"So, you mainly want me to help you steal something, right? No wonder you''d give me such a precious watch."

    Faced with the terms offered by the Aquarius Director, the middle-aged man thought for a moment before nodding, then asked,

    "What if I steal the item, but you fail the inquiry?"

    "If the inquiry fails, I''ll have my memory read, and considering the number of violations I''ve made, I''d either be executed or possibly turned into an anomalous object."

    The Aquarius Director spoke with a nonchalant smile, not bothering to hide his potential fate,

    "If I''m really finished, this watch will be your payment, and you can do whatever you want with that item. Is that enough?"

    "In that case... it''s enough!"

    "Then goodbye."

    After the middle-aged man put on the watch, the Aquarius Director slightly nodded, then stood up and left his seat, walking steadily toward the door.

    As he rose, the stars belonging to the Aquarius Palace in the sky lit up one after another, breaking through the sunlight''s cover for a very brief moment, projecting towards the Capital City, instantly reflecting off the Aquarius Director, but also caught the attention of certain observant eyes.

    ...

    "Get ready."

    After taking a sip of the deep brown tea from the bottle, the Red-haired Director, who was gazing out the window at the sky, turned around and said to Leon, who was waiting in the office,

    "Aquarius Palace just lit up. Judging from the direction, Aquarius used his director''s privilege to shift back to the main office. You don''t have to worry about bumping into him when you go undercover with the Rebels.

    "Moreover, this time is different from before. You must remember, you only have a maximum of two weeks for your investigation. Do not exceed this time limit."

    Emphasizing the maximum time limit for the task once again, the Red-haired Director, rare in his seriousness, advised,

    "Leon, if the inquiry fails, Aquarius, who can use the Star Palace Shift, might return before I do, and the identity you''re substituting with a photo may not necessarily fool him.

    "Though I''ll try to delay him for a while, to be safe, if I''m not back in two weeks whether the mission is completed or not, you have to evacuate immediately.

    "If the inquiry succeeds, you can reconnect with the Rebels afterward, but if it fails and Aquarius catches you in the act, then I really can''t guarantee your safety."

    "I understand."

    Faced with the director''s repeated instructions, Leon nodded and carefully noted, then couldn''t help but ask,

    "Director, is there a high chance of success for this inquiry?"

    "It''s decent."

    After thinking for a moment, the Red-haired Director responded,

    "The three directors hosting the year-end review, plus Taurus His Excellency, make four directors capable of participating in the inquiry against Aquarius.

    "In addition, there''s me, the Lion, and Gemini, three directors from the Zodiac Branch Office, along with other branch directors who also noticed Aquarius Director''s activities in their jurisdictions after receiving information.

    "We exchanged some intelligence and evidence we had. We feel there''s a thirty percent chance his actions could be exposed on the spot!" sea??h thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Ah? Only thirty percent?"

    "Aquarius Director isn''t a fool. He''s always very cautious. A thirty percent chance is already quite a lot."

    The Red-haired Director stated seriously,

    "Besides, this is an internal inquiry, not a court trial. There''s no need to form a complete chain of evidence. As long as we can reveal his suspicious behavior and force him to expose his motives, the goal is achieved.

    "As long as he can''t prove his innocence or provide reasonable explanations for those suspicious and dangerous actions, that''s enough to take him down and force him to undergo memory reading."

    "I see..."

    Hearing this, Leon pondered for a moment, then casually asked,

    "Director, what kind of mistake would warrant being dragged for memory reading?"

    "Don''t worry, it''s a very troublesome process."

    Giving Leon a sidelong glance, the Red-haired Director snorted coldly,

    "It requires causing significant harm and holding a high position to enjoy such treatment. What you''ve done at the Ryan Family isn''t enough to warrant such a level of examination."

    "Uh..."

    "So now you''re worried, hearing that the bureau has memory-reading abilities?"

    Seeing Leon a bit awkward, the Red-haired Director couldn''t help but glare at him, then grumbled,

    "What kind of person are you? Investigators from the bureau may not know, but surely I do. So many nobles died during the Ryan Blood Night, and they were all major criminals. How could it be completely unrelated to you?

    "The main thing is that the Heart of Ambition insisted that Bobby Laien was responsible for the Ryan Blood Night. Considering it wasn''t your anomalous object and it was against you, with no motive to cover for you, I didn''t think further.

    "But after you took the heart from me the other day, facing the enemy who killed its previous master, the thing was so overjoyed it almost went crazy! It pounded inside the box as if it wanted to jump straight out and cling to you. Even if I were foolish, I should know whose side it''s on!"

    "..."

    "Anyway, be careful with your task this time. Don''t cause too much commotion, sigh..."

    "Uh... I''ll try to be more careful..."

    "You better be... Also, one last reminder, you can actually be slightly more conservative when executing your task."

    Looking at Leon, who nodded sheepishly, the Red-haired Director sighed and said,

    "When I ''bowed'' to you earlier, I activated a part of [Slaughter Blood Hair], slightly exceeding the human hierarchy, so I recovered some memories concerning the Princess... Leon, I think it was me who suggested you propose to her."

    "What?"

    "Don''t give me that. I didn''t really want you to marry her; it was to help you shed the Duke of Lionheart identity by proposing to the Princess. Who knew you''d actually succeed?"

    Rubbing his temples, the Red-haired Director summarized with exasperation,

    "I sent you to the Ryan Family to investigate Yang Xin, and you directly turned Ryan Blood Night into an event; I suggested you recognize kinship at the Ryan Family, and you turned into the Duke of Lionheart; I suggested you propose to the Princess, and now you''re practically a Prince...

    "Leon, tell me honestly, what are you planning for this mission? By the time I return in two weeks, will you already be the chief of the Rebels?"

    "No way! Absolutely no way!"

    Listening to the imaginative thoughts of his director, Leon shook his head repeatedly,

    "Director, you''re being prejudiced. I''ve always made very conservative choices!"

    "Although I don''t fully understand the Princess situation yet, during Ryan Blood Night, it was Bobby Laien who barricaded the estate, preventing me from leaving. Otherwise, I would have definitely run away, and it wouldn''t have ended up in a death struggle!"

    "True, but what if you''re cornered again and forced to rise?"

    "How could that happen?"

    Faced with the Red-haired Director''s baseless assumption, Leon couldn''t help but protest,

    "This undercover mission is only for two weeks. Just how chaotic would the Rebels need to be for me to become their leader in that time?"