Chapter 57

So——

How did things come to this?

In a luxuriously decorated restaurant, Moyu glanced at Biscuit, who was sitting beside him, demonstrating the posture of a lady.

Across the rectangular table sat a middle-aged man in a black suit, with a slicked-back hairstyle, looking energetic.

Not far behind the middle-aged man stood four burly men, all dressed in black suits.

They wore dark glasses and were so quiet that not even a breath could be heard, standing there like motionless pillars.

Further away, outside the restaurant, at least a hundred subordinates were lined up.

Such a grand display was befitting of a mafia boss.

That's right——

The client Liz mentioned was this middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle, who was also the top-ranking mafia boss in Laxiang City, named Toran Patrick.

Moyu wasn't particularly interested in these matters, but Biscuit had shamelessly followed him…

This made him, who was already a bit uncomfortable, even more uneasy.

"Yorkshire lawyer, please handle these 'trivial matters' for me," Toran raised his glass to toast Liz, his demeanor and speech not revealing the typical brutality and licentiousness of a gangster, but rather that of a gentleman.

Liz raised her glass and calmly replied, "It's my duty."

Accepting a commission and completing the task—

This was the core of the professional hunters' world.

Toran smiled and drank the wine in his glass, sincerely praising in his heart: professional hunters, they are truly…

So convenient.

As long as the payment is sufficient, one can entrust them to solve troublesome matters.

Thus, for him, problems that could be solved with money were no longer problems.

Toran put down his glass and gestured towards the sumptuous dishes on the table, smiling, "Try them. These dishes are the masterpieces of a 'gourmet hunter' I specially invited. Both the ingredients and the presentation are top-notch in the industry."

As he spoke, he looked at Moyu and Biscuit, who were sitting beside Liz.

Why bring two children to a serious meeting?

Toran kept his doubts to himself, showing no hint of them.

This was because the Liz sitting across from him was a one-star professional hunter, and any of her actions must have a certain rationale.

Because of Liz's status, Toran even thought—

Those two frail-looking children might be able to beat up the four top-notch bodyguards behind him.

In any case, no matter how much evil they did in private, they had to maintain a good public image.

This was the principle Toran always adhered to.

Moyu glanced at the well-mannered Toran, feeling a bit strange.

Are the gangsters in Laxiang City all like this?

Or is it because of the so-called 'G-drug legalization' that the gangsters have adopted a commercial style that requires maintaining a facade?

While pondering, Moyu picked up his knife and fork, added a piece of lamb to his plate, and started eating.

He didn't know why Liz had brought him to such an occasion.

Since he was sitting beside her, even if he wasn't interested, he had to listen to the conversation between Liz and Toran.

In the city of Laxiang, a legal drug called 'G-drug' is produced.

Initially used in medical settings, it has excellent anesthetic effects and no side effects.

But at some point…

The 'G-drug' in circulation on the market began to have a hallucinogenic effect that causes dependency.

The gangsters, sensing this, pounced like sharks smelling blood, promoting the improved version of the G-drug.

Thanks to the 'legalization' label, the first gangsters to enter the market made a fortune, attracting the interest of the 'Ten Elders' who lead the global gangster forces.

The huge economic benefits also made the Laxiang City authorities willing to become the gangsters' accomplices.

As the 'G-drug' spread, more and more people became addicted, leading to family breakdowns and even death.

But the gangsters, who only cared about profit, wouldn't care about the lives of unrelated people.

Even if these drug slaves caused trouble, the gangsters could resolve it using 'legalization' methods.

Hiring a capable lawyer was one such method.

And because they had tasted the sweetness of 'legalization profits,' the gangsters were very particular about being reasonable and legal in their public actions.

Moyu's impression of the Laxiang City gangsters was: "Don't fear the gangsters, fear the educated gangsters."

However—

Moyu didn't expect Liz to take a commission from such a scoundrel.

