Red Hair looked at her with disbelief. "But once you show weakness, your position can't be maintained. Aren't you worried?"

Illyria’s mocking smile deepened. "Men are drawn to self-abasement."

Red Hair’s eyes widened abruptly, but Illyria didn't wish to say more; in those few exchanged sentences, both understood they were not traveling the same road. Illyria coldly curled the corner of her lip and took small steps away, while Red Hair melted back into the crowd.

Red Hair’s performance was complete, and she no longer spared Illyria a glance. Lan Li received the signal she sent, registered a note against Illyria’s account with full understanding, and took responsibility for further tracking.

Red Hair’s gaze swept across the milling people.

The crowd was surging, filled with the chatter of endless discussion; under the tension, the men seemed even more vocal than the women.

Poor commander of the Hope Legion—though not dead, he was now compelled to be.

Considering that over ninety percent of those present were male, Red Hair immediately deployed her specialized skill: seeking out heterosexual targets.

Her objective was neither the Hope Legion nor Illyria; it was to glean intelligence regarding the movements of more legions.

After surveying the area, Red Hair locked her sights onto the Deputy Commander of the Moco Legion. The Moco Legion bordered the Hope Legion across two star systems, making them practically neighbors.

She sauntered over to him under the guise of casualness, letting out a heavy, performative sigh, muttering to herself, "With the Hope Legion reduced to this state, what will the Wolf’s Den do!"

The Moco Deputy Commander turned his head, recognizing the brightest star in the political and military circles. He couldn't resist engaging. "Exactly! I hear the Wolf’s Den has been under heavy fire lately. Without the Hope Legion, the threat to the Den is even greater."

Red Hair frowned, her face etched with worry. "I’m beside myself with anxiety. Trapped here and unable to return, I genuinely fear hearing terrible news the moment I step outside."

The Moco Deputy Commander offered reassurance. "There’s no need to panic; they should still manage to hold on. The outside world won’t know about the Hope Commander’s misfortune immediately. Besides, don't you have the Wolf’s Den and the Angel Domain assisting with resistance? Moco won't easily grant passage, and the other side is controlled by pirates. It won't be simple for other legions to attack."

Red Hair’s heart settled instantly.

Within the Deputy Commander’s stream of pleasantries lay a crucial piece of information: Moco had no intention of wading into the troubled waters of the Hope Legion.

Her expression softened slightly. "Thank you for comforting me. I hope your words prove true. If the Wolf’s Den survives this, I’ll treat you to a meal another day."

The Moco Deputy Commander beamed. "Being invited to dinner by such a beauty is an honor! I’ll hold you to that promise; don't forget what you said once the Wolf’s Den stabilizes."

He was known among the legion leaders for his relatively disciplined conduct, and Red Hair held a favorable impression of him. She offered a smile and was about to speak when she felt someone watching her. She turned her head, and Lan Li swiftly averted his gaze. Red Hair pretended not to have noticed, exchanged a few more words with the Moco Deputy Commander, and then turned toward her next potential target.

Her goal today was simple: distinguish friend from foe. Anyone who wasn't an enemy was a potential ally.

Lan Li stood on the periphery, watching Red Hair flit among the crowd like a butterfly dancing through blossoms, occasionally wearing an expression of sorrow, occasionally flashing a confident smile as she engaged various legion leaders in conversation. Some of the leaders were utter lechers, their eyes lingering creepily on Red Hair. This stoked a fiery rage in Lan Li; his hand would clench, then relax, only to tighten again when he saw her smile, filling him with the urge to blast through the ring of people and pull her out!

He absolutely could not bear to see Red Hair smiling at any other man!

Lan Li, far from realizing the implications of this urge, acted on instinct.

He approached Red Hair subtly. "I share your regret regarding the Hope Legion Commander’s situation. However, Miss Red Hair, you needn't worry. The Angel Domain shares the same sector as the Wolf’s Den; we will not stand idly by."

As he spoke, his eyes fixed solely on Red Hair, his words earnest, projecting the image of an ardent admirer.

The minor legion commander who had been speaking with Red Hair was surreptitiously stomped on the foot by Lan Li. Deeming himself incapable of matching the might of the Angel Legion or Lan Li’s seductive charm, he retreated silently, inwardly cursing the bullying tactics of major legions.

Lan Li was finally satisfied. Standing beside her, feigning a casual conversation, he projected a hostile aura toward every man except himself, forbidding any further contact with Red Hair.

Red Hair noticed quickly and glared at him in annoyance. "Don't interfere with my business so casually!"

Lan Li stood his ground. "You don't need to chat with them to achieve your goal."

Red Hair narrowed her eyes slightly. "What do you mean?"

Her gaze was like a sword, piercing directly into his eyes, making him feel an inexplicable pang of guilt. "Nothing. You want to gauge the policies of the various legions regarding the Hope Legion—I can help you. You don't need to resort to selling yourself."

