The guards were pouring out of the alleys leading to the central garden and the Great of the Heavens in the front of the Old Summer Palace. As Zhuangjing and her team arrived on the spot, she sighed inwardly. No doubt the guards of the Forbidden City were fearless and devoted, but they were also totally helpless against that type of intruders.

“All at levels 800, mid and upper tier-six only,” Zhang Bao told her.

He kept looking with Gauge Enemy at the intruders. Two more fearsomely garbed dark-skinned Professionals came out of the Gate again, before taking a position to the side of the ramp leading down from the Gate.

The head of the City Guard rushed to her.

“Your Highness, you should not be there. Those enemies…”

“Look at them. They are not enemies come to assault the Palace. Even after the attacks on the Gates.”

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“But…”

She cut his words with an imperious gesture, then gestured to her team to advance to the plaza, leaving the sputtering guardsman behind.

They stopped in the middle of the plaza and looked, as everyone seemed to hold their breath.

A titanic figure came out. Taller than any man could be, garbed in swirling fog trailing behind him. A tall spear, easily 10 feet tall, reflected sunlight despite the cloud cover over Beijing. Zhuangjing felt the roiling Presence from the nine-feet black Greater – no, truly Greatest of all – Hero pushing against reality. She had no doubt who she was seeing there – her contacts had told her about him years ago. She had never entirely believed the barbarians’ tales, but here he was, in person. As impressive as the stories said.

She heard Zhang Bao gasp.

“It cannot be… That cannot be possible…”

She had no time to ask him what he meant as the God-King of the Zulu arrived at the end of the Gate ramp in front of her. His accent was slightly archaic as if he’d learned Chinese from some remote province, but his words were clear.

“The Shaper of the World's Fate honours the Greatest Hero of the Zhōngguó. I have a proposition for your Empire.”