The capital of the Republic of Padokea.
"Vroom—"
A sightseeing bus packed with passengers traveled along the winding mountain road, heading directly toward the residence of the Zoldyck family—Kukuroo Mountain.
On the bus, Cocoaloo, dressed as a pink lady, was using her clear, bright voice to popularize the legends of the Zoldyck family to the passengers, drawing occasional bursts of clamor.
"The Zoldycks—the world's number one assassin family. With a heritage spanning five generations, every single one of them is a cold-blooded killing machine."
"Rumor has it, there isn't anyone in this world the Zoldycks can't kill!"
"As long as you can afford the price, the Zoldyck family can complete your commission."
Cocoaloo placed a finger to her lips, speaking with an air of nervous mystery, but a disdainful cold laugh came from the back row.
"Tch—Cocoaloo-chan, we Tony brothers weren't raised to be scared."
"I heard the bounty on the Zoldyck family members isn't less than a hundred million."
The speaker was an extremely burly fat man. His shirt was open, revealing a patch of thick chest hair. Mentioning the bounty, his sinister eyes shimmered with greedy green light.
Beside him was his younger brother, who had an even broader chest and was even stronger than him. He occupied two seats all by himself, sitting there like a small mountain. He exuded an intense sense of pressure; it seemed even the bus itself struggled a bit more to move because of his presence.
At a glance, these two were clearly no ordinary people.
They didn't look like tourists, but rather like bounty hunters coming for the Zoldyck family's bounty.
Cocoaloo had seen such people before.
"Yes, the Zoldyck family members are very valuable, but—"
"I suggest you'd better not set your sights on the Zoldyck family."
"I've been a tour guide for several years now, and I've never seen anyone come out of the Zoldyck estate alive."
Cocoaloo advised them out of kindness.
"Heh—"
The man with the thick chest hair gave a dismissive laugh, remaining noncommittal.
They were adults; there was no need to use tricks meant for scaring children to fool them!
"What 'world's number one assassin family'? Aren't they all just human?"
"As long as they're human, they'll die!"
The Tony brothers were dismissive. They reached out to quietly feel their backpacks, which were bulging and stuffed with explosives, giving them no small amount of confidence.
Just then—
"Screech—"
The bus braked and stopped by a pole.
"Step... step..."
The doors opened, and a tall young man stepped on.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with a face so handsome it was peerless. As soon as he boarded, the bus felt as if it suddenly sank, groaning under the weight.
"Damn... this guy is huge..."
The passengers on the bus were stunned by the young man who had suddenly boarded. Seeing that his hair almost brushed the ceiling of the bus, they couldn't help but swallow hard.
The young man, however, acted as if no one else was there. He carried a plastic bag filled with soy sauce, oil, salt, vinegar, fruits, vegetables, and fresh meat; he had clearly gone on a major shopping spree at the bottom of the mountain. After getting on, he gave the beautiful tour guide, Cocoaloo, a gentle smile.
Cocoaloo looked up at the youth and forced a laugh, pretending to be calm as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
The scent of a young girl, a mix of floral and milky notes, wafted into his nostrils. Sean took a light sniff and, with a trace of a smile, walked toward the back row.
There were very few seats left on the bus, with only one empty spot remaining next to the Tony brothers.
The two looked fierce and sinister, clearly not good people. Everyone else avoided them like the plague, so there was no reason to go near them. Sean, however, seemed unaware of this and walked straight toward the Tony brothers.
Reaching them, he sat down directly beside them.
"Phew... that really was a bit tiring."
It was the peak of summer, and the sun was rising. The heat was becoming unbearable.
The youth leaned against the window, enjoying the breeze. He put down the plastic bag, pulled out a popsicle, and started licking it contentedly.
From time to time, he made a satisfied sound, exhaling a breath of cold air that drew many gazes. The Tony brothers were among those watching.
"Kid, don't tell me you're here to sightsee at Kukuroo Mountain too?"
From the moment he stepped on the bus, Tony had noticed this youth. He reached out a hand and quietly placed it on Sean's shoulder.
His eyes rolled as he thought to himself, 'This kid definitely isn't simple... he's so tall and strong... plus...'
This wasn't an ordinary bus; it was the bus heading to the Zoldyck family!
'So... maybe he's just like us, a bounty hunter!'
"You're also heading for the Zoldyck family, aren't you?"
Tony's words cut straight to the point. The bus went silent.
Then, a flurry of whispers broke out.
"Eh? Come to think of it, that's really possible."
"This guy doesn't look like someone to mess with... he wouldn't come all this way just for sightseeing, would he?!"
"Hmm... I don't think so. Look at the groceries in his hand. Maybe... he's a butler for the Zoldycks, specifically responsible for going down the mountain to buy supplies..."
"Shhh! A butler running into bounty hunters? Do you want that guy to die?!"
The focus of the crowd intensified as the commotion grew louder.
Sean didn't need to look to feel the heat of their stares. He remained unbothered, unhurriedly eating his popsicle as if he hadn't noticed a thing.
Tony's ears twitched, and he gave a smirk. "A butler?"
He reached behind his waist and pulled out a switchblade. With a "clack," the blade flipped open and was pressed directly against Sean's neck!
"Kid, take me into the Zoldyck estate!"
Coming early wasn't as good as coming at the right time. Who would have thought they would run into a Zoldyck butler on the bus?
'God must be on the side of us Tony brothers!'
Tony held Sean hostage, the glinting blade pressed against Sean's neck, radiating a cold light.
"Ah—!" The sudden scene stunned everyone on the bus.
Cocoaloo covered her mouth and let out a startled cry.
The people on the bus scrambled in a panic, huddling toward the front of the vehicle to distance themselves from the Tony brothers.
Tony didn't care about anyone else; his eyes were fixed only on Sean. He snarled fiercely, "What do you say?"
"If you don't take us brothers inside, I'll finish you off right now!"
To put it nicely, the Tony brothers were bounty hunters. To put it bluntly, they were outlaws! Killing was exactly their professional specialty.
"Alright, alright... I'll just take you in."
Feeling the sharpness of the switchblade, Sean was very straightforward. He licked the last bit of the popsicle and raised both hands.
A wise man knows when to submit. Since he was the fish on the chopping block and they were the cleaver... "Please, Mr. Driver, drive a bit faster."
"After all, you wouldn't want someone to die on your bus, would you?"
Sean very consciously reminded the driver.
The driver slammed on the accelerator, and the bus immediately turned into an arrow released from a bow, racing toward the mountain peak.
"Damn it, are you the kidnapper or am I?"
"How did you end up saying the lines I was supposed to say?"
Tony retracted the switchblade, gave Sean a strange glare, and grunted gloomily, "Kid, at least you're sensible."
Sean smiled and pressed his hands together. "Of course. Big brother, would you like a ham sausage?"