The silver electronic door opened, and that hearty voice was indeed from Valeri.

He dismissed the male and female attendants, smiling broadly at Guan Tong. "Come in, my friend."

Guan Tong walked through the doorway to find a complexly laid-out exhibition hall inside.

On either side of the hall were spiral staircases extending up to the second floor. In the center was a dance stage where handsome men and beautiful women with excellent figures were dancing. Surrounding the stage were various high-priced entertainment facilities, many of which Guan Tong had never even seen before.

Male and female attendants in tuxedos and masks, carrying red wine, weaved between the various facilities, serving the scions of the powerful who wore light, silky garments.

Accompanied by sensual music and a faint, elusive fragrance, under the dim, warm-colored lighting, anyone stepping into this place would inevitably feel a bit of intoxicating, leisurely pleasure.

"So, my friend. Are you satisfied with the environment here? Isn't it quite pleasant and relaxing," Valeri said with a beaming smile.

Like the other guests, he also wore a light, silky garment, but this fabric paired with his bloated figure was truly hard to compliment.

"Director Valeri asked to meet me. I'm not sure what the matter is?"

To be honest, Guan Tong not only didn't find this place pleasant and relaxing, but instead felt discomfort in his stomach and intense disgust.

Staying in such a decadent, sensual place was worse for him than staying on the desolate mountains of Mingdao Mountain. At least the air there was fresh, unlike here, which was full of nauseating perfume smells.

"Hehe, my friend is a bit impatient."

Seeing Guan Tong get straight to the point with no intention of small talk, Valeri pointed to the second floor.

"Then let's talk in the VIP room upstairs."

"Let's go."

The two walked through the hall and up the spiral staircase. During this time, occasional gazes fell upon Guan Tong. Most of these looks were filled with malice, with only a few carrying curiosity and scrutiny.

Valeri led Guan Tong into a VIP room on the second floor. It didn't look like much from the outside, but the interior area was extremely large, no less than a presidential suite in a star-rated hotel.

After sitting down, Valeri called for a waiter to bring wine. Guan Tong refused outright, directly asking him to state the purpose of the meeting.

"My friend, the night is long, why be in such a hurry? Wouldn't it be nice to talk while savoring some wine?"

Guan Tong remained silent.

Valeri smiled helplessly. "Hehe, alright then. Let's talk business."

As he spoke, he took out a tablet he carried with him, tapped a few times, and placed it in front of Guan Tong.

Displayed on the screen was a long list of signatures.

Among them were a few he vaguely remembered. He had occasionally heard Yelanka mention them these past few days; they were all high-ranking officials of the Xisiya Empire.

"These signatories almost encompass the entire military, political, and financial sectors of Xisiya. And the new Administrator they support is Lijeka."

Valeri was surprisingly straightforward. Guan Tong glanced at it a few times. "Lijeka is already dead."

"Correct, and it was precisely your handiwork."

"..."

"Don't misunderstand, my friend." Valeri waved his hand. "I invited you here today not to settle old scores, but for a brand new beginning."

"What do you mean?"

"Yelanka lacks popular support. The important personnel within the official system don't like her either. Even if she succeeds to the position, she won't be able to hold it securely. She knows this herself, which is why she hired you as her bodyguard to protect her, right?"

Valeri wore a look of complete confidence, leaning back against the soft sofa cushion as he smiled and said, "But 'Shadow' can't stay by her side forever. When she can no longer afford your price, you'll leave—our intention now is to advance that outcome."

Guan Tong: "Stop beating around the bush. State your terms directly."

"Haha, good, I like straightforward people!" Valeri laughed heartily. "No matter how many Ascension Coins Yelanka is paying you, we'll pay triple... Of course, our Administrator is very beautiful. Perhaps you fancy her beauty. But in Xisiya, beautiful women are hardly rare."

Valeri clapped his hands. Three Xisiya beauties entered the room. One of them looked quite familiar to Guan Tong; he vaguely remembered her as a Xisiya actress from before the Doomsday Rules era.

"How about it? If you're not satisfied, you can pick for yourself later." Valeri lit a cigar, holding it in his mouth, his cunning gaze observing Guan Tong's reaction through the smoke.

To his dissatisfaction, Guan Tong didn't react much. His expression was one of near-indifferent calm.

Seeing this, Valeri changed his approach. "If you're not satisfied with these terms, we can negotiate further. But I believe you must be a smart person, and smart people know how to assess the situation."

"Assess the situation?"

"Exactly. Yelanka is like a 'bare-staff emperor' from your ancient Beixing history. Even though her position is lofty and transcendent, the policies she issues either don't get implemented, or their original intent is deliberately distorted and executed haphazardly... Such an emperor who cannot exercise imperial power is merely a mascot in the palace."

When Valeri spoke of Yelanka, the Administrator, his tone was particularly contemptuous, as if he didn't take her seriously at all.

Guan Tong retorted, "Then who is the real emperor? You?"

"To be precise, it's 'us'." Valeri admitted directly. "The others control the military, politics, and finance. My Security Bureau holds the evidence of their crimes, their 'tails', which is the 'espionage' part. Combined, we are the ones who truly make the Xisiya nation operate, not that young, naive woman who thinks killing Lijeka means she can rest easy."

