406: Someone is going to do something bad.

Eastern Federation, Mars, New Chang'an City, the capital of Chinnan Province.

As one of the earliest and largest cities established by the Eastern Federation on Mars, New Chang'an City is renowned for its highly modernized urban landscape, prosperous commerce, and vibrant nightlife.

Amidst the towering skyscrapers, streams of hovercars shuttle like ribbons of light, and giant holographic billboards illuminate the night sky with a myriad of colors.

Beneath this prosperity, a special advanced study team from the Interstellar Peace Corporation is staying at the "Interstellar Peace Hotel" in the city center.

This team was jointly dispatched by the company's External Affairs Department and Talent Incentive Department, and its members include fifteen human elites and five Geze Fox-folk.

The purpose of this trip is to learn administrative management experience and social development history from the Eastern Federation, a political entity within the Solar System that has relatively mature governance and a clear historical lineage.

These five Fox People are precisely the outstanding individuals Yukun carefully selected from the first batch of trainees.

They not only mastered Chinese and company regulations with astonishing speed but also demonstrated exceptional talent in logical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, and interpersonal communication.

This trip to Mars is both a learning experience and an important practical exercise.

In the evening, after a day of official engagements, the team had free time.

The five young Fox People, three females and two males, decided to experience the night view of New Chang'an City together. They were Yun Lan, the steady team leader; Xing Ye, the lively and curious; Yue Hua, the meticulous and gentle; and a pair of twin brothers, Lie Feng and Xun Lei, who loved to joke around. (I'm bad at naming, so I gave up.)

Walking on the neon-lit streets, their five fluffy tails and pointed ears attracted countless curious and amazed gazes. They had long grown accustomed to this attention, mostly responding with friendly smiles.

For most ordinary Eastern Federation citizens, the Geze Fox-folk were still a mysterious existence found in news and legends, so seeing them in person inevitably caused excitement.

"Look! That bar is so popular!" Xing Ye pointed to a building with a futuristic design and a long queue outside, excitedly wagging her fiery red tail.

On the giant holographic signboard at the bar's entrance, shimmering nebula patterns rotated continuously, and dynamic music could be faintly heard.

"I heard this is one of the hottest bars in New Chang'an City," Yue Hua said softly, her pale golden tail elegantly curled in front of her, "Should we go in and experience it?" A hint of curiosity was also in her eyes.

The environment on Geze was quiet and peaceful, with very few noisy and bustling places like this.

Yun Lan pondered slightly; as the team leader, he needed to consider safety and impact.

But seeing the expectant eyes of his companions and the seemingly harmless atmosphere around them, he nodded: "Alright. But remember company discipline, stay vigilant, try not to drink alcohol, just experience it."

"Yay! The team leader is the best!" Xing Ye cheered, pulling Yue Hua and running forward. Lie Feng and Xun Lei also followed, laughing. Yun Lan smiled helplessly and quickly caught up.

Entering the bar, deafening music, psychedelic lights, and a crowded, boisterous throng instantly enveloped them. The appearance of the five Fox People immediately caused a small stir.

Surprised, curious, and friendly glances came from all directions, and some even secretly took photos with their terminals.

"Wow! They're real Fox People!"

"Even prettier than what we see in the news!"

"Can we take a picture with you?"

Soon, bold young people came up to strike up conversations.

The Fox People were initially a bit reserved, but after feeling the warmth and goodwill of the others, they gradually relaxed.

Xing Ye, being outgoing, quickly chatted with a few young people about interesting legends from their culture. Yue Hua sat quietly nearby, smiling as she listened to others recount the history of Blue Star.

Even the usually steady Yun Lan was pulled into a discussion about the experience of warp jumps by several bar patrons interested in interstellar travel. Lie Feng and Xun Lei were in their element, playing desktop projection games with a group of people.

The bar's clamor and enthusiasm seemed to temporarily mask the hidden undercurrents.

In a dimly lit corner booth of the bar, a pair of eyes stared intently at Xing Ye and Yue Hua, with a mix of greed, resentment, and a hint of malice.

This person, with garish dyed yellow hair and flashy clothes, was A-Qiang, a lackey of Boss Wang, a local parvenu who had made his fortune through illicit means.

Boss Wang was one of those who had lusted after the Fox People in a private club before and had posted those sordid recruitment advertisements.

After being ignored and even rebuked by the Fox People multiple times, Boss Wang's resentment towards them grew daily. A-Qiang, as his loyal henchman, knew his master's thoughts well.

"Damn it, I've searched high and low for nothing!" A-Qiang cursed under his breath, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "Two top-tier beauties just showed up! If I can get my hands on them and offer them to Boss Wang, I'll be set for life!"

He immediately contacted Boss Wang via encrypted communication, lowering his voice: "Boss Wang! Good news! Two Geze fox-women, absolutely top-notch, have come to our bar!"

From the other end of the communication came Boss Wang's heavy breathing and barely suppressed excitement: "Are you sure? What's their quality?"

"Absolutely certain! One with a red tail, passionate and fiery; one with a golden tail, gentle and charming! Much better than those in the videos!" A-Qiang exaggerated, "Boss Wang, this is a rare opportunity! I have a plan..."

He quickly explained his scheme. Using a specially made potent hallucinogen mixed into fruit wine, he would find an opportunity to get the target to drink it, then take them out through the bar's back door. Boss Wang only needed to send a getaway car to wait in the back alley.