"Selling myself?" Red Hair laughed as if she’d heard something utterly ridiculous. "Deputy Commander of the Angels, is your brain functioning normally today?"

Lan Li nearly exploded.

He was truly looking out for her!

The legion leaders were like hungry wolves. In this confined space, what if one suddenly suffered an extreme surge of male hormones and sought release, turning on her?

Lan Li completely failed to realize he was treating Red Hair like an ordinary woman. Red Hair shot him a look of exasperation, dismissing him as mentally unsound, and turned to leave.

Lan Li followed, disgruntled.

Red Hair did not look back. "If this is still about the previous matter, I’m asking you to shut up!"

Lan Li opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back everything he had intended to say. He worried for her, certainly, but Red Hair was clearly not the type to heed his warnings. If he persisted, she might simply discard him and find a second ally.

He understood Red Hair’s nature; he knew she would act on it.

Thus, despite having countless things he wanted to articulate, he ultimately remained silent.

He told himself internally: Whatever Red Hair intends to do, he would support unconditionally. If any man posed a threat to her, he would eliminate them one by one!

He then changed tack. "Are you hungry? Shall we get something to eat?"

Red Hair finally turned her head back, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, intrigued. "Having witnessed that scene just now, you still have the appetite to eat?"

Lan Li inwardly congratulated himself on guessing correctly. He naturally displayed a smile that could melt glaciers. "The blood looked like tomato sauce—perfectly appetizing."

Red Hair burst out laughing and walked alongside him. "Perhaps we could even go to the ground-floor medical bay and take out the remaining blood bags to pour over our rice?"

Lan Li: "..."

He didn't want to admit that after staging that whole scene with the blood bags, he had lost all appetite for anything!

Red Hair suddenly snapped her fingers. "No, we have a lot to do later. Now that they’ve mostly scattered, let's find a place to sit and observe where everyone goes, then we can start forming alliances, hehe."

This was exactly what Lan Li had been waiting for. He nodded. "Let’s go to the VIP lounge; it should be empty now."

They entered the VIP lounge. Inside were private rest areas. They casually chose one, went in, and sat on the sofa to view the surveillance feeds.

The monitors were split into two sections. Since there were two of them, they divided the screens, each taking one portion.

Red Hair’s objective was to identify potential partners for collaboration, forming a bloc that could strategically counter certain detestable individuals once they left the hotel. Therefore, her focus was on the heads of the various legions, tracking their routes, recording the room numbers they entered, noting whom they met, and combining this data with the results of her earlier conversations for analysis, thereby determining friend or foe.

At that moment, Lan Li subtly touched Red Hair.

Red Hair assumed it was an accidental brush and paid it no mind, continuing her recording.

Lan Li frowned slightly, reached out, and switched off her light-screen. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Someone's coming!"

His breath was warm, brushing across the shell of her ear without warning. Red Hair’s ear instantly flushed hot, as if scorched by fire.

She stiffened her expression and turned to look at Lan Li, ready to deliver a sharp reprimand, but then she too heard faint footsteps.

She immediately changed her glare to a sweeping glance, quickly scanning the room and then behind the sofa. With feline grace and speed, she pocketed her light-screen and leaped behind the sofa, instantly tucking herself underneath.

Seeing her hide, Lan Li immediately found his own concealment spot and crouched down.

Just as they settled, the door opened.

A pair of high-heeled feet walked in.

Red Hair narrowed her eyes slightly. There were only three women in the hotel: Illyria, herself, and Bai Lanxue. She had seen Illyria earlier; Illyria wore fine-heeled blue crystal shoes inlaid with gems. The shoes before her now were black oxfords with a three-point cap toe—undoubtedly Bai Lanxue.

A pair of men’s leather dress shoes followed behind.

Bai Lanxue’s cold voice cut through the air. "After all these days, have you found where the President is?"

This was followed by a man’s hesitant reply. "Not yet. I’ve searched the entire hotel, but I just can't find him."

Bai Lanxue pressed, "Are you certain you searched every room? Did you perhaps get distracted by some woman and forget to look?"

The man seemed to choke slightly. "Not entirely. You took me to the first floor, but I haven't been back there since. On the level above, there was a room guarded by that brute, the super-strength guy; I didn’t dare approach. And there were a few rooms that wouldn’t open—they seemed locked from the inside."

Bai Lanxue scoffed. "I'll give you one more day. If you still haven't found the President, you won't be getting any favors!"

The man’s knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor. Red Hair, watching from beneath the sofa, clearly saw the man clasping Bai Lanxue’s leg.

What a spineless man!

Red Hair thought silently. If Lan Li were to cling to her like that... Ugh, wrong track. Red Hair shook her head, banishing Lan Li’s image, and refocused on the pair before her.

"No, Miss Bai Lanxue, I truly adore you! Please allow me to stay by your side!"

Bai Lanxue looked down at the incompetent man. "Where did you get those injuries?"

-RS