Inside the most opulent suite in the Central District, the air was thick with the expensive fragrance of exotic delicacies and the heavy perfume of dozens of stunning beauties attending to their host.
However, that luxurious atmosphere was instantly shattered by extreme tension. Lu Xie was prostrating on the floor, fearfully presenting his report to the man sitting on the throne before him:
— "Father! I've had people investigate! That Shin guy has a younger sister traveling with him... And the guy standing beside him when he grabbed my face and smashed it onto the ground was Kento, his younger brother!"
BOOM! CRACK!
A violent slam echoed on the table, shaking the entire space! Countless fractures instantly spread across the precious, expensive wooden table like a spiderweb. The man raised his face—Lu Quanlin—his fists clenched tightly, blue veins bulging on his forehead:
— "Enough! Enough! You keep babbling so much my ears are going deaf! And you dared to throw away a whole billion Sophion coins just for this foolish revenge scheme?!"
Lu Quanlin stood up, his killing intent pressing down so heavily that the ceiling seemed to lower:
— "You unfilial trash! Your face being humiliated made me lose face too! Now everyone out there knows my son, Lu Quanlin's son, was grabbed by the face like a dog by some nobody!"
Lu Xie trembled, pressing his head low onto the cold tiled floor, hurriedly explaining:
— "F-Father... I didn't mean to lose face for you! It's because of him... because he played dirty...!"
— "Shut your dog mouth, you useless waste!" Lu Quanlin barked straight into his face, his eyes bloodshot. — "If you dare argue any further, I'll actually kill you!"
— "Y-Yes... yes, Father!" Lu Xie swallowed hard, not daring to raise his eyes.
Lu Quanlin let out a cold hmph, his voice spine-chillingly ruthless:
— "Keep this well in mind. If you know what's good for you, crawl into a corner and stay there quietly. Don't go outside losing face for me again! I won't hesitate to throw away a useless child like you, do you hear me?!"
— "Yes... I hear you clearly, sir!"
— "Get out!"
Lu Xie felt as if he had been granted a reprieve, hurriedly scrambling up and scurrying out of the room like a beaten dog.
CLACK…
The moment Lu Xie left, the luxurious door slid open. A figure stepped inside, leisurely walking over to sit in the chair opposite Lu Quanlin. The man wore a perfectly tailored suit down to every stitch, exuding a calm and authoritative air. He spoke in a deep, smooth voice:
— "Lu Quanlin, you are far too harsh on your son!"
Quanlin immediately reined in his killing intent, bursting out laughing and rubbing his hands together:
— "Haha! Just a little lesson in parenting, Officer Raymond! Now, how is the matter of helping me join the Galactic Alliance coming along lately, Officer Raymond?"
Raymond sighed softly, shaking his head as he spoke:
— "It is nearly impossible for you to get in. Your Federation of 10 planets is indeed quite prosperous, if not among the wealthiest compared to other sectors... But your location here is far too remote from the Alliance's center, making admission extremely difficult."
Lu Quanlin curled his lips, gesturing with a wave of his hand:
— "Officer Ray... I don't have much, just a small token of appreciation!"
Immediately, a flock of long-legged beauties standing in the room stepped forward. One girl lightly slipped her shoulder strap off, exposing her exquisite curves and voluptuous hips right before Raymond, raising a glass of fine wine in her hands:
— "Sir Ray... Allow me to serve you thoroughly tonight!"
However, Raymond's eyes remained icy cold, without a single trace of emotion or interest in the bare flesh surrounding him.
— "Mr. Lu... You are taking things a bit too far," Raymond frowned.
CLACK!
Right at that moment, a beauty respectfully placed four glowing black matrix cards onto the table in front of Raymond.
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Lu Quanlin laughed out loud:
— "Officer Ray, don't be modest! All 4 cards combined total a flat 10 billion Sophion coins! Please accept this modest gift from Lu Quanlin!"
Raymond looked at the four black cards, then stood up:
— "Classic Lu Quanlin... I cannot accept these! Please put them away. If the King finds out about this, it will be very difficult for me!"
