Su Nisheng looked slightly troubled.

That silly Xu Weiyu.

She feared Xu Weiyu might follow Raven down the wrong path. That would cause trouble. Yet she had no way to stop it. For Xu Weiyu, having this ability was good. But Raven was the problem. No one knew if he was good or evil. No one knew his true intentions.

“Didn’t he say what he wants you to do after three months?”

“No,” Xu Weiyu mumbled softly. “But I feel… he might sneak back to find me. Then I can ask him first.”

“Are you really that sure he won’t trick you?”

“Relax,” Xu Weiyu said confidently, patting her plump chest. “I’m not an idiot.” Su Nisheng opened her mouth but held back. After a long pause, she gave up.

I’ll deal with it later. She couldn’t tell The Alliance about this. Xu Weiyu and she were sisters, not The Alliance. Besides, Xu Weiyu hadn’t done anything wrong. All they could do was wait silently.

…………………………

Dim streets.

The southern district was a fascinating place. It was both desolate and decadent. In desolate areas, buildings crumbled and weeds grew wild. Yet many spots glittered with gold and neon, drowning in luxury and vice.

Like Sin Street.

Rows of grand buildings stood there. Their lavish decorations shone brilliantly. Colorful neon lights made it feel like another world. The biggest businesses were casinos and flesh trade.

In the southern district, only two factions of ability users remained. One was led by Silver Lady. The other was ruled by an ability user called “Gold”. They occupied opposite sides. Normally, they didn’t interfere with each other. No need to worry about stealing business. There was plenty for all. Silver Lady even occasionally dined with Gold.

The largest restaurant on Sin Street was Cloud Plucking Tower. It sat on the 32nd floor. From there, one could overlook half the southern district. It wasn’t open to the public. Only by reservation could one enter.

Today, however, it was fully booked.

No one had the right to book the whole place. If it wasn’t operating today, it could only mean… the boss himself decided so.

The boss was Gold. Gold was a thirty-year-old man. His ability was unknown. But he looked refined and kind. Dressed in a suit, he held a wine glass, gently swirling it.

Sitting opposite him was Silver Lady.

Silver Lady seemed to favor her silver backless gown. It hugged her full yet slender figure. Under the table, her calf rested in high heels. The sharp heel tips seemed to pierce the floor slightly.

Gold and Silver Lady dined occasionally. They discussed the district’s future development.

But their attitudes differed greatly.

Gold wanted to be on good terms with Silver Lady. He never understood her power. Besides her S Rank maids, where did she get her strength? In just a few years, she swept half the district’s factions. She unified them effortlessly. It made no sense. Unless Silver Lady herself was absurdly strong.

Silver Lady, however, looked down on Gold.

She despised him for rising on banned drugs. Most of the time, she treated him with disdain. But today, she rarely contacted him, inviting him to dinner.

Her purpose was clear. She had stated it during their noon call.

“Have you found those people I want?” Silver Lady asked softly. Her smile held a hint of allure.

Gold instinctively shrank back. This woman felt dangerous. He slowed his speech. “I found them,” he replied. “But Miss Silver Lady, you must know. These are my men. If I hand them over… how can I maintain authority with my other subordinates?”

“The price is negotiable.”

“This isn’t about money, Miss Silver Lady… You understand. At our level, money itself is no longer important.”

Gold slowly sipped his wine. He watched the liquid cling to the glass. He chuckled lightly. “Miss Silver Lady, this matter can be discussed. But please, at least show me your sincerity.”

“What do you want? Be direct,” Silver Lady said flatly, not lifting her eyelids. She gazed out at the setting sun.

“Four subordinates. Three A Rank, one S Rank. One is my cash cow. You ask me to hand them all over. You must give equal value. I want one of your maids. And a quarter of your territory in the southern district.”

Gold’s fingers tapped lightly on the table. Though his words were confident, his eyes held a trace of probing.

“Do you think I’d agree?” Silver Lady snorted. She examined her nails, gently flicking the gems on them.

