Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 345 Distress Signal
"Tell me."

“We’ll split up.” Rowan turned around. “You’ll draw the attention of these surveillance personnel, and I’ll investigate the Star Trading Corporation.”

Emperor Yan frowned: "This is too dangerous. What if my identity is exposed?"

“That’s the crux of the matter,” Rowan interrupted him. “Senior, our biggest problem right now isn’t being exposed, but the lack of conclusive evidence. If we continue this cautious investigation, we might never find a clue about Sack.”

Emperor Yan looked at Luo Wen seriously: "What do you mean?"

“A desperate gamble.” Rowan’s tone was firm. “You’ll reveal some of your strength to convince Sack’s people that you’re not an ordinary businessman, and they’ll focus all their attention on you. Meanwhile, I’ll use that opportunity to investigate the Star Trading Group and obtain solid evidence.”

Emperor Yan paced silently around the room a few times before finally stopping: "This plan is risky, but it's certainly our best option right now. However, Rowan, it's equally dangerous for you to investigate alone."

“I have a way,” Rowan said confidently. “I have connections in the business world and can obtain information about Starry Sky Trading Group through legitimate channels. Moreover, I won’t contact them directly; I’ll just review publicly available business information.”

Emperor Yan pondered for a moment: "Then what kind of help do you need?"

“Time,” Rowan answered decisively. “Give me six hours, and I guarantee I’ll get useful information.”

"Six hours," Emperor Yan calculated. "I can buy you that time, but you must ensure your safety."

“I will.” Rowan clenched his fist. “Senior, we can’t wait any longer. Since Sack already suspects us, he’s likely to take further action. Rather than waiting passively, we should take the initiative.”

Emperor Yan finally nodded: "Alright, we'll proceed according to your plan. But be careful; if you encounter danger, retreat immediately."

The two quickly devised a detailed action plan. Emperor Yan would leave the apartment at 10:00 AM and head to the training area of ​​the martial arts arena, where he would "accidentally" display abilities beyond those of an ordinary businessman. Meanwhile, Rowan would exit through another exit and head to the downtown business information center to research information.

At 9:50 a.m., Emperor Yan walked out of the Red Maple Apartment as planned. He deliberately acted somewhat nervous, glancing back from time to time, giving the monitors a sense of guilt.

Sure enough, the man posing as a repairman immediately followed, and the two downstairs also began to move. Emperor Yan sneered inwardly; although these people's tracking skills were not bad, they still seemed too naive in front of an Immortal-level powerhouse.

Emperor Yan arrived at the public training area of ​​the martial arts arena, where there were many basic training facilities for ordinary staff and contract workers. He chose a relatively secluded corner and began his "training".

At first, he did some ordinary physical training and looked no different from a health-conscious middle-aged businessman. But as time went on, he began to show some unusual abilities.

His punches became faster and stronger, quickly surpassing the capabilities of ordinary people. The training equipment groaned under his attacks and even began to deform slightly.

"Just who is this Yan Huang?" The observer, hiding in the shadows, was shocked.

Emperor Yan noticed the monitor's reaction and knew his performance had worked. He deliberately acted as if he "realized he had been exposed," hurriedly ended his training, and quickly left the training area.

The watchers immediately followed, completely unaware that Rowan had already quietly left through another exit of the apartment.

Meanwhile, Rowan was on a hoverbus heading to the city center. He chose public transportation because it was less likely to be tracked. The bustling crowds on the bus provided excellent cover.

The downtown business information center is a 30-story modern building with a blue glass curtain wall that glitters in the sunlight. It houses the largest business database in the entire star system, where information on almost every legally registered company can be found.

Luo Wen arrived at the information center's query hall, where hundreds of query terminals offered various business information services. He chose a terminal in a corner and began searching for information about the Starry Sky Trading Group.

Initially, he could only find some basic publicly available information: the company's establishment date, registered capital, business scope, and so on. This information seemed normal, with nothing particularly noteworthy.

