The Bund No. 8, top floor, "Heavenly Palace" private dining room.
The luxurious suite covered nearly a thousand square meters and offered a sweeping view of the entire Huangpu River at night.
Priceless paintings by renowned artists hung on the walls, while handwoven Persian carpets lay underfoot.
A young man sat on the sofa in the seat of honor.
He looked no older than twenty-five or twenty-six. His handsome face carried a sinister air far beyond his years.
Rather than a traditional kimono from Eastern Japan, he wore a simple black training outfit. Yet he radiated a savage, ruthless aura, like a prehistoric beast lurking in the shadows.
He was Ito Makoto.
The "Divine Son" of Eastern Japan's Amaterasu Group, and the captain of its team at this International Special Forces Competition.
Beside him, a middle-aged man bowed and scraped as he carefully poured his tea.
The man was around fifty, thin and wiry, with a comical little mustache and a glossy, center-parted hairstyle.
His face was plastered with a fawning smile-the very picture of a traitor.
He was Section Chief Jia, a senior officer of Eastern Japan's Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce. Though a full-blooded Dragon Kingdom native, he had long since sold his soul to Eastern Japan and become its lackey.
"Young Master Ito, everything you requested has been arranged."
Section Chief Jia respectfully offered the teacup, bending at a ninety-degree angle.
Ito Makoto neither accepted the cup nor spared him a glance. He merely asked in flawless Dragon Kingdom speech, his tone steeped in an innate sense of superiority, "Have you found what I wanted?"
"Yes, yes!"
Section Chief Jia nodded repeatedly, his face creasing into an ingratiating grin.
"Under the pretext of discussing business with the Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce, I invited all the finest