Within the encirclement of the Patrol Team, the crowd automatically parted to clear a path.

A middle-aged man wearing a black trench coat walked out. He did not hold an umbrella, letting the cold rain wet his meticulously combed hair.

He stopped opposite Sato Shinichi, a playful, cat-and-mouse smirk hanging on his face.

"I've hunted you down for so many years, and you've finally slipped up."

"The most outstanding spy of Great Xia Nation."

"To capture you, I really put in a lot of effort."

His gaze fell on Sato Shinichi, filled with scrutiny and admiration.

"Your Excellency White Butterfly."

The man shook his head, the smile at the corners of his mouth growing thicker.

"No, to be precise, your name should be Tang Qi, right?"

Sato Shinichi, or rather Tang Qi, finally showed a trace of subtle fluctuation on his expressionless face.

He looked at the middle-aged man expressionlessly.

"You actually know my name."

"It seems that your informants in Great Xia Nation have already penetrated the upper echelons of the Great Xia Military Department."

The middle-aged man gave a chuckle, as if he had heard some interesting praise.

"Intelligence work is naturally like this; you infiltrate me, and I infiltrate you."

"However, this time, our Sakura Country's intelligence work is still above yours in Great Xia Nation."

"With a little trick, we fished out this big fish of yours."

Although the middle-aged man said that, in his heart, he was actually quite depressed.

In reality, Sakura Country's intelligence work in Great Xia Nation had long fallen into a paralyzed state.

For unknown reasons, all his spies lurking in the imperial capital had lost contact almost on the same day, their life or death unknown.

And fishing out the big fish "White Butterfly" was his only chance to save face and make up for his faults.

The middle-aged man stopped talking nonsense, suddenly waving his hand with a cold and stern voice.

"Catch him alive!"

"You absolutely cannot let him escape!"

At the order, the surrounding Patrol Team members moved instantly.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A Professional dressed as a ninja rapidly formed hand seals with both hands, suddenly opening his mouth as a huge fireball roared toward Tang Qi.

The scorching high temperature instantly evaporated the rainwater along the way, making a "sizzling" sound.

"Shield Bash!"

Another burly man holding a giant shield let out an angry roar, charging over like a tank.

Every step he took made the ground tremble slightly, and his aura was terrifying.

At the same time, several shuriken stained with a green glow were silently shot out from the shadows in the corners, viciously sealing off all of Tang Qi's dodging routes.

Attacks surged from all directions, which was almost a fatal trap.

However, Tang Qi's body moved in an unimaginable posture.

With just a simple sidestep, he managed to dodge the oncoming huge fireball just in time.

The fireball brushed past the corner of his clothes, crashing fiercely into the wall behind and blasting open a charred, massive hole.

Immediately after, the tips of his feet lightly tapped the ground, his body floating backward like a weightless fallen leaf.

The heavy shield warrior's charge barely swept past his feet, crashing headfirst into the wall.

As for those poisoned shuriken, they couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes.

Tang Qi's movements were smooth as flowing water, without a trace of redundancy.

Every dodge was as textbook-precise, filled with an effortless composure.

Not only was the middle-aged man not angry, but he nodded instead, an appreciative arc curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Your strength is really not bad."

"As expected of Great Xia Nation's top spy."

Tang Qi ignored his praise.

His gaze swept rapidly across the encirclement, looking for the weakest link.

Right now!

His eyes narrowed as he seized the momentary gap between the attacks of two Patrol Team members.

His figure flickered, pulling Maeda Hanami beside him, intending to break through the gap.

However, the moment he was about to rush out of the encirclement,

a terrifying hurricane whipped up out of nowhere without warning in the narrow alley!

The violent wind was like a knife, cutting through the rainwater and making a sharp, whistling sound.

A figure wrapped in the hurricane instantly killed their way to Tang Qi's front at a speed hard to capture with the naked eye!

Too fast!

Tang Qi's pupils shrank violently, and the hair all over his body stood on end at this moment.

