Lin Chichi stepped out of the office and looked towards the deep corridor. Beneath rows of lights, a group of people was marching briskly this way. At their head was a tall, slightly curly-haired middle-aged man, followed by several others who resembled attendants trailing behind him. This was Lin Chichi’s first encounter with the local World Tree Organization in Feklay, her gaze sweeping over the middle-aged man and the followers behind him, noting their attire and demeanor. And that middle-aged man had seen Lin Chichi from afar, striding towards her with his head held high and his chest out, extending his hand, "Miss Lin Chichi, it’s an honor, I am Duke." Lin Chichi raised her hand and shook it with the man, who stood firm like a proud rooster. Then she asked with a hint of confusion, "I remember that the person in charge of the World Tree in the Trok Republic is a lady, isn’t she here?" The dark-haired young man behind her had just informed her of some basic information about the person in charge of the Trok Republic. "Miss Zennany is here." Duke smiled, stepped aside, and revealed a figure that had been almost completely obscured behind him. That somewhat familiar silver short ponytail and white-framed glasses appeared in Lin Chichi’s field of view. This was the same girl Lin Chichi had encountered while waiting for the elevator earlier. Standing behind Duke, the girl shrank back a little. She pinched the hem of her gray knitted sweater with one hand and raised the other in greeting, speaking haltingly in Central Earth language, "All matters of the Trok Republic, are, are entirely managed by Mr. Duke." "Miss Zennany trusts me greatly, so she lets me handle affairs on her behalf." Duke raised his eyes, smiling at Lin Chichi, "Everything is for the better development of the World Tree Organization. Does Miss Lin Chichi have any other questions?" An intangible oppressive aura began to spread from him. Feeling that deliberately spreading pressure, Lin Chichi’s expression remained unchanged. Even though the Grace garnered from the previous Sacrifice had mostly dissipated, after all, she was someone who had faced the Evil Spirit Angel head-on. She had dared to pick up the scythe and charge at the Evil Spirit Angel; this level of aura was rather insignificant to her. She lifted her head, looking calmly at Duke standing in front of Zennany, "So which of you is in charge?" Upon hearing this question, Duke’s expression stiffened. He took a slight breath while looking at Lin Chichi’s unchanged face, "Mr. He Ao indeed has many capable people under his command, and such bravery at such a young age from Miss Lin Chichi is truly admirable." As he spoke, under Lin Chichi’s gaze, he stepped behind Zennany. "The surveillance in the corridor is broken, is that also for the development of the World Tree Organization?" The dark-haired young man behind Lin Chichi had been translating the conversation in real-time using a translation app, and at this moment, he looked up and couldn’t help but say in Yika language. Hearing his words, everyone looked up at the damaged surveillance camera in the corridor. "This is indeed our responsibility," Duke looked at Lin Chichi, still smiling, "The contractor we selected wasn’t professional and efficient enough, which caused the surveillance to not be repaired in time, resulting in an inability to capture the last whereabouts of Mr. Senwen." "I’m afraid Mr. Senwen was kidnapped by you," the dark-haired young man behind Lin Chichi continued to speak coldly, "You always wanted to get rid of Mr. Senwen." "I can understand the misunderstanding from all of Mr. Senwen’s former subordinates," Although he stepped behind Zennany, Duke still stood proudly, his gaze sweeping over the dark-haired young man, sneering, "But I hope you understand that even if we wanted to deal with Senwen, it would not happen while he was in this building. Indeed, we don’t like him, but we also care about his disappearance. We don’t want to shoulder this blame. "The damage to the surveillance this time is indeed coincidental. We will investigate thoroughly, and if necessary, we can gather all our manpower to assist in your search for Senwen. Our visit today is for this matter." The intangible pressure enveloped the dark-haired young man. Except for Zennany, the gaze of everyone in Duke’s entourage focused on the dark-haired young man. "Who knows if you did it on purpose," the dark-haired young man stood his ground against this pressure, his voice cold, "What if you did it thinking no one would suspect you, doing it deliberately?" "You think everyone’s as stupid as you?" A follower beside Duke sneered. "Just afraid some fool is pretending to be clever." The dark-haired young man retorted without hesitation. The lackey’s face stiffened, and he was about to reach behind him. Lin Chichi stood between the two groups, speaking coldly, "Quiet down!" During this process, she employed a bit of Martial Arts technique, manipulating the muscles of her throat to raise the pitch and volume of her voice, making it explode in everyone’s ears. As she spoke, the entire corridor fell into a brief silence. The black-haired youth immediately shut his mouth, and the little lackey glanced at Duke. Duke’s expression turned gloomy as he lowered his gaze and nodded slightly. He was watching Lin Chichi before him, realizing