"How are you feeling, Bai Xing?" Tran relaxed seeing Bai Xing unharmed and full of energy. "Huh? There's someone else here." The room held not just Bai Xing but a golden-haired, elegant beauty—none other than Mary upon closer look.

"Young man, you've come?" Mary spotted Tran and Ada entering. Despite being wrapped head-to-toe in bandages, she greeted them with a smile that made Tran's heart skip a beat. Bai Xing shouldn't know he was male! If Mary spilled that, he was doomed—he'd seen Bai Xing naked after all. Not to mention her great figure, curves in all the right places... hehe...

Watching Tran's face shift from pale to purple, then twist into a lecherous grin, Bai Xing burst out laughing.

"Tran, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were a guy back then. I dragged you to the girls' hot spring without thinking—I'm truly sorry!" Bai Xing apologized sincerely, her face flushed crimson. She'd been seen naked, after all!! "And I'm sorry for dragging you into our nation's conflict too!"

Now Tran felt awkward. He'd benefited the most—got quite an eyeful! As for the trouble from White Emperor Kingdom's strife? Sure, it was annoying. Waving a hand to crush those guys was tiring...

"No worries! Everyone makes mistakes. But that fight cost me dearly—how about compensating me? A million or two to calm my nerves?" Tran grinned shamelessly. He remembered Mary casually offering money without blinking an eye.

"Bai Xing Princess, don't apologize to this brat. He doesn't care about any of this." Ada cut in before Tran could push further, shooting him a glare that silenced him instantly. "We came to check your health and assess White Emperor Kingdom's strength. With their scandal exposed, they're doomed for overthrow."

Mary and Bai Xing fell silent. Helping outsiders destroy their homeland felt wrong—but since it was about to fall anyway, why not let it burn?

Mary sighed. "I don't know White Emperor Kingdom's full strength. I was just an outer-layer mole. But raised as a sleeper agent, I know some truths."

"Mary-nee, why were you branded a traitor back then?" Tran interrupted before she reached the key point.

"Hmm? The minister must have uncovered my plan," Mary explained. "You saw how powerful those Cyborgs he sent were. Deploying them risked exposure, so he ordered us to kill Princess Bai Xing first. We planned to fake her fainting, then escape to a foreign embassy for safety. Our daggers were coated with sedatives."

"Ah? So those metal men were my fault?" Tran said awkwardly.

"No. The minister likely knew all along—he was just testing us. We could never resist him." Mary shook her head helplessly, reflecting on her decades-long life.

"Now, White Emperor Kingdom's forces: twenty-eight of those life-costing S-Rank Cyborgs exist. Four are gone, and they can't rebuild past thirty. Among Superpower Users, only nine are SS Rank—extremely strong. Over a hundred are S-Rank. Below that? Countless." Mary recalled as she spoke.

"With that strength, we needn't fear them. Overthrowing them would be easy," Ada noted while jotting details down. Truly, one Superpower Association could handle it—pile up the SS Rank Users, and the kingdom would crumble.

"Don't underestimate them! Do you know why they create S-Rank Cyborgs at the cost of lives? Because under certain conditions, they're invincible!" Mary insisted.

"Huh? What conditions?" Tran asked curiously.

"When the Annihilation Domain activates, all Superpowers fail—but those soldiers grow stronger!" Mary revealed. "I've been near a research lab. Even the domain's aftereffects left me utterly weak."

"How large is its range?" Ada pressed.

"Unclear, but likely vast. To expand it, they need the Soul Beast inside Princess Bai Xing—the Apocalypse Bat." Mary glanced at Bai Xing, who looked back with worry, then at Tran.

"If they take Bai Xing and extract her Soul Beast, she'll die," Mary added, fixing her gaze on Tran. "Tran, I know you're no ordinary person. Can you protect her? There's one more thing I haven't told you..."

"Huh? What is it?" Tran eyed Bai Xing and Mary. Bai Xing's face reddened; Mary wore a sly smirk.

"Our royal law states only a lover may see a royal's naked body. Any other man who does... gets cursed!" Mary stressed "cursed" heavily, as if it were real. "So, young man, to avoid the curse, swear now to protect the princess for life. Follow her, fall in love, and marry her."

Tran froze. What? A wife out of nowhere? He glanced at Bai Xing—she showed no resistance, just blushed while staring at him...

"This is moral blackmail!" Tran groaned weakly.

"Hey! We came to check on you, not deliver a husband to the princess!" Ada yanked Tran toward the door as the situation spiraled. "Princess, Tran belongs to the Soul Hunters. We have duties—we must leave." She turned sternly to Tran. "Move. Or I'll dock your pay!"

Tran panicked—he needed that salary to survive! He shot Bai Xing an apologetic look.

"Wait! Tran, stay with me. I'll double your losses! No—triple them!" Bai Xing cried out.

"Tran, come with me. I'll raise your salary!" Ada countered.

"Tran, be my guard. I'll pay five times your current wage!"

Mary facepalmed. Were these girls bidding to keep a pretty boy?

And so the battle began—with Tran as the ultimate winner. Whichever side he chose, money would roll in.

"How amusing. Does someone like this really have S-Rank strength or higher?" A voice cut through the chaos. In the next instant, Princess Bai Xing vanished.

"Bai Xing!" Tran scanned frantically—no trace.

"Look outside! That's... an SS Rank Superpower User? Bai Yi?" Mary gasped.

Tran leaped out the window without hesitation. On a rooftop, a white-haired girl cradled the unconscious Bai Xing.

"First meeting. I'm Bai Yi, SS Rank Superpower User of White Emperor Kingdom," the silver-haired beauty smiled at Tran.

Tran didn't care. He grabbed his staff and roared—

"Monster! Give me back my sister!"