“What?!”

Xie Boyu’s brows furrowed into a frown, and with a flash, he appeared at the bathroom door.

His gaze swept across the room, and indeed, it was empty, not even a single strand of hair was left.

The window was tightly locked, and the ventilation shaft was too small for even a rat to squeeze through.

How was this possible?

How could a living person disappear into thin air?

His face darkened, and he roared at his subordinates.

“Search!”

“Turn this entire nightclub upside down for me!”

“I refuse to believe that a living person can grow wings and fly away!”

His subordinates shivered in fear, not daring to be negligent in the slightest, and immediately scattered, beginning a carpet-style search.

However, half an hour passed.

The entire nightclub, from the basement to the rooftop, had been thoroughly searched, yet there was still no trace of Nakamura Shin'ichiro.

Xie Boyu’s face was so grim it looked like it was about ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ to drip water.

He overturned the expensive rosewood liquor table in front of him.

“Useless!”

“All of you are useless!”

“You can’t even find a single person!”

He pointed at the group of subordinates, who were as silent as cicadas in winter, and cursed loudly.

“Everyone, get out and search! Turn Skyfire City upside down for me!”

“If you don’t find him, don’t bother coming back to see me!”

Just then, a subordinate stumbled and scrambled in from outside the door, his face filled with terror.

“Gu-Guild Leader!”

“This is bad!”

He panted heavily, his voice trembling.

“We... we can’t contact Zhao Hu!”

“The small team you sent to arrest Ouyezi has... has also lost all contact!”

The subordinate hesitated for a moment, then stammered out.

“It’s... it’s very likely...”

“They’ve been completely wiped out.”

“What?!”

Xie Boyu could no longer sit still, and he abruptly stood up from the sofa, his eyes filled with disbelief.

...

At the same time, in Skyfire City, Mo Family’s villa.

Inside the study, the lights were bright.

Mo XuanYe was sitting in a rocking chair, unhurriedly wiping the forging hammer that had accompanied him for decades with a soft velvet cloth.

Just then, a gentle breeze swept in from outside the door.

On the sofa opposite Mo XuanYe, an extra figure appeared out of thin air.

The newcomer was none other than City Lord Mo Bai.

He had already shed his crisp military uniform and changed into a loose casual outfit.

He was lying back on the sofa, with his legs crossed, in a lazy posture.

He turned his head to look at his father and pouted.

“Still wiping that broken hammer of yours.”

“You’ve been wiping it for over seventy years, what’s the point?”

“Didn’t some young punk, who only recently changed professions, easily surpass you anyway?”

Mo XuanYe heard this and was not angered, only smiled faintly.

His movements, as he wiped the hammer, remained unhurried.

“Did you rescue that Ouyezi?”

Mo Bai clasped his hands behind his head, changing to a more comfortable position.

“He didn’t need me to rescue him at all.”

“By the time my people arrived, the battle was long over.”

“Only the corpses of Tianhuo Guild members were left at the scene, not even a single survivor.”

He paused, a hint of emotion in his tone.

“This Ouyezi is no ordinary Blacksmith.”

Mo XuanYe’s hand, as he wiped the hammer, paused imperceptibly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

A moment later, he shook his head with a smile.

“No wonder he chose to leave the city overnight; he must have already prepared a backup plan.”

“It seems I misjudged him again.”

He rubbed his somewhat sore eyes and sighed deeply.

“I’m old, I’m old; my eyesight is getting worse and worse.”

He put down the hammer in his hand, looked at his son, and suddenly changed the subject.

“By the way, you forced Nakamura Shin'ichiro to kneel and crawl under Ouyezi’s crotch today, which can be said to have offended General Qi.”

“How do you plan to explain it to him now?”

Mo Bai snorted in response.

“That old thing, Qi Heng!”

“If it weren’t for him constantly advocating for peace talks with Sakura Country and making concessions all these years, our Great Xia Country wouldn’t be so constrained by them!”

“Now Sakura Country is becoming more and more arrogant, and at least half the credit for that goes to him!”

He sat up straight, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“Explain? What the hell do I have to explain to him?!”

Mo XuanYe sighed deeply upon hearing this.

“Peace talks are also a last resort.”

“Currently, Sakura Country’s national strength is growing stronger and stronger.”

“Leaving aside the four SS-rank top powerhouses, they openly have three Divine Craftsmen who can forge legendary-quality equipment.”

“And our Great Xia Country, after so many years, has only produced one Ouyezi.”

He picked up his teacup, took a light sip, his eyes filled with worry.

“Great Xia is in a difficult situation.”

...

The next day, early morning.

Ouyezi’s convoy returned to Donghai City without any incident.

As soon as the cars reached the city gate, they were surprised by the scene before them.

Gu Yan, the President of the Donghai City Blacksmiths' Association, was leading a group of high-ranking guild officials, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Behind him stood the presidents of various major guilds in Donghai City, and even a few high-ranking officials in military uniforms.

Seeing the convoy appear, Gu Yan’s old face instantly broke into a bright, chrysanthemum-like smile.

He rushed forward, taking two steps at a time, and personally opened the car door for Ouyezi.

“Great Master Ouyezi! Welcome home!”

The pride and self-satisfaction on his face were impossible to hide.

This time, Ouyezi had shone brightly in Skyfire City, thoroughly deflating Sakura Country’s arrogance in front of a national audience.

Now, the name “Divine Craftsman Ouyezi” had already spread to every corner of the Great Xia Country.

His Donghai City Blacksmiths' Association also benefited, gaining prestige and honor.

“Great Master Ouyezi, we have already prepared a banquet at Tianhai Tower to welcome you!”

“Yes, yes! Great Master Ouyezi, please do us the honor!”

People from all sides stepped forward, enthusiastically extending invitations.

Faced with such warmth, Ouyezi, inside the car, merely shook his head calmly.

“Thank you all for your kind intentions.”

“However, I have been traveling for days and am truly exhausted; I need to rest.”

“I appreciate your good intentions.”

After speaking, he signaled the driver to proceed, and in the regretful gazes of the crowd, he drove directly away.

...

After dealing with Ouyezi’s matters, Zhou Huai’s consciousness quickly withdrew.

It transferred to Moria’s body.

Eternal Night Guild Headquarters, third basement level.

Nakamura Shin'ichiro was curled up on the cold ground, his hands and feet tightly bound by thick runic iron chains.

After a night of torment, the smell of alcohol on him had long dissipated.

He was now perfectly sober.

He looked up, his face filled with terror, at the silent silver-haired man before him.

This man was like a lifeless sculpture, maintaining the same posture, unmoving, ever since he had been brought here.

Yet, he felt more terrified than facing a primordial beast ready to devour him.

Nakamura Shin'ichiro’s voice trembled uncontrollably from fear.

“Your... Your Excellency, who are you?”

“What exactly do you want?”