But Rowan didn't give up; he knew that truly valuable information was often hidden in the details. He began to dig deeper, examining more detailed information such as the company's shareholding structure, board members, and historical change records.

"Founder information. Founder information." Luo Wen searched in the system.

Suddenly, a page caught his attention. It was the equity registration information for Xingchen Trading Group, which listed the names of all shareholders and their shareholding percentages in detail.

Rowan carefully read through the names, initially finding nothing unusual. But when he reached the third page, a familiar name caught his eye: Sack Redmond.

"It really was him!" Rowan's heart raced.

But what shocked him even more was yet to come. As he continued reading, he discovered more familiar names—not familiar names like Sack, but familiar names representing the forces behind them.

"Bruce Hamilton, representative of the Galactic Pirate Alliance"

"Victor Stone, leader of the Void Hunters."

"Aria Shadow, leader of the Blood Moon Mercenary Group"

Rowan's hands began to tremble slightly. He had seen these names, these forces, in Emperor Yan's files. They were the very same hostile forces that had attacked Emperor Yan not long ago in the Blue Crystal Galaxy!

He continued his investigation and discovered that the list of founders consisted of sixteen people. Apart from Sak, the other fifteen came from fifteen different factions. Without exception, all fifteen factions had clashed with the Giant Axe Arena and had grudges against Emperor Yan.

"This can't be a coincidence," Rowan's mind raced.

He immediately began to examine the detailed information of these forces, hoping to find more connections. Soon, he discovered a startling pattern: these forces had all suffered heavy losses in the past few years for various reasons, and the cause of these losses was often the Giant Axe Arena operation led by Emperor Yan.

"I see." Rowan finally understood the whole story.

Sak wasn't acting alone; he was at the heart of this revenge alliance. These forces, united by their grudges against Emperor Yan, plotted an attack on him. The Starry Sky Trading Group was their tool for money laundering and concealing the flow of funds.

Rowan quickly intercepted this crucial information and stored it on an encrypted storage device. While this data couldn't directly prove that Sak organized the attack on Emperor Yan, it was enough to demonstrate his close ties with these hostile forces.

Just as Rowan was about to leave, he noticed that the system displayed a related folder. Out of caution, he clicked on it and discovered even more startling information.

Those were the financial transaction records of the Starry Sky Trading Group. In the week leading up to the attack on Emperor Yan, this group transferred huge sums of money to several pirate organizations, including the Blood Raven Pirates!

"Found it!" Rowan almost shouted excitedly.

This discovery completely confirmed their suspicions. Sack not only had connections to these hostile forces, but had also directly provided financial support to the pirate organization that attacked Emperor Yan. Rowan quickly saved this information and then swiftly left the information center. He knew that what he now possessed was crucial evidence capable of changing the entire situation.

On the way back, Rowan felt both excited and nervous. He was excited because he had finally found Sack's fatal weakness, but nervous because he didn't know what the situation was like on Emperor Yan's side.

At this moment, Emperor Yan was "performing" in another area of ​​the arena. He first went to the library, where he deliberately showed interest in certain secret documents, and then went to the archives to inquire about some sensitive historical records.

The more the observers watched, the more suspicious Yan Huang seemed. Why would an ordinary merchant be so interested in the internal secrets of the Giant Axe Arena? Moreover, the physical abilities he displayed were clearly beyond the realm of ordinary people.

“We must report to Elder Sack immediately,” one of the watchers decided.

Emperor Yan noticed the movements of the monitor and knew that his performance had achieved its intended effect. The problem now was how to continue stalling for time without completely revealing his identity.

He thought for a moment and decided to go find Lei Ming. This would buy Luo Wen more time and allow him to prepare for the next move.

Lei Ming's office was located on the 28th floor of the Martial Arts Arena headquarters, in the office area for elders. Emperor Yan, who came to "report" as a business advisor, soon met Lei Ming.

"Yanhuang, what brings you here?" Lei Ming seemed somewhat surprised.