“We can talk,” Gold said. “After all, Miss Silver Lady came personally. I have the people ready. But I can’t just hand them over like that, can I?”

“No deal,” Silver Lady said flatly.

The food on the table remained untouched. The cuisine here ranked top three in the city. Gold looked at a plate of unknown roasted meat. He picked up his knife and fork.

“Since there’s no deal, let’s eat, Miss Silver Lady.”

He cut a piece of meat. Stuffed it in his mouth. Chewed slightly. Swallowed. Then took a sip of wine. He watched Silver Lady, who seemed lost in thought. He felt confused.

He had asked for too much. But in negotiations, you start high. Better to ask for more than to settle for less. Yet Silver Lady refused to budge at all.

This was tricky.

He was baffled. He thought her coming personally meant it was important. But now she seemed distracted. Quietly playing with her nails. As if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

The atmosphere turned eerie.

Gold was patient. Silver Lady was patient too. But neither showed any sign of backing down.

Gold finished his steak. He thought for a moment. “Miss Silver Lady, why do you want these people? Did they offend you?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“Because my master wants them dead.”

Silver Lady finally looked at Gold seriously. Her expression was no longer lazy. Her smile turned eerie.

“This is your last chance,” she said. “My master has let you grow for so long. If you obediently become a loyal dog, you can still serve him. If not…”

Before she finished, Gold’s face darkened with displeasure.

“Miss Silver Lady, are you mocking me?”

“No.”

“In this world, who is worthy to be your… master?” His voice was full of confusion. “You’re SS Rank. What’s so funny about this joke?”

“Then let your intuition save your life. I give you five seconds. If you don’t hand them over, everything you have… will be gone.”

Silver Lady stood up. Clearly, she had no desire to continue.

Gold sensed something was wrong. But her casual words asked him to sacrifice so many ability users. Logically, it was impossible.

After five seconds, he still stared at her face, full of confusion.

Until the silent restaurant echoed with a third person’s footsteps.

A masked man hummed a tuneless song. He pushed open the door and walked in.

………………………………

Gold frowned slightly. This guy… he’d never seen him. Never seen such a mask. From his humming voice, he guessed his age matched Silver Lady’s.

Silver Lady’s lips curled up. She obediently stood behind the masked man. “Master,” she whispered softly.

“I’ve told you not to call me that…” Raven muttered helplessly. He reached out and tapped Silver Lady’s head. She stood obediently. “Oh,” she replied.

“Settled?” Raven asked softly.

“No… he won’t release them.”

“Ah… then you won’t be able to slack off lately.” Raven finally looked directly at Gold.

“Who are you?” Gold frowned. He couldn’t read this man. When he released his energy to probe, he sensed no energy waves. As if he were just… an ordinary person.

“Didn’t Silver Lady tell you? I’m her boss.”

Raven tilted his head. He looked at Gold as if he were an idiot.

“What did you mean by your words?” Gold asked. He sensed something off but couldn’t pinpoint it. The atmosphere had turned tense.

Outside the room, all his subordinates were waiting. He didn’t know how this man got in. That was terrifying. He needed to test him.

The next second.

Raven’s mask shattered. A large bloody hole appeared on his forehead. It looked terrifying. Everything happened so suddenly. In Gold’s hand was a large-caliber Desert Eagle.

Silver Lady couldn’t see when the gun appeared. Or when the bullet fired. Yet… Raven was headshot in that instant.

At such close range, his head should have exploded.

Silver Lady stepped back half a step. Gold looked at her, his smile dark. “Is this your boss?”

Silver Lady’s face showed no sadness. She just shook her head helplessly.

Gold froze. He turned his gaze to Raven.

Raven’s corpse didn’t bleed from the neck. Instead, all the flesh and blood splattered on the floor and walls seemed alive. They flew back to his head’s position. In just two seconds, his head… was reassembled.

Sadly, the mask was shattered.

Raven gently reached out. He placed a hand on Gold’s shoulder. “Time slow or time stop?”

But Gold had no chance to answer.

Raven’s hand clenched into a fist. He punched Gold, slamming him into the wall.