Government agents? Qu Jianlei felt a bit puzzled: Could it be a procurement problem?

Other than that, he couldn't think of any reason for the government to come knocking.

"This is private property; don't they consider the consequences of coming here?"

"It's the Anomaly Affairs Management Division," Yuanyuan said with a furrowed brow, "even higher ranked than the Awakened Management Division!"

Qu Jianlei was taken aback again. He actually knew about this department; he had heard of it back when he was advising Hoyel.

However, "This department seems like an empty shell with no real power, right?"

"Certainly not!" Yuanyuan firmly responded, "But generally, there are not many things that deserve their attention."

She didn't think their perception was wrong. In fact, the Anomalous Management Division often has little presence.

It's just that her family background informed her that although it appears to be an empty shell, it actually wields great power.

Qu Jianlei raised his eyebrow, "You didn't tell them that this is Qinghu Supreme's private domain?"

Yuanyuan didn't dare to address Qinghu Supreme directly by name; she replied sulkily.

"I did. I asked them to check the land deed... Otherwise, they'd have stormed in by now."

It seems that the Supreme's title still holds some weight. Qu Jianlei nodded, and then asked.

"Then why did they come knocking?"

Yuanyuan hesitated, her expression turning peculiar, "They're investigating... the unusual thunderstorm problem from a couple of days ago."

"I can't believe it..." Qu Jianlei couldn't help but click his tongue. "They're reaching unbelievably far."

Yet, since it's called the "Anomaly Affairs" management, asking about unusual weather seems reasonable?

But that's not the main point. The main point is, "How much time did they give you?"

"Five minutes," Yuanyuan said helplessly, spreading her hands, "I first went to retrieve the Qi Gathering Array."

This was almost certainly the right choice, whether or not Ran Bingluan could be awakened; they must first secure sensitive items.

Qu Jianlei nodded and then asked another question, "Where did you put the Storage Talisman?"

"Thrown into the mud of Scenic Lake," Yuanyuan responded casually.

Half-Star Island is Lake Heart Island, but there's also a small lake on the island, covering about half a square kilometer, mainly for viewing.

She was more concerned, "There are still so many Energy Blocks left; you need to put them away quickly."

The two of them prepared a total of ten million Energy Blocks, and so far, less than two million have been used.

Among the remaining eight hundred thousand, six million are in Qu Jianlei's Storage Ring, and over two hundred thousand are piled at the feeding port.

However, even two hundred thousand is too conspicuous.

On such a large island, having a reserve of ten or twenty thousand Energy Blocks can be explained, even thirty or fifty thousand could pass.

But over two hundred thousand is hard to justify; initially, they exchanged Energy Blocks at many different places. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

And with so many Energy Blocks, Yuanyuan's Storage Talisman couldn't hold them; it required Qu Jianlei to act.

Qu Jianlei hadn't had time to speak when he sensed something wrong.

His brow furrowed slightly as he released pressure and uttered a word, "Leave!"

Outside the gate, an A-level had released Spiritual Perception, seeming to want to sense the island's condition.

As Qu Jianlei's word left his mouth, the A-level's body trembled violently, blood appeared at the corners of his mouth, and his face paled.

Accompanying him, another A-level's expression changed slightly, "There's actually a Supreme on the island?"

The injured A-level's throat moved twice, forcibly swallowing a mouthful of blood, unable to speak.

This was not only him trying to suppress injuries but also acknowledging he was overstepping.

Half-Star Island is a Supreme's property. He should have negotiated rather than relying on his status to forcibly investigate.

If the Supreme wasn't present, a slight overreach would have been tolerable—it's part of the job.

They hadn't acted before because they were probing Qinghu Supreme's whereabouts.

When they heard Qinghu was on Celestial Handle Star these past few days, they decided to investigate discreetly.

However, they were truly unlucky; Qinghu Supreme was away, but there was another Supreme on the island!

Thus, this person suffered a bit, yet he couldn't even muster a grievance.

Disrespecting a Supreme and being caught in the act—what's there to say?

The other A-level, upon seeing this, raised his voice, "Which Supreme is on the island? Could you reveal your identity?"

"Not convenient!" Qu Jianlei replied impatiently, "If you leave now, I can plead with Qinghu to let you go."

"Esteemed one, in that case, we apologize!" The A-level calmly responded, showing neither humility nor arrogance.

"The Anomalous Management Division is responsible for investigating all kinds of anomalies. The thunderstorm in this area two days ago was very peculiar."

"We came here to investigate the issue and then address it; leaving is not an option!"

Qu Jianlei replied without hesitation, "Then contact the owner here. As long as she agrees, I don't mind."

Another A-level finally swallowed that mouthful of blood, and his breath calmed down a bit. Hearing the words, he couldn't help but comment.

"Sir, if it were easy to contact him, we wouldn't be so reckless."

