At the same time, all the private boxes in the venue and the actors moving around the venue were successively inspected by the military.

This is necessary. After all, with such a big incident and these military and political figures making such a mess of things, some people will inevitably have to bear the consequences.

In such a situation, where one is "at the mercy of others," even a high-ranking official like Lieutenant General Mays could only swallow his anger and cooperate with the military's search.

Of course, this does not include special groups of people.

As it turned out, the group of friends were quite reliable. Jiang Hui and the others followed Huan Xian around the loop and left the hiding room without any problems, then headed to the corridor of a certain private room.

Once they left their hiding place, the outside was clean, without the chaos they had imagined. However, the lingering stench of blood in the air clearly told them that what had just happened outside was no child's play.

Therefore, everyone walked very cautiously, trying to keep their footsteps as light as possible, so as not to disturb some "big shots" hiding in the shadows.

However, Huan Xian had entered in the same way, so he knew the way well when leading them out. And he had probably already given prior notice, because several patrol teams they encountered on the way simply ignored them—or rather, watched them leave.

But things don't always go as planned, and in the end, someone did come.

After circling around for a short while, just as Huan Xian said they were about to reach the specially opened exit, they suddenly encountered a patrol of soldiers. They had obviously also spotted Jiang Hui and his group, but unlike the others they had encountered before, they didn't just pass by. The young officer in charge looked straight at them when he saw them.

Jiang Hui did not recognize this unfamiliar officer, but the expression on the other man's face clearly showed that he was hesitant. Was he going to stop them and question them?
Suddenly, Huan Xian, who was always by her side, put his arm around her shoulder and turned slightly to block the view from the opposite side.

It seems they know each other. Jiang Hui thought to herself.

Before she could ask anything, the group continued walking forward without stopping. The group that had tried to stop them had clearly given up and intended to watch them leave.

"These old fogies who like to direct and act on their own projects, let's see how they clean up the mess if they really mess things up," Jiang Hui heard Zhou Xiuwen mutter under his breath.

Huan Xian paused upon hearing this, but said nothing more, only urging, "We're almost there, let's go."

-------------

Seeing Xu Yan pause in that direction for no apparent reason, his adjutant whispered a reminder, "Over there."

Although the venue appeared quiet and orderly, only they knew that a strict order had been issued from above. Before the marking was completed, everyone in the factory had to be completely under control, with no one left out; in special circumstances, even—no mercy could be spared.

This was practically an extremely serious order. This auction was attended by countless high-ranking political figures and aristocratic scions; the untimely death of any one of them would cause a major uproar. Yet, the fact that such an order was being issued, even at the cost of endless trouble, demonstrates the higher-ups' resolve.

They had no idea how many "big shots" they had threatened along their search. Like the Lieutenant General Mays, who was, strictly speaking, their commander's former superior. They'd heard that he'd broken ties with Lieutenant General Xu a few years ago, and the meeting was as awkward as they'd imagined, but more amicable than expected—quite cooperative.

Several people reacted strongly, as if they had been insulted, and vowed to remember their names to avenge the offense.

However, in the military, an order is an order, and no questioning is allowed. No matter how much those high-ranking officials resist, they have no choice but to obey. But the group of people not far away, walking so openly on the cleared patrol path without attracting any patrol alarms, seems to be an exception.

Seeing that his superior was still standing there, the adjutant understood and shut his mouth, saying nothing more.

Xu Yan's fingertips twitched slightly. He looked at one of the young men in the group one last time and said in a low voice, "Let's go to the next marked reaction zone."

Oh, really you're not going to investigate?
The deputy shut his mouth completely. He looked at his superior, who had turned and left without hesitation, and hurriedly called for everyone to follow. In the end, he didn't even glance back—because he dared not look.

The fact that Lieutenant General Mays, who had a past relationship with the lieutenant general, was handled strictly by his own superiors, while he treated this group of unknown individuals with such avoidance and apprehension, shows that they must be extremely troublesome figures. They'd better not get involved in the bloody power struggles of these important figures.

--------------

“They’re gone.” Clarence was somewhat surprised, seemingly expecting the group to come.

Jiang Hui also felt that this patrol team was much more imposing than the other teams they had encountered earlier. At first glance, they seemed genuinely interested in questioning them, but for some reason, they ultimately gave up.

“Xu Yan of the Third Army Corps,” Huan Xian said. He recognized the man; he was a very capable person who had left a deep impression on him.

The other party had likely intended to come over, but gave up upon seeing a certain person. It wasn't because of him, of course; after all, a mere captain in the 19th Army Corps, even with a special status, wouldn't be enough to stop him. But—someone else could.

Zhou Xiuwen is undoubtedly invaluable. As the sole heir to Zhou Yuanjing's vast military power, his existence and life are irreplaceable. While he may not necessarily restore the Zhou family to its former glory, his death at this time would be a major upheaval for the Zhou family, the military, and even the entire empire.

Heaven knows, when they were carrying out their plan, they discovered that this unconventional person had stumbled into this dangerous trap, causing chaos in their ranks. The masterminds behind the scenes immediately split into two factions, leading to a fierce argument. They believed that continuing this farce was far too risky—they couldn't afford the inherent risks.

While carrying out this plan might yield some useful information that they urgently need, if they were to accidentally involve this untouchable "taboo," it would be a huge disaster for the current situation and even for the empire.

They dared not gamble, yet they were "on the verge of disaster and had no choice but to act."

Ultimately, despite the risks, we proceeded as planned. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario we had anticipated did not occur.

But the danger increases exponentially with every moment this person stays here. "Forget it, let's quickly ask this powerful figure to leave," Xu Yan thought.

Jiang Hui, who had already taken a few steps to the temporary exit, touched the space button as if she had something in mind. Her palm was inexplicably warm, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

"Let's go quickly," Zhou Xiuwen said, turning to his friends. They didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another second.

The girl nodded and stepped out of the temporary exit.

(End of this chapter)

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