"Last night..." Xie Lingxi sat down on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, took the phone, and asked, "Is it related to the Xiaohou family?" The female assistant shook her head. "It's related to Yuan Shiyi, the Celestial Sovereign." Xie Lingxi's interest grew even stronger, prompting her, "What's going on?" "I learned this from an official messenger. While the official team in Kangyang District was pursuing a spiritual-energy adept on a wanted list, they were ambushed. The enemy force consisted of four Level 3 Evil-class specialists, putting the pursuit team in serious danger. In the end, it was your friend, Yuan Shiyi, who single-handedly defeated all the spiritual-energy sorcerers of the Lingneng Association." "Four Level 3 sorcerers actually killed? Really?" Xie Lingxi slightly opened her mouth, her face momentarily stunned. Was Yuan Shiyi that powerful? "The truth remains unconfirmed. According to the information provided by the Kangyang District's centurion, the details of last night's incident cannot be disclosed." The female assistant shook her head again. She learned about it from a close female traveler friend—the matter wasn't a secret, and it had spread among some smaller groups of female travelers. As for whether it contained any embellishment, the female assistant couldn't verify it, since even the grassroots official travelers weren't always fully aware of it. Moreover, it wasn't essential information that needed deep investigation. Thus, she simply shared it to keep the lady aware of the Five Elements Alliance and her friend's current status. How could his strength be that strong? No, he had cleared the S-rank spiritual realm and achieved the highest score—there was a strong possibility he received some powerful consumable or item… Items were part of one's strength as well. Yuan Shi had great potential; she should definitely introduce him to her father. Xie Lingxi's thoughts flowed smoothly, and a sweet smile bloomed on her face. "Hmm, compared to him, Xiaohou Tianyuan seems like a sneaky, petty fellow. You go ahead—let me make a call to comfort Yuan Shi. After all, he's been treated unfairly by Xiaohou Tianyun." "The female assistant stared in astonishment, saying, 'I don't think Xiahou Tianyuan could possibly bully him.' 'What do you know!' Xie Lingxi rolled her eyes. ... At 8:30 a.m., Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the office carrying his backpack. Li Dongze, whose shoulders were swollen with bandages and who was holding a walking stick in one hand, watched Zhang Yuanqing ascend the stairs and couldn't help asking, 'Do you come to the office every day? Don't you have classes to attend?' Zhang Yuanqing replied with firm dignity, 'How could I delay my efforts to serve the organization because of my studies? However, since you've raised this point, I'd like to consult you—after all, human energy is limited. So, I've decided to stop studying altogether. 'Does the Five-Element Alliance have any way for me to receive my graduation certificate without actually attending classes?' Gu Ya, seated at her desk and having a simple breakfast, replied, 'Of course. By then, everyone will know that Yuanshǐ Tianzun is a student at Songhai University.' Li Dongze patted his subordinate on the shoulder, warmly saying, "Your dedication to serving the organization deserves praise, but don't neglect your studies. After all, you're not a fire specialist—though even if you give up your brain, you can still clear the dungeon." Chief, you're doing it again! Zhang Yuanqing agreed, "Alright, Chief, you're absolutely right—scouts truly are the best profession." Li Dongze beamed with satisfaction, patting his trusted subordinate on the shoulder, "I'll have a case of cola ready for you. Just come to my office whenever you'd like to have a drink. That settles it—let's get down to business." He glanced at Guan Ya and Wang Tai, and announced, "I'll be recovering for some time. In my absence, someone will take over my duties. Guan Ya, Yuan Shi, you'll work closely with the acting Chief to track down the Black Unseen. They'll report in the day after tomorrow." Ah? The Chief is leaving? Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback. Kong quickly realized that Li Dongze’s shoulders had been pierced by the spider woman and hadn’t received treatment with the "Life Original Liquid," while the scouts lacked healing skills and unlike Ye You Shen, didn’t possess self-healing abilities. Such injuries would indeed require a period of recovery. "Commander, who is the new commander?" Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously. "Deputy commander—deputy commander!" Li Dongze emphasized, adding nothing more, simply saying, "When you meet them, you’ll know. I hope you get along well with them." Then, he left the second floor, supporting himself with his cane. As soon as Li Dongze departed, Zhang Yuanqing immediately pulled out a chair and sat beside Guan Ya, gazing at her refined, three-dimensional profile, and whispered, "Is the new commander one of the team members who haven’t appeared yet?" She wore an expensive perfume, its fragrance rich yet not overpowering. Guan Ya hummed softly and smiled, saying, "The battle last night left many people needing bed rest, causing staffing shortages. That's why Fu Qingyang decided to bring back the two officers who've been on leave for a while." "Doesn't the squad leader seem to dislike them?" Zhang Yuanqing finally asked the question he'd been curious about for a long time. "If you're in charge of a group of uncooperative subordinates—unable to win battles, and unable to reprimand them—you wouldn't like them either." "How weak is the squad leader, then?" Guan Ya gave him a withering look, her lips slightly glossed, her smile lifting at the corners of her mouth. "What makes you think the squad leader is particularly strong? His combat performance has always been second to last in the second squad—last place is Wang Tai. In terms of physical skills, I can easily outperform him, let alone those two. Even after you joined, he still ended up second to last." ...Zhang Yuanqing couldn't speak, his