Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1370 Breaking Through the Night and Entering the Noise

In the last ten minutes of the banquet, guests began to arrive. Instead of entering through the main entrance, which was crowded with media reporters, they entered the old palace through a private passage and took their seats in the VIP area.

Inside Hanquan Palace, Zhu Mian first greeted several important figures.

Besides political figures, foreign ambassadors, and social celebrities, the main attendees here today are undoubtedly fighters from various fighting styles, with members of the "Natural Style" being the most numerous.

The "naturalist" type seeks to release their desires and satisfy their nature, so they will try to pursue anything that interests them, regardless of their skill level.

So Zhu Mian sent invitations to most of the members of the Tianxing faction he knew. Among them, there was one person whose arrival surprised him and even excited him.

These were high-ranking members of the organization he rarely had access to.

But he didn't point it out; he simply greeted the man and specially instructed someone to send over the item he liked. This was a rare treasure he had collected from all over the world at great expense, meant for this very moment.

Moreover, if you can win this person's favor, it's like having another protective charm.

After dealing with all the important people who came tonight, he then brought the woman beside him to his circle of friends.

Everyone stood up to welcome her. One person pointed to the necklace the beautiful woman was wearing and said meaningfully.

"The moon reflects on the tranquil lake, and the tranquil lake reflects the moon's heart. This moonstone is exquisite; Young Master Zhu should cherish it."

He was referring to moonstone, but everyone knew he was using it as a metaphor, and they all burst into laughter.

Zhu Mian looked at Ying Bailu, who was holding his arm. Ying Bailu met his gaze with her beautiful eyes, which were truly like autumn water, full of tender affection.

Even though he knew that this woman was simply a skilled actress, he still enjoyed it.

There's no such thing as true love in this world. As long as you act in a way that he can't tell, that's enough. That's why the people he promotes are always the best actors.

Moreover, he particularly enjoys the sense of accomplishment from creating national idols. As a member of the "natural" faction, he believes he has long transcended the realm of romantic love and pursues something higher. However, this doesn't stop the stars he makes famous from fulfilling his various demands.

Of course, if you can't bring him more novelty, he'll get tired of it after a few months or a year and a half, and then he'll look for the next target.

At this moment, a trusted confidant came up and whispered something in his ear.

He immediately turned around and led his men outside. There they saw an elderly man with a cane, dressed in old-fashioned clothes and with a long beard walking towards them, escorted by several security personnel.

The old man had bright eyes and an imposing presence, though he had no implants in his body. He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed slightly, saying, "Elder Du."

Old Du looked at him, stroked his beard, and said, "Little Zhu, you've made quite a commotion today. My old bones can't take this much."

Zhu Mian said in a junior's tone, "Don't worry, Elder Du. I have already arranged a quiet place for you. The reason I invited you here today is to let you listen to us young people sing and dance and have some fun together."

Old Du chuckled, "Alright, being with you young people makes me feel a few years younger. Seeing you reminds me of my own impetuous youth, when I was just as good as you."

Zhu Mian personally led the way, guiding the old man into a specially reserved VIP room.

Some newcomers to this circle hurriedly inquired about the old man's background and learned that he had served as the Minister of the General Construction Department of the Great Shun State, but had now retired, though he still possessed considerable influence.

Old Du arrived at the door of the private room, then suddenly stopped and said, "Xiao Zhu, you can go ahead with your work."

Zhu Mian bowed slightly, tactfully withdrew, and closed the door to the passageway behind him.

Old Master Du entered the private room, where a man dressed in the old dynasty's attire was sitting. Upon seeing Old Master Du, the man stood up, crossed his arms, and bowed to him with an ancient gesture: "Minister Du, His Majesty sends his greetings."

Old Du said, "What Minister or Minister? I'm just a retired minister."

Despite saying that, he was clearly satisfied with the title. After walking in, he sat down, rested his hands on his cane, and slowly said, "The conditions you offered before were not enough. How can you expect us to speak for you?"

The man said, "His Majesty said that he will try to persuade His Majesty about the conditions proposed by your country."

"Well, you're certainly sincere enough, but that's not just talk, is it?"

"What Minister Du means is..."

"I didn't mean anything by it. What could I possibly mean?" Old Du chuckled.

At that moment, applause could be heard from downstairs, and then the surrounding lights dimmed, leaving most of the remaining light on the stage.

He said, "Come on, let's watch the show first."

Outside Hanquan Palace, Chen Chuan saw that it was eight o'clock and knew that the awards ceremony had already begun.

The voice of the Resonator came from the boundary: "Sir, we just detected that Cheng Gao from Norland has entered the venue. He is one of the Norland Naturalist Fighters."

