Night had completely fallen. The moon climbed into the sky, and for some reason, tonight's moon was veiled in a dark crimson shadow.
"Ah, looks like Coren isn't coming."
Wenide's regret-filled voice echoed through the deserted courtyard.
He let out a laugh and spoke slowly, word by word:
"Since that's the case, remove him from the roster."
The moment the heads heard this, their expressions changed abruptly.
They vaguely sensed that it wasn't just the sky that had changed; the heavens themselves had changed.
"Tomorrow, please come with me to the East District."
Facing the heads who, just a few hours ago, had looked down on him with their noses in the air, Wenide left not the slightest room for refusal in his tone.
"If you have objections, you can raise them now."
No matter what the heads were thinking inside, all of them responded with silence.
Wenide let out another sinister chuckle.
Just look at the expressions on their faces!
Fear, resentment, confusion, and eyes full of helpless resignation…
So this is what it feels like to hold power?
It's truly intoxicating…
At this moment, he was merely a hall master. But if he could climb a little higher, just a little higher—would he then be able to look down on everything, decide life and death at will, and freely enjoy or destroy the scenery atop the mountain peak?
Wenide laughed unrestrainedly, even squinting his eyes.
Imitating the vice chairman from the morning, he gave an order in a cold and calm voice:
"Then it's settled. Everyone, go back early and get some rest."
The heads stared at him with complicated emotions, said nothing, turned around obediently, and left in silence.
After the last figure disappeared from view, Wenide let out a laugh that was suppressed to the extreme, yet also exhilarating to the extreme.
He slowly turned around, looked at Kisho—the one who had brought him all of this—and asked softly:
"Will you come with us to the East District tomorrow?"
Kisho neither confirmed nor denied it.
"We'll see—ah, right. What's the situation like over in the East District now?"
Wenide replied:
"Same as always. The people under Elder Eros don't feel like fighting, but Elder Chelsea Taber can't openly send people to forcibly take it either. The battle situation is about fifty-fifty."
Hearing this rather astonishing piece of information, Kisho froze.
"Eros…?"
Seeing Kisho's reaction, Wenide also paused, seemingly puzzled as to why this child knew nothing at all about the surname "Eros."
But then he thought that this kid might just be a "freak" with only brute force, who had never interacted much with people and had come out solely for raw liquid, so he explained anyway:
"Elder Eros's full name is Cadis Eros. About two years ago, he succeeded the position of Elder of the West District."
"At that time, the West District was in serious turmoil, and it still hasn't recovered its vitality even now. The other elders are interested in the West District and want apart, so they've all secretly sent people over, never allowing the West District to stabilize."
Kisho's breathing stalled.
Amos's true identity was thus revealed.
This child was scheming, skilled in physical combat, steady and ruthless in his actions, knew so much, and even had someone protecting him in the shadows.
But if he had "walked" out from the elders' district of Meteor City, then it wouldn't be strange at all.
Kisho frowned, thinking to himself.
'Amos had me kill the chairman, then had me come find this person for investment—his true target is actually the White Eagle Association, or rather, his goal is to return to the East District with both qualification and without seeming abrupt.'
"From the moment he learned that Coren's arm had been blown off by me, he was probably already considering how to make use of this matter."
Thinking of this, Kisho once again sighed inwardly.
"Terrifying… children of Meteor City."
Wenide looked at the thoughtful Kisho, stood silently to the side, and patiently waited for the child to come back to himself.
After finishing his thoughts, Kisho raised his eyes and looked at the person standing quietly before him.
"Whether I go or not, we'll talk about it later."
"But I never expected you to be able to completely subdue all your subordinates in one go."
He stared at Wenide.
"Tomorrow morning I'll come find you, so you don't get killed by some subordinate."
Hearing this, Wenide—who had been anxious because he hadn't received a definite answer—had his eyes light up.
"Eh—eh, okay."
Kisho shrugged.
"Then I'm leaving."
After saying that, without waiting for Wenide to react, he leapt onto a low wall. After circling around nearby a few times and shaking off several tails that had been sent to follow him, he returned to the garbage mountain.
...
In the small nest within the garbage mountain of District Nine, Amos was leaning against a sofa he didn't know which corner he had dragged it out from, covered in blood, eyes closed.
Before Kisho even stepped inside, he was stunned by the heavy stench of blood outside. Covering his nose, he said:
"What the hell did you do?!"
"Ah, it's all other people's blood."
Amos spoke with his eyes closed.
"You finally came back. Give me some water."
"...So I'm your tool, huh?"
Kisho snapped irritably. He looked around, picked up a bucket with a chunk missing, went back into the nest, and filled it with water.
"Wait."
"Oh." Amos responded.
Water slowly flowed into the bucket, accompanied by dripping sounds.
Amos finished his cultivation and opened his eyes.
"How did things go for you today?"
"Handled."
Kisho fell silent for a moment, then looked at Amos.
"You actually want to go to the East District, right?"
Amos was silent for a few seconds, then curled his lips into a smile.
"You already know my goal and you still dared to come back—quite courageous."
What answered him was Kisho's eye-roll.
He recited the name he had heard from Wenide during the day:
"Cadis Eros."
"May I ask what he is to you?"
Upon hearing the name spoken by Kisho, Amos fell silent for a moment, his smile fading, his voice turning cold.
"He's nothing to me. If I really have to say it—he's my half-brother by the same father."
Kisho nodded.
"So that's how it is."
"Hey, your reaction is a bit too calm."
Amos stared at Kisho with curiosity.
"You already know who I am—aren't you afraid I'll drag you into?"
"Aren't I already here?"
Kisho shrugged.
Amos smiled. Tilting his head, he looked toward the direction of the East District. A small knife, polished to a bright sheen, spun at his fingertips.
"Earlier there were three people watching me. One had Nen, two didn't. I've already killed them all cleanly, so for now it's still safe."
"But if he doesn't receive my intel for a period of time, the people he sends next won't just be here to watch me."
Amos clenched the knife. The blade's gleam vanished into the gaps between his fingers, a fleeting killing intent flashing through his eyes.
"If there are signs of resistance, kill them directly. If I obediently stay in Meteor City, then let me fend for myself—those were his exact words."
"So between him and me, only one can live."
"Mm…"
Kisho sighed.
"That's ruthless."
"But it's not a big problem. We're both people who are about to die anyway."
Kisho shrugged.
"Let's not stand on ceremony with each other. We'll just make do together."
Amos: "...?"
"Actually, I have no interest at all in his position."
Ignoring Kisho, Amos said with disdain and helplessness:
"But he wouldn't let me leave Meteor City, saying something like, 'If you want to leave, then walk out of the T·L Arena.'"
Amos looked at Kisho and asked in a casual, chatty tone:
"Tell me—how is a ten-year-old kid without Nen supposed to walk out of there?"
"...But you still walked out."
Thinking of what Amos had said about the T·L Arena on the first day they met, Kisho said with emotion.
"Hmm? You're interested? Want to hear the details?"
Amos said.
"I don't mind explaining in detail, but the process is pretty disgusting. Do you want to hear it?"
"Nope, absolutely not."
Kisho shook his head vigorously.
He pulled his hand back and kicked the bucket toward Amos.
"Here, your water."
Amos stood up, took off his shirt, and tossed it into the bucket to soak, revealing countless wounds covering his back and chest.
Kisho glanced at him and silently turned his head away.
Amos never stared at Kisho's wretched state when it flared up inside his body; naturally, Kisho would not concern himself with the injuries Amos had once suffered either.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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