heart aching for Li Dongze. After teasing Li Dongze, Guan Ya spoke seriously: "I must tell you something about these two. One is a fiery master—strict, passionate, easily irritated, and won't tolerate the slightest imperfection. You can't keep staring at my back with that half-smiling, half-dazed look anymore, or else you'll be beaten up." "Guan Ya姐, don't blame me! I never actually stared at your back with that kind of gaze." "Are you sure?" "I was actually staring at your chest the whole time." Guan Ya gave him a withering look and continued: "The other one is a water-type ghost—rather odd in temperament, difficult to get along with. Several times, the head of the department has been so frustrated he's even had to cough up blood—yes, I'm using a literary device. Still, he's very principled and particularly fond of people who are honest and straightforward." "Most importantly, both of them come from distinguished backgrounds. Building good relationships with them will certainly benefit you." Zhang Yuanqing adopted a posture of eager anticipation. "One is the heir to a senior position in the Red Fire Sect, a third-level fire master. The other one, while not as prominent in Guan Ya was familiar with the details, reciting them as she opened a drawer and pulled out a sticky note, then turned around to double-check it, nodding confidently: "I haven't made a mistake—pretty much like this." Zhang Yuanqing glanced quickly and caught a glimpse: Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun, a Scorpio male, astrological traits: enigmatic, holds grudges, strong in personality... Note: Highly likely to be pursued by women from other organizations... This woman—oh, she gritted her teeth. At that moment, her phone buzzed in her pants pocket. Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone. Xie Lingxi? Zhang Yuanqing quietly entered the restroom. ... Outside the city of Songhai. Wang Qian walked briskly along the uneven pedestrian path, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, hands tucked into his pockets. Compared to the city center, the suburban infrastructure was much more worn—due to subsidence, the road lanes tilted to the left and right, and the pedestrian path featured uneven, cracked tiles. With the city's buildings already fully developed, real estate developers had started constructing new projects across the area, adding to the overall chaos. But for Wang Qian, the more chaotic the place, the better it was for hiding. He walked along a long pedestrian path, passed through a construction site, and arrived at the outer door of a low, weathered flat building. "Ding-ding-ding..." he tapped the door with a distinct rhythm, speaking softly, "I'm Wang Qian." The door opened, and a middle-aged man in a tattered coat, with a beer belly, a vibrant explosion of hair, and a rounded, well-fed appearance, peered out. He glanced around, then ushered him inside. The room was messy—beer cans, dirty clothes, and takeout boxes scattered everywhere. Besides the well-fed man, there were two others. One was a lively young woman in jeans and a black tank top, holding a cigarette between her teeth, sitting in front of the TV playing a game. The other was a young man wearing over-ear headphones, pale-faced, lying on the sofa listening to music. "How did you manage to come here?" the well-fed man asked, rubbing his hair, which he hadn't washed for a long time, in a serious tone. "It's been such a turbulent time—don't go wandering around too much He suddenly realized something was wrong. Wang Qian's eyes were bloodshot, his face pale and stern, a strong anger radiating from his brow. "Boss..." Wang Qian gritted his teeth, "My sister has been kidnapped." The game-loving girl set down her controller. The young man on the sofa opened his eyes. Qingdian Daxing frowned, "How do you know?" Wang Qian took a deep breath to steady himself: "I wanted to reach out to my family today, so I deliberately called from the neighboring district. My mother told me my sister had been kidnapped. It must be the Xiaohou family—otherwise, who would have taken my sister, given that everything was otherwise so stable?" "You'll be tracked and monitored the entire time!" Qingdian Daxing burst into anger. "But if I don't contact my family, I wouldn't even know my sister was in trouble until now," Wang Qian said, his eyes red with emotion. The girl slammed her controller down, exclaiming, "Crap!" and stormed, "The Xiaohou family has no sense of protocol! I can't take it anymore. I'm going to summon the head of the The young man wearing headphones chuckled coldly: "Stupid. Why should we go down with them in total destruction? If they're bold enough to attack Wang Qian's family, then our own family is also in danger. Then why not just eliminate our family altogether? From now on, let's focus solely on killing off Xiahou family members until they're wiped out—what's to fear then?" Qingdian Daxing stared at him, saying, "The heavens show no mercy. I don't think your strategy as an orphan—so extreme—is viable." "Stopping violence through violence, resolving conflict through conflict—that's precisely the essence of the Palace of Stopping Violence," the young man countered. Qingdian Daxing fell silent, only able to sigh, "The Palace Master has her own vision. She wants us to remain hidden and not disrupt her plans. The situation hasn't reached that point yet—let me think of something." The room fell into quiet silence. After a few seconds, Qingdian Daxing suddenly brightened: "This matter shouldn't be our responsibility. Xiahou family has taken ordinary civilians hostage—this is a breach of protocol. Then we should involve the official organizational representatives." "The fiery girl exclaimed again, 'Eh!', with a huff: 'Who do you want to find? Who can help Wang Qian? The Five Elements Alliance clearly favors the Xiahou family—no, many of them are actually part of the Xiahou family's faction. Finding the official is like looking for a dog in the yard.' The Sage of Unshakable Calm turned to Wang Qian: 'Don't you know Yuan Shiyuan, the Supreme Immortal of Kangyang District's Second Team? Try him."