Boss Wang was silent for a few seconds on the other end, clearly weighing the risks. But the arrogance developed from long-term indulgence and his twisted desire for the Fox People ultimately prevailed.

"Do it! Be clean about it! The getaway people will be at the back door immediately! See you at the usual spot once it's done!"

"Don't worry, Boss Wang! I'll make sure it's handled perfectly for you!" A-Qiang hung up the communication, a sinister smile on his Face.

He skillfully pulled out a small tube of colorless, odorless liquid from his pocket, poured it into a brightly colored fruit wine, and gently swirled it to mix.

He patiently waited for an opportunity. Finally, he saw Xing Ye get up and walk towards the restroom. A-Qiang immediately picked up the special fruit wine, put on what he thought was a friendly smile, and quickly followed her.

At the corner of the corridor outside the restroom, A-Qiang stopped Xing Ye, who had just come out.

"Hey, beautiful Young Miss Fox People, are you having fun?" A-Qiang offered the glass of wine. "This is a special welcome drink our bar prepared specifically for our esteemed guests, called 'Starlight.' It tastes great, would you like to try some?"

Although Xing Ye was lively, her vigilance was not low. She remembered her team leader's reminder, frowned slightly, and politely refused: "Thank you, no need, we don't really drink."

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy!" A-Qiang persisted, leaning slightly forward, "It's just a low-alcohol fruit drink, give me some Face! Look, everyone welcomes you so much, if you don't even drink one glass, are you looking down on our Eastern Federation friends?"

His words carried a hint of moral blackmail, and a few onlookers also chimed in.

"Have a drink!"

"Exactly, when in Rome!"

Xing Ye, being inexperienced, was a bit flustered by the situation, her cheeks slightly flushed. She didn't want to spoil the atmosphere, and she thought one glass of fruit wine shouldn't be a big problem.

While she hesitated, A-Qiang had already half-forced the glass into her hand.

"Just one glass, it'll be fine!" A-Qiang's eyes flashed with a hint of cunning triumph.

Xing Ye couldn't refuse, thinking it was just a fruit wine, so she took a small sip. It tasted sweet and sour, with indeed no alcoholic flavor. But the moment she swallowed, an extremely subtle, sweet and cloying, unusual taste passed through her throat, then immediately disappeared.

"Does it taste alright?" A-Qiang stared at her intently.

"Mm... thank you." Xing Ye nodded, wanting to return the glass.

However, in those few seconds, a strong sense of dizziness suddenly struck.

The scene before her began to spin and blur, A-Qiang's hypocritical smiling Face twisted and deformed in her vision. Her limbs instantly went limp, and the glass in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," shattering.

"I... I'm so dizzy..." Xing Ye's voice became weak, and her body went soft, about to collapse.

A-Qiang, quick-witted, grabbed her, while using his body to block the limited surrounding view, and loudly said: "Oh, Young Miss, are you drunk? Such a low alcohol tolerance? I'll help you to the lounge to sober up!"

He half-hugged, half-dragged the disoriented Xing Ye towards the bar's back door, in the opposite direction from the main hall. Xing Ye tried to struggle, but the drug had fully taken effect; her whole body was limp, she didn't even have the strength to make a sound, only weak whimpers, her eyes filled with terror and despair.

Meanwhile, back at the booth, Yue Hua checked the time and then looked towards the restroom, her delicate brows slightly furrowed: "Xing Ye has been in the restroom for quite a while, hasn't she? It's almost ten minutes."

Yun Lan also became alert; he immediately stood up: "I'll go check."

He quickly walked to the restroom, and outside the women's restroom, he asked several ladies who had just come out, all of whom said they hadn't seen a girl with Fox People features inside.

Yun Lan's heart sank abruptly, and an ominous premonition surged within him. He immediately returned to the booth, his voice urgent: "Xing Ye is gone! She's not in the restroom!"

Lie Feng and Xun Lei also stopped their joking, their Faces instantly solemn.

"Split up and search!" Yun Lan decided immediately. "Yue Hua, you contact hotel security and the local police! Lie Feng, Xun Lei, you two check other areas of the bar and the back door! I'll check the surveillance!"

Just as the group had dispersed and Yue Hua was about to pull out her communicator—

"Boom!!!"

A dull yet extremely penetrating colossal sound suddenly came from the direction of the bar's back alley!

The sound wasn't like an ordinary collision; it was more like something heavy had crashed into the ground at high speed, even mixed with the grating noise of twisting metal.

This was followed by a brief silence, then sharp alarm bells and the indistinct shouts and commotion of a crowd.

The music inside the bar even paused, everyone stunned by the sudden loud noise.

Yun Lan, Yue Hua, Lie Feng, Xun Lei, the hearts of the four Fox People almost stopped simultaneously, a chilling coldness instantly shot from their tailbones to the tops of their heads!

Xing Ye!

Back door!

Loud noise!

Several keywords exploded in their minds!

"Back door!!!" Yun Lan roared, no longer caring about anything else, and rushed towards the bar's back door like an arrow.

Lie Feng and Xun Lei followed closely, and Yue Hua also followed, her Face pale, dialing emergency communication with trembling fingers as she ran.

A panic like the sky falling and the earth collapsing enveloped the four Fox People trainees.