Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 742: Chapter 745: Paper-Thin

As soon as the words were spoken, a black Cadillac Escalade SUV slowly pulled into the parking lot outside the mansion. True to Cadillac's style, the vehicle was elegant, imposing, and solidly squared off.

This luxury car, equipped with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, is a rare sight in Yanxia, but in its homeland, the United States, it costs only around $100,000—a real bargain.

The first to step out of the car were two men in black suits and sunglasses. They opened the door, and a bald, short middle-aged man got out. As soon as he was out of the car, he humbly bent over and invited the person in the backseat to step out.

The one who emerged was none other than Poseidon, now dressed in a full naval uniform!

Poseidon walked towards the entrance and, upon reaching the door, glanced up at Christine. He gave a polite nod in greeting to the host.

Christine, in a bad mood, shot them a displeased look but allowed them to enter.

The two bodyguards remained outside, while Poseidon and the bald man walked straight to the dining table. Poseidon glanced at Yang Chen, who was still munching on bread, and slowly took a seat.

"Hey, old man, you switched jobs pretty fast. Yesterday you were a chef at Xaviere, and today you're a U.S. Navy officer?" Yang Chen laughed heartily.

Poseidon remained expressionless. "Yang Chen, my name is Prandelli. I am a lifetime honorary admiral of the U.S. Navy. I didn't come here to joke with you today. I'm here to settle things."

The bald middle-aged man beside him bowed slightly and said respectfully, "This must be Lord Hades. I am Robert Mueller, the current director of the FBI. It is an honor to represent the FBI and express our respect for you."

"Cut the crap. Get to the point," Yang Chen said impatiently.

Robert smiled and said, "Well, since General Prandelli has confirmed that you were not the one who attacked our fleet, we regret the misunderstanding and the resulting tensions between our two nations. We have come to apologize and ask for your forgiveness."

Christine snorted coldly. "What's the point of apologizing now when Yang Chen is in this state?"

Robert, feeling a bit awkward, forced a smile and said, "Miss Christine, I understand that this matter is our oversight. But as ordinary people, it's indeed difficult for us to fully comprehend the situation. We ask for your understanding."

Yang Chen understood now. Christine, as well as Prandelli, were aware of the existence of the Main God. It made sense—being the world's only superpower, the United States would have more than just the Blue Storm as a secret weapon.

Similarly, the Stern and Alice siblings were known to be part of the Cromwell family, long considered pariahs in England, yet no real action had ever been taken against them. Clearly, the British government was also aware of their identities.

The Main God was the ultimate taboo for secret organizations across nations. Unless faced with an uncontrollable situation, no one would dare to disturb the Main God.

Even though the Main God didn't belong to any particular country, the nation where their physical body resided would naturally have some connection to them. Moreover, it was understandable for them to intervene when the situation violated the "Pact of the Gods."

Christine didn't want to say more and turned away, unwilling to speak further.

"Is that all?" Yang Chen frowned. "If that's it, why bother coming in person? Couldn't you just make a phone call?"

Robert smiled sheepishly. "Well, because Yanxia is also working with us to track down the person who framed you, we may need your help in verifying some intelligence. But it won't take long—no more than three days. If we can't find the culprit within that time, we won't bother you any further. We hope that during this period, you can stay in the United States and assist us."

"Why me? Isn't Prandelli here?" Yang Chen asked.

"I'm going back to Xaviere to cook, and besides, that person is imitating you," Prandelli replied in the same monotone.

Yang Chen pondered for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, I agree. I'll stay in Los Angeles. You can go now."

"Thank you, Lord Hades," Robert said with a hint of surprise, bowing quickly.

Prandelli stood up and walked out without hesitation. As he reached the door, he turned back and said, "In your current state, you can't use the laws of space, nor do you have the cultivation of Yanxia's techniques. I advise you not to expose yourself too much. You have many enemies..."

Yang Chen smirked. "I didn't expect you to care about my life."

"I just don't want Hades to die completely," Prandelli said, then left without another word.

Robert bid farewell to Christine before following him out.

Christine watched as the Cadillac drove away, then walked over to Yang Chen with a puzzled expression. "Why did you agree to Robert's request? You don't seem like the type to cooperate obediently with the FBI."

Yang Chen smiled excitedly. "Since I'm already here, I might as well have some fun before going back. You have no idea how much pressure I was under in Zhonghai. It was hard to deal with everything on both sides. I need to recharge and then deal with all those women in one go."