Seeing Raymond about to walk away, Lu Quanlin immediately gestured to the beauties. The crowd of girls hurriedly swarmed over, clinging tightly to Raymond's arms and body, cooing coyly:
— "Sir Ray, don't leave in such a hurry! We promised to serve you well today, don't ruin the mood, sir!"
Quanlin approached, lowering his voice to negotiate:
— "Sir, that's right! The gift has already been prepared for you. Although you cannot help me join the Alliance, I hope you can help me with just one small favor!"
Raymond paused:
— "What favor?"
Lu Quanlin curled his lips ruthlessly:
— "Nothing major... I'm currently facing a minor nuisance. I hope you can lend me a bit of your strength! Just send one High-Ranking Member from the Alliance here to help me deal with a few pesky flies, and I will be immensely grateful to you!"
Raymond stared at Lu Quanlin in silence for a
long moment, finally giving a slight nod:
— "Very well... A High-Ranking Member will be dispatched by me in the shortest time possible."
Lu Quanlin showed sheer delight, immediately clapping his hands to order:
— "That's wonderful then! Girls, why aren't you serving Officer Ray already?!"
All the beauties cheered in unison with seductive voices:
— "OFFICER RAY, WE WILL SERVE YOU WELL TODAY!!!"
Raymond quietly allowed the flock of beauties to guide him into the adjacent room. Left alone in the lavish space, Lu Quanlin threw his head back toward the ceiling, bursting into a manic, ecstatic laugh:
— "Hahaha! Just wait... Anyone who dares touch me, let's see how you survive! Pfft...
HAHAHAHAHA!"
CLACK... RUSTLE…
In stark contrast to the filth and scheming at the Central District, inside Xie Xingchen's underground research lab, the atmosphere was exceptionally warm.
Stolas was sitting at the lab table alongside Loona. The Prince of Hell was patiently explaining Astronomy, ancient herbs, and the properties of magical gemstones to her. Loona absorbed the information extraordinarily fast, her eyes shining brightly.
Stolas smiled faintly, nodding in approval:
— "I've never seen anyone with the ability to absorb and learn as quickly as you, Loona."
Loona scratched her head with a giggle:
— "Heehee, it's nothing special, Prince Stolas! I even study automated machinery and advanced theoretical fields!"
SLIDE!
Shin poked his head through the research room door, shouting loudly:
— "What are you two researching? Come on out! Tae-Joon made an amazing hotpot today!"
When the two walked out into the living room, a lively domestic scene greeted their eyes. Everyone was busy with something; the noisy bickering and shouts of the Mikami brothers playing a boxing game echoed throughout the house:
— "Hey, Rei! Why are you playing dirty like that?! That's not fair at all!" Ren roared.
— "Nyah nyah! That's because you suck!" Rei stuck out his tongue mockingly.
— "You little brat! One more round, I'm not accepting this!"
— "Bring it on if you've got the guts!"
Right beside the sofa, Xie Xingchen was hugging a body pillow tightly, sound asleep and snoring loudly (Zzz...).
In the middle of the room, Kento was pushing himself through one-armed push-ups... using just a single finger! PUSH! PUSH! PUSH! On his back, Roxy casually sat cross-legged, munching crunchily on potato chips (CRUNCH... CRUNCH...).
Roxy leaned down and asked:
— "Want one, Kento?"
Saying that, she held out a chip in front of Kento's mouth. Kento didn't hesitate, snapping up the chip cleanly before continuing to push up and down rhythmically.
Stolas smiled, walking over to the bookshelf to look for a few novels. Loona curiously followed the appetizing aroma into the kitchen. Tae-Joon and Ling Mo were skillfully prepping meat and vegetables for the hotpot together.
Tae-Joon saw Loona enter and broke into a bright smile, pointing to a tray of freshly washed fruit:
— "Have some strawberries! They're really sweet!"
Loona quickly grabbed a few ripe strawberries and popped them into her mouth:
— "Mmm... So sweet!"
Loona leaned over and stepped back into the living room, seeing Shin and Kamishiro Seijuro sitting across from each other at the wooden table, their hands gripped tightly in preparation to arm-wrestle.
Shin flexed his arm muscles, warming up his wrist and shouting loudly:
— "Let's see if Seijuro can win against me today!"
