Inside a secure room at the Special Intelligence Bureau's city branch, Derek paced back and forth, visibly on edge.He'd brought Charlotte back safely, sure, but eight dead agents under his command was not something that could quietly disappear. It demanded a report to his superiors.Nathan stood beside him, respectful. "Captain, we could construct a reasonable narrative. Say our people were killed protecting Miss Quinn during an unrelated encounter""That won't work." Derek cut him off with a raised hand. "Step outside. I'll handle this with my superiors myself."He needed to speak directly with Marcus Wu, head of the Special Intelligence Bureau's state operations and, incidentally, his own mentor.Across years working together, Derek understood Marcus Wu's character well enough. Proud. Arrogant. Someone who hated nothing more than being deceived by his own people.And tonight's incident had generated enough noise that keeping it entirely quiet was never going to be possible, not eve

Derek, still reeling from the beating, shook his head, trying to clear his vision.The pain had genuinely angered him past caution, and he snapped back."Sima Wei, this is genuinely excessive, you're interfering directly with a Special Intelligence Bureau operation. Ethan Vale is an ordinary young doctor. What does it matter to your Xuanyuan Pavilion if we arrest him? Do we owe your department a report now?""Ordinary?" Sima Wei's voice carried full force. "Who gave you the confidence to say something that stupid?"Doesn't matter if he's a doctor or a beggar off the street. If he's Miss Sima's chosen man, that alone means he's not ordinary and definitely not something trash like you touches.""You"The fury sharpened Derek's focus slightly, and remembering exactly who he was dealing with, his expression tightened."Sima Wei, this operation was authorized personally by my mentor."He had no better card left to play. This woman was genuinely beyond reasoning with directly, so he'd resor

Ethan caught the shift in tone immediately."What's wrong, Jake? Something happen?""Genuinely hard to explain in a few words. Tell me where you are, I'll come to you.""All right, sending you my location now."Ethan shared his address, and roughly half an hour later, Jake pulled up outside the villa.The He family's efficiency proved genuine, while Ethan had been sleeping, the front gate had already been fully replaced.Ethan stepped outside and startled at what he saw. His close friend's face was genuinely bruised, dark and swollen, looking rough all over.Jake surveyed the property, immediately distracted. "Bro, your house is genuinely incredible. When did you buy this place?""Forget the house for now. What happened to your face? Who did this to you?"Ethan pulled him into the villa's living room, checked the injuries quickly, and confirmed they were surface-level, nothing structural. He produced his own compounded healing salve and began treating the bruising immediately."Jake,

The moment Bianca spotted Kanu, she threw herself into his arms like an excited bird, kissed his cheek, and turned toward the group."Kanu, these are my two best friends, Charlotte and An Yimo.""Hello, two beautiful ladies!"Kanu's delivery was stiff and mechanical. He followed it with a laugh, his teeth showing bright white against his skin.Watching this genuinely unsettling giant smile at them, both women felt a distinct crawling sensation across their scalps, goosebumps rising in unison.Charlotte retreated immediately toward Ethan, taking his arm and only then feeling something resembling genuine security."Charlotte, Yimo, well? Isn't my man impressive?" Bianca continued. "Kanu has some brothers and friends too, want me to introduce you?""I already have Ethan," Charlotte said quickly. "I don't need anyone else.""I'm still looking for my own Prince Charming," An Yimo added. "I'm not interested either."Bianca pouted, genuinely frustrated. "I genuinely don't understand either o

Several team members from the Martial Arts Hall climbed into the ring and carried the injured Marcus off."Don't argue right now," Ethan told Jake. "Go help carry him over. I'll treat him."Jake shot one more glare at Bianca, then went over and spoke briefly with the team members. Moments later, several of them brought Marcus over to Ethan.The lead team member studied Ethan's genuinely young appearance with visible doubt."Jake, are you sure about this? Shouldn't we get him to a hospital immediately if not?""Trust me, my brother's the best there is," Jake said. "He healed my injuries yesterday."The man wasn't fully convinced but relented. "Fine. If this doesn't work, we're not pushing it, hospital immediately."Bianca sneered openly. "Genuinely putting on a show. A broken bone this serious and you're not sending him to a hospital? You think you're some kind of miracle worker?"Before she'd finished the sentence, Ethan had already stepped forward, gripped Marcus's arm, and with a si