that he had been outmaneuvered by this young girl. The moment he and the black-haired youth behind the girl started arguing, his own status was brought down to the same level as the black-haired youth’s. Even though he realized that and closed his mouth, his mindless lackey jumped right in after him. When the girl intervened to stop the dispute, it meant she had assumed the role of ’mediator’. This act of mediation itself signifies a power that supersedes both parties in the argument. With these simple two sentences, the girl had begun to establish her authority and had taken control of the current scene. If this young girl had not done this intentionally, then it would at least prove her keen perception and insight into power dynamics. How could it be that anyone He Ao randomly picks has the makings of a monster like her. Zennany, who had been looking down all this while, cautiously lifted her head to take a look at Lin Chichi. "From now on, our mission will focus on the investigation of Mr. Senwen’s disappearance," Lin Chichi’s eyes swept over everyone, finally resting on Duke, "In the name of the temporary full authority granted by Minister He, I require the World Tree Organization of Feklay to fully cooperate with the investigation into Mr. Senwen’s disappearance. Any objections?" Zennany lowered her head and said nothing. Meanwhile, Duke frowned deeply, "What exactly does Miss Lin Chichi mean by ’full cooperation’? To what extent is it considered full?" "Depending on the circumstances of the investigation," Lin Chichi said calmly, "When the case requires, the World Tree of Feklay naturally needs to fully cooperate." Apart from the words ’when the case requires’, everything else was almost equivocal, and even these words were conceptually vague. The more ambiguous the boundaries are set now, the more leverage she will have later. Duke still wore a gloomy expression, his thoughts racing through his mind. But before he could speak, this time Lin Chichi looked at him and took the initiative to say with a smile, "In our recent conversation, I have seen the courage you all displayed in proving your innocence. I am sure everyone would be willing to prove their innocence before Minister He, Elder Ruodel, and Elder Goya." Duke’s face sank like still water, and in the end, he slowly nodded, "Alright." But instead of continuing to speak to him, Lin Chichi turned to Zennany, "What do you think, Miss Zennany?" Zennany looked up at Lin Chichi and replied softly, "I’ll defer to Mr. Duke’s decision." She spoke, but Lin Chichi did not respond and continued to gaze at her. The entire corridor fell into a brief silence again. "Miss Zennany will agree." Duke said coldly, glancing at the young girl beside him. Only after he spoke did Zennany look at Lin Chichi and say in a quiet voice, "I—I agree." "Good, then it’s decided." Lin Chichi withdrew her gaze and lightly clapped her hands, "I need to initiate the investigation on my end; you may all go back now." Duke took a deep breath and said to Lin Chichi, "Then Miss Lin Chichi, we’ll see each other next time." Saying this, he turned around and led the group towards the elevator, not carrying the same proud posture as before. He raised his hand, and one of the lackeys handed him a clean silk handkerchief; he grabbed the handkerchief, frantically wiping the palm of his hand that he had just touched. The lackey who had just argued with the black-haired youth couldn’t help but speak up indignantly. Duke cast a glance at his henchman and scolded in a cold voice. The henchman who was just about to speak choked back his words. "Even the young girl assigned at random by his side is so formidable," one of the henchmen muttered softly, "that He Ao is probably much more powerful than we previously estimated." This time, Duke didn’t answer but frantically wiped his palms. The slightly petite Zennany was surrounded by people in the center, bowing her head and remaining silent. Behind the crowd, Lin Chichi too gazed at the departing people, similarly silent. "Miss Lin Chichi, you were so amazing just now." The dark-haired young man standing behind her couldn’t help but say, "You silenced that Duke without a word, hahaha, I’ve never seen them looking so dejected." "Right now, I merely have the identity granted by Minister He. Having followed Brother Hao Yi for a long time, observing him and Minister He’s materials, one inevitably learns something through constant exposure." Lin Chichi shook her head, speaking offhandedly. The dark-haired young man listened in some confusion. However, Lin Chichi did not delve deeper into the topic, but glanced at the departing crowd and mused, "That one at the very back, is he the lowest in status among them?" The dark-haired young man looked towards the people who reached the end of the corridor, pondering, "I think I have seen him before; his rank within the World Tree is similar to mine?" "His watch is Pete Kass’s model 073," Lin Chichi speculated, "The official price of this watch is 1.8 million and it also requires a consumption record of tens of millions to be eligible for purchase." The dark-haired young man was taken aback. "Can your salary afford this watch?" Lin Chichi turned to look at him. "I probably don’t even qualify to purchase it..." The dark-haired young man hesitated. "But he can afford it," Lin Chichi