Kallen said: "So what you're saying, Rulu, is that once this Prince Suwen comes here to serve as Governor, he won't be able to enjoy the same immortality he had in the Sanctuary?"

  "Exactly." A wicked smile spread across Rulu's face. "It's actually quite rare for a Sanctuary prince to come out here as Governor. The Emperor must have something important he needs that person to accomplish. If he fails to carry out the Emperor's orders, he can forget about ever returning to the Sanctuary — he'll age like any ordinary person and eventually die here. Heh heh heh…"

  A-Bing cpped his hands and cried out with delight: "Ha ha ha! So this Prince Suwen coming here as Governor is a terrible misfortune — it's practically exile from the Sanctuary!"

  Rulu said: "The Sanctuary's territory is limited, and the people living there have extraordinarily long lifespans. To sustain the survival of the native Sanctuary popution, a portion of people must be removed. The internal struggle within the Sanctuary is brutal — even members of the imperial family face suppression, persecution, and sometimes assassination."

  As he said this, Rulu seemed to recall something unpleasant and his brow furrowed. A glint of hatred fshed in his eyes, and his expression turned cold and dark.

  Kallen said with great surprise: "This is the first I've ever heard of any of this. You really know an awful lot about the Sanctuary, Rulu — it's as if you used to live there. How do you know all this? Don't tell me you actually used to be one of them?!"

  "No — nothing like that." Rulu's expression shifted slightly and he hurried to expin. "I attended a school established by the Sanctuary for most of my life. It was founded specifically to cultivate talent for them, and they taught a great deal about the Sanctuary there — that's how I came to know all of this."

  "I see." Kallen accepted Rulu's expnation without suspicion. She wanted to ask him more about the Sanctuary, but Rulu said that Nana was still ill and that he needed to keep his attention on her. Not wanting to interfere with Nana's recovery, Kallen let the matter drop and stopped pressing him.

  After a while, Captain Guan returned and told Rulu that everything he had asked for was ready. Rulu then brought up his pn to take Nana back to the Concession for treatment.

  Captain Guan immediately objected that it was far too dangerous, but Rulu said it was the only way to save Nana, and that he was capable of protecting them both. Though Captain Guan felt the pn was reckless, he had no way to help Nana himself, and he knew Rulu to be both sharp and capable. Since Rulu seemed so confident, there was nothing to do but let him try, and so he gave his consent.

  After that, Rulu changed into a fresh set of clothes, and Kallen helped Nana into a new outfit as well. Rulu and Nana put on hats and decorative gsses, and used special cosmetics to age their complexions. After this disguise was complete, the two of them looked remarkably different from before — as though they had aged ten years overnight.

  "Hold on a little longer, Nana. You'll be feeling better soon." Rulu sat in the driver's seat of the white car Captain Guan had prepared for him, and spoke softly to Nana beside him, who had regained consciousness.

  Nana made an effort to keep her eyes open and nodded at Rulu, saying in a faint, weary voice: "I know. I'll try not to cause you any trouble."

  Rulu looked out the window at Captain Guan and the others and said: "Well then — we'll be off, Captain Guan. You don't need to see us out."

  Captain Guan stood by the car window, leaned down, and looked at Rulu and Nana with concern: "Take care of yourselves. If you run into trouble, reach me through the contact information I gave you — I'll do everything I can to help."

  Rulu said: "Thank you. Once we're back in the Concession, I'll come visit when I get the chance."

  "Off you go then — I won't keep you. Safe travels."

  Rulu gave Captain Guan a nod, started the car, and set off down the worn road toward the Concession.

  As he drove, Rulu took in the surroundings on either side of the road. The route was lined with crumbling buildings, and scattered along the roadside were people in tattered clothing — some sleeping directly on the street, some scantily dressed women soliciting passersby, some drunkenly brawling with others, and some openly robbing people with metal bdes in the middle of the road.

  Just as Rulu had imagined, the area outside the Concession was chaotic and wless. The Huaxia Nation's systems had colpsed under the war with the Sanctuary, and many regions had fallen into anarchy. The only stable and prosperous pce left in all of Huaxia Nation was the Concession, under Sanctuary control.

  As they drew closer to the Concession, the buildings became denser and foot traffic increased. At the same time, Sanctuary armored soldiers and regur troops appeared in Rulu's field of view, immediately putting him on alert. He quickly pulled his hat brim low and made sure his decorative gsses were in pce, so as not to be recognized by the Sanctuary's military.

  Suddenly a purple armored soldier stepped in front of Rulu's white car and brought it to a halt. Simultaneously, a middle-aged male soldier in a grey uniform appeared at the car window.

  "Where did you two come from, and where are you going?!" The soldier scrutinized Rulu and Nana with a suspicious gaze. Their unusual appearance had caught his attention and he kept his eyes fixed on them.

  "Officer, here's the thing." Rulu put on a friendly smile and said: "My sister and I went to visit retives in the countryside a few days ago. She suddenly fell ill along the way, and we're trying to get back to the Concession."

  "Visiting retives at a time like this? Don't you know there's been Rebel activity in this area recently?" The soldier's expression grew more doubtful and his tone sharpened.

  Rulu said: "We'd heard something about that — but we're just ordinary citizens. Surely the Rebels wouldn't do anything to us?"

  "Enough talk." The soldier drew the handgun from his holster and spoke to Rulu in a commanding tone: "Both of you get out of the car right now. Take off the hats, gsses, and everything else. Then produce your identification. If you don't cooperate, I'll have you treated as Rebel operatives. Understood?!"