"How dare you say that the two people who killed my Cao family were nothing more than killing dogs?"

Cao Kedi's voice was like thunder, deafening. His face was flushed with anger, and his eyes gleamed with uncontrollable fanaticism.

As the Minister of Personnel, he had the power to appoint and dismiss officials in the capital. Wherever he went, he was respected by everyone.

This is the first time he has been so insulted. No one in the entire capital has ever dared to be so rude to Cao Kedi.

Yan Shiyu smiled slightly, a cold smile curving his lips, and then said without a trace of emotion, "In my eyes, a person is a person, and a dog is a dog. What's the difference between your Cao family members and dogs?"

If Yan Shiyu didn't know Cao Kedi's background, he might not have spoken like this, but at this moment, he had to say it.

As he spoke, Yan Shiyu suddenly fired a shot at Cao Kedi's feet. The bullet hit the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust.

Cao Kedi was shocked. His anger was instantly replaced by fear. He stood there, stunned, countless thoughts flashing through his mind, but he had no way to refute them.

"Guards, gather all the members of the Cao family together, put them in wooden shackles, and send them to the palace!"

Following Yan Shiyu's order, the gates of the Cao residence were tightly sealed, and all members of the Cao family were gathered together.

The special forces members began to put wooden shackles on the Cao family members one by one, and the atmosphere on the scene became increasingly tense.

At first, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

However, the situation took a sudden turn when a group of servants dressed in white were brought forward.

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the servants, as if they were waiting for an opportunity.

Suddenly, one of the servants shouted something, and with his shout, more than thirty servants in white robes drew long swords from their wide clothes and began to fight back against the team members in front of them.

Two team members were instantly slashed and began to retreat, clutching their wounds as blood gushed from them.

Seeing this, Yan Shiyu gritted his teeth and shouted, "No survivors! Anyone who resists, kill them!"

Following Yan Shiyu's order, the special forces soldiers pulled out submachine guns from their backs and opened fire on the resisting servants without hesitation.

Gunfire erupted suddenly, as deafening as thunder, and bullets rained down like a storm.

"ah!"

Screams rang out as the rebellious servants were all knocked to the ground, blood splattering everywhere, creating chaos.

The battle ended swiftly in just two minutes.

Apart from the two wounded members at the beginning, no one in the entire special forces team was killed in action.

Yan Shiyu stood amidst the chaos, his gaze cold, as if scrutinizing everything.

Cao Kedi witnessed all of this and was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning.

He had never seen such a powerful weapon before, and his heart was filled with fear and despair.

He wanted to resist, but he was powerless at the moment. All that remained in his mind was the tragic scene that had taken place in front of the palace gate that day, and fear surged up like a tide.

As the smoke of battle gradually dissipated, the remaining traces on the ground testified to the fierce conflict that had just taken place.

Yan Shiyu glanced at the two injured brothers and hurriedly shouted, "Someone, take them down for treatment, quick!"

Yan Shiyu was used to fighting, but he was always particularly concerned about the safety of his teammates.

Upon hearing this, four team members immediately stepped forward and carefully carried their injured comrade away from the scene.

Yan Shiyu took a deep breath, then walked up to Cao Kedi with a smile.

His gaze lingered on Cao Kedi's blank face for a moment, then he reached out and took a heavy wooden cangue from a teammate beside him.

"Lord Cao, it seems you've made your choice," Yan Shiyu said sarcastically.

Cao Kedi's eyes were glazed over; he had no intention of resisting and chose to surrender.

He let Yan Shiyu put the wooden cangue around his neck, and the cold touch made his body tremble involuntarily.

"That's right. If you want to live, it's best not to move around." Yan Shiyu nodded in satisfaction, his voice carrying a hint of threat.

"Come with me."

Yan Shiyu nodded slightly towards the door, and Cao Kedi had no choice but to follow him out of the Cao residence.

Outside the gate, the carriages that had been waiting were quietly parked there, seemingly waiting for their owners.

Led by Yan Shiyu, the Cao family members were led onto carriages one by one and headed towards the palace.

...

Outside Huaming Palace, sunlight filters through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Yan Shiyu stood beside the prison van, his eyes sharp as he scanned the Cao family members locked inside.

They were pale and dazed, clearly still reeling from the sudden turn of events.

"Keep a close eye on them, and don't let anyone get close!" Yan Shiyu shouted.

"Yes, Captain!"

The team members responded in unison and quickly set up a cordon, closely monitoring the Cao family.

"Lord Yan, our Cao family has absolutely not participated in any rebellion!" A middle-aged man, Cao family steward, argued in a trembling voice.

"Shut up!"

Yan Shiyu interrupted him, saying coldly, "Your Cao family has harbored spies from the enemy country. Do you still want to deny it?"

As he spoke, Yan Shiyu led Cao Kedi down from the prison cart and slowly walked into Huaming Palace.

Inside Huaming Palace, Chen Zhennan was still sitting outside Song Yunyang's bedroom when he saw Cao Kedi, and a relaxed smile instantly appeared on his face.

Yan Shiyu slowly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the entire Cao family has been brought here."

Chen Zhennan stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping over Cao Kedi before turning to Yan Shiyu, his smile widening.

"Okay, get up. How is it?" Chen Zhennan asked.

Yan Shiyu slowly stood up and recounted what had just happened at the Cao family's house.

"Those white-clad servants were all Japanese spies, and I have already killed them all."

Chen Zhennan was very satisfied after hearing this and gave a heavy "hmm".

"Shiyu, you did a great job. These Japanese bastards deserve to be treated this way. If you encounter them again in the future, do the same."

As he spoke, Chen Zhennan turned to look at Cao Kedi, his expression suddenly turning somewhat cold.

"Cao Kedi, I have no interest in listening to your waste of breath. What I need now is the list, the locations, and the Shadow Organization's plans."

Upon hearing this, Cao Kedi slowly raised his head, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes.

“I can hand over the list, but… but on one condition: that the Cao family be spared. Otherwise, I will absolutely not write down the list.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan couldn't help but snort coldly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"Cao Kedi, you'd better understand the situation. You can't afford to gamble now. If you don't want to talk, that's fine. We'll kill one member of the Cao family every fifteen minutes until you do."

Upon hearing this, Cao Kedi realized his mistake. He had no bargaining power left, and even his life was in Chen Zhennan's hands, let alone anyone else's.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. All officials in the court, except for those in the Ministry of Rites, above the fourth rank, have been bribed by Shadow.”