“Chapter 37.”

"Chapter 37."

"Pengchuan News Channel broadcast to the Federation's citizens: 'Recently, Aris Empire's Foreign Minister Berlin landed at the Capital Star's diplomatic airport early this morning. The visiting delegation consists of 28 members, led by Foreign Minister Berlin as the visiting ambassador and Deputy Minister Ji Lun of the Foreign Security Affairs, also the Vice-Commander of the Empire's Tianxuan Fleet. Other members include officials from the Imperial Financial and Economic Strategy Committee, the Industrial and Information Department, and the Deputy Representative of International Trade Negotiations...'"

"'The visit deployed two massive cruisers from the Tianxuan Fleet, four destroyers, and eight frigates, with the fleet code 'Xihe-ca-4-Bifang Class.' Though not numerous, the starships boast high defensive and combat capabilities. This is the Federation's first close encounter with the Bifang series of combat ships in peacetime...'"

"'Following a reception with the Federation Parliament's leaders, Foreign Minister Berlin is staying at the Haosen Huaxi Hotel on the Capital Star. Berlin and his delegation have declined all interviews with the Federation media before the joint press conference with the Federation government. However, our reporters will remain outside the Haosen Huaxi Hotel lobby, broadcasting live updates. Please tune into our live signal at a3369478...'"

"The visit of the Imperial Foreign Minister Berlin was a major event."

"Every news agency on the Capital Star buzzed with activity, launching various live broadcasts. Reporters' ships followed Berlin from the Capital Star Airport to the Haosen Huaxi Hotel, only to be repeatedly driven away by the military soldiers on guard, like busy bees sniffing a honey-laden flower through a glass dome."

"None could get close to Berlin, with only a few quick-acting media capturing photos and videos of the Imperial Foreign Minister. Dressed in a deep brown suit with subtle golden wing patterns on the shoulders and cuffs, Berlin's posture was upright and handsome. Occasionally, a brown-winged gold-bellied lark would peek out from the ripples of his transparent psychic energy."

"Berlin looked almost identical to the photos circulated on the Star Web, which were about twenty years old. But being an Imperial with a long lifespan, two decades meant little change."

"Accompanying him was Ji Lun, the commander of the Imperial Tianxuan Fleet."

"His skin had a subtle bronze hue, and his eyes held captivating golden depths. He appeared reserved and quiet, his slightly curled black hair falling behind his ears. Dressed in a black military uniform, his right shoulder was draped with a bright red cloak - the stark contrast of black and red, combined with his silent yet commanding presence, made him impossible to ignore."

"Especially noteworthy was the languid black panther pacing at his feet. Each time the panther paused and focused, its intelligent yet wild golden eyes sent signals of readiness to hunt."

"The release of Berlin and Ji Lun's footage on the Federation's Star Web sparked a nationwide discussion frenzy."

"'What kind of Imperial diplomatic delegation is this? Looks more like an Imperial male model group.'"

"'Don’t just focus on these two ambassadors. There are several female officials in the delegation too. [Picture][Picture] My god, I'm almost lost in these ladies' beauty. Such a cool and captivating gaze! If the Empire and Federation open up intermarriage, do I stand a chance? [Shy]'"

"'There are hardly any ugly Imperials, haven't we already established that?'"

"'Guys, is no one talking about the Imperial starships? The Bifang series battleships are so cool...'"

"'A fleet should prioritize combat capability, not looks.'"

"'Still, our 'Titan' series fleet better be able to outmatch them...'"

"The Imperial delegation's visit was considered luxurious, with the Federation government paying great attention to every detail, ensuring nothing disrupted the peace talks between the two nations."

"Berlin’s visit with numerous industrial, economic, and trade officials undoubtedly signaled a desire for cooperation with the Federation. In the next decade, relations between the Empire and Federation might truly enter a 'honeymoon phase.'"

"Zhou Xia found Yan Jingyi and Yan Ning-Kelly, who were staying at the Holman residence."

"Unlike Holman, who underwent strict scrutiny, Yan Ning and Jingyi were briefly interrogated by the military and then quickly released."

"The Federation seemingly concluded that Yan Ning and Jingyi were just ordinary military academy students. After forcibly implanting monitoring chips in them, they were sent back home with a warning to 'stay put and quietly await the admission notice from the Central Military Academy.'"

"However, after that chaotic night, Holman was taken away, and Bai Sha vanished without a trace. Despite protests from Yan Ning and Jingyi, the military remained unresponsive, as if 'Bai Sha' had been erased from the Federation’s history."