But then again, since the city allowed 'G-drug' legalization, Liz, as a professional hunter, had no reason to refuse a commission within the legal bounds.

Professional hunters were such beings.

Moyu didn't think about it further, as these matters had nothing to do with him.

He took a bite of the lamb.

"Hmm…"

The moment his tongue touched the meat juice, a taste he had never experienced before gently spread in his mouth.

Delicious, very delicious…

Moyu had never tasted such delicious food before.

Since his arrival in this world, he had been either engrossed in reading or trying to improve his strength, completely forgetting about the existence of 'gourmet hunters' who were dedicated to discovering dream-level deliciousness.

Now, having the chance to taste the masterpiece of a 'gourmet hunter,' he couldn't help but feel grateful for being in this world.

"After rescuing Hawk, I will travel to every corner of this world, to see the landscapes I've never seen and to fight various strong opponents…"

Moyu finished the lamb in a few bites, his eyes lowered, with a glimmer of light in them.

Liz noticed Moyu's unusual behavior and moved the lamb chop she had just placed on her plate to Moyu's plate.

Moyu was slightly surprised but didn't refuse.

He thought that since it was a gourmet hunter's creation, the ingredients must be of high quality and could effectively replenish his energy.

With this in mind, he wanted to eat more and then go back to train all night.

"Is little Kester too hungry?"

Biscuit looked at Moyu, who was eating voraciously, as if she had suddenly discovered a hidden side of him.

Toran also noticed Moyu's increasingly wild eating style and, to better fulfill his role as a host, signaled the kitchen to add more dishes.

This thoughtful hospitality immediately satisfied Moyu's temporary needs.

After the meal—

Liz bid farewell to Toran and then took Moyu out of the restaurant, returning to the Sui Bian Law Firm.

Opening the door to the office, Liz turned to look at Biscuit, who had followed her.

Though she didn't speak, her gaze clearly asked: Why are you still here?

Biscuit pretended not to see Liz's gaze.

Liz was quite helpless but, considering Biscuit's abilities and reputation, didn't drive her away. She just walked into the office.

Moyu looked at Biscuit.

The gem hunter's persistence was beyond his expectations.

Biscuit seemed to sense Moyu's thoughts and silently made a small fist gesture at him.

Moyu immediately withdrew his gaze and followed Liz.

The three entered the office.

Suddenly—

Liz seemed to sense something and stopped at the stairs.

But Biscuit reacted faster, opening her spirit holes and releasing her aura to cover her body.

After she was fully prepared, Liz did the same, releasing her aura to cover her body.

"This faint, chaotic, and oppressive aura…"

Moyu sensed a slight anomaly in the space and immediately opened his spirit holes, allowing the maximum amount of aura to envelop his body.

Having experienced three life-and-death battles after crossing the threshold of aura, he had developed the ability to recognize residual battle auras and react accordingly.

Even if he hadn't sensed it, he would have followed Biscuit and Liz's instinctive release of aura without hesitation, adopting a defensive stance.

"I'll go check it out."

Liz glanced at Biscuit and Moyu, who had released their aura in defense, clearly not needing to explain the situation.

Biscuit had no objections. Unless necessary, she would just watch the show and not intervene.

"Liz, I'll go with you."

Moyu took two steps forward.

He felt a bit restless.

Liz didn't notice Moyu's unusual state and said firmly, "Stay here. I have a general idea of what's going on, so you two stay here and wait for me to confirm the situation."

"…"

Moyu nodded silently.

Biscuit crossed her arms, glancing at Moyu with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Liz didn't notice Moyu's restlessness, but Biscuit did.

"Really didn't see that coming…"

Biscuit thought with interest.

Liz went up the stairs and then approached her office.

The office door, which was originally closed, was now half-open, with a trail of blood on the floor in front of it.

Liz's gaze moved from the blood to the darkness inside the office.

At such close range, she could clearly feel the aura fluctuations inside the office.

