"Crane Lady, Zhongh is finished. His things should be with you now, shouldn't they?" a bearded man said to the woman on the floor.
'Zhongh?'
'Isn't that the name of the captain of the Scarlet Knights I killed myself?'
Hearing the familiar name, Lexon's thoughts raced, and he couldn't help but glance at the men.
'And... Zhongh's things...'
"I don't have them! That bastard died in the story world! The items must have been used up!" Facing the bearded man's interrogation, Crane Lady on the floor appeared very agitated and responded loudly.
"Sigh..." Hearing Crane Lady's response, the bearded man couldn't help but rub his temples in distress and said, "Of course, anyone would think they were used up, but those items were given to us by the higher-ups to clear that dungeon... While leaving them with Zhongh was also our collective decision... but now that they're suddenly gone... it's hard to explain to the higher-ups..."
"What can be done! What does it have to do with me! It's Zhongh's fault! He and his teammates are all dead! Isn't that enough of a result?" Crane Lady seemed to have anticipated something, her expression twisting.
"It's not enough," the bearded man replied coldly. "There needs to be a living person to take the fall."
Hearing the words she expected, panic appeared on Crane Lady's face, and she shouted, "The higher-ups must know the truth! Tell them, they'll surely understand!"
"Yes, they know very well." The bearded man nodded, his tone unchanged. He asked back, "But so what if they know?"
"If they know, then there's no need to—"
"Because they know, it's even more necessary for someone to take the fall," the bearded man interrupted Crane Lady, his voice cold.
His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, staring straight at Crane Lady lying on the floor.
"But... but..." Crane Lady didn't know how to respond, momentarily stuck.
"But why me? Why me?" Crane Lady's expression became agitated again as she cried out.
This time, however, the bearded man didn't respond. He and the men beside him watched her silently.
Under such stares, Crane Lady's expression gradually shifted from agitation to gloom, her face turning ashen as if she were dead.
"Hmm... I think I have a general idea of your situation now..." Suddenly, a flat voice echoed in the room.
It was Lexon speaking.
The eyes of everyone present couldn't help but shift toward the handsome young man who had been mysteriously swept into this situation.
"Now, could I please ask you to take this conversation outside?" Under the weight of many stares, Lexon said in a calm tone.
'Considering that Zhongh's items were used on me, causing your conflict, I won't hold you accountable for damaging the door and windows...'
Lexon thought to himself.
'I can just report it to the Reincarnator Management Bureau anyway.'
"Everyone living in this complex should be a Reincarnator. I suggest you don't interfere in our business and leave here immediately," the bearded man suggested indifferently, completely ignoring Lexon's request.
"But this is my—"
"Stop blabbering and get out!"
Before Lexon could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a roar from the bearded man.
"Oh, I see..." Despite being insulted, the corners of Lexon's mouth curled up slightly.
The bearded man frowned inexplicably as he watched Lexon's smile, then unexpectedly said to Lexon, "Friend, don't be angry. We're leaving right now."
"Big Brother..." One of the men beside the bearded man spoke up, expressing some confusion over his leader's behavior.
"Shut up," the bearded man barked sharply. He then said to Lexon, "You don't mind if I take her with me, right, friend?"
He pointed at Crane Lady lying on the floor.
"No... don't!" Meiniang lying on the ground looked at Lexon with a pleading gaze and tone.
"Take her," Lexon said nonchalantly.
"Good." The bearded man instructed two of his underlings to seize Crane Lady.
"Get away!" Crane Lady, who had been lying on the floor, let out a scream. Then, her body lunged upward, and she dashed toward the window as soon as she was on her feet.
But the bearded man's underlings were clearly not simple; their speed was much faster than Crane Lady's. In the blink of an eye, one appeared in her path.
Immediately, the skin on the underling's leg suddenly turned somewhat black as he whipped it toward Crane Lady's legs.
Crack...
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
Following the ear-piercing sound of bone breaking was a shrill scream.
Crane Lady's fleeing figure instantly collapsed to the floor.
"Stop struggling... You were already heavily injured just now," the bearded man said to Crane Lady.
"Damn you, damn you, damn you!!" Crane Lady's face showed endless hatred and malice. Her gaze shifted constantly between the bearded man's group and Lexon as she cursed incessantly. "Whether it's you, him, or them, you all deserve to die! All of you!! All of you!!"
"Shut up!" The bearded man glanced at her with disdain and signaled his men to cover Crane Lady's mouth.
"We've disturbed you this time... sorry about that, friend," the bearded man offered an apology to Lexon.
But Lexon just watched him quietly.
"Leaving right now, friend," the bearded man said hurriedly, and then he led his group out the door.
...
"We need to leave quickly, or it'll be a bit troublesome if the people from the Reincarnator Management Bureau show up," the bearded man said to his underlings as they walked along the complex's path.
"Understood, Big Brother," several underlings responded, quickening their pace together.
While they were walking, one underling suddenly asked, "Big Brother, why didn't you just kill that arrogant guy back there?"
The bearded man's expression remained steady, and he remained silent without responding.
Seeing this, another underling couldn't help but offer an explanation. "Big Brother obviously didn't want to make enemies for no reason. Even though that's just a place assigned to first-stage Reincarnators by the Bureau... it's better not to provoke others unnecessarily. Who knows if that guy might become powerful one day! Big Brother calls this acting with caution!"
"Is that so?" The questioning underling couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration for his boss's foresight.
"It's more than that. Big Brother must have also considered that it's Bureau territory, so he showed a bit of respect. Adding it all up, he decided to let that guy go." Encouraged by the recognition, the explaining underling continued to chatter away.
"I see... Big Brother!" The questioning underling looked at his boss, his admiration beyond words.
But he then noticed that his boss seemed to be murmuring something.
Listening closely...
It seemed to be some kind of numbers?
"Four... three... two... one..."
'A countdown?'
'A countdown for what?'
The underling was a bit puzzled.
BANG!!!
Suddenly, a violent explosion resounded.
It was from where they had just been.
An explosion had occurred there.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]