The warehouse was located at the tail end of the airship. As they walked over, Sean casually questioned Lu Xin.
"I won't ask about the mission the boss gave you all, but are you going to keep working undercover?"
Lu Xin nodded. "Yes."
"What's your father's current status in the Academy?" Sean asked thoughtfully.
Lu Xin gave a bitter smile. "Decent enough. Nobody really questions my daily behavior. However, my father was a latecomer and has never been able to truly break into the core circle."
"Hmm. If I were actually caught and you let me go, how do you and your father plan to handle the fallout?"
"My father is prepared to sever ties with me. Afterward, I'll defect from the Academy and leak some dirt on him. That will guarantee that releasing you was purely my own doing and had nothing to do with him."
Talk about an affectionate father and filial son...
Sean shook his head. "Once this happens, even if the two of you cut ties, your father is basically finished in the Academy."
"I know," Lu Xin sighed. "But factionalism in the Academy is severe. Multiple factions are involved in this incident."
He glanced at the calm-faced Luo Xi. Receiving a look from Sean signaling that it was okay to speak, he continued, "The Pale Academic Group spearheaded this incident. The Sanli Academic Group was the one who instigated the rebellion within the Iris Hive Tribe earlier, and the ones responsible for... dissection and research, are the Ascension Group."
Pretending not to notice Luo Xi's increasingly icy glare, Lu Xin quickly explained, "These academic groups have different ideologies and operate differently. They are only kept in check by the dean. My father doesn't belong to any of them, so advancing any further is nearly impossible for him."
As they spoke, the group arrived at the trophy warehouse.
Staring at the seamless steel doors before them, Sean stepped up to the terminal on the side and examined it. "Damn, this is sturdy."
"Loot management is highly strict," Lu Xin quickly pointed out. "After all, every academic group wants to secure more resources. To prevent unequal distribution, the passwords for the trophy warehouse are strictly managed by the dean's trusted aides."
Sean suddenly recalled something. "Qiong Ying, the girl who was with you, is the dean's student, right?"
"Exactly. She's actually the one in charge of the operation. On this airship, only the captain and she should know the password."
The corners of Sean's mouth slowly curled upward.
"Perfect. Let's see if we can help your father advance a bit further."
Lu Xin frowned in confusion. How could the Gold Ghosts help his father? If the Academy found out his father was in contact with anyone from the Gold Ghosts, a thorough investigation would be launched immediately.
However, Sean's gaze was slowly making his skin crawl.
"Hey, Lu Xin," Sean said, patting his mechanical arm. "You've been using this arm for quite a while, haven't you?"
"No... I-I just swapped to this new prosthetic..." Lu Xin swallowed nervously.
"Then, are you interested in swapping it again?"
Qiong Ying felt incredibly heavy. The dizzy spells rocking her mind simply wouldn't stop.
Poisoned? My Steinway Type III actually offered no resistance... This toxin isn't right...
Who did this? Was it Sean? But according to the files, his ability shouldn't grant him combat strength or the means to poison someone... Did Luo Xi betray us? Why would she... Without the airship, her tribe won't see even a glimmer of hope...
Her senses slowly returned. A fierce wind was battering her face as her consciousness gradually cleared.
I'm tied up... and my abilities are restricted...
Qiong Ying forced her eyes open, her blurry vision slowly coming into focus.
This is... the airship's hatch...
The howling wind grew even louder.
The scene before her finally became clear, and what she saw sent her heart pounding.
Luo Xi, the girl her teacher had praised as a top-tier rejector, was similarly trussed up, and a sliver of fear had finally cracked her exquisite face.
"You—"
"Shh—don't speak. I prefer to enjoy these moments in peace."
Qiong Ying's breath hitched.
The prisoner had broken free of his restraints and was standing right there, completely unharmed.
His shoulder-length hair was tied back in an aggressive wolf cut, whipping wildly in the wind.
Sean closed his eyes, quietly feeling the high-altitude winds, before leaning halfway out the hatch to peer down.
He pulled himself back in and let out a manic chuckle. "Hah... I'm a bit scared of heights. Well then, goodbye, Princess."
Then, under Qiong Ying's horrified gaze, he mercilessly shoved Luo Xi straight out the hatch.
Whistling a cheerful tune, he turned back around.
And Qiong Ying instantly realized she was his next target!
She thrashed around in panic, noticing Lu Xin tied up beside her. He had woken up as well and was currently squirming to break free.
"Looks like both of my VIP guests are awake," Sean said with a pleasant laugh. "Moza."
Qiong Ying and Lu Xin were dragged up and violently slammed down right by the open hatch.
The wind was whipping so intensely they could barely open their eyes. Ignoring her aching, weakened body, Qiong Ying desperately squirmed backward.
But Sean obviously had no intention of letting her get away.
Gazing at the beautiful, light-blue-haired girl in a uniform, Sean flashed a malicious grin.
This girl... he was the one who had modeled her.
Her most defining feature was her chest. It was large. Extremely large.
Watching her squirm in terror right before his eyes, he marveled inwardly.
