455: Chapter 455 What crime did I commit?

Less than ten minutes after the message was sent, the entirety of Little Blue Bird exploded.

The first to react were the accounts from the USA.

An account verified as the "Manluodi Family Press Office" directly retweeted it with the caption: "Arrogant! The blood debt of my family's Second Master shall be repaid in blood!"

As soon as this tweet went out, tens of thousands of comments flooded the section below.

"Holy crap! Is that the Dragon Country man who killed dozens of Ability User Bureau members in the Chicago Museum?"

"He didn't just kill dozens; he successfully escaped after killing them!"

"I heard the FBI still hasn't figured out how he got away."

"Now he's going to Northern Europe? What's he trying to do? Go on a world tour of murder?"

"This is a blatant provocation! Crazy, he's crazy. This Dragon Country man has completely lost it!"

...

At the same time, the underground forums in Europe also exploded.

An anonymous post was pinned to the very top, with a title consisting of only five words: [Ye Chen is Coming to Northern Europe].

In the post, someone shared a screenshot of the Little Blue Bird post Yan Qingwu had sent. The comments below were a uniform sea of shock and excitement.

"Real or fake? Does he actually dare to come?"

"The man himself said he's arriving in Northern Europe shortly; how could it be fake?"

"How will the Hall of Saints respond? I heard Ye Chen's name is on their bounty list!"

"According to internal sources, the Hall of Saints has already called an emergency elder meeting, likely to discuss countermeasures."

"Discuss what countermeasures? Just send people to the airport to block him! No matter how good he is at fighting, can he take on dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?"

"To the person above, have you forgotten the battle at the Chicago Museum? Thousands of Ability User Bureau members couldn't stop him!"

"That was the USA's Ability User Bureau. Can our Northern European Hall of Saints be the same?"

"What's the difference? Everyone is human; if you get stabbed, you die!"

"Right, right, right! Even the air in the USA is sweet to you. Hurry up and get out of Northern Europe and go lick your USA daddy!"

...

The comment section was a chaotic mess, but everyone reached one consensus...

This Dragon Country man named Ye Chen was truly arrogant.

Arrogant beyond measure.

...

Northern Europe, Stockholm.

An ancient manor hidden in the suburban forest was currently brightly lit.

Inside the council chamber at the deepest part of the manor, twelve figures sat around a massive circular table.

This was the core of the Hall of Saints—the Council of Twelve.

At this moment, sitting in the primary seat was an old man with white hair and a white beard, wearing a snow-white robe with a golden cross badge pinned to his chest.

His name was Olof Stenström, the current Grand Speaker of the Hall of Saints, the man recognized as the "Shadow Throne" of the five Northern European countries.

Right now, there was no expression on his wrinkled face.

"Everyone is here, so let us begin."

The Middle-aged Man sitting in the first seat to his right was the first to speak.

He was a burly man in his forties with short blond hair and a hideous scar running from his left forehead to his right cheek.

His name was Thor Eriksen, the "God of War" of the Hall of Saints, and the recognized strongest expert of the Northern European underworld—a Peak Celestial Master Realm expert.

"Grand Speaker, I have nothing much to say."

Thor's voice echoed in the council chamber like muffled thunder.

"The fact that the Dragon Country kid is coming to Northern Europe means our people have already failed!"

"Since he dares to publicly provoke us now, I will go to the airport and wait for him, twist off his head, and hang it at the manor gate for all to see."

His words were simple and crude, yet they drew nods of agreement from several council members.

"Thor is right! We cannot let him take a single step into Northern Europe!"

"A Dragon Country man dares to act wild on our turf? Kill him!"

"Let him know that Northern Europe is not the USA. It's not a place he can come and go as he pleases!"

...

Emotions ran high, and their shouts filled the air.

However, a silver-haired woman sitting opposite Thor spoke up coldly.

"Thor, is your brain stuffed with nothing but muscle?"

"The fact that he dares to announce it publicly means he has come prepared."

Thor frowned. "Ingrid, you mean..."

"He's fishing."

Ingrid said, emphasizing each word.

"He's intentionally releasing news to make us nervous, to make us mobilize our men, and to make us expose our power deployments."

"Then, he will pick the weakest point and strike a fatal blow."

The council chamber fell silent instantly.

Everyone fell into deep thought.

