Chapter 477

"The movie 'Iron Man,' released last year, was a huge success; Disney has already been rumored to be acquiring Marvel, and the next big trend in Hollywood will undoubtedly be superhero themes."

"Superheroes? Come on, a couple of films might work, but after a few years of mass releases, audiences will grow tired."

In the pavilion on the southern part of the island, prominent guests, drunk and boisterous, were loudly discussing; the scantily clad attendants worked hard to serve them—here, insider information was worth a fortune, and taking it outside could yield substantial profits from stock trading.

Boom!

The loud crash interrupted the decadent music; everyone turned toward the northwest, where thick smoke appeared to be rising.

"What happened?"

"Why was there an explosion?"

The VIPs looked around but could not find the supervisor.

After a long while, a security guard armed with a firearm, wearing a bulletproof vest, and equipped with a communication headset approached and explained: "Rest assured, everyone, that was an accidental explosion in the warehouse storing a small amount of fireworks; the fire has already been contained."

With this explanation, the VIPs relaxed slightly and returned to their drinking.

But on the other side, in the island's surveillance center, the supervisor's face was ashen.

Through his headset, he clearly heard the frontline tactical team's conversation—the team had just arrived at the vineyard's perimeter when an explosion occurred, collapsing the underground wine cellar passages; faint cries for help could be heard from inside.

Worse still, the escaped security guard Bob, the three SVIP slaves he took with him, and the young master named Valta remained missing.

At this moment, the tactical team was assessing the collapse, assigning personnel to prioritize moving rocks and clearing a gap to prevent the VIPs inside from suffocating.

They were also waiting for further instructions from above.

"Pull up the surveillance footage—find their location at all costs!"

The supervisor's furious roar echoed through the surveillance room, but it did little to speed up the search.

To maximize secrecy, the island's surveillance system used a local area network and had not introduced any advanced automatic recognition or automated alert technologies.

"Mr. Supervisor,"

Li Changyu, who had been quietly watching the drama from the side, spoke up: "If I were you, I'd prioritize sending people to the dock."

The supervisor froze, turning his head. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Bob's betrayal of his employer likely stems from one of the following possibilities," Li Changyu said calmly.

"One: personal moral conviction."

"Two: he has relatives brought to the island."

"Impossible,"

the supervisor shook his head decisively. "We conducted background checks; his personal history and social connections are clear. Besides, he's no righteous good man."

"I also think that's unlikely. If Bob had relatives brought here, he'd only need to rescue the specific target—no need to save bystanders, and certainly no reason to go to the underground wine cellar."

Li Changyu continued: "That leaves only the third possibility: he was entrusted by someone, or backed by a hidden force."

"A hidden force..."

The supervisor's brow furrowed instantly, recalling when Epstein was first legally prosecuted years ago.

Back then, it was likely the Bush family of the Elephant Party that pushed behind the scenes, trying to crush Epstein and strike at the Donkey Party in the process.

Old Bush was cunning; young Bush remained morally pristine; their family had deep roots in southern states like Texas and Florida.

Of course, this doesn't mean the Bush family's campaign against Epstein was morally noble—both Elephant and Donkey parties were part of the same American star-spangled banner, each with its own methods, circles, and forms of entertainment.

(The 2024 exposure of Diddy's party case exemplified this kind of inner circle—involved the Kardashian family, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, James, and other entertainment and sports celebrities. Wild, shocking to Asia.)

"Go, immediately check Bob's personal bank accounts and those of his relatives for any large recent fund transfers."

The supervisor ordered his subordinates to investigate; the more he thought, the colder his sweat became.

If the Bush family was truly pulling strings behind the scenes, gods fighting would send shockwaves capable of killing even him and all the other little fish.

"This is just speculation; there are still inconsistencies."

Li Changyu said: "Assume Bob was entrusted by someone—his primary goal should be finding witnesses and physical evidence. The people he took away aren't long-term island staff and aren't suitable as witnesses. There's also no reason for him to go to the underground wine cellar."

That's right.

The supervisor paused, stunned. Those slaves had all been prepared for important figures and had only just been brought to the island.

If seeking witnesses, the retired call girls over eighteen would be far more suitable.

Li Changyu said: "Regardless, if Bob and his hidden force wish to leave the island with evidence, they can only use speedboats, yachts, helicopters, or airplanes. I strongly recommend sealing off departure routes first—at minimum, thoroughly screening them."

