Salute To The General

Inside the study, as Hepburn discussed plans with Lyanna, she noticed Max's departure. It seemed that the man had no intentions of eavesdropping.

Max didn't linger to eavesdrop. Could I have misjudged him? Yet, if he is the traitor, he might still obtain Nathan's schedule through other means, perhaps from Lyanna later.

She shared several planned locations and tasks for Nathan with Lyanna, emphasizing the need for a detailed itinerary. Lyanna, without hesitation, agreed to take care of it immediately. "I'll handle this right away."

After Lyanna had left the room, Hepburn settled into her chair, thoughtfully spinning a pen in her hand. Max is at the forefront of this test. I hope he can withstand it.

Hepburn had been increasingly frustrated with Max's recent actions, even to the point of disgust. Yet, in this crucial moment, when trustworthy allies were essential, she found herself hoping Max, a man capable of being a pillar of support for Nathan, was not the traitor. The testing process had begun, and it was time to see if Max could pass this crucial test.

Following that, her thoughts then turned to the others listed by Nathan. Like Max, each individual on the list would undergo discreet scrutiny to uncover the traitor.

Later that afternoon, at the State Guesthouse, the Four Emperors, who were temporarily staying there, found themselves locked in an intense, ongoing debate.

The crux of their discussion was how to retest and verify the extent of Nathan's injuries.

Mentzer, with a direct approach, suggested, "Why bother with complex plans? Let's invite him for a hunting trip in the suburbs tomorrow. We can spar with him under some pretext. That way, we'll directly see if he's truly injured."

Lola, unimpressed with Mentzer's suggestion, mocked, "You might be physically strong, but you lack strategic thinking."

"What do you mean by that?" Mentzer asked, his tone filled with anger.

Lola replied icily, "My point is your plan is flawed. If Nathan is indeed injured, he'll likely find a way to decline our hunting invitation. And if he's not injured, provoking him repeatedly might lead to our own downfall."

Mentzer, visibly irritated and ready to argue, was interrupted by Lucius, the leader of the Four Emperors, "Enough, stop this bickering. Lola made a valid point."

With Lucius siding with Lola, Mentzer reluctantly fell silent.

Fermin then interjected, "If that approach is off the table, what's our next move? We can't leave the Divine Realm without confirming Nathan's condition."

Lucius, with a calculating gaze, responded, "Our previous attempts to uncover Nathan's secrets were fruitless, and he even managed to outsmart us. We can't be direct this time he's not injured, confronting him head-on would be disastrous. We need a more subtle approach, possibly a surprise attack."

The idea of a surprise attack was appealing, but the challenge lay in its execution.

The Divine Palace was heavily fortified, swarming with elite guards and experts. Despite their formidable powers, for the Four Emperors to infiltrate the Divine Palace and ambush Nathan was extremely dangerous. Without knowledge of Nathan's whereabouts and movements, planning such an attack seemed almost impossible.

Amidst their dilemma, a calm male voice suddenly resonated from outside the room, "Perhaps I can assist you."noveldrama

All four heads turned in unison to see a tall man in a suit confidently stepping in.

Their subordinates hurried in, flustered with apologies, "My Lords, we didn't neglect our duties, but this man insisted on entering..."

Lucius, however, gestured for them to leave, "It's fine. You may go now."

The subordinates hastily responded, "Yes!"

After the guards had left, the man

standing before them raised his hand to his face. With a quick motion, ke peeled off a thin, hyper-realistic mask. As the mask came away, his true identity was revealed, and it was none other than Max.