glanced at Duke and his group increasingly moving towards the elevator, "Apart from Miss Zennany, the watches on the others’ wrists should all be renowned brands. I can’t discern the specific models, but they look much more expensive than this 073. "Their suits appear to be high-end custom suits from Feklay’s local luxury stores, and even their shoes are luxury items priced in the tens of thousands." The dark-haired young man was somewhat bewildered. "Yeah, are they really that wealthy?" Lin Chichi shifted her gaze towards the empty office. She bowed her head, selected a photo, edited the events she observed today, and sent the message to ’Hao Yi’. She didn’t know if she had missed any key information related to ’K’, so she described everything as meticulously as possible. After a brief pause, she received two responses. The first reply was somewhat lengthy, probably praising her for handling Duke well. The second reply was very brief, only two words, Lin Chichi happily responded to the praise, then immediately raised her head and looked at the dark-haired young man beside her, "Find a few reliable people; I want the fingerprints of this office... no, of all the rooms on this floor." "Okay, I’ll take care of it right away." The dark-haired young man nodded quickly. "Are you awake? You have the best physical condition in this batch." A slightly hoarse voice accompanied He Ao’s opening eyes, sounding in front of He Ao. He lifted his eyes and through the sturdy steel bars, he saw a figure, just like him, behind the bars. That was a middle-aged man in his forties with disheveled hair, who, at the moment, was leaning against the bars, laughing as he looked at He Ao, "Kid, quite perceptive, huh? From Central Earth?" Across from He Ao, several figures who heard the conversation climbed up to take a glance at He Ao, then turned and shrank back. In this place, each person had a small ’compartment.’ The compartment was probably four to five square meters wide, with walls on the left, right, and behind, and in front was a fence made of steel, reaching a ceiling just over two meters tall. The fence had a lock on the side, which seemed like it could be opened and closed. There were no windows in the compartment, only a straw mat and a filthy toilet. These compartments were lined up one after the other, forming rows, with two parallel rows separated by a narrow corridor. A dim light shined upon the corridor. Inside the compartment, one could see the opposite compartment, but the left and right sides were blocked by walls. He Ao was not the first to ’wake up’; he had not been unconscious at all. "What the hell, what is this place, is this a prison?" At that moment, there was a shout from the compartment next to He Ao’s. "Hey, buddy, cheer up," The man who had first spoken to He Ao began with a laugh, "A prison is far more spacious than this. Ever seen pig breeding? This is a ’pen’, a pen for raising livestock." "What the hell are you saying? Who are you calling livestock?" Amidst the angry cursing, there was also the violent sound of fences being shaken. "Dammit, who is it? Let me out now." "You’re quite calm, aren’t you?" The disheveled man’s gaze returned to He Ao, asking curiously, "Have you seen big scenes?" "It seems like you’ve been here for quite some time?" He Ao leaned against the bars, looking at the disheveled man. "I should be one of the earliest ones in this batch," The disheveled man chuckled. "Dammit, that one over there, do you know how to get out?" The angry voice shouted again, "What the hell is this place? Let me out!" "Don’t rush, don’t rush," The disheveled man chuckled, "I’ve already said this is a ’pen.’ Do you know what it means for livestock to ’leave the pen’? Getting out might not be a good thing." That angry voice seemed unable to understand his metaphor and began to furiously smash the fence, trying to break free. "Woke up early, has a good physique, but not much of a brain." The disheveled man let out a chuckle. "What you mentioned about ’leaving the pen,’ does that mean they’re going to take us away?" He Ao leaned against the wall, looking towards the disheveled man and casually asked, "How long will we be able to live?" "This pen is now full," The disheveled man chuckled, "I heard from the ’caretaker’ yesterday that we are apparently the last batch, we’re to be taken away in a day or two, we probably won’t live more than a few days." Still a day or two, that’s quite a long time. He Ao raised his gaze, taking a look at the steel bars. "Kid, I advise you not to even think about it, you’re a smart guy, there’s no escaping." At this moment, the disheveled man across seemed to notice He Ao’s movements and spoke, "Even if you find a way to destroy the fence or the walls, you won’t be able to escape, these people are beyond our resistance." He Ao looked at the disheveled man with interest. Hearing He Ao’s question, the disheveled man paused for a moment, then quietly asked, "Do you believe there are Divine Beings in this world?" When asked this question, He Ao did not immediately answer him but looked up at the ceiling. His gaze seemed to penetrate the layers of roofs and walls, seeing the torrential rain outside, the flickering of an old-fashioned train in the rain, and high above the skies shrouded with rain showers and thunder, the vaguely forming vortex of dark clouds.