There were only four hours left until the formal start of the coming-of-age ceremony banquet for Sleepless Sky Huoxing.

Inside the exhibition hall, those gifts deemed valuable, visually striking, innovative, and sent by individuals of considerable status had already been placed in display cases.

Among them, the largest display case in the hall, and the most eye-catching central position of the entire exhibition, naturally held the octopus aquarium gifted by "Furbollo"!

At this moment, some nobles with lower peerage and lesser influence, along with corporate management personnel who couldn't be considered top-tier within the upper echelons, had arrived early and were touring the exhibition hall.

Everyone watched as the pink little octopus in the aquarium sometimes swam about and sometimes rested on the artificial rocks inside the tank, unable to help but marvel.

"This is an 'octopus'? It's my first time seeing one."

"Compared to those deep-sea fish... this thing looks downright bizarre, with eight tentacles."

"And, surprisingly, it's actually quite beautiful."

"It's not that 'octopuses' are beautiful, it's this particular one that's beautiful!"

"Most octopuses are rarely such a pretty pink; they're usually a dull gray."

Clearly, this aquarium overshadowing the gifts from other Peerage Nobility families and being placed in the center stage wasn't due to any backroom dealings—in terms of discussion value and the level of awe it inspired among Sleepless City's residents, its placement in this position was absolutely well-deserved.

Of course, the gift-giver "Furbollo," though merely a commoner without noble rank, still generated a high level of discussion.

"Speaking of which... I heard this Furbollo who sent the aquarium intends to pursue Sleepless Sky Huoxing?"

"No wonder he invested so heavily... but as a mere commoner, where did he get such an aquarium?"

"He's an advisor to Sleepless Sky Huole. There's a rumor that during the attack at Wan Jin Tian Zuo the other day, he saved the lives of Sleepless Sky Huole and Sheng Lan Kui—probably borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha!"

"Sheng Lan Kui? Isn't he also a suitor of Sleepless Sky Huoxing?"

"Yes, he is now both Sheng Lan Kui's rival and his life-saving benefactor."

"But his relationship with Sleepless Sky Huole is closer—yesterday he was wanted by the Public Security Bureau on Sorenson Family territory on charges of killing three middlemen. It was Sleepless Sky Huole herself who smoothed things over for him, even clashing with the Sorenson Family..."

"If he's working for the Sleepless Night Family while also cozying up to the Sheng Lan Family, then the Sorenson Family framing him makes sense..."

"I heard it wasn't a frame-up—those three middlemen were connected to the recently widely-discussed 'Assassinate the King Commission'..."

"In other words, he's also connected to this commission?!"

"Shh... let's not expand on that topic!"

For the lower strata of Sleepless City, perhaps nothing major had happened recently.

But for these power elites standing at the top of the social pyramid, Sleepless City had been quite chaotic lately, with endless topics for after-dinner conversation emerging one after another.

And after today's information exchange, everyone faintly and surprisingly discovered...

Not only were these events subtly interconnected, but a single commoner was actually involved in all of them!

Taking the "aquarium" as a starting point, everyone's impression of the name "Furbollo" grew increasingly profound.

Inside the exhibition hall, CEO Paris, wearing a smile as he received guests, listened to the lively discussions and couldn't help but speculate once more.

"What exactly is that guy plotting?"

Although knowing part of the answer allowed Paris to remain quite calm and composed at this moment, because he didn't know the full scope of Lin Yu's plan, he couldn't help but feel somewhat curious.

While pondering, CEO Paris also began to notice the initial signs of abnormality within the exhibition hall.

A tall, thin man wearing a Truth Corporation employee uniform, who looked like he'd been temporarily roped into serving as a waiter and would probably be serving drinks at the buffet later, passed by the area, carrying two heavy bags.

Paris immediately stopped him.

"Hey, wait a minute, kid."

He sized up the other man, slightly frowning.

The tall, thin man stared blankly at Paris, then spoke, "What do you want?"

Paris looked him up and down, speaking seriously.

"You're new, right? Why aren't you wearing your ID card on the outside?"

The man seemed nervous, then said, "ID card? I think I forgot to bring it, this..."

Paris raised a hand, cutting him off.

"How could you forget something so important," he said, then waved. A security personnel member ran over. "Do you have a blank spare card?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Yes, CEO!"

The security personnel took out a spare card. Paris held it with the Truth Corporation logo facing outward, then stuffed it into the empty space on the front of the man's uniform.

"Alright, go about your business—remember to bow in respect when you see important figures and nobles!"

"If you don't have your ID card, once the banquet starts, alarms will go off every time you enter or leave the kitchen and wine cellar. It'll be beeping nonstop, how embarrassing would that be!"

As he spoke, he patted the other man, then let him go.

Then, Paris watched the man's retreating back with satisfaction, nodding.

Paris had a sharp eye. He could tell at a glance that the other man was definitely not a Truth Corporation employee here to help with setup or serve as a waiter.

This guy had the aura of an Outer City pauper, and not just any ordinary poor person.

Most guests attending this coming-of-age ceremony were nobles. Even among the corporate management, many were born in the Inner City, with parents who were respectable Upper Class citizens, both parents having a resident rating of third class or above.

Therefore, they weren't as familiar with the poor as Paris—they could also sense the different aura emanating from Outer City residents, lower-class citizens, and the poor, but they couldn't distinguish the nuances.

Generally speaking, poor people who managed to enter one of the Three Major Corporations often carried an aura of humility and inferiority, mixed with a sense of hopeful relief.

They could catch a glimpse of the truly extravagant lifestyle of the upper class and nobility within the major corporations, making them feel immensely inferior and envious.

This was still different from the fear and reverence felt by ordinary Outer City poor people or employees of small companies.

But at the same time, entering a major corporation had relatively changed their original lives. Even if they felt injustice, looking back at their own miserable past compared to the present, or even comparing themselves to their old friends and poor relatives still stuck in the Outer City, they often developed a sense of pride and hope.

But the guy just now didn't have that—though he was an Outer City pauper, when facing nobles, he was neither afraid nor inferior. Instead, he had a deeply hidden sense of hostility and hatred.

This kind of feeling was usually found among desperate outcasts among the poor—those gang members and mercenaries—much like his former self.

In Paris's view, if the lower and middle-class residents of Sleepless City were compared to dogs, company employees were domesticated pet dogs, while most in the Outer City were rustic guard dogs from the countryside.

But the one who just passed by was a stray wild dog...

Not only that, but a wild dog that had seen human blood—only this kind of wild dog would give him a sense of danger.

Under normal circumstances, Paris would have already had someone apprehend him.

But right now...

"He's probably someone arranged by Furbollo. Might as well do him a favor."