"This person is currently reportedly representing Norland in secret negotiations with the state regarding an important project. His identity might be somewhat sensitive, and Vice Minister Ren hopes to keep him out of the public eye as much as possible." Chen Chuan calmly replied, "I understand."

He looked towards the banquet hall. In fact, tonight, not only the natural faction, but also the fusion faction and the refinement faction of fighters were present. All of these people held positions in the government and companies. However, they had high authority and were mentally shielded, so ordinary resonance users could not detect them at all.

But these people were like guiding lights to him, impossible to hide from him.

After waiting quietly for a while, he said to Jie Ping, "Begin the operation."

The order was given only moments before the sound of orderly footsteps could be heard outside, followed by a guard opening the car door.

Chen Chuan stepped out of the car, wearing a peaked hat and a navy blue overcoat from the Ministry of Security, which made his already tall and imposing figure appear even more imposing and aloof.

At this moment, Zhan Jiyue also came to his side and said to him, "Member."

Chen Chuan nodded, looking ahead at the brightly lit old palace, where several lines of people were rapidly approaching.

He raised his hand to slightly adjust the brim of his hat and walked over there, followed by a chorus of footsteps, with all the Pure Faction fighters following behind.

At this time, some uninvited media reporters were still gathered outside the door, waiting idly for the banquet to end. Some were chatting, while others were huddled up eating their pancakes.

Upon seeing this, they were initially stunned, but then their expressions became excited, and they all raised their cameras and recording equipment to take pictures.

Neither the armed personnel from the Ministry of Affairs nor the Puritans paid them any attention because all field information transmitted outward from this area had been cut off.

As for what happens afterward, all information transmissions will still be subject to review and control by the Security Affairs Department.

There were many security personnel patrolling outside Hanquan Palace. When they saw these armed men, their expressions changed and they immediately reported inside. Then they heard a rustling sound coming from inside the gate.

Being professionals, some immediately ran inside, while a group of security personnel quickly stepped forward to try and stop the armed men who had arrived first.

Immediately, a force of energy emanated from the newcomer and pressed down on him. One of the security personnel, who appeared to be a captain, tried to unleash his own energy to counter it. However, after a muffled groan, he swayed, and the surrounding security personnel fell to the ground one by one.

As the armed men at the front passed by the man, they struck him hard on the head with the butt of their guns. In just one blow, the man fell to the ground without uttering a sound.

The armed personnel from the Security Affairs Department acted extremely quickly, sealing off the entrance to the Old Palace in just a few minutes.

Meanwhile, the other teams also blocked off the remaining passages, including an ancient tunnel leading from Hanquan Palace to the outside.

Under the instructions of the inactive consciousness entities, more than 100 Wu Yi students quickly sealed off the main passages leading to this area, prohibiting all personnel from entering or leaving from this moment on.

When Chen Chuan and the others reached the gate, there were no longer any obstacles. As he stepped into the gate of Hanquan Palace, he glanced up and saw that the words on the palace plaque were still dazzling.

As you pass through the lobby, there are still many security personnel, and they are more elite than those on the outside. Many of them are private armed men brought by the guests.

But at this moment, all these people were standing there blankly, seemingly without any reaction.

Zhan Jiyue's mental power landed here first, and in an instant, everyone lost their normal reaction, even though they were wearing items to resist mental power.

Chen Chuan walked steadily and unimpeded to the banquet hall. A tasseled curtain hung in front of the door, and one could hear applause and the host's loud voice coming from inside.

Two guards quickly stepped forward and pulled back the curtain. In that instant, the dazzling and luxurious lights inside were revealed without any concealment, and the sound also suddenly amplified.

After taking a look, Chen Chuan stepped inside first, while the armed personnel and Pure Faction fighters around him dispersed to both sides of the passage.

This commotion immediately drew the attention of those inside, and the security personnel immediately became alert.

Those in the back rows also showed surprise and astonishment. Only then did they realize that normal communication had been lost, and a commotion broke out in the room.

In fact, some keen-sense fighters in the banquet hall had already noticed the fluctuations in the mental field. They immediately became alert and coldly watched the armed personnel entering below.

They are not yet clear about the specifics, and they will not intervene unless they are certain that the matter involves or threatens them.

Zhu Mian, who was sitting at the front, turned cold upon learning the situation and asked, "Which department are you from?"

Upon learning that the person might be from the Ministry of National Security Affairs, he was not surprised, because for a banquet of this caliber, every department would surely have given prior notice, especially a state security agency like the Ministry of National Security Affairs, which would certainly not overlook such an event.

He immediately realized that things were not simple, but fortunately there were enough important people present tonight, so he wasn't afraid of any problems.

Thoughts raced through his mind. He stood up, a smile on his face, and had Ying Bailu take his arm. He straightened his tie and went to greet the newcomer.

……

……

(End of this chapter)