The maglev express train shoots through the Channel Tunnel, connecting London directly to Paris in a mere fifteen minutes. Gu Xiechen, transforming the Daoist robe and cloak on his body into a standard black business suit, purchased a one-way ticket and boarded the departing train for Paris.

Experiencing a maglev train for the first time, Gu Xiechen couldn't help but look around curiously. As the train accelerated out of the London station, he abruptly spotted several familiar faces.

By this time, the train's speed had already exceeded one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour. To the normal eye, objects outside the windows blurred into incomprehensibility. Yet, in Gu Xiechen's sight, everything rushing past outside remained perfectly clear. He distinctly saw several figures emerging from a dark shaft connected to an auxiliary maintenance tunnel—a tunnel leading who knew where.

One was an old acquaintance of Gu Xiechen, Bart of the Holy Blood Knights. The others included a papal priest in white robes, a dark mage in black, and an unusually robust werewolf covered in thick black fur. As if sensing Gu Xiechen’s gaze, they all turned their heads towards the speeding train as it flashed past.

The maglev train was moving incredibly fast; by the time Bart and the others looked over, the train had already rushed hundreds of meters away.

Gu Xiechen frowned in astonishment. The Holy See and the Alliance of Gods held no goodwill toward one another; before the Middle Ages, they had engaged in repeated, bloody conflicts—their enmity ran deep as the sea. While it was entirely plausible that the Holy See might collude with the Asian Daoist League to scheme against others, the idea of those two factions maintaining amicable relations was utterly impossible.

But why were they here?

After pondering for a moment, just as Gu Xiechen was about to find someone to investigate the tunnel he’d just passed, his communicator chimed with a low ring. It was a call from Peng Hua.

“Junior Brother, our Southern Heaven Gate and Northern Heaven Gate have arrived in Tibet. We start the comprehensive assessment against the new warships from those arms conglomerates in three days.” Peng Hua’s voice was laced with the roar of the wind, clearly indicating he was speaking to Gu Xiechen from some exposed, breezy vantage point.

“Mmm, understood. Were those rare metals and energy crystals sent back safely?” Gu Xiechen quickly inquired.

“My work, you can rest assured; everything is safely stored,” Peng Hua boomed cheerfully.

“Good. Don't hold back during the comprehensive assessment; let those military personnel get a good look at the full capabilities of the Southern Heaven Gate and Northern Heaven Gate!” Gu Xiechen set the tone for the warship evaluation scheduled three days hence. Six months prior, the major military conglomerates had successively unveiled their new-generation warships. After half a year of trial runs and fine-tuning, the military was beginning evaluations to determine which companies’ models would secure procurement contracts. Gu Xiechen was highly confident in dominating the market segment for the Federation’s new first-class warships, intending to claim the entire allocated budget.

After a brief discussion with Peng Hua, Gu Xiechen informed him of the situation he discovered in the tunnel, asking him to assign suitable personnel to investigate the hidden passage they had just seen, and simultaneously to discreetly inquire through top-secret channels about the recent movements of the Holy See and the Alliance of Gods. Then, he ended the communication.

In the blink of an eye, the train began to decelerate, coming to a smooth stop at the Paris station moments later.

He hailed a taxi waiting outside the station and instructed the driver to take him to his official residence by the Seine River.

The cab driver, a garrulous, overweight Black man, chattered incessantly throughout the ride, passionately railing against the Romani diplomatic envoy that had arrived in Paris a week prior, using the specific humor of his race and the most venomous language to greet the Romani delegates.

“I hear the Romani have demanded a complete ceasefire. Hah! If I were the Federation Chairman, I would absolutely refuse!” the Black driver grumbled. “How many of our people have they killed? How much have they stolen from us? Tch, spit.”

A thick glob of phlegm flew out the car window as the Black driver continued his tirade: “All Romani deserve to burn in hell, except for the Romani women and the Elven women, they are real beauties, aren’t they? My biggest dream in life is to sleep with a Romani woman; hey, their skin is absolutely magnificent! As for the Romani men? Better to kill them all!”

“They claim that continuing the fight is a huge burden for both sides, rapidly depleting our resources, and they suggest a comprehensive ceasefire and signing a new peace treaty. They even say they are willing to share the development rights for Paradise Star and the Thirteen Connected Stars with us! Good heavens, how can they be so shameless?”

The Black driver wriggled his hips excitedly in his seat, shouting loudly, “Kill all the Romani! Kill all the Romani! Hahaha, but keep their women!”

Gu Xiechen managed a wry smile, his left hand gripping the Kylin Seal at his waist, forcibly suppressing the urge to smash the man unconscious with a single strike.

However, a Romani envoy? Gu Xiechen asked cautiously, “The Romani have sent an envoy? Is that information reliable?”

The Black driver puffed out his chest proudly. “Brother, do you doubt your loyal and reliable Bonnie? The brothers of the Paris Taxi Drivers’ Union knew they had arrived on Earth the moment they landed. If you want to gather intelligence, we’re far more informed than the Federal Intelligence Bureau!”

Gu Xiechen was stunned, involuntarily rolling his eyes. Good heavens, even the intelligence department of Hardas Defense Corporation hadn't yet reported this news; what a set of amazing taxi drivers!

As he got out of the car, Gu Xiechen gave the fat Black man, still shaking his hips and head vigorously in the seat, a long look, casually handing him over more than a dozen large-denomination bills.

The Black driver froze, staring in astonishment at the ten-thousand-unit bills in his hand, turning them over and over again. He muttered, “Is this counterfeit money? Esteemed sir, your fare is only one hundred and thirty-five, not one hundred and thirty thousand!” He fluttered the bills, looking at Gu Xiechen with surprise: “Sir, are you illiterate?”

Smiling thinly, Gu Xiechen dropped a card into his lap showing three communicator numbers: “Bonnie? Inform any one of these three people immediately about any rumors you pick up. There will be a reward for you. I will pay based on the importance of the intelligence!”

Bonnie sat there dumbfounded, fumbling to stuff the cash into his pocket. He took several deep breaths, then looked up with a grin, lowering his voice to ask cautiously, “In that case, how much would you pay for the home address of the Federal Military Chairman’s mistress?”

Astonished, utterly astonished; shocked, profoundly shocked. Gu Xiechen stared blankly at Bonnie for a good moment, finally forcing a slight smile onto his rigid face: “Certainly, that’s worth a great deal! Contact the people listed above!” He gestured toward the small card, considered for a moment, tossed a few more large bills at the driver, and turned to walk into the thicket alongside the shaded avenue.

Bonnie blinked several times, then slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator, roaring away with a piercing shriek of laughter. He was ecstatic about discovering such a lucrative stream of income!

In the city of Paris, there were thirty-eight thousand hover-taxi drivers, forty-five thousand ground-car taxi drivers, and nineteen thousand underground pipeline transport drivers. Combined, these individuals numbered more than ten times the officially employed agents of the Federal Intelligence Department in Paris. They were scattered across every corner of the city, constantly on the move... forming an intelligence network whose penetration was terrifyingly effective.

Gu Xiechen stopped near a cluster of bushes outside his official residence. He waved at several surveillance cameras mounted on a nearby pine tree, then stamped his foot heavily on the ground.

The earth silently slid open, revealing an entrance the size of a water tank. Gu Xiechen dropped lightly inside, and the opening instantly sealed itself back to its original state.

In the marketplace, there are always hidden experts... Never say that the small person cannot influence history!