Approaching Storm

The luxury convoy maneuvered through the rain curtain. Greg sat in the lead car, puffing on a cigar and enjoying the attentive service of the beautiful women beside him. On the opposite side of him sat two middle-aged men.

Duke had seen these two men before; one was Greg's subordinate, the awakened individual Dirk, and the other was Marty, who had visited the school today.

"Is everything cleaned up?" Greg asked.

Having spent several days in the interrogation room, Greg appeared somewhat fatigued. However, when he thought of the utterly incredulous look on that confident man's face, he couldn't help but smile.

"Greg, everything has been taken care of. There were a few casualties, two eyewitnesses, but they've been eliminated," Dirk said, with one eye covered in bandages, indicating that he had been injured.

"What about your side, Marty?"

Marty was still dressed in the same suit as earlier, his hair meticulously groomed. He nodded.

"I've already marked him. His location is in my mind at all times. The kid hasn't noticed, but the situation is somewhat different from what we've learned."

"He's one of the genius students on campus and receives a lot of attention. So, for now, we haven't taken any action."

Greg nodded and blew out a smoke ring. When he was suddenly captured by Alexander, he had been a little panicked at first. Fortunately, he had prepared for today a long time ago, and all those hidden cards he had set up came in handy.

Now, looking back, sending Dirk to inquire about Duke had been a mistake. Duke had probably sensed the danger after that and sought Alexander's help, which allowed Alexander to follow the trail and gather some evidence.

"Let's eliminate him today."

While campus geniuses were valuable, they were only potential talents. However, after the test day, if they were favored by prestigious war academies, it wouldn't be so easy to act against them.

In the slums of District C, not far from Duke's house, there was a run-down clock tower. William stood there, smoking a cigarette, glancing at the small house from time to time. Thinking about how secretive he looked right now, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. He wondered what had come over him, making him act as if everything was real.

"It's probably because this kid has endured too much hardship," 

William thought when he saw Duke's home. Surviving in a neighborhood filled with crime and violence, taking care of both himself and his sister, while also balancing academics and training, would be nearly impossible without the kind of vigilance and caution Duke exhibited.

Inside the room, Duke and Monica swiftly packed their bags. Over the years, Monica had grown accustomed to it, so Duke didn't need to say much; she simply followed his lead.

Ten minutes later, looking at Monica, who was petite and carrying bags of various sizes without uttering a word, Duke couldn't help but smile. He reached out to pat her small head.

Duke assured her. After the Awakening Day, they would receive a million dollars, and they could start living a more comfortable life.

"Big brother, let's go," Monica held his hand, wearing a sweet smile.

"Let's go." Duke checked everything once more. In reality, they didn't need to bring so much for just a five-day stay, but he didn't plan on returning until he resolved the issue with the mark.

"Hmm?" Just then, Duke remembered that there was one more crystal besides the green one he had with him. 

The ones he had on him were obtained during the gang fight, and Monica had used them sparingly; there were four left. But the one in the TV cabinet was found at the entrance of that mansion deep in the slums while accompanying Alexander during the investigation.

Back then, he had been absorbed in absorbing the red crystal and hadn't used this one. He intended to keep it as a backup for Monica. As a result, this crystal had been stored there for a while, and he had almost forgotten about it.

Duke set down his luggage and reached for the dusty crystal in the cabinet.

"Lenny, an unlucky guy who was an awakened individual but loved to play the thief, killed at the doorstep by another awakened individual who liked living in the slums."

Information about the deceased appeared simultaneously in his mind. After receiving this information, Duke was momentarily stunned, and then his pupils abruptly contracted.

Lenny? Killed at his doorstep by the homeowner? Duke almost dropped the crystal in his hand. This situation was entirely wrong! Thoughts raced through his mind, and Duke quickly pieced together the sequence of events.

He had always assumed that this crystal belonged to the homeowner, the person marked as "Declined" on Greg's list. They had deduced that everyone who had refused Greg had been eliminated by him.

Alexander had forcibly arrested Greg based on this crystal and that list. But now, with the crystal Duke had received today, he realized that their initial assumptions, which had led to Greg's arrest, were completely wrong.

The person who had declined Greg's offer hadn't died at all.

"This is troublesome for Alexander," Duke muttered. He had thought that everything from before was in the past, but now he understood that he had been too naive. If their initial deductions were wrong, how could they proceed with the investigation?

He suddenly remembered that he had tried calling Alexander earlier tonight before returning, but the line had been busy the entire time.

Seeing Duke leave, William outside let out a yawn and checked his watch; it was already 7:30 in the evening.

"I'll make this kid treat me to a few big meals when he gets into the War Academy."

William brushed off the dust from his hands, preparing to jump down from the clock tower. However, just as he was about to act, two masked figures appeared in the distance.

"Are thieves at work again?" William thought at first. If they were thieves, he'd easily apprehend them. However, his thoughts changed immediately afterward.

These two individuals were incredibly agile, holding daggers in their hands. Judging by their path, they were clearly converging toward Duke's location.

William's face turned pale. "Could it be that the kid was right after all?  damned."

He fiercely extinguished his cigarette, not caring if it would stain his clothes, and leaped down from the clock tower.

As William approached, William's expression grew increasingly fierce. He grabbed a brick from the roadside and sprinted toward them with all his might.

It was late at night, and the recent rain had turned the slum's roads muddy. The fog obstructed their vision.

Turning a corner, both Duke and Monica saw a man dressed in black standing there. He openly toyed with a knife, with only his cold, murderous eyes visible beneath his face mask.

"Little fellow, it's time go to hell," the man said.

Duke sensed that Monica's grip on his hand had suddenly tightened, and he saw bloodshot veins in her eyes.

"Not in a hurry," Duke replied.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn't allow Monica to risk exposure.

"Oh? Not in a hurry?" The man in black tilted his head slightly, seemingly curious about Duke's response. Then, a gust of wind whistled, and a red brick landed where the man had been standing just moments ago.

The man in black squinted his eyes, glancing between Duke and the rapidly approaching William from the alley on his left. His eyes held a sense of astonishment. This kid didn't summon reinforcements this quickly, did he?