In the restaurant beside the skeleton tree, Jiang Yan seated the Blood Master.
Whoosh! The Blood Master shot to his feet, face changing as he stared at Redd beneath the skeleton tree: "President, something's wrong with Redd!"
Buzz! The world around them froze; Jiang Yan smashed through the restaurant's glass and appeared in front of Redd.
Seeing Redd's unfocused eyes, his expression shifted; he pulled out a syringe and jabbed it straight into Redd's neck.
Buzz! The world resumed, and the Blood Master now stood behind him.
One glance and he shook his head: "His mind is completely gone—erased by some ability."
Jiang Yan said nothing, only watched in silence.
Under the third-generation Tyrant serum, Redd—who should have monsterized—showed no reaction at all.
"Dead." Jiang Yan's eyes were as calm as stagnant water as he gazed at Redd's corpse.
Still, Redd had taken a Level Five with him; his death wasn't wasted… Martial Artist—another combat system independent of the Awakened hierarchy.
Its origins trace back thousands of years, to an age ruled by Awakened Ones.
Ordinary folk, seeking refuge from their oppression, observed mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and every living thing, forging the miraculous existence known as cultivation manuals.
These let those without awakening potential temper their bodies through special training, growing stronger and stronger until, at a certain point,
qi—this transcendent power—naturally arose within the body, giving commoners the means to resist the Awakened.
All this was basic information Jiang Yan knew; as for specifics—he wasn't a Martial Artist, so ignorance was natural.
Entering the Martial Artist path only demanded time, but reaching Level Five required inhuman insight and willpower.
At that moment, Ghost Buddha sent Jiang Yan a message; his expression flickered slightly.
He glanced at Redd's corpse beneath the skeleton tree, then turned and left.
It was now the second day of the skeleton tree's growth, and several fruits were already ripe.
Still, for Jiang Yan, it was far too few.
At the same moment, on a highway in a remote small nation,
a white ambulance sped along. Lei Xiangchen drove while Chen Yeliu sat in the passenger seat; behind them lay Lina.
After finding her, the two had driven day and night toward Liyang Country.
Screech! Lei Xiangchen slammed the brakes, tires carving a mark across the road.
"What's wrong?" Chen Yeliu asked, turning to him in confusion.
Lei Xiangchen's face was grim; without a word he opened the door and hurried to the back.
Chen Yeliu followed. Before her eyes he slid open the rear door.
"This—" As the door opened, Chen Yeliu's face also changed.
Lei Xiangchen stared at Lina on the stretcher—tears glimmered in her eyes, a faint smile on her lips,
yet her chest no longer rose and fell, her heart forever still.
"She's… dead?" Chen Yeliu couldn't believe it; she reached to check Lina's pulse… Time moved to the third day after the gray fog appeared, when news swept the global Awakened world like a storm.
Everyone who saw it felt as though they were dreaming.
Adolf, vice-president of the Ao Gang Society and a Fifth-Level Awakener—the Colossus—had died within the gray fog.
The killer: Duke Redd of Perth Nation. The incident also proved the gray-fog world was man-made, not a natural disaster.
Inside the headquarters of Division Six, Lingzhou Prefecture, Nanwu Country,
Fang Wenyu sat in his office, laptop open before him,
a team-leader-level video conference underway on-screen.
Long Zhengqing's voice came through: "The Ao Gang Society just contacted me; they want us to send people to handle the gray-fog incident."
Jiang Ao's eyes glinted: "It's so far from Nanwu—why trek all that way? Tell me the benefits; I'm busy."
No one else spoke, but their expressions matched Jiang Ao's; if their own country were in trouble they'd act, yet for foreign crises,
any who wanted their help had to prepare a hefty price.
Long Zhengqing replied, "They need at least three Level Fives. The reward: eighty-year management rights to a city of a million people—every coin of revenue in that period is yours. Speak up if you're interested."
Gasps filled the room; a million-population city's revenue was no small sum to ordinary Awakened.
"That alone isn't worth calling a meeting; tell us the real reason," Fang Wenyu cut in.
He had no lack of money; Lingzhou alone held nearly ninety million people, so the offer held zero appeal.
Long Zhengqing looked at him, eyes narrowing, then said slowly, "I want to explore the gray fog. Even without their invitation I'd find a way—this phenomenon is unique worldwide; the Xuanjian Division can't sit it out."
He was desperate to know its secrets, and with reclusive Duke Redd appearing, something major might truly be inside.
At those words everyone's eyes lit; they'd waited for this—some had long wanted to go but were barred by their status.
In a corner of the video feed, a delicate, pure-looking "girl" spoke: "When do we leave? I want to come too."
His voice was soft, yet it made Fang Wenyu frown in disgust.
Zi Wen—leader of Group Thirteen, Yizhou; male. Before awakening he'd been a 150-kilogram fatty.
'How can anyone be this twisted?' Fang Wenyu cursed inwardly and looked away.
"All right, we still need one more. Who else is coming?" Long Zhengqing asked.
Jiang Ao's gaze was deep: "Count me in; I'm bored and could use a stroll."
Long Zhengqing nodded gravely: "Then move out at once—head straight for the army camp outside Roset City!"
…In the capital of Tizi Country, inside Ao Gang Society headquarters,
Doyle sat with eyes closed in the conference room while a blonde woman reported beside him.
"President, nine Level Fives have confirmed they're coming."
Hearing her, Doyle opened bloodshot eyes: "Who's coming?"
For revenge he had invited every organization on the planet that possessed Level Fives—offering money, territory, anything—so that after Redd appeared he could wipe out whoever stood behind the gray fog and kill Redd himself.
He still didn't know Redd had died by his own ability; once used, the power left no trace he could sense.
The blonde woman replied respectfully, "President: three from Nanwu's Xuanjian Division, one from the Supersonic Group, three from Beika's Bureau of Gods, one Level Five Martial Artist from the Zhenyuan Alliance, and one from the Earthstore Sect."
"Xuanjian Division and Bureau of Gods—as expected. I knew they couldn't resist the gray fog." A cold smile crossed Doyle's face.
If the largest Awakened organization on Blue Planet was the Xuanjian Division, then the Bureau of Gods—formed by nine small nations—was the undisputed runner-up.
Of the hundreds of remaining nations, most lacked Level Fives; only thirty-plus countries possessed them.
And with Blue Planet's population exceeding twelve billion, only these few had emerged.