Wanle Temple

How had she gotten in so silently, anyway?

A smart lock?

What smart lock could stop Zero, the supreme artificial intelligence, from hacking it?

His hand wrapped around the gun, Wei Renji's confidence surged back. He looked at Tu Ran, a twisted excitement spreading across his face.

He was about to kill Tu Ran!

Kill that glorious Tu Ran—the one who, despite being just another Pioneer like him, had earned the favor of so many instructors while he languished in obscurity, forgotten in some corner!

The moment he drew the gun, a bullet tore through his shoulder, spraying a mist of blood behind him.

"Ahhh—"

Wei Renji screamed in agony, his right hand's pistol falling uselessly onto the pillow.

He refused to accept it. His left hand reached for the gun, but the next instant, another bullet pierced through his left arm.

"Ahhhh—" He writhed on the bed in pain, the stench of blood filling the dim room.

Behind the blinding beam of light, Tu Ran's calm, indifferent eyes coldly watched the man writhing and screaming on the bed. She raised her arm again.

Kill, but do not torture.

"Bang!"

A high-velocity bullet pierced through the hard human skull, the tail of the bullet flinging out viscous liquid that splattered across the wall, the bed, and the floor in a radial pattern.

The screams stopped. Silence returned to the room.

The communication device that had fallen to the floor continued to project various comments.

"@DestinyIsFought, Tu Ran is a madwoman, you need to be careful."

"Tu Ran isn't a god; she can't find Brother Destiny's location."

...

...

On the third day of work, External Affairs Group Nine finally received its first mission since Tu Ran had joined.

Ye Qingcai looked at the mission briefing, full of energy. "This mission is a large-scale multi-group operation. Our Executive Department's External Affairs Division is deploying a total of seventeen groups to the Wanle Temple for a security patrol mission."

"Seventeen groups? Who's the big shot to warrant such a turnout?" Young Master Qi leaned against the wall, looking boneless.

"Tonight at seven, the Wanle Temple is hosting a grand commercial banquet, gathering the central figures of the Federation's major families, including the heads of the three major financial conglomerates," Ye Qingcai explained.

"No wonder..." Xiao Miao muttered under his breath. "With these people around, it's a wonder they didn't strip the Executive Department bare."

Tu Ran listened in silence.

This meeting, she guessed, was the reason Stefano had arranged for her to join the Executive Department.

It wasn't easy for him to directly transfer her from Pioneer to his personal bodyguard, so he had to route her through the security guards in the Executive Department first.

And as his bodyguard, the things she could do weren't entirely out of reach even as a security guard in the Executive Department.

At tonight's banquet, she would come face-to-face with countless high-ranking figures of the Federation. A single glance would be enough to tell who had an inner core and who didn't.

"Qi Tongda, aren't you always bragging that your family is one of the top hundred financial clans? How is it you don't even know about a banquet this big?" Zhou Ming's sneer was barely concealed.

Qi Tongda was a man of few words but quick action. He raised his foot to kick him, but Ye Qingcai, standing between them, grabbed his leg and shoved him back.

Ye Qingcai put on a stern face. "We have a mission today. All of you, behave yourselves."

"Yes," Zhou Ming said, raising his voice. He had already gotten the upper hand, after all.

"Got it." Qi Tongda glared at Zhou Ming, baring his teeth.

Ye Qingcai glanced at his watch. "We need to inspect the Wanle Temple for safety hazards and set up security before the banquet begins. Go prepare your weapons. In one hour, all External Affairs Group members will assemble at the external parking platform and head to the Wanle Temple together."

"Yes."

...

Tu Ran sat in the last row of the patrol vehicle, Zhou Ming and Qi Tongda flanking her on either side. The two were in their daily bickering mode, trading barbs, their words fierce, cursing each other from the present all the way back to eighteen generations of ancestors.

Tu Ran's head throbbed. Unfortunately, the security guard helmets at the Executive Department were semi-enclosed and offered no sound insulation.

Xiao Miao was driving up front, with Ye Qingcai in the passenger seat.

Wang Qiang and Qiu Jian had, as usual, beaten her to the middle row.

She was stuck sitting between these two idiots.

And these two idiots, instead of sitting next to each other, had left her the middle seat.

Tu Ran rubbed her temples in irritation. "Stop arguing."

Her plea was drowned out by their shouting.

The two were in full swing, jabbing fingers at each other, brimming with emotion, as if they might come to blows at any second.

Tu Ran stared at the two arms thrust right in front of her face.

Enough was enough.

She grabbed one arm in each hand, twisting them backward simultaneously, pinning both into an extremely contorted position.

"Ahhh! Tu Ran, let go!"

"It hurts! It hurts! Let go, let go, they're about to break!"

"Are you going to keep arguing?!" Tu Ran demanded, fierce.

"No more, no more, just let go," Qi Tongda said, sweat beading on his forehead.

"What about you?!" Tu Ran turned to Zhou Ming on her right.

He was bent over, unable to lift his head, veins bulging on his forehead. After a long moment, he spoke through gritted teeth. "No more."

Hah!

Sometimes violence was the only way.

Satisfied, Tu Ran released them both, smoothed her clothes, and leaned back into her seat.

The four people in the front row had watched the whole scene in complete silence, not a word from start to finish.

Ye Qingcai thought to himself: So that's how you handle those two—with brute force. I'll need to adjust my management style a bit from now on.

Xiao Miao's eyes sparkled: Sister Tu Ran is so cool.

Wang Qiang thought: ...Whoa, the Pioneers really are a violent bunch.

Once it was quiet, Tu Ran closed her eyes to rest.

Then her communication device beeped.

She tapped into it and saw a message from an unknown account: "This is your only chance to see so many people at once. I hope you seize it. Remember their appearances. After the banquet, I'll come find you."

Tu Ran gave it a brief glance, quickly deleted it, and leaned back to sleep.

The patrol vehicle landed smoothly on the parking apron east of the Wanle Temple.

The group disembarked one by one, with other teams already having arrived.

Tu Ran stood in the middle of the formation, waiting for Ye Qingcai's assignment.

Ye Qingcai was in discussion with the leaders of the other groups.

Before long, he came running back.

"Let's go, we're heading to the third floor."

Stepping into the Wanle Temple and standing on the golden reflective floor, only one word came to mind.

Lavish.

Too lavish.

The floor, the columns, the ceiling, the walls.

Gold and silver formed the dominant palette. On the walls and towering pillars were carvings of gods in various poses, their garments adorned with colorful decorations and countless precious gems. Each god's posture and expression were so "exuding wealth."

The ceiling was equally grand, with numerous gods dancing gracefully. The difference was that in the very center of the ceiling hung a lamp shaped like a deity—a veritable "divine lamp."

The gods' postures were noble and aloof, their eyelids half-lowered, as if looking down on everyone in the hall.

Noticing Tu Ran's gaze on that lamp, Qiu Jian spoke up. "He is the patron god of the Wanle Temple."