"Elder Lei Ming, I discovered some problems while investigating the work of the Commerce Department, and I would like to report them to you," said Emperor Yan.

Lei Ming noticed the Emperor Yan's choice of words, especially the title "Elder Lei Ming," which struck him as odd. Logically, a newly arrived business consultant shouldn't be so familiar with the specific title of an elder.

"What's the problem?" Lei Ming asked.

"I've noticed that Elder Sak has recently been having frequent financial dealings with some external institutions, and some of these transactions seem rather unusual." Emperor Yan chose a relatively safe topic.

Lei Ming's expression turned serious: "Do you have concrete evidence?"

"We are still collecting information, but I feel it's necessary to report to you in advance," Emperor Yan said. "If you agree, I hope we can conduct a more in-depth investigation."

Looking at Emperor Yan, Lei Ming felt more and more that this man was not simple. His speech, behavior, and even his way of thinking were unlike those of an ordinary businessman.

"Yanhuang, can I ask you a question?" Lei Ming suddenly said.

"certainly."

"Were you really just a businessman before?" Lei Ming looked directly into Yan Di's eyes.

Emperor Yan knew his performance might have gone a bit too far, but there was no turning back now. He took a deep breath and made an important decision.

"Elder Lei Ming, there are some things I feel I should tell you," Emperor Yan's tone turned serious, "but please promise me you won't tell anyone before I finish."

Lei Ming sensed the seriousness of the situation: "You say."

Just as Emperor Yan was preparing to further reveal his identity, Luo Wen returned to the Red Maple Apartment. He found that the surveillance personnel downstairs were gone, and knew that Emperor Yan's plan had succeeded.

He immediately returned to his room and began organizing the evidence he had just obtained. This information needed careful analysis and organization so that he could clearly explain the issues when reporting to Lei Ming.

Luo Wen categorized all the information according to chronological order and importance, and then produced a detailed report. This report not only included the equity structure of the Starry Sky Trading Group, but also analyzed the relationships between various forces and their correspondence with Emperor Yan's past actions.

“Now Sack can no longer deny it.” Rowan looked at the report he had prepared, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

At the same time, he was also worried about Emperor Yan's safety. Although Emperor Yan should be able to deal with the monitors according to the plan, the situation could become very dangerous if Sak personally intervened.

Luo Wen picked up the communicator, preparing to contact Emperor Yan. But just then, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Knock, knock, knock." The knocking was very soft, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Rowan's heart immediately tightened. Who would be knocking at this hour? He quietly walked to the door and peered through the peephole.

A woman in a black uniform stood in the corridor. She looked to be in her early twenties, with delicate features but sharp eyes. Her hand was on her waist, where a weapon was clearly concealed.

“Mr. Rowan, I know you’re inside,” the woman suddenly said. “Elder Sack wants to see you.”

Rowan's heart sank. It seemed that Sack had confirmed their identities and was now ready to lay his cards on the table.

“I don’t know any Elder Sack,” Rowan replied through the door.

“Mr. Rowan, don’t make things difficult for us.” The woman’s tone turned cold. “You only have two choices: come with us willingly, or we’ll break down the door.”

Rowan knew he had nowhere to retreat. But he couldn't let the evidence he had just obtained fall into Sack's hands. He quickly hid the storage device in a secluded place, then activated the emergency communication program, sending a distress signal to Emperor Yan.

“Okay, I’ll open the door.” Rowan took a deep breath, preparing to face the challenge ahead.

But just as he was about to open the door, the sounds of fighting suddenly came from the hallway. The woman gasped in surprise, followed by the sound of something heavy falling to the ground.

"Rowan, it's me." A familiar voice rang out from outside the door.

Luo Wen immediately opened the door and saw Yan Di standing outside, while the woman in black had already fainted on the ground.

"Senior! What brings you here?" Rowan asked in surprise.

"I received your distress signal." Emperor Yan entered the room. "It seems Sak can no longer sit still."

(End of this chapter)