Chapter Sixteen: Unexpected Encounter

Zurich, its thick stench of money still lingering after centuries, remained the most important financial center of the Earth Federation. Just like hundreds of years ago, it still enjoyed legal immunity; anything stored in any of its underground vaults was beyond the investigation of the Federation's judicial department.

Gu Xiechen brought Jack to Zurich. They rented a small safe deposit box in the Federal Bank of Earth, which charged exorbitant fees, and safely stored two boxes of 'stolen goods'.

Standing in the empty VIP room, Gu Xiechen closed the heavy alloy door and turned the intricate mechanical combination lock. He took three keys from the door and handed one to the nervous Jack beside him. "Alright, Jack, stick with me from now on, and your one-third share of this wealth will always be yours! There are three keys, and without any one of them, we can't open this safe. I'll keep two, and you take one. Fair and reasonable, don't you think?"

Jack snatched the key as if it were a prize. He clutched the key tightly to his chest and shrieked nervously, "One-third? You're really giving me one-third?"

Gu Xiechen glared at Jack, annoyed. He strung the other two keys, also made of special alloy, together with his Mercenary Card and hung them around his neck. While busy, he reprimanded Jack, "I keep my word. Do you really want me to kill you and take all these treasures for myself?"

"Of course not! You're a man of your word!" Jack fawned, patting Gu Xiechen's shoulder. He carefully imitated Gu Xiechen, stringing the key and his Mercenary Card together. Once everything was in place, Jack patted his chest and sighed contentedly, "No one would have thought this little key is worth at least three billion!"

Gu Xiechen turned and walked towards the VIP room door, a faint smile on his face. "Remember, if you follow me, you'll get even more. But you must always remind yourself that if you let anything slip, you won't get a single cent from this! We can't touch these treasures for at least three years. We have to wait for the right time to sell them on the black market. Do you understand?"

"Of course, I understand!" Jack followed Gu Xiechen closely, proudly boasting, "I'm an expert in this business. Buying and selling stolen goods, there's nothing I don't know! I'm an expert, Xie... Boss! I'm a true expert! Boss!"

Gu Xiechen squinted and smiled. Just as Jack said, he was an expert in certain areas, and Gu Xiechen needed exactly this kind of expert right now.

As they stepped out of the Federal Bank building, Gu Xiechen was about to hail a taxi when a black motorcade silently pulled over to the side of the road. Three old men alighted from the cars, surrounded by a contingent of bodyguards, and ascended the steps to the entrance of the Federal Bank building. Gu Xiechen's face twitched. He instructed Jack and then, with a blank expression, descended the steps.

One of the three old men was thin and shriveled, his dry skin stretched over a skeletal frame, exuding an aura of malevolence. A thumb-sized, blood-clot-like growth on his forehead pulsed with rings of blood-red light, making it look like a third eye. This old man wore a faded yellow coarse white tunic and a pair of cloth boots whose soles were frayed at the edges, resembling a zombie that had just crawled out of an ancient tomb. The deathly aura surrounding him was even heavier than that of the genuine zombie, Ru Hua, whom Gu Xiechen had seen just a few hours ago.

Another old man was well-proportioned and handsome, clearly a ladies' man in his youth. Dressed in a black kimono with a katana at his waist, he seemed to hold the lowest status. He followed the shriveled old man respectfully, constantly bowing and murmuring in a low voice.

The third old man was an acquaintance of Gu Xiechen.

Tall and imposing, with long, snow-white hair cascading down his back like a lion's mane. The old man's face was purple, and his piercing eyes held a faint purple hue, like two top-quality purple crystals. Dressed in a light silver double-breasted cloak, he walked with his hands behind his back, exuding a natural dominance, as if a king surveying his domain.

"Gu Juechen!" Gu Xiechen muttered inwardly. Since fusing with the Cristo Crystal Ball, the originally gaunt Gu Xiechen had become much fuller and more imposing. Coupled with his hair, which had only grown a short layer, Gu Xiechen was a completely different person. Maintaining his composure, Gu Xiechen, with Jack in tow, brushed past Gu Juechen, who failed to recognize him.

Stepping down the stairs steadily, Gu Xiechen was about to hail an empty taxi when the withered old man at the top of the steps suddenly stopped.

"What is it, Elder?" Gu Juechen asked, puzzled.

The withered old man slowly turned around. He scrutinized Gu Xiechen from head to toe, and a sinister smile suddenly spread across his dry, unsightly face.

With a gentle wave of his dry, black right palm, the withered old man calmly said, "Dizang Temple, kill that young man in black. You're lucky to have survived my Soul Punishing Yin Lightning! Fortunately, I remember your scent!"

Gu Juechen's face turned ashen. He quickly turned to look at Gu Xiechen, disregarding their location at the Federal Bank headquarters, and pointed at Gu Xiechen decisively, shouting, "Kill him!"

Gu Juechen had at least a hundred bodyguards. Upon hearing his command, over a hundred people simultaneously reached into their clothes and drew various firearms. However, faster than these bodyguards was the dashing old man in the kimono. As soon as the withered old man gave his order, the kimono-clad old man flickered and vanished from his spot. The next moment, he was beside Gu Xiechen. With a slight flick of his right index and middle fingers on the katana's hilt, a devastating dark green blade energy erupted from the scabbard with a piercing shriek.

The powerful blade energy swept out, bisecting Gu Xiechen and Jack. Jack screamed in terror, but Gu Xiechen grabbed him and leaped high into the air like a flea. The dark green blade energy, with a grinding sound, grazed the sole of Gu Xiechen's boot. It struck more than a dozen cars on the road ahead, causing them to explode. The passengers inside were first torn in half by the blade energy and then pulverized in the explosions.

Gu Xiechen's Yongquan acupoints spun with two vortexes, and two streams of Innate Qi shot out. Gu Xiechen, carrying the terrified and now unconscious Jack, leaped dozens of meters diagonally away. With a few flashes, he disappeared into the bustling crowds and traffic on the road.

The old man named Dizang Temple took a few steps forward to pursue, but the startled vehicles and pedestrians on the road blocked his path.

"Enough! This is Zurich!" Gu Juechen gritted out, "Stop!"

"I'll give you three days. Find him and kill him! This time, bring me his head!"

Alright, here's the second chapter for today... Comrades, if you have recommendation votes, please throw them my way... The content ahead will be even more exciting! (To be continued)