This was way more lifelike than that explicit mod he had made...
Yanking the cloth gag out of her mouth, Sean crouched in front of Qiong Ying with a friendly smile. "Now we can properly introduce ourselves. Hello there, I'm Sean."
Qiong Ying forced herself to stay calm and spoke rapidly. "Mr. Sean, the Academy can compensate you..."
"Compensate?" Sean poked Qiong Ying's pale cheek, plucking the glasses from her face and resting them on the bridge of his own nose. "Why don't you start by telling me what the Academy wanted to do with me in the first place?"
"I was only following orders, Mr. Sean, but the Academy has no intention of harming you..."
Sean let out a regretful sigh. "I don't like that answer..."
Qiong Ying's pupils contracted sharply. "Mr. Sean, we can still talk this over!" she shouted.
Off to the side, Lu Xin had somehow managed to spit out his gag. "What is there to talk about?! Qiong Ying, stop groveling to this bastard! Sean, kill me if you have the guts! Are you ready to face the consequences of a direct war between the Academy and the Gold Ghosts?"
Sean looked at him in amusement. "I sure am."
Qiong Ying's breath hitched. Unable to tolerate it any longer, she turned and snapped, "Shut up! I'm the one in charge here!"
She immediately looked back at Sean. "Mr. Sean, his words do not represent the Academy's stance whatsoever! We can talk this out, Mr. Sean!"
Lu Xin cursed furiously. "Qiong Ying, I can't believe you're bowing down to some street thug! We are geniuses of the Academy!"
Sean chuckled. "Tell you what, Mr. Genius. Why don't you tell me some of the Academy's internal secrets, and I'll let you go. How does that sound?"
"I will never betray the Academy!"
"Shut up!" Qiong Ying yelled at him, then frantically turned back. "Mr. Sean, my teacher is the dean. I have the authority to make this decision right now: the Academy has officially abandoned him. Please ignore everything he says."
Sean feigned a look of surprise. "You're saying you've abandoned him?"
"Yes, sir—what are you doing?!" Qiong Ying answered instinctively, only to see Sean snap his fingers.
Moza, standing completely expressionless behind them, brutally ripped Lu Xin's prosthetic arm clean off!
Agonizing screams echoed through the corridor, warped into pathetic whimpers by the howling wind pouring through the hatch.
Then, Sean grinned and mercilessly kicked the one-armed Lu Xin straight out of the airship!
The violent winds blew the spurting blood back inside, splattering it all over Qiong Ying's face.
While she sat frozen in shock, Sean walked over. He grabbed her by the hair, tilting her head back, and smeared the still-warm blood across her cheek with his other hand.
Smiling, he lifted the girl's head and thrust his bloodied finger into her mouth.
His whisper sounded like the dark murmur of a demon.
"You were the one who said you abandoned him... So, I just did as you asked... Does this blood taste the way you imagined?"
Qiong Ying violently jerked her head away and began dry heaving loudly.
After a long moment, she looked up, two streams of tears trailing down her cheeks.
"You... you're a demon..."
Sean waved his fingers casually, and Moza dutifully handed him a gold-trimmed handkerchief.
He wiped the blood from his hand and replied gently, "Mind your manners. I'm just a minor villain."
"You..."
However, Qiong Ying had no idea that Sean's next words would chill her to the bone.
"We aren't finished yet, Miss Qiong Ying."
She was roughly dragged into the interrogation room.
Looking down at the girl's devilish figure and beautiful face, Sean let out a low whistle.
He snapped his fingers. The air above his shoulder rippled, and a massive, round, eyelash-less pupil materialized.
[Interview], and then [Record].
Just as Sean was about to sit down, he suddenly remembered something and gave an apologetic bow.
He walked over and gently slid the glasses back onto the bridge of her nose.
Then, under Qiong Ying's terrified gaze, he raised his hand.
Riiiip—
The sound of tearing fabric filled the room.
"An interview really does require us to bare it all to each other..." Sean flashed a set of stark white teeth.
...
When Sean finally stretched his arms and strolled out of the interrogation room, Moza, who had been standing guard nearby, walked over.
As the door opened, the girl's whimpers drifted into the corridor, only to be cut off the moment the door swung shut again.
Moza looked Sean up and down, then shook his head. "To think you're still doing this kind of stuff at a time like this. Boss, you really have no sense of priority. Also, you took twenty-five minutes this time. You've gotten faster, Boss."
Sean unceremoniously kicked him and cursed. "Fuck off, I didn't do anything. I just collected some good material to threaten her with later. And if you ever fucking time me again, I'm going to turn your head into a stopwatch."
Moza thought about it seriously for a moment before nodding. "If you hire a skilled enough craftsman, a face ticking with that kind of regularity might actually be quite aesthetically pleasing."
"Fuck, is there not a single normal person around me?"
As they bantered, the two of them arrived back at the trophy warehouse. Sean stepped up, tapped on the terminal, and the heavy doors slid open.
Moza consciously took up a guard position by the door, gesturing for the others to step back.
And Sean finally stepped into the treasure vault he had been looking forward to.