"I'm in the Dragon Clan, what the heck is the Naruto Counterattack System?"

While it was late at night for Qi Xiuyuan, it was still noon in Chicago on the other side of the ocean.

The melodious chimes echoed throughout the entire Kassel College, startling the white doves perched atop the clock tower into flight.

Not far from Valhalla, there is a two-story building surrounded by trees that looks inconspicuous. From the outside, it looks as simple as a garage, but if someone goes inside, it is a different story.

The first and second floors of the two-story building are connected, with a huge skylight inlaid with frosted glass in the central courtyard, through which dappled sunlight shines.

Apart from the oil paintings, the only other thing around the room is the bookshelf connecting the floor and the ceiling. The spiral staircase is staggered among the bookshelves, making it convenient for the room's owner to access the sets of hardcover books and rubbings of ancient books.

This is the principal's office at Kassel College. Being personally invited here for afternoon tea by the principal is an honor that many students at Kassel College envy even more than a scholarship.

However, what they considered a "sacred place" was now filled with foul language.

"Fuck &%￥#@#%&!"

The sound coming from the computer was somewhat distorted, but the anger in the tone was still clearly audible.

"Wan Tao, the eldest son of the Wan family in Linhai?"

A tall, slender figure stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the principal's office, gently swirling a wine glass in his hand, the rich red liquid rippling beautifully within.

"Although their social standing and family background cannot compare to the Zhou family of Xiangyang, they are still quite outstanding children..."

There was no anger of being offended in Angers' tone, only a condescending attitude as if he were looking at a naughty child.

"Cough! Cough cough!"

A cough broke the silence of the principal's office.

The voice was hoarse and loud, like that of a patient with severe tuberculosis, making one worry that the owner of the voice might cough up blood.

"With Norma's current abilities, how did she manage to be discovered by the 'Inner Guard'?"

The one who spoke was a man whose neck was covered with dark red burn scars, and whose face was partially covered by a black mask.

He sat in a chair across a large desk, his gray eyes as cold as knives as he looked at Angers.

"Not 'Internal Guard'," Angers shook his head casually. "It should be 'Orthodox'."

"Orthodox?" The gray-eyed man's voice was hoarse, and when he repeated the word, there was a clear hint of obscurity in his tone.

"You should put aside your work in the executive department and brush up on your Chinese language and history, Schneider." Angers turned to look at him, smiled, and said, "Manstein has already passed the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) Level 6."

"Even Guderian, who used to complain every day about why a few letters with different tones could be four Chinese characters, recently passed the HSK Level 4 exam."

Level 6 is the highest level of the HSK, which means you can easily understand Chinese information that you hear or read, and express your opinions fluently in Chinese, either orally or in writing. Level 4 also means you can communicate relatively fluently with native Chinese speakers.

"However, it's normal that you don't understand the meaning of the word 'orthodox' since the academy only made Chinese a compulsory course four years ago."

Angers raised his glass, took a small sip, and then recited in fluent Chinese: "He who has inherited the rightful mandate of Heaven and received the destiny of Kherlen. He who is of the rightful mandate is in harmony with Heaven and Earth, establishes the ultimate standard for humanity, and thus teaches the world the most righteous way."

"The so-called 'orthodoxy' is 'upholding the rightful position' and 'unifying the country.' The word 'orthodoxy' is too important in their eyes, and any opposition will be regarded as a 'usurper'."

Schneider frowned. "Who are you referring to as 'them'?"

Angers didn't answer. He placed his glass on the table, leaned forward with both hands, and asked with a smile, "Do you remember how old I am?"

"..." Schneider shook his head. "I only remember that he was around 130 years old."

"Yes, I am 130 years old. I don't even remember my exact age."

Angers sighed and laughed, “The older people get, the more stubborn they become, the more nostalgic they are, and the more afraid they are of death. Even I am the same. Even if you have countless riches in life, you will have to take off your finery in the face of death.”

"There's an old Chinese saying that goes, 'The older a person gets, the more monstrous they become.'" He downed his glass of red wine in one gulp, looked out the window, and said sarcastically, "Those are a group of old monsters who have lived for over two hundred years. They must be stinking to high heaven by now."

What time was it two hundred years ago?

The last feudal dynasty in China.

What has someone who has lived for two hundred years seen?

There are too many, far too many.

As time goes by, decay and decay settle, ferment, and stink, turning them almost into bloodless, fleshless, and hollow skeletons.

Do you think they will stand against us?

Schneider said coldly, "Although I don't know much about the past, I remember that the Secret Party signed an alliance with them during World War II to stand together in the face of the Dragon Clan's resurgence. At certain times, they can be asked to cooperate with the Secret Party's actions."

"Covenant? Isn't a covenant just a piece of paper to be torn up?" Angers shook his head. "But you misunderstood me. Those old fogies are more wary and opportunistic than hostile towards the Secret Society. They won't stop us; they'll even use us to slay dragons and reap the benefits."

"On the contrary, the new generation of young mixed-race people have inherited the domineering attitude of 'all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all things within sight belong to the king.' Their attitude is also more assertive. They are very dissatisfied with that alliance and do not want us to interfere too much. Unfortunately, they do not have the power to speak."

Upon hearing this, Schneider frowned and asked, "And your attitude towards them...?"

"It's just out of personal disgust."

Angers took out a cigar, sniffed it briefly, and sighed, "And then there's the pity for the young people, whether it's the eldest son of the Wan family or that outstanding young man."

"Time Zero, Moment, or some other kind of Word of Power—if that child can enter the academy, he will surely become a sharp blade that shines with true brilliance. Choosing to stay there will only tarnish his talent and bury his talent."

"After all, the orthodox system exists in the form of clans and families, and they never marry ordinary people. The power is tightly held in the hands of those old guys. Even if you take all their bones out, you won't find a single bone that can be used to make a balance scale."

At this point, as if remembering something, a hint of dazedness flashed across Angers' eyes, and he said in a low voice, "If 'he' were still alive, perhaps things wouldn't be like this now."

"Who?" Schneider asked.

"...An old friend." After a moment of silence, Angers went to the window again, looked into the distance, and said calmly, "A man with a heart for reform, a man who cared for his country and his people, a man full of ambition."

"Unfortunately, he is already dead. Those who are alive now are nothing but a bunch of old monsters who occupy positions without doing their jobs, feeding on the passion and vigor of the younger generation, and living in fear of death every day."

The words, accompanied by sighs, lingered for a long time until the sound of a door opening and closing behind him brought Angers back to his thoughts of the distant past.

"Feeling sentimental about spring and autumn, I'm really getting old." He chuckled self-deprecatingly, reaching for the folding knife in his pocket. "But this knife isn't dull yet."

Angers looked down at the table in front of him, his gaze lingering on the four documents.

The first three documents contain the identity files and information of Chu Tianjiao, Lu Mingfei, and Qi Xiuyuan, respectively.

Sizzle.

Angers put "Chu Tianjiao's" file into the shredder and destroyed it completely twice. Then he glanced at "Qi Xiuyuan's" file and casually put it into the shredder as well.

He trusted his judgment.

He has never misjudged people.

Even if I'm wrong, I'll never regret it.

In the end, only Lu Mingfei's file and a location information were left.

—Mi Palace, suspected location of the "■■■ Egg", has been dispatched by an S-rank ■■■ to confirm.

"...Eggs?" Angers muttered to himself. "You'd better not be lying to me."