SLAP—

A crisp slap landed on the face of a senior agent from the intelligence bureau.

"What are you trying to do? Are you trying to drive the Kingdom of Ice and Snow into a desperate situation? Who gave you the authority to arrest Wang Lan? Was it my father the king, or my uncle?"

"It was… it was… General Stephen from our bureau!"

"Stephen?" Princess Aier's expression darkened again. "What authority does he have, and what evidence?"

At this moment, a car slowly drove up. Everyone halted their actions and turned to look at the car.

The car stopped, and an elderly general adorned in a stunning military uniform, his chest covered with medals, stepped out.

"Princess Aier, please don't be angry. It was I who ordered them to bring Mr. Wang Lan back for questioning."

"General Stephen, you are one of our Elders, and you have a great reputation in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. I know you would not betray the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. But I cannot understand your actions. You know who Wang Lan is and how important he is. How could you want to arrest him? Do you understand the consequences of arresting Wang Lan?"

"But I believe Jade Country is reasonable. We have justifiable and lawful reasons."

"What reasons?"

"We have found the terrorists who stole the nuclear bombs," Stephen said, his authority matching Princess Aier's as he met her sharp gaze.

"And the evidence?"

Stephen produced a photograph, holding it up to Princess Aier. "This is the temporary base of the terrorists that I traced after receiving reliable intelligence. Regrettably, I was too late when I arrived. Apart from one who was killed on the spot, the others escaped using their formidable power.

"This person, also from Jade Country, belongs to the Duanmu Family. He was responsible for dealing in Space Stones with the terrorist organization hidden in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. We've traced the trade records of the past three years through this person. During that period, a significant quantity of Space Stones was transported to various places across the galaxy through him.

"Furthermore, at their temporary hideout, we discovered detailed plans for the nuclear bomb heist and some unfinished electronic devices. Upon examination by our experts, we found these devices to be bomb detonators.

"Although not complete, most of it was finished. This meant the terrorists still intended to make bombs for terrorist activities."

"Very well!" Princess Aier said with a cold sneer. "To think that in less than a week, you've found such a breakthrough clue. But what does this have to do with Wang Lan?"

Suddenly, Stephen took out another photo from his pocket. "This was captured by a CCTV camera across from the Midnight Bar. On the night of the incident, Wang Lan secretly met with this terrorist in the bar.

They talked for a full ten minutes. Ten minutes later, the terrorist left, and half an hour after that, Mr. Wang Lan also left. Subsequently, the nuclear bombs were stolen, and Mr. Wang Lan was, coincidentally, the first to arrive at the scene.

Princess Aier, in light of this evidence, why wouldn't I ask for Mr. Wang Lan's cooperation in our investigation? I requested Wang Lan's presence privately because I did not want this matter to affect the relationship between our two countries.

But with two missing nuclear bombs, and hundreds of thousands, even millions of lives at stake, no matter how important Wang Lan is, I must still ask. Mr. Wang Lan, I hope you can honestly tell me their whereabouts?"

In that moment, Wang Lan felt utterly screwed over.

Such a cunning setup, such a logical chain of evidence. If I were in their shoes, I would be convinced by this evidence on the spot. Faced with these proofs, I'm even starting to doubt whether I'm in league with the terrorists.

"Mr. Wang Lan, do you have any explanation?" Stephen stepped forward, pressing aggressively.

"General Stephen, you should look for clues elsewhere. Wang Lan couldn't possibly be allied with terrorists, and the Kingdom of Ice and Snow will not allow you to doubt his identity. You can report this matter to my father and my uncle. I believe they will make the same decision as I have."

"Your Highness, I only need an explanation from Mr. Wang Lan now. Of course, if he can provide the whereabouts of the terrorists and help us recover the stolen nuclear bombs, he will still be our hero."

"I said, that's enough! Stop it!" Princess Aier shouted angrily, her Star Power surging out like flames, flaring up like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

"That won't be necessary." Wang Lan said with a faint smile. "General Stephen, is it? I can provide an explanation. My identity is actually no secret. Besides being a student at the Star Martial Academy of Modu City, I'm also a senior special agent with the Tianjian Bureau of Jade Country's intelligence system.

"Before I came to assist the Kingdom of Ice and Snow, the Tianjian Bureau also assigned me another mission: to investigate the source of the Space Stones that had flooded world markets in recent years. We had reliable intelligence indicating the source was in the Kingdom of Ice and Snow.

"As for the terrorist in your photo… he's actually not a terrorist. He's also a special agent of the Tianjian Bureau, who underwent cosmetic surgery to pose as a member of the Duanmu Family and infiltrate the enemy ranks to gather intelligence."

This explanation was far from satisfactory for Stephen. Could Wang Lan really argue both sides so easily? Just because he claimed the dead man was an undercover agent for the Tianjian Bureau, did that make it true? With the man dead, Wang Lan's assertion left them with no evidence to refute it.

Stephen had weathered countless storms in his life, but never before had he been so thoroughly outmaneuvered by mere words when he held what seemed like conclusive evidence.

