Ziye, while Junlie was causing a ruckus, was standing in a secluded guest room, frowning as she looked down at the near-dead commander of the Hope Legion before her.

The room she occupied was diagonally opposite the wedding venue, situated between two corridors, making it a relatively exposed location.

After obtaining control of the hotel surveillance system via a virus, the red-haired woman no longer needed to deal with Pei Zhe. The monitoring center on the other side had seven or eight external monitors; anyone approaching would be immediately detected.

The red-haired woman suspected a major figure was inside, but since she had surveillance access, there was no need for a direct confrontation. She chose to avoid both sides and looked for another room to set up base.

Adhering to the principle that the most dangerous place is the safest place, she found this room near the wedding area, intending to use the restroom quickly before getting to work, when she unexpectedly stumbled upon the commander of the Hope Legion.

The Hope Legion commander’s windpipe had been severed, rendering him completely speechless. He was bound in the bathtub, covered in ice packs.

In such a situation, it was obvious the perpetrator’s goal was directed at the Hope Legion.

The commander was clearly not going to survive this.

She surmised that the attacker’s objective was to contact the outside world before the commander died, destroy all his clones, and ensure he ‘passed away naturally.’

At that point, the Hope Legion would become easy pickings!

Wolf’s Den was the closest to the Hope Legion, and they had already expended so much effort protecting Jun Mian from enemies. If they didn’t act now, when would they?

Without another word, the red-haired woman immediately sent a message to Ziye.

After sending the message, she saw Lan Li smiling faintly at her, his eyes inscrutable.

The red-haired woman shrugged, meeting his gaze with an air of righteous indignation. She had faced down pirates fearlessly; waiting until the Hope Legion was targeted before she acted was already more than generous—she had a clear conscience.

Lan Li spread his hands; he merely wanted to remind the red-haired woman that the Hope Legion commander was currently unclothed, and she ought to excuse herself.

However, the red-haired woman simply turned and walked out of the bathroom.

He promptly shut up.

The suite had an unusually large bathroom to accommodate the bathtub. The walls were frosted glass, offering only a vague outline from the outside; one couldn't see clearly without entering.

The red-haired woman observed the bathroom exterior for a moment. "The assailant certainly has some nerve," she commented.

Lan Li merely grunted, calmly pulling a pair of white gloves from his pocket and slipping them on before approaching the commander’s body.

"Several organs have been removed; the work is quite efficient," he remarked with a composed expression, then suddenly paused, letting out an "Eh?"

The red-haired woman poked her head into the bathroom. "What is it?"

Lan Li immediately stepped in front of her, blocking her view: "One should not look where one shouldn't."

The red-haired woman was momentarily stunned, then burst into loud laughter. "Please, he's just a fat man—a dead fat man at that."

Lan Li’s face darkened. "Even so, staring directly at a man's private parts is generally considered improper."

Lan Li stepped aside, his gaze fixed directly on the deceased man, sweeping over him briefly. "It's fine. In my eyes, he is merely a subject under investigation."

Lan Li sighed helplessly, pulling off his gloves. "Who do you think is most likely responsible for this?"

"Who knows?" The red-haired woman waved her hand, indicating that wasn't the point. "Too many people want him dead." The crucial question was who would inherit the Hope Legion afterward.

Lan Li shook his head and sighed. "You truly are a heartless woman."

The red-haired woman looked at him with the surprise one reserves for discovering a new galaxy. "Are you actually concerned about who is behind this?"

Lan Li opened his mouth to retort, but the words caught in his throat.

The red-haired woman was right; too many people wanted him dead. Who delivered the blow didn't matter; the Hope Legion did.

In truth, the Hope Legion commander hadn't committed any major wrongs, though he certainly hadn't performed many brilliant feats either. A commoner is innocent until proven guilty, but the Hope Legion's greatest sin was being utterly incompetent.

In fact, it wasn't just the commander; the entire legion was full of blundering fools.

Otherwise, Wolf’s Den wouldn't have had to step in to defend them against invaders.

Sigh.

Lan Li pondered for a moment and then asked, "So, what are the odds Wolf’s Den can take over the Hope Legion?"

The red-haired woman smiled alluringly, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Vice Commander, have you forgotten that your commander is our little scamp’s boyfriend? With him involved, why would Wolf’s Den worry about securing control?"

Lan Li felt profoundly wronged.

He was mocked by the red-haired woman yet again, this time due to his own group’s dim-witted commander.

He felt quite dejected.

The red-haired woman chuckled triumphantly, using her light-screen device to photograph the Hope Legion commander lying in the bathtub. After saving the image, she walked out of the bathroom and sat on the sofa outside, positioning the light-screen appropriately. "I'll get back to work; you watch slowly."

Lan Li asked, "Shall we change rooms?"

