"Slow down, look at you."

"Sis, it's been a while since I've had this."

Chen Xiang slurped a large mouthful of the soft noodles, accompanied by the tangy tomato sauce, and took a bite of the fried egg. The simple yet fulfilling meal eased much of the recent stress he had been carrying.

Soon, the entire bowl of noodles was gone, and after downing the warm tomato broth in one gulp, he finally set down his chopsticks.

"Leaving already?" Chen Shaoyan asked softly.

"Yeah, Sis. There's been a lot going on lately."

"Stay safe," she said, gently caressing Chen Xiang's face with a sigh.

Watching her younger brother leave the house, she didn't follow him out but sat silently for a long while.

"Big Sis." Chen Xin approached her.

"Little brother is rising fast. It's a good thing, a great thing."

Chen Shaoyan shook her head. "The higher you rise, the stronger the winds. The bigger the whirlpool, the more dangerous it gets."

"At the start, I might have been able to help a little. But now, everything he's going through is beyond my understanding and capability."

"All I can do now is not cause him any trouble and make sure that every time he comes home, there's a hot bowl of noodles waiting for him."

She looked somewhat dejected. "Chen Xin, you don't understand. Sometimes, a peaceful life is the greatest blessing."

Chen Xin shook his head. "Sis, I really don't get it. If you can climb higher, why not climb? If you can fight for something, why not fight?"

He walked to the window, looking out at the sun and the pedestrians glancing in awe at the villa. He said quietly, "But like you said, all we can do now is not cause him trouble, nothing more."

…

A military hovercar sped towards the Ninth Ring.

"Wei Shun, bored out of his mind, asked, 'How long have you been working at the Special Investigation Division, Deputy Director Wu?'"

Wu Mengling respectfully answered, "It's been about 170 years. I joined the Special Investigation Division when I came of age and have been here ever since."

"One hundred seventy years?" Wei Shun was visibly surprised. "I've heard the Special Investigation Division is dangerous. Surviving over a hundred years is quite the feat."

"Nothing special," Wu Mengling chuckled. "The key is to prioritize stability. I know my limits. If I can't handle an anomaly, I call for backup. That's how you live long."

"Very wise."

Wei Shun nodded in approval. "I'll be relying on you this time, Deputy Director Wu. But it's just to find my little sister—nothing dangerous."

"Indeed, this is the easiest assignment I've had in years," Wu Mengling laughed, feeling relaxed.

The task was simple—accompany the sixth prince from Donghong Kingdom around Great City. With Wei Shun's strength surpassing his own, it was unclear who would protect whom if danger arose.

Most importantly, it was just finding a little girl. What could go wrong?

Looking out the window, Wu Mengling noticed the girl fleeing below and couldn't help but laugh. "Your Highness, isn't this a bit much? Shall I just bring the seventh princess on board?"

"No need," Wei Shun smirked. "Little Seven used to prank me a lot. One time, she dressed as a ghost to scare me, so I messed with her pet bunny. Another time, she knocked me out with a club, so I pranked her maid. Now that I have the upper hand, I'm enjoying it. Besides, it's good for her to get some exercise."

They continued following Wei Qingqiu overhead.

"Speaking of," Wei Shun glanced below and said, "They say the outer rings of Great City are chaotic, especially the closer you get to the Ninth Ring. But from what I see, it's not so bad, even after the recent upheaval in the Eighth Ring."

Wu Mengling scanned the scene below. He could see many homeless people gathered, receiving relief supplies from a group of fierce-looking individuals.

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"What the…?"

Wu Mengling rubbed his eyes, stunned. "Has the sun risen from the west today? Kind-hearted people in the outer rings?"

Meanwhile, Wei Qingqiu had jumped into the river separating the Eighth and Ninth Rings, running across the water towards the Ninth Ring. The hovercar followed closely behind until it reached the border. Just as they were about to cross, the central console beeped with a transmission.

"This is the Gash Air Traffic Control. Unauthorized flying objects are prohibited from entering Gash. This is your first and only warning. Turn back immediately, or we will engage."

"Repeat, repeat. This is Gash Air Traffic Control."

Wei Shun and Wu Mengling exchanged looks, not because the Ninth Ring dared to threaten a military hovercar, but because they were shocked that the Ninth Ring even had air traffic control!

Wei Shun was bewildered. "Deputy Director Wu, didn't you say the Ninth Ring was in a state of anarchy?"

"To be honest, Your Highness, I'm just as confused as you are."

Wei Shun frowned as he saw his sister being stopped by people from the Ninth Ring. He gave the order, "Descend. We're close enough."

The driver obeyed, and the heavily armed hovercar slowly descended. In the distance, they could see dozens of other military hovercars converging on their position.

"Those must have been stolen during the Eighth Ring riots. Have the rioters formed a new government?" Wu Mengling mused, but quickly dismissed the thought. "Oh well, let them be. Great City doesn't concern itself with the outer rings anymore."