"Now, we ask for your understanding. We are the Anomaly Affairs Management Division, and we have the authority to make on-the-spot decisions."

After all, this department is really formidable. Even if facing the Supreme, they dare to argue with reason.

But Qu Jianlei wasn't buying it. He coldly snorted upon hearing this, "Does your on-the-spot decision include disrespecting the Supreme?"

However, the other party was also exceptionally seasoned, "Sir, ignorance of the law excuses no one. May I ask how to address you, Sir?"

"Offending me, and that's it with just one nonchalant phrase?" Qu Jianlei answered eerily.

He had encountered quite a few Supremes. Though most of them met their demise quickly, he managed to grasp some of their psychological patterns and behaviors.

"You want to know my name, do you deserve it?"

This is the unique confidence of the Supreme. As long as the opposition isn't a Supreme, no matter how important their status is, insulting on the spot is no taboo.

Compared to what Qu Jianlei said now, it was still considered polite. Many Supremes have much worse temperaments.

The one being scolded truly dared not act out and could only reluctantly explain, "I'll explain to you once more, we are from the Anomalous Management Division."

"I don't care where you're from?" Qu Jianlei continued unceremoniously, "If you want to converse with me, let your Supreme come!"

The A-level outside the door panicked upon hearing this, "Sir, our Supreme isn't present, we hope you will cooperate..."

"The Anomalous Management Division has connections with the Military, Planet Government, Awakened Management Division, and other departments."

No wonder they have the confidence, just listening to these cooperating departments, anyone can tell they are difficult to deal with.

This isn't the end. Next, the other party straightforwardly declared.

"If you insist on not cooperating, we have no intention to offend, but can only deploy a warship here."

Look at what happened to Buckingham, you'll know that although the Supreme is formidable, facing a warship feels truly overwhelming.

However, Qu Jianlei replied without hesitation, "Then deploy a warship here, I'll be waiting."

He wasn't doubting the other's bluff, after all, he had been a consultant at the Planet Mansion, he had this basic knowledge.

The Anomalous Management Division is originally a coordinating agency, their words work both with the official government and the military.

If they wanted to deploy warships, all parties should respond favorably.

What Qu Jianlei considered was delaying time, as there were many traces on Half-Star Island, he needed to eliminate them as much as possible.

The other party mobilizing a warship shouldn't be difficult, but it would take time. He intended to exploit the time gap.

Who would have thought, the other party then remarked again, "Given the situation, perhaps we should invite a Supreme instead."

Contrary to Qu Jianlei's expectations, when they mentioned deploying warships, they were mostly just saying it.

Not to mention the difficulty in coordination, just deploying a warship would at least attract the military and government's attention, blowing things out of proportion.

If the Supreme from the opposite side had a small mind… deploying a warship was almost akin to tearing things apart.

Rather, inviting a Supreme over meant relatively controllable risk, and the burden could be shifted.

Upon hearing this, Qu Jianlei coldly snorted and simply said one more phrase, "I'm waiting," before falling silent.

No matter what kind of Supreme the other party could invite, at least for now, he had gained time.

While erasing various traces, he instructed Yuanyuan, "The procurement you arranged... have them pause for now."

When he provided those lists, he was very cautious; almost impossible for ordinary people to detect any issues.

However, once intentionally scrutinized under a magnifying glass, it really cannot withstand careful examination.

"Rest assured, we've already arranged it in code," Yuanyuan nodded.

This little one appeared silly and cute, but at certain times, the sensitivity and response were extraordinarily adept.

Qu Jianlei didn't believe this was coincidental. Coming from such a family, the influence naturally led to such reactions.

Hopefully, those people from your family will be reliable, Qu Jianlei silently busied himself.

At this point, he really wanted to summon Scenic Lake, but after he encountered Tribulation Thunder, the Big Head Butterfly disappeared again.

Inside his Storage Ring, there are still Baofeng and Vortex, both containing core data fragments of Scenic Lake.

He wanted to forcibly summon Scenic Lake, which presumably wouldn't be too difficult, but... why bother?

Moreover, this Anomalous Management Division isn't simple, not only do they have a strong network, but they do not entirely obey the Planet Government or the military.

The Anomalous Management Division is somewhat similar to the Customs Enforcement Division, valuing vertical management but cannot truly be compared to the Customs Enforcement Division.

The latter has clear rights and responsibilities, along with independent law enforcement powers; vertical management isn't hard.

But the Anomalous Management Division is fundamentally a coordination agency, sounds like it oversees everything, but actually, it doesn't seriously control anything.

Given this situation, they must emphasize horizontal communication; vertical management is unrealistic, just think about it.

Yet turning back, this hard-to-determine strength agency is somewhat excessively mysterious, nobody knows what trump cards it holds.

To disregard it, just see it as a façade, but who can guarantee there's no stronger artificial intelligence within this system?

Thus, to be safe, currently evolving Scenic Lake is not suitable to be exposed.