"I see," Christine said coldly. "You didn't have a chance to enjoy yourself in Zhonghai, and now that you're here alone, you want to relive your old wild days, rolling around in the flowers, is that it?"

"How could you say that? I truly love my women!" Yang Chen said seriously.

"You do truly love them because you worry about them, but that doesn't mean your body is loyal to them. The best proof is that you didn't spare my maid as soon as you woke up," Christine said with a sigh, shaking her head. "But I'm curious—weren't you planning to turn over a new leaf and stop fooling around? How come getting struck by lightning seems to have made you even more unrestrained than before? Is it just my imagination?"

Yang Chen stood up, stretched lazily, and walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window, hands in his pockets, gazing at the view of the mountains below. "What's the difference between being restrained and being unrestrained? As long as it feels good and makes me happy, that's how I'll live. As long as I don't harm others or go against my conscience, right or wrong, good or bad, are just others' obsessions.

How could everything in this world align with my heart? Only I know who I love and who I hate. Whether others see my actions as reckless or shameful doesn't matter. As long as what I cherish is protected, as long as true love endures, why should I care about the paper-thin moral codes of this world?"

His figure, backlit by the sunlight, appeared somewhat hazy. Christine listened quietly, a strange feeling of detachment washing over her, as if this man wasn't really in front of her, yet he undoubtedly existed.

Just then, Sally, the maid who had finished cleaning upstairs, walked softly up behind Christine and asked respectfully, "Madam, should I clear away the breakfast?"

Christine turned and smiled. "Sally, I'm giving you a bonus of one million dollars this month. Make sure you take good care of Mr. Yang."

Sally's face lit up with excitement, her cheeks flushing red. She couldn't help but cast a sultry glance at Yang Chen, who stood not far away, wishing she could pounce on him right then and there.

What a pity, Sally thought regretfully. If only I'd let Mr. Yang take more liberties, maybe I could've earned more than just a million.

Christine was slightly surprised. It was the first time she had seen her usually shy maid display such a seductive look. She smiled wryly to herself. So much for modesty and purity—give enough money, and those things become meaningless. At this moment, Sally was actually feeling resentful that Yang Chen hadn't taken more advantage of her.

As Sally happily cleared the dishes, Yang Chen walked over to Christine and said softly, "I didn't know that little girl had that side to her either. But at least you don't have to feel bad about her being taken advantage of, right?"

Christine turned, looking at Yang Chen with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "You really seem different. Before, you were strange, but at least I knew what you were thinking. Now, I feel like I know you, but I realize I can't see through you at all."

Yang Chen grinned. "Lady Aphrodite, in your long life, have you ever read a book called The Dogs of Babel?"

"What about it?"

"Everyone has more than one side. Like the book says, everyone has two hearts—a secret heart hidden behind the normal one. We wear different masks for different people. People can't even see themselves clearly, so how can they see others clearly?"

"And what does that have to do with you?" Christine frowned.

"If it has to do with me, it's that what you see is who I am. I'm not wearing a mask," Yang Chen said with a clear gaze.

Christine was momentarily dazed. It was as if she could see a whole new world in the clarity of his eyes. For the first time, she found herself unable to think clearly in front of Yang Chen, which she later found hard to believe.

"Aphrodite, can I ask you for something?" Yang Chen suddenly said.

Christine snapped out of her thoughts, composing herself, and asked seriously, "What is it?"

"Money."

"What?"

"I said money. I need to borrow some money," Yang Chen said, sounding a bit pitiful.

Christine had expected some profound statement after all that philosophical talk, but it turned out he just wanted to borrow money?!

Christine took a deep breath to calm herself and asked, "Why do you need to borrow money?"

"Because I don't have any on me right now!" Yang Chen looked at her as if she were an idiot.

Christine was momentarily stunned, her cheeks blushing slightly. "I meant, why do you need the money?"

"Hehe," Yang Chen chuckled awkwardly. "I want to buy some gifts to take back to my wives so that I'll feel a little less guilty."

Christine glared at him. "No way! If you need money, ask your subordinates. I'll let you borrow a car and stay here, but you want to use my money to buy gifts for your women? Dream on!"

With that, Christine didn't linger any longer, putting on her sunglasses and storming out.

"Not very generous..." Yang Chen muttered regretfully, then, after thinking for a moment, he cheerfully trotted off to the kitchen. There, he asked the still-flustered maid Sally for a set of car keys and headed to the garage next to the mansion.

Before long, a blue Porsche 911 GT shot like an arrow down the winding road towards Beverly Hills.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8