"Yes, yes, yes! No wonder you're a professional—thank you so much, Dr. Li!"

The supervisor slapped his forehead and immediately ordered his subordinates to seal the dock and helicopter pad; then he took a deep breath, pulled out his walkie-talkie, and contacted his superior: "Hello, Mr. Epstein, there's been an incident on the island."

While everyone was busy, Li Changyu quietly slipped out of the surveillance room, summoned two security guards, and had them escort him back to the speedboat on the southern beach, escaping the island before the lockdown.

'Faster, faster still.'

The seventy-year-old Li Changyu moved with swift strides; the two muscular security guards struggled to catch up behind him.

Preserve oneself wisely; a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall.

As a U. S. -based Chinese forensic expert, Li Changyu had withdrawn from the limelight after major cases—the assassination of Mei Le Sect, the Watergate scandal of Mei Ting Sect, the Kennedy Jr. dancer case, the suicide of Clinton's aide—emerging unscathed, untouched by scandal.

He had never been "suicided," and his reputation only grew stronger, all thanks to his acute instinct for danger.

He deliberately withheld one sentence from the supervisor: if Bob and his hidden force intended to bury Epstein, the greatest source of physical evidence was clearly the surveillance room using the local area network.

Only when he boarded the speedboat, leaving the shore behind and watching the island recede, did Li Changyu finally exhale deeply.

The countless surveillance videos stored in the surveillance room were the American version of the 【Chronicles of Officials】.

————

"On this island, I only saw American scientific spirit. Academics like Hawking weren't just accepted by the ruling class—they were drawn into their shadowy circles. Though this violates law and public morality, it proves the exalted status of American scientists. This is something only a backward civilization that kneels to bow and toast its leaders could never learn."

In the dark forest, Zhong Tian Beiji paused as he assembled his firearm, raised his head, glanced at Master Pi Fu muttering to himself, and whispered to the Oracle: "Who is he talking to?"

"Breaking the fourth wall—probably speaking to future viewers who'll watch the walkthrough videos."

The Oracle replied calmly, connecting his laptop to the tree-mounted surveillance camera via a data cable, hacking into the surveillance network to freeze all nearby cameras on the same frame, thereby concealing their presence.

At this moment, several players had already regrouped and hidden on another hillside several hundred meters away from the underground wine cellar.

Standing here, one could clearly see the flickering and swaying beams of flashlights from security personnel deep in the distant forest.

"What now? Do we attack the control room to seize the Bai Ling Xingshu video and blackmail the island authorities, or blow up the yacht to prevent the crowd from escaping?"

Joker, amid the chaos, smeared clown makeup on his face using lipstick and talcum powder, and donned a child-sized bulletproof vest (this item was kindly provided by Li Cheng—yes, American companies really do sell bulletproof vests for children).

"Neither."

Li Cheng turned around, holding a child-sized JR-15 rifle.

This rifle was launched in February 2022 by the American company WEE1 Tactical, designed based on the AR-15 assault rifle and specifically modified for children's stature: its barrel was shortened by 20% and lightweight materials reduced its weight to approximately one kilogram.

Even elementary schoolchildren could carry it easily; once disassembled, it could fit inside a backpack.

While children in the Eastern great power still dreamed of 300 million mouse-gun battles, American children had already moved on to Call of Duty and Battlefield.

"The control room lies beneath the fortifications; it would be difficult and not worth the cost for just the four of us to seize it quickly. As for blowing up the yacht—that's worth considering."

Li Cheng said: "If I'm not mistaken, the island's true bigwigs should have received the news by now and are beginning to mobilize their troops."

The Three of Zhongtian Beiji all frowned.

Master Pi Fu's current mana cap is 80 points, the Oracle's is 72 points, Joker's and Zhongtian Beiji's are both 45 points.

Ability cap roughly equals the progress of supernatural power unlocking; after forming a group, the four players could roughly match the island's security forces in a direct confrontation.

But facing PMC private military companies armed with heavy firepower, or regular special forces—that would be problematic.

"So we must act fast, swiftly. While capturing and locking onto the SVIP, we must create trouble for any external military forces attempting rescue, buying ourselves as much time as possible."

Li Cheng slung the child rifle over his shoulder, turned, and gazed toward the airport runway in the northeast. "Phase one of the special military operation: seize the airport."