Ingrid had always handled assassinations and intelligence; since she said so, there was naturally reason behind it.

Grand Speaker Olof spoke slowly, his gaze falling on Ingrid's face. "Then, what is your suggestion?"

Ingrid pondered for two seconds before saying coldly.

"Hold our positions and wait for him to show a weakness."

Hearing this, Thor immediately grew anxious.

"Hold our positions?"

"Where would the Hall of Saints' reputation go? Everyone outside is watching!"

"If we can't even handle one Dragon Country kid, who will take us seriously in the future?"

Ingrid glanced at him and said indifferently, "Is reputation more important, or is your life?"

Thor choked up.

Grand Speaker Olof raised his hand, stopping the impending argument.

"Enough."

The two of them shut their mouths simultaneously.

Olof looked around at the twelve council members present and spoke slowly.

"The Manluodi Family has added another billion dollars to the bounty."

"The condition is that Ye Chen's head must be delivered to Seff Manluodi."

He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"A billion dollars, plus a favor from the Manluodi Family, is worth our serious consideration."

"But Ingrid is also right; this Ye Chen is not simple. We must not underestimate the enemy."

He pondered for a few seconds before finally making a decision.

"Thor, take men to monitor all airports, but do not act rashly."

"Report immediately upon spotting the target and wait for orders."

"Ingrid, activate all intelligence networks. I want to know everything about this Ye Chen..."

"His strength, his weaknesses, his relationships—everything."

"As for the rest of you..."

His gaze swept across everyone present.

"Prepare for battle. If that Ye Chen truly dares to step foot into Northern Europe..."

"Then make sure he never returns."

"Yes!!!" the twelve council members responded in unison, their voices making the dome of the council chamber hum.

...

Stockholm Arlanda International Airport.

At twelve noon, Ye Chen and Yan Qingwu walked out of the arrival hall side by side.

Their swaggering manner didn't look at all like that of fugitives wanted on a global scale.

The people around them waiting for arrivals inadvertently glanced at these two Eastern faces and then looked away as if nothing was wrong.

But Ye Chen's perception had long since captured the unnaturalness of those gazes.

At least seven or eight plainclothes officers were scattered across various corners of the arrival hall.

Yan Qingwu also noticed and lowered her voice, "Someone's watching us."

Ye Chen smiled slightly.

"Normal."

"It would be abnormal if no one was watching."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two stepped out of the airport hall.

The next second.

Clatter!!!

A series of synchronized footsteps suddenly came from both sides.

Over twenty burly men in black combat gear surged out from the left and right like a tide, instantly surrounding the two of them!

The submachine guns in their hands were all aimed at Ye Chen and Yan Qingwu.

Leading them was a Middle-aged Man in his forties, wearing a crisp dark blue suit, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a high nose bridge.

He strode up to Ye Chen, pulled a black ID folder from his jacket, and flashed it before Ye Chen's eyes.

"Mr. Ye Chen? I am Pelle Lindberg, a special agent from the Svealand National Security Bureau."

"You are suspected of endangering the national security of the five Northern European countries. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation."

As his voice fell, the twenty-odd fully armed men stepped forward in unison, their muzzles almost touching Ye Chen's forehead.

The surrounding travelers screamed and fled in all directions.

The crowd waiting for arrivals was like a startled flock of sheep, frantically surging toward the exits.

Someone knocked over a luggage cart, someone fell to the ground, and someone clutched their child while desperately running outside.

Outside the arrival hall, everything instantly turned into a chaotic mess.

Yan Qingwu frowned and was about to speak...

Ye Chen had already smiled.

He tilted his head and spoke unhurriedly.

"Endangering national security?"

"I'm just a tourist visiting Northern Europe; how am I endangering your national security?"

Lindberg's expression darkened. "We have reliable intelligence..."

"What intelligence?"

Ye Chen interrupted him directly, his smile unchanging. "Take it out and let me see."

Lindberg choked.

Ye Chen shrugged with an innocent look.

"You see, you don't even have a shred of evidence, yet you come up and say I'm endangering national security and want to take me away."

"If I go with you, what will people outside think of me?"

"People who don't know better might think I actually did something bad."

"Besides, what crime have I committed?"

"If you're going to arrest me, there has to be a charge, right?"

"If there isn't..."

He tilted his head, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes.

"Then that's slander, and I'm going to have to hit you."