"Frustrated and unable to contact Mrs. Qiong, who had been transferred from the Military Prosecutor's Office, they learned she had finally received a new assignment. Accompanying the assignment was an order to leave the Capital Star for another star system to train new investigative officers. Yan Ning and Jingyi completely lost contact with her."

"Zhou Xia's sudden visit was undoubtedly a lifeline for them."

"Jingyi, pale with anger, asked, 'Do you know what exactly happened?'"

"Zhou Xia glanced at them and got straight to the point: 'Bai Sha has Imperial genes – in other words, she’s an Imperial, currently undergoing interrogation on Black Reef Star. The military’s actions are ruthless; they intend to forcibly dismantle her psyche, and her current situation is extremely perilous.'"

"'We must find someone to save her.'"

"Yan Ning and Jingyi were stunned."

"Zhou Xia's few words contained a massive amount of information!"

"'Bai Sha is an Imperial?' Yan Ning exclaimed incredulously. 'But Holman found her in a garbage dump. Do Imperials have a habit of discarding their children in trash? I thought only Federals did that!'"

"Yan Ning's instinctive outburst stemmed from the fact that compared to the Federation, the Imperial population was always at an absolute disadvantage. Reproduction was more challenging for Imperials, and many couples only had one child for life. Every new-born Imperial was a treasure to their parents, and the Empire's child protection laws were ten times stricter than those of the Federation. Even the treatment of orphans was superior to that of some children with parents in the Federation. This was why there were hardly any 'Imperial orphans' found in the Federation over the centuries."

"If the Empire knew that the military was secretly interrogating an underage Aris person..."

"Yan Ning wasn't sure if the Imperials would explode in rage, but the diplomatic delegation currently visiting the Capital Star certainly would."

"The two sides had almost finalized the peace process, clarifying the costs and benefits to be incurred. Such a scandal at this juncture would undoubtedly lead the Imperial delegation to seize the opportunity, forcing the Federation to pay a heavy price."

"The prerequisite was – the Empire must be made aware of Bai Sha's existence."

"Jingyi said, 'You definitely have a plan since you came to us. What are you thinking?'"

"'I must infiltrate the Haosen Huaxi Hotel and deliver the evidence in my possession to the Imperials,' Zhou Xia said calmly, 'but the hotel is heavily guarded by the military... I need help.'"

"Just tell us your plan, but remember we both have tracking chips implanted by the military. The moment we approach the Haosen Huaxi Hotel, they'll surely detect us," said Yan Ning, frowning.

"That's easy. I have experience dealing with tracking chips," Zhou Xia said as he took some tools from his backpack. "I can remove your chips and use fake location signals to fool the military's surveillance."

The Zhou family, known for their controlling nature, from his father Zhou Yan, uncle Zhou Zheng, to his brother Zhou Ying, and Zhou Xia himself, often participated in psychic experiments since childhood. He had removed dozens, if not hundreds, of chips from himself and his belongings.

"Who's first?" he asked, showing his sharp tools to Jingyi and Yan Ning.

"I'll go first," Jingyi said, pushing her long black hair to one side to expose her neck.

Zhou Xia skillfully removed the chips without damaging any major blood vessels or muscle tissue. He created a fake signal field, then used a small silver knife to extract the chips from their necks. He placed the chips into two spherical devices that could mimic human movement and even heartbeats and blood pressure, deceiving the military for some time.

Yan Ning's chip was removed soon after, and he carefully applied a bandage to his neck.

"Let's figure out how to infiltrate."

The trio gathered around the coffee table, projecting a 3D image of the streets near the Haosen Huaxi Hotel.

"I've scouted the area in advance. The military has set up remote surveillance points around the hotel," Zhou Xia pointed out, marking several positions around the hotel. "Their surveillance includes drones, area light sensors, snipers, satellite electronics. There’s almost no blind spot from top to bottom."

"Is this guarding or imprisonment?" Yan Ning gaped. "They're so afraid of any contact between Federation citizens and Imperials."

"Not exactly. Apart from the floors where the Imperial delegation stays, other rooms are open to guests. But every entrance and exit of the hotel is monitored, and there’s a strict identity verification process for every guest. The biggest challenge is how to blend in and access the elevator to the delegation's floor," explained Zhou Xia. "To avoid displeasing the delegation, the military dares not station soldiers on their floors. Once we get into the hotel and past the elevator, the rest of the path should be clear."

"Clear" wasn't exactly the right word—Imperial soldiers guarded the Foreign Minister's door. The Imperial delegation had also declined contact with Federation citizens. But Zhou Xia believed his evidence would ensure they wouldn't stop him.

