"They don't look like Sanctuary military. Everyone hold your positions — let me talk to them." Captain Guan climbed out of the vehicle and called out loudly toward the cargo truck: "Who are you people? What are you doing here?"

The two white-robed figures in the truck did not respond. Instead, they began whispering to each other. After a moment, one of them pushed open the door and stepped down. Everyone looked him over: he was a middle-aged man, slightly heavyset, somewhere around forty or fifty years old.

The man wore a stiff expression and held his chin high with an air of self-importance. He was dressed in a long white robe and carried a silver staff in his hand, nearly as tall as he was.

After getting out of the truck, the middle-aged man took a moment to size up Captain Guan and the people on the armored vehicles, then said in an accusatory tone: "And who are you people? Are you with the military?"

Captain Guan paused. Uncertain of the man's identity, he chose not to answer directly and said vaguely, "We're just passing through. Are you… are you with the Sanctuary's military?"

The middle-aged man slowly shook his head. Seeing him deny it, Captain Guan let out a quiet breath of relief. "In that case, I think we'd be better off going our separate ways. Please, go ahead."

The middle-aged man said nothing. He glanced back at the other white-robed figure still in the truck, who gave him a slow, deliberate nod. The middle-aged man then turned to Captain Guan and said simply, "Very well." He got back into the vehicle.

"Everyone put your weapons away and let them through." Not wanting any conflict with the white-robed strangers, Captain Guan gave the order. The cargo truck eased forward, passed the two armored vehicles, and continued on its way.

Then, from inside the cargo compartment at the back of the truck, came a strange sound — a dull, rhythmic thudding — accompanied by a faint woman's voice: "Open the door! Let me out! Let me go, now!"

The underground tunnel was utterly silent, with an echo that carried every sound. Faint as the voice was, it reached every person's ears with perfect clarity.

"Did you hear that?" A-Bing said. "Sounds like there's a woman locked up in the back of that truck."

"I heard it too," Captain Guan said. "She sounds like she's been locked in there against her will. Could these two be kidnappers?"

"Could be something worse," said one of the unnamed Rebels. "Maybe they plan to assault her."

Kallen heard this and was immediately furious. "Those two are actually kidnapping a woman? I'll go stop them right now."

Suddenly, Rulu — who had been silent the whole time — spoke up: "Wait, Kallen. We're better off not getting involved with these two."

"Why not?" Captain Guan looked at Rulu with a puzzled expression.

"From the way they're dressed, they're from the Sanctuary homeland — and they serve the imperial family directly." Rulu's expression was grave as he kept his eyes fixed on the two white-robed figures and spoke slowly.

Captain Guan was even more confused. "What would people from the Sanctuary homeland be doing here? And how do you know who they are?"

"I can't explain the details right now," Rulu said. "But we're better off not getting tangled up with them. If we do, it will bring serious trouble."

"Understood." After fighting alongside Rulu against the Sanctuary forces, Captain Guan had come to trust his word. He told everyone to let the truck pass and ordered them not to block its way.

The cargo truck had driven perhaps twenty or thirty meters when, with a sudden screech of brakes, it stopped. The doors opened and both white-robed figures climbed out.

"Hm — they're coming back toward us," A-Bing said. The others in the vehicles turned their heads and looked back.

The two white-robed figures were walking slowly toward the Rebels. Now everyone could see them clearly. Aside from the middle-aged man with the silver staff, the second figure was a frail, gaunt elderly man who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, with a face lined and aged by time.

The old man had a long white beard and long white hair. A gentle smile rested on his face, giving him a warm and kindly air. In his hand he carried a staff of golden metal.

Captain Guan leaned out and spoke to the two figures with great caution: "Is there something else you need?"

Neither of them answered. The white-haired old man with the golden staff spoke as if musing to himself: "Ah, getting old — the memory goes. Now then… how exactly did His Majesty the Emperor instruct us to handle this matter?"

The middle-aged man in white replied: "Grand Sorcerer, sir — His Majesty instructed us that this matter must not reach anyone's ears. Our identities must not be revealed under any circumstances. Should even a whisper of it get out, we would face severe punishment and be permanently forbidden from returning to the Sanctuary."

"Ah, yes — now I remember. Quite right," the white-haired old man exclaimed as though it had just come back to him. "His Majesty did say exactly that. But… it seems these people already know who we are. What do you think we should do?"

The middle-aged man in white kept his expression flat and answered with perfect calm: "That's simple enough. Dead men tell no tales. As long as they disappear from this world, nothing will leak out."

"Yes, yes — precisely, exactly right. That's just what we should do." A smile of delight spread across the old man's face, but his eyes filled with a cold and chilling light.

Hearing this exchange, the Rebels felt their blood run cold. A-Bing shouted angrily at the two men: "What are you two old fools going on about?! Are you looking to die?!"

"Ignore them — drive! Go now!" Rulu's face had suddenly gone pale with alarm, and he spoke in a sharp, urgent voice.

Captain Guan was genuinely stunned. During their entire battle against the Sanctuary forces, Rulu hadn't looked remotely this frightened — and now here he was, rattled to the core by two frail old men. It made no sense at all.

Not understanding why Rulu was so afraid of these two, Captain Guan nevertheless called out: "Drive — move out!"

Both armored vehicles started up at once and lurched forward.

"Heh heh — think you can just leave?!" The white-haired old man let out a soft laugh. He swept his golden staff through the air — and with a sudden whoosh, both armored vehicles lifted off the ground and floated motionlessly in the air two meters up. Their wheels spun uselessly in the open air, and no matter how hard the drivers pressed the accelerators, the vehicles couldn't move an inch.