The red-haired woman considered this, pulled a cigarette from her pocket, placed it in her mouth, ignited it with her lighter, and took a deep drag. Exhaling a cloud of white smoke, her expression relaxed amidst the vapor. "This commander was at the venue when we were there, remember? His expression was full of terror. Perhaps he already knew someone intended to kill him then."

Lan Li nodded in agreement, then shook his head. "So, killing him was also one of the goals of locking down the hotel? I feel like he just accidentally showed up in front of the wrong people and was killed incidentally. Don't you think dealing with the commander of such a small legion warrants such a dramatic operation? If this reception had gone smoothly, couldn't they have arranged for someone to blow up his vehicle on the way back? Wouldn't that have achieved the same result?"

The red-haired woman finally looked directly at the man before her. "Hmm, not bad. It seems besides finding women to bear children, your reasoning skills are passable."

Lan Li: "..."

That's clearly not the main point! Hmph!

The red-haired woman held the cigarette between the index and middle fingers of her right hand, manipulating the light-screen with her left. Looking at the image of the surveillance center, she said, "Since he’s not the main character, let’s let him play the lead for a while. Interested?"

Half an hour later...

A staff member dressed in a security uniform walked out onto the wedding banquet floor. The lockdown had been in effect for several days, and there was no sign of it ending. Apart from the revolving restaurant and bar on the top floor, the only place with food was the wedding banquet hall. After eating his fill, he left the hall and happened to notice a guest room door wide open in the corridor, with some red marks on the floor.

He was startled and rushed over to look. Ahh—!

He was scared stiff!

The room number display on the door was flashing amidst the dried red blood, looking exceptionally gruesome.

The room was carpeted in khaki, and now a line of bloody footprints stretched from the outside inward, disappearing into the unseen depths.

The security guard was nearly paralyzed with fright. He rushed to the alarm, pressed it first, then grabbed his communicator to report to his superior.

A few minutes later, the security guard had secured the scene.

Most of the people scattered throughout the hotel were gathered nearby, all staring dumbfounded at the room door. Even without seeing the scene, the intense smell of blood, coupled with days of anxiety, was too much for the faint-hearted, some clutching the walls as they vomited nearby.

After the security personnel secured the area, the head guard, the junior guard who found the scene, and two crisis response officers entered the room.

The bloody footprints led straight to the bathroom, but the bathroom door was closed.

The four exchanged glances. The two crisis response officers simultaneously pushed the door open. The sight inside was even more horrifying, as if a bucket of blood-colored paint had been overturned, flooding the floor.

Unable to proceed further to preserve the evidence, they peered in from the doorway. The two guards thought for a moment, walked to the other side, and abruptly pulled open another door.

Ah—!

Ah—!

This time, there were two synchronized screams.

In less than a minute, the entire hotel was buzzing with the news: "The commander of the Hope Legion has been murdered!"

The red-haired woman and Lan Li mingled with the crowd, exchanging knowing smiles.

The red-haired woman signaled with her eyes: Not bad, you managed to stage the scene like a homicide.

Lan Li returned a smile that admitted no praise was necessary. He held numerous titles, including Devil's Strategist, Iron-Blooded Vice Commander, and Smiling Tiger—in short: All-Around Vice Commander. This was child’s play for him.

The red-haired woman glanced at him sideways, and the two resumed their collaborative work.

Lan Li was tasked with tracking who was missing from the crowd, while the red-haired woman observed the varied reactions to the Hope Commander’s death.

Amidst the noisy chatter, Lan Li silently noted everyone who had failed to show up. Many were absent, including Karu, Bai Lanxue, the President of the Interstellar Federation, Reiner, Pei Zhe, and others.

Iliya stood at the back of the crowd, watching the scene coldly. Without a word, she turned and walked away.

She had changed out of her black silk dress and was wearing a casual, light apricot-red long dress—not overly formal, but perfectly setting off the fact that she had just gotten married.

The red-haired woman caught a glimpse of the bare ring finger on her hand out of the corner of her eye and immediately chased after her. "Hey, Miss Iliya!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet either; several nearby people turned to look, and Iliya stopped, then slowly turned around.

Even in such a panic-inducing situation, she maintained her composure and elegance.

The red-haired woman instantly confirmed her suspicion. She feigned a flicker of fear and quickly stepped forward a few paces to catch up with Iliya. "That was terrifying! I don't know what's going on with this hotel. What should we do?"

Iliya said indifferently, "What does that have to do with me?"

The red-haired woman feigned confusion. "There are only two women here. Aren't you scared?"

Iliya seemed to recall something, scanning the crowd to confirm the absence of a third woman, and the corner of her mouth twitched. "Then you should look for a man, not me."

The red-haired woman sighed dramatically. "You don't understand. Who would believe a woman like me if I admitted fear? Besides, if I show fear in front of them, what if they take advantage of the situation?"

Iliya chuckled coldly. "Why shouldn't a woman show a little weakness when necessary? Why be so aggressively strong?"

-RS