At the side entrance of this grand mansion in the Jiangnan garden style, James Thompson got out of the car. After passing through more than a dozen security checks, James Thompson was taken deep into the mansion by a four-seater golf cart. After waiting for another half hour, James Thompson finally met the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Empire, Charles Foster, in an antique-style study.

Charles Foster was dressed in a crisp military uniform, sitting upright in a rosewood grand master's chair. His square face was marked by two thick, long, sword-like eyebrows, his eyes deep and distant, his expression calm, and he naturally exuded an imposing and charismatic aura. Seeing James Thompson enter, Charles Foster casually greeted, “Sit.”

This casualness made James Thompson feel very close to him, and even with James Thompson’s self-restraint, he couldn’t help but feel a secret joy. However, the more casual Charles Foster was, the more James Thompson needed to maintain his own decorum. James Thompson did not sit, but stood by the desk and said, “My lord, the young lady has escaped danger safely, but all nine members of Feiyu Team Six responsible for her security have died in the line of duty.”

Charles Foster nodded. He had, of course, already known the outcome, and he was still very concerned about this daughter. He also knew that since James Thompson had come in person, it wouldn’t be just to report this. James Thompson paused and continued, “In this incident, another extraordinary individual appeared. Fortunately, after receiving the emergency signal from Feiyu Team Six, I was able to promptly use three satellites to lock onto the young lady’s mobile phone. Due to the special location, we were lucky enough to capture the entire process on video.”

Charles Foster frowned slightly. “Another extraordinary individual. These people are getting more and more arrogant, even daring to target my daughter. Old Foster is really muddle-headed, not making such a big matter clear.” Old Foster was the old steward of the Ye household, in charge of all affairs, highly respected and with great authority. Charles Foster could say this, but James Thompson could not respond. He could only pretend not to hear and continued, “I’ve brought the satellite footage, my lord, please take a look…”

Charles Foster casually tapped on the huge desk, and the room silently darkened. The wall opposite the desk silently parted, revealing a giant screen. Charles Foster placed the disc into a hidden computer under the desk, and Emily Foster’s figure immediately appeared on the screen. Since it was satellite footage, the angle was never quite right. But the satellite’s ultra-high-definition resolution clearly captured the moment when Samuel Bennett withstood bullets head-on.

Moreover, after post-production processing, that scene was slowed down a hundredfold and replayed from various angles several times. In this footage, every detail of that moment could be clearly seen. Even Charles Foster was moved when he saw this. “This person is truly formidable.”

As a soldier, Charles Foster knew very well what it meant for a person to withstand bullets with their body. This meant that ordinary firearms posed no threat to him, while heavy weapons were difficult to target a single person with—on the battlefield, he would be virtually invincible. In a city, even more dangerous.

Relying on Emily Foster’s mobile phone signal, the sounds at the scene could be clearly heard. For the footage where Emily Foster was not present, skilled technical experts deciphered the conversations by reading lips and expressions. Many subtitles were added to the footage, allowing viewers to clearly understand the situation at the scene.

When Charles Foster saw William Carter charging down the mountain at a speed of 180 kilometers per hour, he could no longer contain his shock. To be able to arbitrarily change the essence of the human body? Mass-produce superhumans? It was simply a miracle. Unlike the ignorant youths Emily Foster and William Carter, only someone of Charles Foster’s status could comprehend the profound significance.

The final scene of the footage was Emily Foster making a phone call. Seeing this, Charles Foster smiled slightly. The clearly displayed phone number on the screen let Charles Foster know that his precious daughter was calling James Thompson.

“The young lady said to release William Carter as soon as possible. I’ve already agreed,” James Thompson explained. “That Samuel Bennett, do we know where he went?” Charles Foster pondered for a moment and asked.

James Thompson shook his head. “The Xinghe mainframe is analyzing it. The preliminary estimate is some kind of spatial transfer, making it difficult to determine the destination. According to the experts’ analysis, Samuel Bennett should be familiar with the civilization of this era, with no obvious differences from humans. His personality is cold and ruthless, and from the content of his speech, he likely hasn’t received advanced system education. Judging by his gun handling and actions, he’s not a soldier. It’s highly suspicious that he wields a Desert Eagle, fired 17 rounds without changing the magazine. There were no shell casings. With current technology, this is impossible. Detailed analysis will have to wait for the ballistic report from Ancheng. Physical strength and other metrics will also require a second analysis after the ballistic report.”

Charles Foster thought for a while and said, “Raise the secrecy level of this matter to S-class. Bring William Carter back within three days.” “Yes,” James Thompson replied solemnly. Although Charles Foster’s order was simple, James Thompson fully understood his intent. William Carter must be kept under their control and must not fall into anyone else’s hands. And William Carter’s fate as a lab rat was already sealed.

Even a powerhouse like Samuel Bennett, as long as James Thompson was given time, he was confident he could handle it. William Carter might have some strength, but in a society with a tightly organized system, he was still just an insignificant commoner. His fate could be decided with a single word.

Chapter Six: Tribulation

Sitting in the dimly lit interrogation room, William Carter had already completely regained his composure.