Who was Du Lang? The Chairman of the Earth Federation Military Department, a powerful figure holding sixty percent of the Federation’s military might—a titan whose mere cough could make the Earth tremble thrice.

And Gu Xichen? Gu Yuru truly couldn't fathom the group standing behind Gu Xichen, but one thing was certain: Gu Xichen was his great-uncle! Possessing an aura of being one with the masses and perfectly smooth in demeanor, in the seniority ranking of the Gu family, Gu Yuru was Gu Xichen’s great-grandson! Before him lay a feast of delicacies, flanked by two stunningly beautiful, pure-blooded Romani maids. The maid nearly two meters tall leaned close to Gu Yuru, her slender, graceful figure housing breasts far more voluminous than those of Earth women. The beautiful maid affectionately rubbed her chest against Gu Yuru’s head; for an ordinary man, this would have sent his soul soaring into the heavens.

Gu Yuru’s soul had flown out of him—but out of sheer terror! Clutching a crystal wine glass, the ice cubes inside the pale brown liquid clinked with a sharp ding-dang. Gu Yuru stared blankly at the smiling Gu Xichen, his mind a complete void.

Gu Xichen crossed his legs, grinning down at Gu Yuru, who was trembling as if afflicted with Parkinson’s Syndrome. He eagerly raised his own glass and chuckled, “Yuru, don’t be so stiff. Drink up, drink up. Chairman Du Lang’s private reserve wine—this is a fine thing ordinary people absolutely cannot taste. Alas, even Gu Juechen couldn’t get a drop!”

Du Lang’s eyes narrowed into slits with laughter. He raised his glass and said humbly, “Ah, just showing off, showing off. I don’t usually drink much; I just genuinely enjoy collecting!”

The shivering Gu Yuru slowly raised his glass and lightly tapped it against Gu Xichen’s. The rich, fragrant wine poured into his mouth, yet he couldn't discern its flavor at all.

Gu Xichen snapped his fingers sharply and laughed, “Good, excellent! Yuru, eat your fill quickly so you can be on your way. The risks along this journey are considerable. I will personally be hunting you down, from Paris all the way to the Vatican. You’re going to have quite the hard time of it.”

Gu Yuru’s face instantly flushed a ghastly white, and his wine glass clattered onto the table as it slipped from his grasp.

Seeing Gu Yuru on the verge of fainting from fright, Gu Xichen frowned. “Such a small spirit—are you even one of our Gu family? Hurry up, eat and get moving. Hmph, if this operation turns into a total disaster, I’ll immediately tell big brother that you sold secrets of the Gu Corporation to me. Let’s see how you manage to survive then!”

With a gulp, Gu Yuru sank to his knees, bowing his head repeatedly like pounding garlic. He wailed hoarsely, “Great-Grand-Uncle, please spare me! Th-this matter is far too risky!”

Gu Xichen curled his lip. Du Lang sighed, and from somewhere unknown, produced a wickedly sharp scimitar. The blade, shimmering with layers of aqueous distortion, gently pressed against Gu Yuru’s throat. Du Lang stated flatly, “To be threatened by the Chairman of the Federation Military Department—you’re quite lucky. If you don’t go, you die right now!”

The sharp edge sliced through the thin layer of Gu Yuru’s skin. The intense cold instantly warmed his lower body, and a great stream of urine flooded out. He cried out in despair, “I’ll go… I’ll go!”

“Good!” Gu Xichen gave a thumbs-up, smiling. “Serve me wholeheartedly, and I won’t treat you poorly! When the Gu Corporation eventually collapses, I will prop you up to become the head of the Gu family!”

Gu Yuru cast a wronged glance at Gu Xichen; there was not a single word of sincerity in his promise. Propping him up to lead the Gu family, only so Gu Xichen could rule as the retired Emperor? That was the truth, wasn’t it?

Half an hour later, his clothes tattered and dignity shattered, Gu Yuru, accompanied by several panicked bodyguards, burst into a church on the outskirts of Paris. Wielding a small submachine gun, Gu Yuru charged straight toward the Bishop’s office. From a great distance, he shrieked at the top of his lungs, “Bishop, save me! I am Gu Yuru of the Gu Corporation, and I am being hunted by my enemies!” A Cardinal in red emerged from the office upon hearing the commotion. He waved his hand, signaling the surrounding swarm of clergy to disperse, and asked with a gentle smile, “My child, why such panic? This is the Lord’s domain; here, you are safe!”

After the War of Ninety-Three, to safeguard the Holy See’s influence over the secular populace, the Vatican had declared churches as permanent safe zones. No matter who you were or what you had done, as long as you entered a church and professed faith in God, you would receive the protection of the Holy See. Of course, the level of protection deployed depended on the individual’s degree of devotion to the Divine. How to measure a believer’s piety? That was naturally determined by cold, hard cash. In short, this was the twenty-fourth century’s indulgence—the Holy See’s signature business model! Before the words even faded, an 80mm mortar round landed squarely in the courtyard before the Bishop’s office.

Two Knights of the Holy See cried out in agony as they were flung over ten meters high, crashing heavily to the ground. The tough, thick-skinned knights struggled for a long moment before they could manage to rise. The Cardinal’s expression instantly turned grim, and he roared, “Who dares harm the Lord’s presence…!”

Dozens of burly men in close-fitting digital camouflage combat suits stormed into the church, utterly unconcerned about whose domain this was. They opened fire with high-energy weaponry, sweeping the area. The dense hail of bullets sent the church clergy scattering in all directions. Gu Yuru’s few bodyguards dutifully charged toward these men, only to be riddled with holes in the blink of an eye.

The Cardinal glared furiously at Gu Yuru, who had wisely scurried behind him, and sternly demanded, “Who is hunting you?”

Bang! Bang! Two large-caliber shots grazed the Cardinal’s temples. The Bishop’s face went pale, and he frantically crushed a protective divine scroll he kept close, enveloping himself tightly within a thick shield of white light. Gu Yuru hissed, “I don’t even know who is hunting me!”

The Cardinal angrily shouted, “Then why are they hunting you?” A contingent of nearly a hundred probationary Knights, guarding the vicinity, heroically charged against the brazen attackers. However, the firearms used by these men were devastatingly powerful. The Knights of the Holy See were forced into a continuous retreat; nearly half fell into pools of blood before they could even manage to don their armor.

Gu Yuru watched the approaching brutes with terror, howling in panic, “I have intelligence here regarding the Romani people! Why would someone try to steal this information? Damn Romani—they are completely untrustworthy! I… I will never trade with them again!”

Related to the Romani? The Cardinal knew full well that a Romani diplomatic mission was currently in Paris negotiating with the Federal Government! The Cardinal’s eyes lit up. He subtly gave a signal, and a squad of thirty elite Knights of the Holy See, clad in silver armor, rushed out from an adjacent aisle, replacing the probationary Knights who were routed and fleeing in disarray. The arrival of these seasoned Knights immediately stabilized the front line. They drove the group of armed thugs into a chaotic retreat, even taking time to cast divine healing spells on the severely wounded probationary Knights.

With a slight, composed smile, the Cardinal turned to Gu Yuru and said, “My child, you see, the power of the Lord is infinite; no one can harm you in the presence of God.” His tone shifted, and the Bishop asked with a smile, “What kind of intelligence is it? I must weigh the importance of the information to decide how many men I can assign to protect you! You know the rules here, don’t you?”

Gu Yuru stared shrewdly at the Cardinal, the frantic movement of his eyes giving the Bishop a distinctly bad feeling.