"..."

Seeing Guan Tong seemed somewhat moved, Valeri immediately struck while the iron was hot.

"If you're not satisfied with these terms, we can offer something even higher—making you one of us."

"Oh?"

"'Shadow' is certainly formidable, but as far as I know, you are not affiliated with any official Beixing department. An Ascendant fighting alone, no matter how powerful, has limitations... By joining us, you gain the protection of this powerful nation, and you get priority access to rare and precious resources. And what do you get by being Yelanka's bodyguard? Just a paltry sum of Ascension Coins... Even if you're doing it for her personally, it's not worth paying such a high price, is it?"

Guan Tong fell silent for a moment. "Aren't you worried I'll relay everything you said to her?"

"I believe a smart person will make a smart choice." After saying this, Valeri blew a smoke ring, grinning nonchalantly. "And even if you tell her, she can't do anything to us."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

Valeri smiled. "Simple. You just need to do one thing to gain our trust and join us in sharing resources."

"What thing?"

"Kill one person."

"You want me to kill Yelanka?"

"No. A mascot, though useless, would be troublesome if dead... We want you to kill the only sword in her hand."

Guan Tong understood. "You want me to kill Sigaochin."

"Correct!" A cold glint flashed in Valeri's eyes. "This foolishly loyal woman is a nuisance. If you are willing to eliminate her for us, we would be extremely grateful."

"I don't understand." Guan Tong asked. "You say you control the military, politics, finance, and espionage, that you hold all the power. Why do you need me to kill her? Can't you do it yourselves?"

Valeri shook his head. "It's not the same... We certainly have the ability to kill that woman, but it might cause a lot of trouble. And in terms of assassination skills, who could surpass you?"

After speaking, Valeri proactively initiated a Transaction application.

"To show our sincerity, we'll pay an advance deposit first."

After Guan Tong agreed, he saw Valeri input 1,000,000 Ascension Coins.

This number was rather high for an advance deposit. Guan Tong didn't refuse and chose to accept the Transaction.

"This one million is just the deposit." Valeri said. "After the deed is done, I will pay another four million. This figure, I think, is sufficient to show the extent of our regard for you."

A reward of five million Ascension Coins—this number could drive any mercenary group insane. Valeri had precisely aimed at this point to dare use one million as a deposit.

He believed that even "Shadow", faced with the super temptation of five million Ascension Coins, could no longer hold onto his principles.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."

"Not staying to enjoy the night?" Valeri tried to persuade him. "You can indulge here to your heart's content. I'll cover the bill."

"No need."

"Alright. Then I'll await your good news."

Not long after Guan Tong left, several people pushed the door open and entered, sitting beside Valeri with gloomy expressions.

"Are you sure he'll cooperate?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"If that kid takes the money and doesn't deliver, this one million will be wasted!"

"I say the deposit given was a bit too much."

"Hehe, if you're unwilling to give meat, how can you expect a wild dog to work hard." A trace of cruelty flashed in Valeri's smile. "But if he takes the money and doesn't deliver, those four million will become his death warrant... I think many people would gladly accept it."

The few exchanged glances, vaguely understanding Valeri's meaning.

"Don't forget we also have the recording." One person mentioned. "If he dares disobey, we edit it and release it... hehe, the entire Xisiya won't let him off."

They didn't notice that their every word and action were heard by the shadow hidden in the corner.

Guan Tong walked on the street. Through the shared auditory sense, he wasn't too surprised by Valeri and the others' conspiracy.

Cooperating with these people, it was impossible not to be betrayed after crossing the river. So from the very beginning, his goal was to profit first, then find an opportunity to eliminate them later.

If it were up to him alone, he would have made his move the instant the Transaction ended, first seizing control of Valeri.

But after all, he still had to consider Yelanka's situation and couldn't just act recklessly according to his own wishes.

Guan Tong returned to the estate. It was already early morning. The study light was still on; both Yelanka and Uenoshi were waiting for his return.

Guan Tong pushed the door open and, under their gazes, recounted everything that had happened.

After listening, Yelanka's face turned icy, but she hadn't reached the point of furious rage, probably having mentally prepared herself somewhat in advance.

"I memorized all the signatures on the list. Do you need them?" Guan Tong asked.

"No... not everyone on the list is necessarily their person. Without evidence, I can't make rash judgments."

"Hmm, that's true."

"However, the one they want to kill is actually Sigaochin... Unforgivable!"

Guan Tong and Uenoshi exchanged a glance. The former asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Yelanka thought for a moment. "Teacher, you just said the process of your negotiation with Valeri was recorded by hidden cameras. If we obtain the recording and make it public, I can use it to take action against the Security Bureau."

"The recording also has the part where the Troupe Leader accepted the deposit." Uenoshi said at this point. "If made public, wouldn't the people of Xisiya collectively turn against him?"

Yelanka was slightly taken aback, not having considered this point, and looked at Guan Tong.

Guan Tong, however, looked completely indifferent. "Just explain afterwards that it was feigned compliance. As for whether the people believe it or not... right and wrong lie with oneself, praise and blame come from others, why care too much about it."