This was supposed to be a learning experience—at least, that was what Sean thought.
He left the corpse and Luo Xi in the dark room, stepping out alone.
Now, it was time to consider cooperation...
The outskirts of Paradise City. This was the final safe zone; a few kilometers further out, one would start encountering roaming frenzy beasts.
Generally, only three types of people could be found here:
The poorest, hardest-working commoners, who needed to toil in the suburban factories to feed their families.
The most volatile, dangerous hunters, who often set out from here on journeys to hunt frenzy beasts.
The greediest, most audacious merchants, who hired hands to traverse the beast tide, fetching handsome rewards for their goods across the major city-states.
Today, however, people who never usually set foot here had made an appearance.
If the commoners saw their luxurious uniforms and proud faces, they would gasp in shock: weren't these top students from the Academy?
A handsome man in his early twenties was looking around with his hands clasped behind his back. He was quite fond of this posture, as the dean of the Academy often did the same.
"According to our intel, that princess of the Iris Hive Tribe has already captured Sean. Although the Gold Ghosts dispatched a large number of people to track them down, given her strength, it shouldn't be a problem." He spoke calmly, not even glancing at the companion beside him.
The woman beside him, dressed in an Academy uniform with faintly blue hair, seemed very familiar with his mannerisms. She pushed up her glasses and said softly, "That is why we are waiting here..."
"It's been almost two days—" The man raised his wrist to check the time. Though his expression remained calm, the impatience in his voice was bleeding through. "Making such a massive fuss just for Sean... Frankly, I don't see what value that guy has."
"Lu Xin, rein in your impatience. These are the Director of Teaching's orders." The bespectacled woman's voice remained soft and gentle.
"I don't need you to remind me. I just hate this kind of meaningless waiting. Besides, what's so special about that bastard Sean? The Academy can't seriously expect the Gold Ghosts to pay a steep price in exchange for a piece of trash, right?" Lu Xin's tone was filled with disdain.
The woman took off her glasses and wiped them. "But he is currently the second-in-command of the Gold Ghosts. Now that Jin Kui no longer makes public appearances, Sean is the one holding actual power."
"Him?" Lu Xin cut her off impatiently. "All he knows how to do is bully and harass people. If Sheryl and Moza weren't constantly wiping his ass, he would have caused massive trouble a long time ago."
"Under Jin Kui, those three are at least considered the Trident."
The man scoffed. "Sheryl is bold but detail-oriented, with formidable strength. Moza is thorough, and his Ability is unpredictable. Those two are indeed formidable figures. As for Sean, he's just the shaft of the Trident."
"Crude—" the woman frowned. "Lu Xin, sooner or later, your arrogance will be your downfall."
"This isn't arrogance. It's confidence."
The woman didn't argue further, only shaking her head inwardly. Next time, she absolutely had to complain to the Director of Teaching; she didn't want to go on missions with this idiot anymore.
Did he really just believe whatever was on the surface? No matter how incompetent Sean might be, the man standing behind him was Jin Kui.
The man who, relying solely on his own strength, turned Paradise City's top three factions into the top four—would a ruthless, ambitious overlord like that heavily rely on a piece of trash?
The same went for Sheryl and Moza. Would such experts be dead-set loyal to a worthless bum?
Sean was absolutely not as simple as he appeared. There had to be something hidden behind all of this.
Hopefully, that woman from the Iris Hive Tribe would have a smooth journey.
The two of them, leading a group of subordinates, continued to wait. Suddenly, an eerie murmuring rang in their ears.
Lu Xin's hair stood on end, and he subconsciously raised his arm.
Clang—the sound of clashing metal rang out.
Without warning, a hand gripping a steel pipe had appeared right above Lu Xin's head. The pipe slammed against Lu Xin's prosthetic arm, sending a shockwave rippling through the surrounding air.
"Moza!" Lu Xin roared in fury.
Seeing that the ambush had failed, the owner of the steel pipe vanished from the spot, weapon, arm, and all.
Immediately after, on a rooftop a short distance away, a cold, stern man in a crisp suit and gold-rimmed glasses appeared.
He hefted the steel pipe in his hand and asked coldly, "Where is my big brother?"
Lu Xin choked, then bellowed, "You lunatic, how the hell should I know where your big brother is?!"
Moza lifted his chin slightly, his eyes flickering uncertainly behind his lenses. "People from the Academy would come to a shithole like this? Good. It seems the Academy wants to start an all-out war with our Gold Ghosts."
The woman hastily grabbed Lu Xin and whispered, "We still don't know exactly what Moza's Ability is, but he definitely doesn't have the power of remote eavesdropping. He isn't sure where Sean went; he's bluffing us—"
With that, she lifted her head and said loudly, "Mr. Moza, I am Qiong Ying, a prefect of the Academy. We are only here waiting for the Academy's expedition team to return to the city."
"I've heard about what happened to your gang's Mr. Sean, and I am very sorry to hear it, but this matter has nothing to do with the Academy."
Moza narrowed his eyes slightly, while Qiong Ying met his gaze naturally.
A moment later, Moza tugged at his necktie. "I will find out the truth. If this matter has anything to do with the Academy, I will personally hang the two of you from the Academy's flagpole."
Lu Xin and Qiong Ying's expressions stiffened. This lunatic...
Lu Xin let out a cold snort, his gaze dark. "Heh, Sheryl is already dead. Moza, this is the price of following the wrong person. Besides, do you think the Gold Ghosts have the final say in this city? This isn't your turf."
Moza had been about to turn and leave, but upon hearing this, he paused. Then, he calmly turned back around.
Pushing up his glasses, he said softly, "People from the Academy truly have no manners. You're even more ignorant than my big brother."
"However—" Moza looked up. "He is my big brother Sean. What the hell are you?"
His figure vanished from the spot, erased like a pencil mark. Immediately after, a hand appeared out of thin air behind Lu Xin's head once again!
Lu Xin was prepared. He swung his prosthetic arm backward, blocking the incoming steel pipe.
He grinned. A massive ball of fire condensed in the center of his normal palm, and he hurled it viciously forward.
I have top-tier prosthetics and an outstanding Ability. Purists are nothing but relics of the past. Why should a gang thug like you be able to compete with the Academy's technology?
Of course, he didn't expect his Ability to actually hit the opponent. But as long as the other party dodged, his follow-up attacks would immediately connect!
However, another hand reached out, similarly holding a cold, gleaming steel pipe.
That hand completely ignored the flames, plunging straight through them to violently slam into the unprepared Lu Xin's chest.
The sound of a sternum caving in and fracturing rang out, and then the two hands vanished once more.
Moza reappeared. Holding the two steel pipes, he casually shook the lingering flames off his hand.
"I have business to attend to. Next time, even if you hide inside the Academy, I'll still smash your head in."
With that, his figure was erased once again, disappearing from the spot.