The Emperor and the president were about to leave the scene when they saw the returning head of security, looking tense and startled. The two exchanged a glance, stopped, and looked at the hurriedly approaching head. The head rushed over in a few steps, too hastily to salute, and quickly said, "Your Majesty, sothing bad has happened. The journalists have broken through the security line, and we suspect there may be an enemy infiltrator among them. Please relocate imdiately."
"Why not arrest them all?" the Emperor asked unpleasantly.
"He handled it correctly. What if it's nothing? Wouldn't it make the palace look too cowardly? If there really is one, fighting among the crowd could harm innocents, and if the journalists expose it, what face would the palace have? You should retreat first and enter the basent for level one alert. I'll handle it," the president said beside him, gesturing for over a dozen hidden Ninjas to rush over and escort the Emperor away swiftly.
"Don't panic, lead the way ahead," the president said to the head.
Recognizing the president, the head nodded gratefully and bowed, agreed, and led the way. The two soon arrived outside, just in ti to see the journalists rushing through the gate, stopped by a group of security guards, surrounded, as the journalists excitedly took pictures and shouted for press freedom.
The president wore a stern expression and said to the head, "Tell them there's an enemy infiltrator among them and they need to be checked. Otherwise, they'll be dealt with as enemy agents, and resistance will be t with lethal force."
"Understood." With the president's command, the head felt reassured, hurried over, waved a big hand, and more guards rushed in to surround the journalists. The journalists sensed sothing was wrong, their nerves tightening. After all, this was the palace, and while the common people might not think much of it in their conversations, the emperor's authority had been ingrained in people's hearts for centuries, not to be dismissed lightly.
The head, with a stern face, stepped forward and shouted loudly, "Due to recent unstable security and enemy infiltration, so of you might be posing as impostors. To ensure safety, please cooperate with the inspection, or you'll be dealt with as enemies. Please cooperate and don't cause trouble."
Upon hearing this, everyone was dumbfounded. Being charged as an enemy agent was no joke, so they stopped moving, nervously eyeing the approaching guards. Seeing the guards had no hostility, they finally breathed a sigh of relief and cooperated. The head signaled his subordinates to check the journalists' equipnt and identities.
A few minutes later, after examining all the journalists, no issues were found. The head trusted his specially trained subordinates—if there were a problem, it wouldn't have been missed. As the results ca out, the journalists' dissatisfaction rose again, and one shouted, "Can we not prove we have no issues now? If we can, we need to interview the only one; the public needs to know of His Majesty's safety."
"Yes, we need press interview freedom," more voices agreed.
The head, feeling troubled, looked at the president, who made a dispersive gesture. The head had no choice but to comply and shouted loudly, "His Majesty has already retired. Let's disperse. We'll discuss during the official press conference a few days later." With that, he gestured to his subordinates, and the guards rushed in to disperse the crowd.
The journalists were no match for the guards and were quickly driven out. The gate was under a curfew. Although they didn't get the news they wanted, the journalists, unwilling to give up, made calls and tried to pull strings or look for opportunities around. A man quietly slipped away from the crowd, went to the side, and pulled out a phone to dial a number.
Soon the call connected, and the man said into the phone, "Report, I discovered the injured were sent to the hospital. Should I go to the hospital to follow up for interviews, and by the way, we were driven out, and the guards were very resolute. Please instruct."
"Go ahead," a voice responded on the line.
After dispersing the journalists, the head ca to the president, who, with a stern face, said, "From this mont, the palace is closed to the public. Keep vigilant. Moreover, notify the Pri Minister's Residence to send more guards. Say I said it—if sothing really happens to the palace, the Pri Minister's Residence would lose face too. Go."
"Understood." Although the head was under the managent of the Pri Minister's Residence, he dared not offend the president before him, quickly agreeing, and took his leave hastily.
The president watched the head's back, gave a cold snort, and also turned to leave. The imperial power was not what it used to be, already abolished by the Pri Minister, reduced to a symbol, more of a spiritual representation. Control was maintained only through Ninjas, but the control was limited. The president also had to face the facts, hurriedly arriving inside a room, and taking an elevator underground.
About a hundred ters underground was a spacious air-raid shelter, capable of withstanding the attack of Ground Penetrating Missiles, stocked with enough food for a year, advanced electronic equipnt, and external communication. The Emperor and his family were already here. Seeing the president arriving, the Emperor ca forward to greet him. The two moved to a side room, closed the door, and knelt down.
"Any findings?" the Emperor asked softly.
"No, perhaps the enemy was originally a journalist. How would you investigate if they have a real identity?" the president said with so dissatisfaction, a surge of emotion without reason. Taking a deep breath to control this inexplicable emotion, the president restored a calm expression, looked at the Emperor, and said, "Stay here for now. I'll handle things outside."
"Okay." The Emperor readily agreed, thought for a mont, and continued to ask, "Uncle, doesn't the Chrysanthemum Group have many Chrysanthemum Ninjas? Can so be dispatched here to help? You're getting older; there's no need to run around."
"Are you worried I can't protect your safety alone?" the president said discontentedly, staring at the Emperor. "Besides, a third of Chrysanthemum Group's people stay at headquarters, a third are scattered around the world on missions, and the remaining third are following Shijing Ye to track down the assailant. There's no one available for mobilization. There are plenty of Ninjas in the palace. As long as you stay here, you're absolutely safe, no problem at all."
"Alright, I feel relieved with Uncle around," the Emperor said with a smile.
"Knock, knock!" There was a knock on the door, and the Emperor, displeased, said, "Co in."
The Empress opened the door and respectfully bowed to the president before saying to the Emperor, "News from outside, there's an explosion sound from beneath the main hall, caused by a gas pipeline and detonated artificially. It was a ti bomb, causing the pipeline to ignite a chain explosion, with the ground along the explosion line sinking and a huge fire erupting. The palace grounds are already chaotic."
"What?" The Emperor was shocked, looking towards the president.
The president's face changed drastically, staring at the Empress in disbelief. Gas pipelines are no joke and would certainly trigger a large fire, making it impossible to hide. His expression turned cold as he angrily said, "Bastards, is war what they want? If so, bring it on. I'm going out imdiately. You stay here and don't leave, understand?"
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