds!"

Everyone, including Jean Joann, had their eyes alight. Even the typically unconcerned Jean Joann fought back a surge of greed, wishing he could devour Gu Yechen whole. It was easy to imagine the expressions of the others—Andre’s mouth was actually watering as he stared at Gu Yechen like an infatuated fool.

"However!"

Gu Yechen abruptly shifted his tone, causing everyone to freeze, their hearts sinking heavily.

He sneered proudly, "This was obtained through risking my life on Paradise Star. By what right should I allow you all to share in the benefits?"

Pointing angrily at Hekomus, Gu Yechen thundered, "General Hekomus, every agreement we ever made is void! Whether your supposed spy exists or not, all our agreements are canceled!"

Hekomus gave a slight cough. The purple flush on his face instantly returned to normal, and a hint of self-assured confidence blossomed on his features. He straightened his back and smiled at Gu Yechen, "Mr. Gu Yechen, please do not be so agitated. The facts are plain: your safety is already threatened. A megalomaniac like Lieutenant General Alexander has colluded with certain internal elements of the Federation to move against you. For the sake of your safety, and the safety of those around you, I implore you to reconsider..."

"Reconsider what?" Gu Yechen retorted without hesitation.

Jean Joann placed a hand on Gu Yechen’s shoulder and smiled, "Information sharing, resource sharing, my friend. Yechen, your father and I were old friends; your father never hogged everything for himself!"

Prince Phi Liet nodded repeatedly with a cheerful smile, addressing Gu Yechen genially, "Trying to monopolize the Federation's shipbuilding market—that's impossible! One Hardt Defense Corporation simply cannot meet the demands of the Federation Military Command; that much is obvious! Therefore, for the benefit of the Federation, please hand over all the metal formulas recorded on that second bamboo scroll!"

Gu Yechen remained silent. His hand moved toward the small Qiankun Pouch at his waist. Inside lay the Space-Breaking Talisman gifted by Madam Mei of Kunlun. Once activated, it would allow him to immediately escape into the Kunlun Immortal Realm.