"I believe you, of course I believe you." The smile vanished from Salo's face as he stared down at Motley, eyes flickering with unknown thoughts.
Apart from this town, there wasn't a soul within a dozen kilometers, yet Motley just happened to show up here—Salo would never believe he wasn't involved.
Still, Salo didn't expose him; even if both sides saw through the act, it was because his brother was King Ming, the strongest in the Bureau of Gods after Director Harvey.
"Then may I leave?" Motley asked calmly, turning around, every nerve stretched wire-tight.
The moment Salo behind him made a move, he would transform into insects and flee; he hadn't forgotten Xiang Jing and a group of Awakened Ones were still in the town.
Salo merely watched Motley's back. An invisible force linked him to Motley, then he raised his phone and began recording the retreating figure.
If Motley proved to be the culprit behind the missing-person cases, who knew how King Ming would react; worst-case, King Ming himself was involved.
Looks like this is getting complicated—might even spark civil war inside the Bureau of Gods. Salo sent the video to Harvey.
If anything blew up, Harvey could take the heat; Salo had no wish to face King Ming alone.
Several kilometers into the forest, Motley confirmed Salo hadn't followed; his expression shifted. Didn't expect to be discovered so suddenly—have to power up faster!
He wasn't stupid; he could guess what was happening back at the Bureau.
Bzzzz!
His body buzzed with the beat of insect wings as he dissolved into a vast swarm and soared skyward.
In swarm form his consumption skyrocketed; he normally only used it for mass feeding, but now he had no choice.
Tens of thousands of black insects rose a thousand meters into the air and streaked toward the border.
His destination was Valencia—North Sunderland's neighbor, a non-member of the Teya Alliance whose strongest were merely a few Fourth-level Awakened Ones.
Like a black cloud the swarm raced through the sky, soon crossing the frontier where a small city appeared ahead.
The swarm didn't pause; the place was too close to Salo and company.
After another fifty or sixty kilometers a second city loomed, and this time the swarm plunged straight in.
The next day, in a cottage on the outskirts of a small Tizi Country city.
A coarse-faced middle-aged man in brown hemp clothing sprang through the door, cradling a golden-haired teenage girl.
Exhausted, he had fled after Tizi Country and Bureau of Gods agents suddenly arrived hunting the missing-person culprit.
Yesterday three Fourth-levels had cornered him; only by killing one and maiming two had he escaped before a Fifth-level could arrive.
"Daddy, where are we going?" the girl asked, worry clouding her face.
Ever since her father had single-handedly rescued her from armed guards and rich men's torture, she'd sensed he changed—leaving every night.
With disappearances mounting and her father suddenly moving her to the next city, dread crept into her heart.
Kits looked at his daughter, pulled an anonymous bank card from his coat, and said gravely, "Eve, there's eighty million blue star coins on this card, PIN's your birthday. I have to go. If I don't come back, live well here."
The day he contacted Chen Yeliu he'd prepared for this, devouring every villain in the small city to secure a safe home for his daughter.
Stuffing the card into Eve's hand, he spun and leapt out.
"Daddy!" Realization hit Eve; she yanked the door open, but Kits was gone.
Outside the city Kits sprinted through the wilderness, unwilling to endanger his daughter; these Awakened Ones had strange methods—maybe they could track him, and keeping Eve near would doom her.
"You seem troubled," a calm voice sounded beside him.
"Who's there!" Kits skidded to a halt, whirling to scan the surroundings.
Soon he spotted a blond young man in a brown suit, white trousers, and grey floral tie, holding a brown book, watching him quietly.
At the sight, Kits's pupils shrank and he instinctively stepped back. "King Ming of the Bureau of Gods!"
After the Monster Association exposed the Awakened Ones, enthusiasts had ranked Fifth-level Awakened Ones into three tiers.
Apex, Strong, and Ordinary.
King Ming stood in the apex tier.
"No need for surprise; you knew this day would come," King Ming said, gaze icy.
Kits's skin flushed red, his body swelling; in under a second he became a thirty-meter muscle-bound giant with Kits's face.
"Even if you're King Ming, I won't give up!" the titan bellowed, voice shaking the wasteland.
Black lightning crackled across his frame, aura overwhelming.
"What about your daughter?" a cold laugh rang from the sky.
Kits jerked his gaze upward: a black-leather-clad, green-haired woman hovered, clutching Eve single-handedly.
"Daddy, don't mind me—run!" Eve screamed, struggling, but invisible force bound her; only her head could move.
Rage twisted Kits's face. "You Fifth-levels would stoop to threatening family!"
"Come quietly, or your daughter might suffer—especially this pretty face; if it's ruined the girl's future could be tough." The green-haired woman ran her tongue across Eve's cheek.
Kits's heart wavered, torn.
As hesitation seized him, a figure appeared behind the giant.
A pink-haired, glasses-wearing woman smiled faintly. "Against so many Fifth-levels, don't lose focus."
She tapped the thirty-meter colossus lightly.
Hum! A strange ripple swept through Kits; his body no longer answered him.
Thud! The towering form crashed down, powerless.
"All that bluster, but it's just for show," King Ming remarked, unhurriedly opening his book.
Grey light spilled out, washing over Kits and shrinking him back to human size.
"Lin Le, take him back," King Ming told the pink-haired girl.
"Got it!" Lin Le hoisted Kits by the neck with one hand.
"King Ming, what about the girl?" the green-haired woman asked, stepping closer.
Watching tears streak Eve's face, King Ming drew a handkerchief and dabbed them away. "Bring her. I'll dig out the secret behind these disappearances."
Kits's strength capped at peak Fourth-level; any one of them could have beaten him easily, but they needed the truth behind the cases.