"Ha ha ha! The Governor was absolutely right — you really did come to assassinate him again." General Feihu threw open his door and stepped out of the room, a smug grin on his face as he looked at Rulu.

  Rulu struggled to his feet and bent down to retrieve the pistol that had fallen nearby. At that very moment, General Feihu pnted both feet against the floor and unched himself forward like a cannonball, shooting seven or eight meters through the air and smming straight into Rulu.

  With a dull thud, Rulu had no time to dodge. The impact sent him flying into the wall with tremendous force, the collision draining every ounce of strength from his body. Rulu slumped against the wall, unable to move a muscle.

  "Heh, give it up. There's no way you're escaping this time." General Feihu strode toward Rulu, grabbed him by the front of his shirt with a thick, powerful arm, and hauled him off the ground.

  "Let me get a look at what you look like." With one hand holding Rulu aloft, General Feihu reached out with the other and tore the mask from Rulu's face. At that instant, a strange light fshed in Rulu's eyes. He fixed his gaze on General Feihu's and barked sharply: "Stop — put me down now."

  "Y-yes, sir." A look of deference came over General Feihu's face and he carefully lowered Rulu to the ground. Rulu caught his breath, rested for a moment, and felt some strength return to his body. He took the mask back from General Feihu's hand, put it on again, and picked up the pistol that had fallen nearby.

  The sound of frantic footsteps rose from below. The soldiers posted outside had noticed the commotion inside the vil and came pouring in through the front gate, rushing up to the second floor with their weapons trained squarely on Rulu.

  "Tell them not to do anything rash — have them all fall back." Rulu stepped behind General Feihu, using his body as a shield, and pressed the muzzle of the pistol against the back of his head.

  "All of you, get out! No one enters without my order!" General Feihu bellowed at the soldiers. Seeing their commander with a gun to his head, the soldiers understood he was under Rulu's control and immediately withdrew from the second floor, filing out through the front gate.

  "That Suwen is truly devious — to come up with a scheme like this to deal with me. Lucky I have this Spiritual-power, otherwise I really would have been finished here today." Rulu reflected inwardly. By now he understood that Governor Suwen was not in this vil at all. The conversation he had overheard between General Feihu and the Governor must have been fabricated through a recording or electronic communication to lure him into a trap.

  Maintaining his mental hold over General Feihu, Rulu demanded: "Where is your Governor Suwen? Where is he right now?"

  "I don't know," General Feihu said, shaking his head.

  "What? You don't know where he is? Aren't you supposed to be protecting him?"

  "I was responsible for protecting the Governor until recently," General Feihu said, "but after Lord Jason arrived, the Governor's security was handed over to him. Only Lord Jason knows the Governor's whereabouts."

  "Jason? Who is that?"

  "Lord Jason is someone the Governor brought in from the Sanctuary. He is extremely capable — a level-five Refining body Ultra-capable — even I can't match him."

  "That bastard — he actually called someone else in from the Sanctuary to protect him." Rulu's face darkened with frustration. The situation was becoming more and more troublesome. He pressed on: "Where is this Jason now?"

  "Unknown. Lord Jason's whereabouts are cssified at the same level as the Governor's — top secret. No one knows where either of them are."

  "Impressive. Suwen really has a way about him. It seems I underestimated him." Rulu realized this assassination attempt had failed and that he needed to leave immediately. He pointed the pistol at General Feihu. "Now you're coming out with me. Do everything you can to cover my escape."

  "Just cover your escape — understood." General Feihu agreed without a moment's hesitation.

  A short while ter, Rulu marched General Feihu to the front gate of the vil. General Feihu ordered the soldiers outside to spread out, y down their weapons, and bring a vehicle. The soldiers obeyed at once, procuring a silver-grey car from elsewhere and pulling it up in front of the vil's gate.

  Rulu forced General Feihu into the car. General Feihu ordered all soldiers to stay put, not to give chase, and not to open fire. He then drove Rulu away from the manor vil himself, heading in the direction of the Governor's mansion gate.

  "Good — safe for now, at least." Rulu gnced back from the passenger seat. True to General Feihu's orders, the guards around the manor vil had not given chase. General Feihu drove at speed through the Governor's compound, the main gate now close at hand.

  "Good — we're almost out of the compound. Time to finish him off and leave no loose ends." Rulu raised the pistol and aimed it at General Feihu's head. Still under Rulu's mental control, General Feihu showed no reaction whatsoever.

  But at that very moment, a sharp, searing pain erupted inside Rulu's head. Dizziness swept over him, his vision blurred, and he found it nearly impossible to concentrate enough to maintain his hold over General Feihu.

  "This is bad — I've overused my Spiritual-power. I've hit my limit." It struck Rulu all at once: Spiritual-power could not be used without limit. Each use exacted a toll on its wielder in return, and the more frequently and intensely it was used, the more severe the backsh. Today he had pushed it to a high intensity at a relentless pace, and his body was on the verge of giving out.