"What kind of enemy makes you this cautious?"

Zhang Xulin let out a faint breath.

Then she gave a small, almost dismissive sneer.

"Army?"

"Weapons?"

She shook her head slowly.

"As expected," she said, "your understanding of this world is still too limited."

Casey and Richard both stiffened slightly.

Not offended, but clearly unsettled. What did he mean?

Zhang Xulin leaned back slightly, her expression turning colder.

"You think having firearms makes you strong?" she said. "You think suppressing ordinary people means you’re untouchable?"

There was no ridicule in her tone.

Only a quiet, firm statement which carried dissatisfaction.

Casey didn’t respond immediately, analysing his words.

Richard also remained silent, carrying both doubt and curiosity about his King’s words.

Zhang Xulin raised her hand. Then snapped her fingers lightly.

"Ye Han."

She didn’t need to explain. Yang Qingxi stepped forward immediately. Inwardly, Zhang Xulin was beyond exhilarated. Because this was her first time ordering around her Young Miss. What an addictive feeling~

Good thing Yang Qingxi didn’t know her thoughts. Otherwise, she would have taught her a good lesson.

Ye Han?

The surname Ye immediately caught their attention.

Was he related to their king? Or was it just a mere coincidence?

The thought appeared, but disappeared just as quickly.

Because Yang Qingxi moved. Her posture shifted slightly as a faint grin appeared on her face.

"I’ve been waiting for this," she said.

Her tone was relaxed, but carried a subtle confidence.

Then she looked at them.

"Well then," she continued, "Frogs, in the well. Take a good look at the true power."

"Earth Bind."

The moment the words left her mouth, the floor moved.

At first, it was subtle.

Then—

The marble surface beneath their feet shifted, rising unnaturally.

Like something alive.

Before they could react, the ground curled upward, wrapping around their legs, then their bodies.

In an instant—

All four of them were restrained with white marble-like dumplings. Only their heads remained free, looking like giant eggs with human faces.

The movement was too fast, smooth, and completely unnatural.

Casey’s pupils shrank. Richard’s body tensed instinctively. Though he was already immobile.

Rose’s gaze sharpened.

Jerry froze.

None of them had time to react or even resist.

Never in their wildest dream they expect such an attack method where even the floor itself had turned against them.

Zhang Xulin stood up from the chair, slowly.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

This time, the imperfection in her expression didn’t matter.

Because the atmosphere had already changed.

She spread her arms slightly, her posture relaxed yet dominant.

"Welcome," she said calmly. "To the real side of this world."

A brief pause, she added.

"The world of supernaturals."

***

Meanwhile, Su Mo and Leng Shuang were on their way to Ye Chen’s current hideout.

Inside the car, Leng Shuang sat quietly for a while.

But her mind wasn’t there.

She had been going over the earlier plan again and again. The more she thought about it, the more she felt something didn’t quite add up.

Finally, she spoke.

"Master, I don’t understand something."

Su Mo, who was looking out the window, turned slightly.

"What is it?"

Leng Shuang hesitated briefly before continuing.

"Why did you let Miss Yang and Sister Xulin handle it that way?"

She paused, choosing her words carefully.

"I mean... with our strength, we could have forced them to submit directly. Was it really necessary to go through all that trouble?"

Su Mo listened without interrupting. Then he smiled.

"It is indeed unnecessary," he admitted easily. "If the goal was just control, we could’ve done it the simple way."

Leng Shuang looked at him, waiting for the rest of his words.

Su Mo leaned back slightly, his tone relaxed. "But that’s not conducive to my plans. What I want from them is to submit willingly."

Leng Shuang blinked.

Su Mo continued as if it was obvious.

"Besides, do you really think all of them would fall for such a simple trick?"

He tapped his finger lightly against the armrest.

"That guy Jerry might, because he is an idiot," he said casually. "The others... probably not. Especially after knowing about the supernatural stuff, they would definitely become suspicious about Ye Chen’s identity."

Leng Shuang thought about it and gave a small nod.

That made sense.

Casey and Richard didn’t seem like the type to accept things blindly. Rose, from what she had seen, was even less likely to ignore something suspicious.

Su Mo didn’t seem concerned.

"However, it doesn’t matter if they notice something is off," he said. "As long as they don’t say it out loud."

Leng Shuang frowned slightly. "What does that mean?"

Su Mo glanced at her and explained further.

"What I’m giving them is a choice," he said. "A chance to see something new."

"A different side of this world. By discarding Ye Chen and making allegiance to us."

His tone remained calm, but there was a quiet meaning behind his words.

Leng Shuang understood.

Once they saw abilities beyond their understanding, something that couldn’t be explained with what they currently knew, their perspective would change.

"And after that," Su Mo continued, "they’ll think twice before questioning anything. After all, a human heart is very greedy. Do you think they are satisfied with their current lives? What does Ye Chen have to make them loyal to death?"

Leng Shuang’s eyes deepened slightly.

So that was the intention.

Not using force, but to influence then overtime.

"Once they choose to stay silent," Su Mo added, "that means the act continues."

He gave a faint smile.

"And if the act continues long enough... replacing the person they serve is just a matter of words."

Leng Shuang nodded slowly.

After all, even she, a genius killer who only loved money, couldn’t escape the allure of supernaturals.

"With Miss Yang’s strength," Su Mo said, almost casually, "The top-level members of the King’s Palace should be considered settled. It won’t take long before they bring the rest of the organisation and hand it over to us willingly."