He only had time to push Maeda Hanami away with all his might while simultaneously blocking horizontally with his tachi.

"Clang—!"

The sound of metal clashing exploded.

An irresistible tremendous force came from the blade body, and Tang Qi only felt a sharp pain in the web of his thumb, the tachi in his hand almost flying out of his grip.

His entire body uncontrollably flew backward.

Yet that figure clung to him like a shadow, the offense continuous and endless.

Wind blades, wind spikes, wind whips...

Countless attacks composed of violent wind completely enveloped Tang Qi like a storm.

The narrow alley had become the most fatal cage.

Tang Qi pushed his movement technique to the limit, dodging and maneuvering within the airtight attacks.

But the opponent's attacks were simply too fast and too dense.

"Puchi!"

A wind blade slashed across his arm, kicking up a string of blood droplets.

Immediately following that, another wind blade brushed past his cheek, leaving a shallow bloodstain.

Tang Qi clenched his teeth, but his eyes remained calm.

He knew he had encountered a truly top-tier powerhouse.

An opponent of this level could no longer be compensated for by mere skill.

Spotting an opportunity, he suddenly hurled the tachi in his hand, aiming straight for the opponent's face.

That person merely tilted their head casually, dodging this desperate strike.

But it was precisely this brief pause that allowed Tang Qi to seize the opportunity.

He pushed off with his feet, his body pressing against the wall as he sprinted rapidly toward the direction of the alley entrance.

However, that figure's speed was even faster than his.

The sound of wind rang out from behind.

Alarm bells blared in Tang Qi's heart; he wanted to dodge, but it was already too late.

"Puff—!"

The sound of a sharp blade entering flesh was so clear it made one's scalp tingle.

A bone-piercing sharp pain came from his right shoulder.

Tang Qi's body was carried by a tremendous force, smashing fiercely into the wall behind him.

"Boom!"

Bricks and stones shattered, and spiderweb-like cracks spread out.

He was pinned tightly to the wall from the shoulder by a Katana.

Fresh blood gurgled out along the blade, quickly dyeing half of his body red.

Tang Qi raised his head with difficulty, only then seeing the opponent's appearance clearly.

That was a youth who looked somewhat lazy, with messy hair and a pair of eyes half-open and half-closed, as if he had never woken up.

He wore the standard uniform of the Patrol Team, but his jacket was wide open, making him look unrestrained.

Just such a seemingly harmless man had eyes as cold as ice.

Tang Qi's gaze condensed, squeezing three words out between his teeth.

"Hasegawa... Yama."

Class S profession 【Storm Slasher】, with a Level as high as 72.

A famous legendary-tier Professional in the Patrol Team.

With him making a move, even Tang Qi felt the aura of death.

Hasegawa Yama yawned, casually pulling out the Katana pinning Tang Qi, once again bringing out a burst of blood rain.

He flicked the blood stains off the blade absentmindedly, his tone bland.

"Sorry for being late."

The middle-aged man shook his head hurriedly, his face piled with a flattering smile.

"No, no, you came at just the right time."

In the alley, victory and defeat had already been decided.

Tang Qi slid down to the ground leaning against the wall, his right arm having completely lost sensation.

Maeda Hanami let out a cry of alarm, wanting to rush over, but she was pinned down tightly by two Patrol Team members.

Despair shrouded this small patch of heaven and earth.

Yet right at this moment,

from the building overhead, a youthful voice carrying a hint of playfulness and dissatisfaction suddenly came down.

"What is this? Someone actually stole my lines."

This sudden voice stunned everyone in the alley.

They subconsciously looked up.

They saw that under the cold rainy night,

a youth wearing casual clothes, with eye-catching dyed yellow hair, was standing on the edge of the rooftop.

A smile was on his face as his gaze swept past the crowd, landing on Tang Qi and Maeda Hanami.

"Sorry you two, I'm late."

Tang Qi and Maeda Hanami looked at that face, the expressions on their faces instantly freezing, filled with utter disbelief.

That is...

Ever-changing Star Lord?!