More accurately, the other party had given up on hiding their aura.

"I think you need to give me a convincing explanation."

Liz's gaze passed through the half-open door, focusing on the darkness inside.

A few moments later—

Sambica's voice came from the office: "Sorry."

She didn't offer an explanation but apologized straightforwardly, sounding very weak.

Liz frowned, having mentally prepared herself before coming up.

She had hoped that the virus hunter who had been pestering her for several days would leave without causing trouble.

Now, it seemed she had been too optimistic.

"If apologies were useful, my law firm would have gone bankrupt long ago."

Liz bypassed the blood and pushed the office door open, then turned on a spotlight switch.

The warm orange light from above the display cabinet illuminated the office, allowing Liz to see the situation clearly.

Messy, bloodstained—

And a body lying next to the sofa in the reception area.

By the window, Sambica was leaning against the wall, covered in blood, clearly injured.

"Stepped on a landmine, Miss Virus Hunter?"

Liz walked in, ignoring the body, and looked at Sambica calmly.

"…"

Sambica remained silent.

Liz then took a closer look at the body lying next to the sofa and said coldly, "Miss Virus Hunter, if you had used your weapons wisely, you wouldn't be in such a dangerous situation."

"Viruses are not weapons…"

Sambica lowered her eyes, weakly saying, "I… won't use them for anything other than 'medical' purposes."

"…"

This time, it was Liz's turn to be silent.

Though she didn't want to admit it, she saw a shadow of her master in the virus hunter.

"Explain the situation first."

Liz sighed and gestured for Sambica to explain the sequence of events.

"Sorry… before I explain the situation…"

Sambica apologized habitually and then weakly reminded, "I was ambushed… now… there is at least one aura user still around…"

"Explain clearly."

Liz's eyes changed.

Bringing people to her place and not cleaning up the mess…

In the law firm's first-floor hall—

Biscuit looked up at the stairs, which were completely still.

"Little Kester."

She turned to Moyu, who was behind her.

"Um?"

Moyu looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Biscuit asked, "How long have you been learning 'aura'?"

"Less than a month."

Moyu didn't hide it.

"Huh?"

Biscuit turned around, her gaze on Moyu filled with surprise.

She had initially thought it was about half a year, but she never expected it to be less than a month.

She had completely misjudged…

Kester's talent was even more exaggerated than she had imagined.

"Then you probably don't know 'circle,' right?"

Suppressing her surprise, Biscuit continued.

"No."

Moyu didn't know why Biscuit was asking this, but he answered.

The technique of 'circle' isn't hard to learn, but mastering it is the key.

If you can't master it, learning it is useless.

"I asked a stupid question. How could you, who has only learned 'aura' for less than a month, know how to use 'circle'…"

Biscuit shook her head and then raised her index finger, saying, "But I'll give you a free piece of information."

"Um?"

Moyu looked at Biscuit, not understanding.

"Outside…"

Biscuit looked out of the office, smiling, "There's an aura user with ill intentions outside."

Moyu's eyes changed.

Then, he became slightly excited.

Biscuit's smile grew wider at the sight.

---------

This chapter is a 4000-word combination of two chapters.

I slept all day today, feeling dazed, and even had a nightmare.

I dreamed that I was strangled into dozens of pieces by Machi's aura threads…

Also, I want to mention—

According to the normal process, I would have gone on sale next Friday, with about 160,000 words by then.

Thanks to your support, I didn't expect the recommendation process for this book to go so smoothly, which was quite surprising…

However, considering that my previous books were in the queue for recommendations and went on sale around 300,000 words, if this one goes on sale at 160,000 words, it would feel a bit unfair.

So, I decided to let this week's recommendation slot go empty and push the release date to the first of next month, giving about ten more days of free reading, which would bring the free word count to over 200,000 words.

As for the burst updates and additional chapters, those will be after the release.

That's all!