After issuing a warning to the Goethe Hotel lobby manager, Gepard led his Silvermane Guards away, knowing that staying longer would yield no useful clues.
The hotel manager's words didn't seem fabricated. Perhaps those two people's check-in information had truly "vanished into thin air"? After all, in this vast cosmos, there was no shortage of individuals proficient in hacking technology.
Of course, Gepard hadn't come away entirely empty-handed on this trip.
First gain: From the lobby manager, he obtained a piece of footage. The company personnel named Nost had seriously violated Belobog's public security laws.
Bronya had tasked him with collecting evidence of the company personnel's crimes—this could be considered obtaining it without effort, a lucky stroke.
Second gain: Regarding the disturbance at the hotel, although he hadn't obtained any clues about those two ladies, he had keenly noticed another person—another individual connected to the incident.
That was none other than our dear "Cold Leg Uncle"—old Sampo. Gepard's intuition told him that this matter was definitely inseparable from Sampo!
With this thought, Gepard pondered for a moment before waving to the accompanying personnel beside him.
"Dunn, I'll leave the rest to you. In a bit, take off your armor, change into civilian clothes, and keep a close watch on the Goethe Grand Hotel to prevent those two stowaways—or Sampo—from returning."
"Yes, Captain Gepard!"
Upon receiving Gepard's order, Dunn respectfully saluted him with a Silvermane Guards military salute before leaving the group to carry out the captain's instructions.
With the Goethe Grand Hotel matter temporarily settled, Gepard now had to return and continue his previous work. The task Bronya had assigned was equally urgent—short on time and heavy on responsibilities. He had no time for rest or slacking.
"Run, run…!"
"Oh no, there's a fight over there!"
"This is bad! Those two must both be Pathstriders…? The buildings next to them are almost getting smashed to pieces by them!"
"Those people aren't simple. Judging by their clothes, they seem to be from that Interastral Peace Corporation…"
"..."
Just as Gepard was leading his subordinates toward Silvermane Guard headquarters, deep in thought while walking, he suddenly heard a burst of panicked voices. Amid the chaos, he could faintly catch words like "fight" and "Interastral Peace Corporation."
Lifting his head, he saw a crowd of residents fleeing in his direction. Sensing something was wrong, Gepard reached out and stopped a passerby.
"You damn— Captain… Captain Gepard…"
The fleeing resident, whose arm had suddenly been blocked by a powerful grip, was about to curse and question the other party's parents. But just as the words were about to leave his mouth, he clearly saw the person's appearance.
Golden hair, blue eyes, and that iconic Silvermane Guards captain uniform—this was none other than the current Silvermane Guards captain, Lord Gepard!
"C-Captain Gepard, d-do you have any orders…?" The stopped resident stammered.
"What happened over there?"
Gepard paid no mind to the resident's earlier near-outburst, simply waving his hand with an expressionless face as he asked.
"Ah? Oh, oh yes, yes—Captain Gepard, you should hurry over there and take a look! People from the Interastral Peace Corporation are fighting with Belobog residents!"
...…
"Huff huff… Damn it!"
Luka knelt on one knee, one hand clutching his chest as he panted heavily. He stared defiantly at Ezekiel in front of him.
The previous battle had already drained too much of his stamina, leaving him at a disadvantage throughout his clash with Ezekiel just now.
"Hiss~ Not bad, kid. You hit hard enough."
Compared to the nearly exhausted Luka, Ezekiel wasn't in much better shape. Although his stamina had still been at its peak relative to Luka's during the fight, unfortunately, the Path of Erudition wasn't particularly suited for direct combat.
Thus, even though his strength and condition were superior to Luka's, he hadn't managed to gain any real advantage in the battle.
Pulling a mirror from his pocket, Ezekiel checked his own face. Through the reflection, the once handsome features were now a thing of the past—his face was bruised and swollen, and two teeth had even been knocked out by the opponent.
"You've pissed me off, kid. Watch as I—"
"Everyone, stop right there!"
Just as Ezekiel's murderous intent flared and he prepared to strike Luka again, a furious roar suddenly erupted from the distance. It made Ezekiel pause mid-motion, while the other company executives couldn't help but frown and look toward the source of the voice.
In the distance—roughly a hundred meters away—a squad of Silvermane Guards was marching toward them in orderly steps. Leading them was none other than Gepard Landau, whom they had crossed paths with several times before.
Watching the Silvermane Guards approach, Ezekiel silently withdrew his fist, letting the active Path power within him settle as well.
If it had been moments earlier, he could have acted. But now, with Belobog's official personnel present, any further attack would be an open provocation against Belobog. If they suppressed them by force at that point, he could only swallow it silently.
"Haha, Captain Gepard, long time no see! How have you been lately?"
Ezekiel laughed heartily before quickly stepping up to Gepard and extending a friendly hand.
"You're… Ezekiel, from the Interastral Peace Corporation."
Looking at the young man before him, Gepard thought for a moment and recalled the information from his mind.
A mid-level executive at P37 rank within the Interastral Peace Corporation, affiliated with the company's Construction Materials Logistics Department—and one of the individuals on Bronya's current purge list.
"What happened here? Just now, quite a few Belobog residents fled from this direction. Your actions have seriously disrupted Belobog's public order."
Gepard ignored the hand Ezekiel extended, instead glancing at Luka, the company executives, and the girl who even he found somewhat stunning before speaking plainly.
Seeing Gepard ignore him and maintain a strictly businesslike demeanor, Ezekiel didn't continue to embarrass himself. He simply spread his hands in a somewhat helpless gesture.
"Captain Gepard, this isn't our fault. My friends and I had just finished dinner and were on our way back to the embassy together.
"But this kid jumped out of nowhere—not only did he block us with a righteous air, he even attacked and injured our security guards. How can you blame us?"