Seijuro said nothing, calmly curling his lips into a light, confident smile.
Loona stood beside them, stomping her feet in cheer:
— "Go for it, both of you!"
Shin turned his head, blinking as he asked:
— "Loona, who do you choose to win?"
Loona pouted with a hmph:
— "Hmph! I'm not choosing either... I choose science!"
BAM!
Catching the exact moment Shin lost focus to turn and talk, Seijuro instantly unleashed overwhelming arm strength, slamming Shin's hand violently onto the wooden tabletop with a loud crack, leaving him no time to react!
Shin jumped, wincing as he yelled out in frustration:
— "Eek! Ayyya! Seijuro, launching a sneak attack like that is not fair at all!"
Seijuro leisurely pulled his hand back, stroking his hair before crossing his arms across his chest, giving a mocking glare as if saying: "Lost focus and still won't accept defeat!"
The whole room was filled with warm laughter, dispelling all the storms and bounties rolling in outside…
While the living room atmosphere was warm and filled with playful laughter, suddenly, the door hinge let out a long, cautious CREAK…
Loona spun around nimbly, her eyes lighting up bright:
— "Woah, Sister Akai Kiriko is here!"
Kiriko stepped inside, the breeze from the hallway fluttering her coat hem. In stark contrast to the lively atmosphere, her face carried a visibly grave expression. Xie Xingchen, who was slumped asleep, was shaken awake by Rei; he let out a long yawn and rubbed his eyes. Seeing Kiriko, Shin hurriedly left the dining table and approached, his expression tightening slightly:
— "Kiriko, how have things been lately? Is everything okay on the Central District side?"
Kiriko nodded, her gaze sweeping past the squad before stopping at Shin:
— "Still fine, except... there's bad news. The head of the Federation just returned today. I heard he's holding a closed-door meeting, discussing things very intensely with a High-Ranking Officer from far away!"
Seijuro was wiping the sword at his hip; hearing that, he immediately asked out of curiosity:
— "The head? Who is that guy?"
Kiriko took a deep breath, emphasizing every word:
— "Lu Xie's father... Lu Quanlin!"
The name resonated like a thousand-pound boulder dropping onto a calm lake. Roxy, midway through a chip, froze, her gaze turning razor-sharp:
— "Lu Quanlin? Then... we're in big trouble!"
Stolas narrowed his eyes at Kiriko, then turned to look at Shin:
— "So she is our squad's spy planted within the ranks of the Four Extremes of Order?"
Shin smiled, patting Stolas's shoulder:
— "That's right, I forgot to introduce you officially! Stolas, this is Akai Kiriko, our most important ally on the enemy's side."
While the squad was immersed in calculating their future plans, a piercing sound suddenly shattered the peaceful atmosphere.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The private laboratory's red alarm siren wailed violently, emergency lights turning crimson and sweeping back and forth across the entire room.
Shin was startled, his face changing color:
— "Huh? Who else would dare come here at this hour?"
The entire Zero Horizon squad immediately halted all activities. Kento dropped his weights, Seijuro drew his sword from its sheath (SWOOSH), while Kiriko reacted with lightning speed, gripping her weapon tightly and lowering her stance into combat readiness:
— "I came here alone, absolutely no one followed me! Could someone... have tailed me without me knowing?!"
Seijuro narrowed his eyes, blue veins bulging on his sword hand:
— "If that's the case... we're in deep danger!"
BOOM!
Before anyone could react, a terrifying pressure crashed in from the entrance.
BOOMMMMM!!
A deafening explosion rang out, causing the entire building to shake violently! The sturdy steel door, over 20 centimeters thick, was blasted off its hinges by an invisible force, smashing into the opposite wall. A thick cloud of dust instantly flooded in, obstructing all vision.
COUGH... COUGH…
The squad covered their faces, stepping back. Out from the dense cloud of dust reeking of gunpowder and burnt metal, a tall figure emitting spine-chilling killer intent slowly stepped forward.
The intruder was in no rush, each footstep pounding heavily onto the floor like a countdown to death.
— "Found your rat's nest..."
A deep, threatening voice echoed through the air. As the smoke gradually cleared, the face of the newcomer was revealed.
(To be continued)