Not liking to use privilege and being unable to use privilege are two completely different concepts. With her temper flaring up again, Emily Foster picked up her phone, entered a 24-digit number, and opened a secret line. “Sorry, the number you have dialed does not exist. Please check the number and dial again…” Only after Emily Foster entered another 12-digit password was the line truly connected. After three beeps—“beep, beep, beep”—a familiar deep male voice came from the other end of the line. “Hello, Miss. How may I be of service?” “Uncle Thompson, I’ve run into a bit of trouble…”

Emily Foster explained in detail what had happened to her, only skipping over the part where William Carter was force-fed something. Although the person on the other end was absolutely trustworthy, for some reason, Emily Foster wanted to keep this little secret to herself. After listening to Emily Foster, Uncle Thompson on the other end of the line replied without any hesitation, “I understand. There will be news within three hours. Please wait, Miss.” “Sorry to trouble you, Uncle Thompson.” “Always at your service.” “Goodbye, Uncle Thompson.” “Goodbye, Miss.”

Emily Foster closed her phone and let out a long breath. She had full confidence in James Thompson’s abilities. In her memory, there was nothing he couldn’t handle. Matters like this were hardly worth mentioning.

In an office thousands of miles away, James Thompson also put down the satellite phone in his hand. James Thompson pondered for a moment, then picked up another internal line and asked, “Any analysis results yet?” A slightly cold voice came from the other end, “Not yet. The energy reaction is too unusual. At this rate, the Galaxy mainframe will need thirty days to produce a relatively accurate result.”

Even with the computing power of the Galaxy mainframe, it would still take so long, which surprised James Thompson a bit. But professional matters should be left to the experts. He would not interfere with his personal will. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Copy the satellite images and preliminary analysis results from earlier and send them to me. File this matter and classify it as A-level confidential.” “Yes, sir.”

Less than five minutes later, a beautiful secretary in a green short skirt knocked and entered. She respectfully placed the disc in front of James Thompson. Although James Thompson had an ordinary appearance and always wore a gentle smile, everyone who knew his true nature feared him like a tiger. He was the kind of inhuman being who would devour someone without leaving even the bones.

As the beautiful secretary bent down, the snow-white skin revealed by her deep V-neck was almost dazzling. James Thompson smiled slightly. To have worked in this heavily guarded base for nearly ten years, this secretary was certainly not just a pretty face. Still, James Thompson preferred it this way—when it wasn’t about business, it was best to relax as much as possible.

James Thompson put the disc in his pocket and, facing the giant light screen simulating a mirror, buttoned up his shirt collar. The middle-aged man in the mirror already had a bit of a paunch, but wrapped in a perfectly tailored, high-quality black suit, he looked all the more wise, steady, and capable.

The man in the mirror showed a smile—respectful but not servile, friendly but not ambiguous. Satisfied, James Thompson withdrew his smile. Emily Foster’s father, Charles Foster, was now more powerful than ever and was the leading figure of the The Foster Family. Although he was a trusted confidant, James Thompson still had to be careful in his conduct, lest his master think he was getting arrogant from favor.

The base managed by James Thompson was located 150 meters underground in the western mountains, with three levels and a total area of over 100,000 square meters. A three-hundred-strong elite force was stationed there year-round, along with over a hundred top experts specializing in gathering and analyzing all kinds of intelligence. The base also had the authority to take any action in emergencies.

This base, codenamed Deep Blue, was nominally under the Special Intelligence Group of the General Staff Department, and even James Thompson himself held the rank of major general. In reality, however, this was just a private base of the The Foster Family. A major general like James Thompson could be crushed by a single finger of the The Foster Family. So even with his status, James Thompson had to be extremely cautious when meeting Charles Foster.

After passing through multiple layers of security checks, even someone with the highest clearance like James Thompson wasted a full five minutes just to exit the Deep Blue base. The base’s exit was disguised as an astronomical observatory. James Thompson then went down to the underground parking lot, where a black business car silently stopped in front of him. After getting in, James Thompson simply said, “Ye residence.”

The black business car glided through the city traffic like a fish. Watching the crowds passing by outside, James Thompson suddenly smiled. The ignorant masses would never know what the world truly revolved around. Ignorance is a kind of happiness, perhaps… This sense of superiority came from the difference in status between the two sides. Just like that man in black in the satellite images, ignoring order and rules. That was already a fundamental change in the nature of life, which allowed him to disregard all obstacles.

The Ye residence was a centuries-old mansion, having undergone many renovations and now covering several hundred acres. In the capital, where every inch of land is precious, there were only two words to describe it: extravagant. And since the Ye residence was located on the imperial capital’s central Zijin Road, its value could not be measured by money. But for the The Foster Family, with its centuries of heritage, all of this was simply natural.