"How do we blend in?" asked Jingyi.

"Pretend to be guests, hotel staff, cleaners?" suggested Yan Ning.

"Those identities require prior planning and arrangements," Zhou Xia noted. "Bai Sha doesn’t have that much time."

"Let's do the opposite," Zhou Xia said with a deep gaze. "Pretend to be Imperials."

Yan Ning and Jingyi: "…?"

"Impersonating Imperials is actually simple. A morphing device will let us look like a few Imperials. To make it more convincing, we’ll also need to project 'psychic entities,'" explained Zhou Xia.

Zhou Xia handed two morphing devices to Yan Ning and Jingyi. Upon loading the photos of several officials, their appearances changed to closely resemble them. He then gave them a small black button-like device. Pressing it, a floating interface appeared with the words, "Please customize your psychic entity."

"This is a 'psychic entity simulator' I bought from the black market," Zhou Xia explained softly. "It actually just creates a few lifelike animals through light illusion. Many in the Federation envy the psychic entities of the Aris people, so these simulators are popular for role-playing. Even without actual psychic power, the effect is very similar to that of the Imperial psychic entities."

As for the issue of psychic power, that was easily resolved.

They all had psychic powers above S-level, so posing as Imperial officials brimming with psychic energy was not a difficult task.

Jingyi asked, "We've decided on who to impersonate, but how do we ensure we can successfully infiltrate the hotel?"

"I've checked the Imperial diplomatic delegation's schedule for today: the ambassador and deputy ambassador will stay at the hotel, but a few minor officials from the Foreign Affairs Department are scheduled to visit the Federation News Department to discuss the upcoming web conference," Zhou Xia opened what appeared to be a classified schedule. "These officials will leave the hotel at 10 am and take a special military shuttle to the government building, a journey of about eight minutes. Even the military won't easily suspect the movements of these Imperial officials during that time. My family has a similar shuttle."

Zhou Xia planned to create an identical number plate for the shuttle to deceive observers. This was against military regulations, but given the circumstances, he had no better option. Once the Imperial officials left the hotel, he would drive his family's shuttle along the route in reverse to the hotel entrance. They would pretend to have left important documents in their room as an excuse to re-enter the hotel.

Neither the soldiers patrolling around the hotel nor the hotel staff would suspect them in such a short time.

Of course, Zhou Xia's plan required a bit of luck.

If the hotel manager was audacious enough to ask them, the "Imperial officials returning unexpectedly," for identification, they would be exposed in minutes.

Aside from that, Zhou Xia's plan was almost the best possible option.

They wouldn't need to confront the military, dodge drones and snipers, just deceive and bluff their way through.

But this required a certain level of psychological strength.

At 9:30 AM, the three of them boarded a military shuttle prepared by Zhou Xia, stopping in a corner of the shuttle's orbit.

They all equipped themselves with camouflage devices and tested the "Spirit Body Simulator" to ensure it was functioning correctly. Zhou Xia even meticulously researched the spirit animals of the three Imperial officials - a bobcat, a white weasel, and a squirrel. Transparent little creatures emitting a pearly glow, exuding an adorably naive demeanor - the resemblance was uncanny.

"Imperials' spirit bodies... truly a unique signature," Yanning, enduring the squirrel clambering all over him as if he were a tree, tried to act nonchalant, "But isn't Sasha also an Imperial? Why doesn't she have a spirit body?"

Zhou Xia remained silent.

Perhaps that was also the cause of her misfortune.

If she had been accompanied by a spirit body since childhood, anyone with eyes would have recognized her as an Ares native, and she would have been extradited back to the Empire long ago.

9:55 AM.

"Be alert," Zhou Xia swapped his fake identification badge, activated the shuttle's autopilot, changed direction in the orbit, and headed towards the Haosen Huaxi Hotel, "We're about to leave. Remember to act like Imperials. Along with releasing the spirit bodies, you also need to unleash your psychic powers."

Yes, in the past few hours, Zhou Xia had also given them a crash course in unleashing psychic powers.

Jingyi and Yanning had mastered it in just half an hour.

10:00 AM.

The military shuttle's engine emitted a silver glow. They flew through the bustling flight lanes, reaching the landing pad of the Haosen Huaxi Hotel at top speed. The personnel guarding the pad were puzzled by their swift return but promptly made space for their landing.

Stepping out of the shuttle, their black diplomatic attires subtly shimmered under the sunlight. Their spirit bodies, seemingly high on excitement, flitted energetically through the air. Their powerful psychic energy flowed continuously, compelling the hotel staff to instinctively make way for them, admiringly noting the typical strength of Imperials' psychic powers.