"Is there a massive divine descent approaching or something?" Wei Shun asked casually as the hovercar landed. The doors opened, and he stepped out with Wu Mengling by his side.

Not far away, ten military hovercars also landed. Dozens of menacing thugs emerged, led by a chubby boy wearing a military officer's uniform. The uniform looked comically oversized, but the boy stood with an air of importance.

"I'm the new Director of Gash Air Traffic Control. State your purpose and identify yourselves!"

As he spoke, the boy winked at the dumbfounded Wei Qingqiu.

"Wei Qingqiu stared, wide-eyed. 'Yuan Da Pang?'"

"It's Yuan Wanli! No, Director Wanli!" the boy corrected indignantly.

After the chaos of the past few nights, the Ninth Ring hastily restructured, forming various government agencies like the police, fire, and air traffic control. It was a ragtag operation, but Yuan Wanli, considered close to "Mr. Chen," had been appointed director of air traffic control.

It was his first day on the job. When he saw his old friend being chased by a hovercar, he couldn't miss the chance to show off.

Or rather, he was here to flex his newfound authority.

Yuan Wanli slapped Wei Qingqiu on the shoulder boldly:

"Don't worry, Wei, as long as I'm here, I'll take care of these two for you!"

He turned around aggressively, glaring:

"State your names! You've trespassed into Gash and ignored airspace warnings. Do you not realize I can order you to be shot dead right now?"

The over one hundred fierce-looking members of the new Air Traffic Control Bureau standing behind him raised their rifles.

Yuan Wanli puffed out his chest and walked forward, pointing at the old woman:

"You! State your name!"

The old woman was silent for a moment. She glanced at the intrigued Sixth Prince before deciding not to make a scene. With a smile, she spoke:

"Deputy Director Wu Mengling, Great City's Secret Investigation Bureau for Supernatural and Extraordinary Events."

The hundred gun-wielding ruffians collectively retreated ten meters.

Yuan Wanli scrambled behind Wei Qingqiu in terror and asked,

"Is that for real???"

Wei Qingqiu's lips twitched:

"It's real."

The group of ruffians retreated another ten meters. Yuan Wanli gasped and did his best to shrink his round body behind Wei Qingqiu's small frame, trying to use her to shield himself. He cried out,

"Dear heavens, you must have really kicked up a storm! Did you blow up the inner ring or take out a governor to provoke someone like this???"

Wei Qingqiu was both amused and annoyed. This little fatty…

She looked at the seemingly gentle and jade-like young man and spoke,

"Sixth Brother, I won't go with you. I'm telling you, don't be fooled by Yuan Wanli being a coward."

She yanked the fat Yuan out from behind her and threatened,

"Yuan Wanli is backed by high-ranking officials from the Ninth Ring, and they're all my friends. If you try to take me by force, the Ninth Ring will be furious."

"Ah, so he's one of us!"

Yuan Wanli perked up:

"Wei, since he's our guy, you should just go back. What, are you running from an arranged marriage?"

"Get lost!" Wei Qingqiu shouted, hopping mad.

The Sixth Prince, who had been watching the scene with interest, chuckled softly:

"Little Seventh, do you really think your Sixth Brother knows nothing about Great City? Even if I don't, do you think this Deputy Director Wu standing beside me doesn't?"

He paused, then smiled again:

"As for your Ninth Ring, how many sages and saints do you have? I'm guessing you don't even have one saint. Come on, be good and come home with me. If Father gets angry, there will be consequences."

"Father?"

Yuan Wanli blinked in surprise:

"Wei, you're a princess? Keeping it all hidden, huh? So you really are running from an arranged marriage? I get it now, it's a political union, right?"

Wei Qingqiu nearly choked. She suppressed the urge to strangle the little fatty, her expression gradually turning cold as she glared at Wei Shun:

"Sixth Prince, our dear father is so eager to call me back, and you really don't have the slightest clue why? I told you, I'm not going back."

She paused, then sneered:

"Want to take me by force? Go ahead, break my limbs if you have the guts!"

"There's no need for that, no need." Yuan Wanli quickly chimed in like a sidekick:

"Wei, why not just go back? It doesn't seem like a political union. Which royal family are you from anyway?"

No one answered him. Wei Shun smiled warmly, showing a hint of pity:

"Oh, you've always been so stubborn since you were a child."

"Alright then."

He sighed, rubbing his forehead:

"Looks like I'll have to break your limbs and take you back."

Wu Mengling was dumbfounded. Yuan Wanli shot a glance at her in shock, while Chen Xiang, watching the scene unfold with amusement from the shadows, suddenly froze in place.

That shift in attitude was so fast!

Are these two really siblings?

Chen Xiang frowned as he gazed at the so-called Sixth Prince. Despite his gentle smile, there was a cold and aloof aura radiating from him.