"Mr. Wang Lan, are you serious? To my knowledge, that person is from the Duanmu Family, one of Jade Country's top Star Martial families. And the quantity of Space Stones he was involved in trafficking is astronomical. If you're claiming he's from the Tianjian Bureau, isn't that tantamount to admitting that Jade Country has been orchestrating the worldwide smuggling of Space Stones all these years?"

"General Stephen, please don't jump to conclusions. The Duanmu Family was responsible for the Space Stone smuggling these past years, a matter Jade Country thoroughly investigated over a month ago. The Duanmu Family has since been stripped of their Star Martial family status, and all its leaders have been imprisoned and punished. This particular agent, posing as a member of the Duanmu Family, was put in place before I came to the Kingdom of Ice and Snow. His purpose was to infiltrate the smuggling ring."

Wang Lan's words made Stephen's expression turn exceptionally grave. While he couldn't yet confirm the truth of Wang Lan's statements, it was unlikely to be false, considering the Duanmu Family's international influence.

Beyond his shock at the Duanmu Family's demise, Stephen also felt a deep apprehension regarding Jade Country's decisive and ruthless methods. The Duanmu Family had been an international calling card for Jade Country; their effortless removal, without any international outcry, was chillingly efficient.

"I will verify this. For today's offense, I, on behalf of myself and my subordinates, apologize to you. I hope this misunderstanding has not affected the friendship between our two nations."

With these words, Stephen bowed slightly to Princess Aier. "Your Highness, you are the God of War of our Kingdom of Ice and Snow. Although your strength has reached its peak, your temperament still needs to be honed. I hope you will not allow personal emotions to override the authority of the nation. Your Highness, I will take my leave now."

Stephen's departure seemed to signal the end of the misunderstanding. However, in his heart, Wang Lan muttered to himself, This is just the beginning.

「The crowd dispersed, and the night grew quiet.」

Once again, Wang Lan found himself on the rooftop, this time with a drink in his hand. He gazed up at the Galaxy to the east—his homeland, and Agent 31's as well.

There was no way Agent 31 was simply killed by mistake, and he could not possibly have been involved in a terrorist attack to steal nuclear weapons. All this evidence must have been fabricated to frame him.

The world appears so beautiful, and Jade Country seems so peaceful, but who knows how many people like Agent 31 are silently fighting in the shadows to protect Jade Country's peace.

They live under false identities, performing life-threatening operations in the darkest corners of the world. No matter how great their achievements or contributions, their names will never be remembered.

Even in death, they cannot reclaim their own names or have their remains buried in their homeland. Serene times... what dark humor!

Gently, Wang Lan poured out the drink in his hand. "Unnamed hero, this cup is for you. May you rest in peace."

A slight sound came from behind him, and a fragrant scent, carried by the evening breeze, wafted past Wang Lan's nose. It was Princess Aier's scent, quite intoxicating.

"Wang Lan, I'm sorry… Please, don't be angry."

"I'm not angry. Considering the evidence they had, their restraint in not immediately mobilizing a large force for the arrest was considerable. They were just doing their duty."

"About that Duanmu…"

"His name wasn't Duanmu Geshu; he was Agent 31! He didn't have a name, only a designation. I only met him once, but he left a deep impression on me. He was a free-spirited man, even in the face of life and death. He never addressed me by name; he just said 'people like us'."

"I'm sorry… It's all the terrorists' fault."

"Princess Aier, can I trust you?" Wang Lan suddenly asked.

"Why do you ask? We've fought side by side, faced life and death together. We are close friends, partners who can entrust our lives to each other. Don't you trust me by now?"

"You must have guessed that someone in the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Ice and Snow is secretly colluding with Paradise Bird. And this person still hasn't been caught, right?"

"I… am I also a suspect?"

"No, actually, deep down, I do trust you. Come with me to a place."

"Where?"

"A place where we might learn the truth, or at least continue to pursue it. Agent 31's death was definitely meticulously orchestrated."

"Okay!"

No sooner had Princess Aier spoken than a figure appeared as silently and eerily as a Ghost. "Take me with you."

"Ruoyun, I've always been curious. How do you manage to appear by my side so silently every time? Theoretically, our strengths should be similar, right? With you around like this, I don't even dare to close my eyes to sleep."

"Afraid I'll eat you?" Yu Ruoyun retorted, sounding exasperated.

"Uh… I'm just afraid you'll scare me in the middle of the night. Let's go!"

Like phantoms, the three of them vanished into the night. Leaving the camp, Wang Lan weaved through the main streets and narrow alleys of Ice City.

"Wang Lan, where exactly are we going?" After several twists and turns, Princess Aier finally couldn't hold back her question.

"To a safe house."

"Where is this safe house? Tell me the location… I know Ice City well."

"Don't worry, I've memorized the route. Are you worried I'll get lost?"

"It's not that I'm worried, but… which direction are we heading now?"

"East."

"We're heading south now."

"…"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.