Exiting the landing pad, they entered the hotel through the back door, unobstructed by the alert soldiers and guards at the entrance.

The moment they stepped into the hotel, they were dazzled by the glittering lights and the shining marble floors underfoot.

A young manager, dressed in a black and white steward's uniform and exuding a refined elegance, greeted them with a smile: "Gentlemen, back so soon? Is there anything else you need?"

Yanning and Jingyi, unaccustomed to such opulence, stiffened as the manager approached.

Fortunately, Zhou Xia's natural air of authority was evident in his faint frown, causing the manager's smile to falter slightly.

Zhou Xia spoke dismissively, "Nothing much, just forgot some important documents in our room. We'll leave as soon as we retrieve them."

Without further engagement, he strode towards the hotel's transporter lift.

The manager watched them leave with a relieved smile, albeit internally grumbling about the typical Imperial behavior: forgetting documents for a meeting and then exerting psychic pressure on him over their own mistake.

The trio hurried through the lobby towards the lift, exhaling softly once out of the manager's sight around a corner.

“...That scared me!” Yanning murmured.

“You were about to scare me,” Zhou Xia replied wearily. “I asked you to release psychic energy, not to overwhelm them with it. Such overt display could easily alert others.”

Yanning and Jingyi exchanged glances, reining in their psychic energies.

Their "simulated spirit animals" remained lively – the squirrel tugged at Yanning’s hair, the white weasel rolled on Zhou Xia’s shoulder, and the bobcat sharpened its claws on Jingyi’s clothes. A tiny golden-bellied thrush, which had appeared out of nowhere, chirped melodiously as if wanting to join the playful chaos.

Wait.

A thrush?

Where did this oriole come from?

The trio instantly tensed up.

Following this, a sleek, muscular black panther emerged from a dark corner, each step light yet powerful. Its golden eyes fixed on them, radiating the natural menace of a formidable predator.

…This was a true psychic entity.

A powerful, pure embodiment of psychic energy.

Unlike those simulated pets used only for cuteness, the air itself seemed to freeze the moment they appeared.

Psychic entities represent half of an Imperial citizen's being; their consciousness is the owner's consciousness, their gaze the owner's gaze.

The trio felt an undeniable intuition that they had been discovered.

"I wondered why there was an unfamiliar psychic energy nearby," a gentle voice chuckled, each word following a special and melodious rhythm, "So it turns out you three snuck in... Well, I can't call you 'little mice,' as your psychic energy is quite substantial. But why are you here? Can you give a reasonable explanation?"

The Empire's Foreign Minister Berling appeared with a smile.

Following him, with an impassive expression, was Fleet Commander Ji Lun. Ji Lun didn't exude the amiability of Berling, nor did he seem fierce or cold. Instead, he resembled a powerful, calm feline, his golden eyes quietly observing them, his eyebrows slightly raised in curiosity.

Yanning and Jingyi swallowed nervously but quickly realized: although they were exposed, they were discovered by Imperials, and their objective was achieved!

Zhou Xie looked up, his deep eyes steadily meeting those of Imperial Foreign Minister Berling, and spoke calmly but firmly, "I came to rescue my friend—she's an Imperial citizen."

A hint of surprise flashed in Berling's eyes.

"My friend, named Baisha, grew up in the Federation but was identified as an Imperial citizen during the military academy's entrance exam," Zhou Xie straightforwardly projected all the information he had, "The Federation's military took her to Black Reef Star, a secret military prison. They plan to use 'the Core' to interrogate her, but it will destroy her psychic power."

Berling's smile slowly faded, and Ji Lun, in his military uniform, also showed a serious expression.

Zhou Xie presented well-founded evidence, seemingly genuine, but most importantly, the photo of Baisha floating on the screen left Berling and Ji Lun in a moment of shock and confusion—

"I'll contact the Federal Military Department immediately."

With that, Berling swiftly brushed past the trio.

They could vaguely see his expression, which compared to his previously gentle demeanor, was now terribly grim.

But—while they knew the Empire was protective, wasn't the Foreign Minister's reaction a bit too rapid and intense? Without asking for more details, he seemed ready to confront the Federal Military Department head-on…

"Send me a copy of the data you just showed."

A magnetic and deep voice resonated. The trio realized, it was the first time they heard Ji Lun speak.

Zhou Xie passed on the data.

"Don't worry," Ji Lun spoke again, his voice carrying a special resolve, echoing silently with his shimmering golden eyes, "If this is true... the Empire won't let them get away with it."