Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
A few days passed since Christmas Eve.
Owain City was still rainy.
The air was mixed with coldness and humidity.
It was uncomfortable for the people, as if they couldn’t breathe properly.
Over the past few days, even the ordinary people living in Owain City also vaguely sensed the oppressive and obscure atmosphere shrouding above the city.
Unknowingly, for some reason, their expressions became low-key, reserved, and hurried.
In public, the voices discussing topics also became much softer.
…
All the entrances to the city—including the Owain City International Airport, five different train stations, bus stations, all the highways, and national routes—were tightened.
After the accidents that happened to Rayast and Yongen, the gangsters in the underground circles of the East and West District were already in chaos.
Now, it was as if they were experiencing the darkest days of their life.
Fear constantly surrounded them!
From all over Mold Country and even around the world, all kinds of people from the shadow world kept passing through the security checks and plunged into Owain City.
The Mold Country Security Bureau and the various parties in Owain City were on high alert.
Only a few people knew the sight and spirit of those highest-level people, as well as the “Owain City Petri dish” plan.
According to Foresee’s calculations, John and the others traveled through a few places and then rented a place that wasn’t too far away from the city.
It was located in a new neighborhood in Huadu District.
Using ‘new’ identities who didn’t know each other, they rented a four-room apartment together on the top floor.
There was another house of the same type on this floor.
However, after that house went through a renovation, no one had lived here yet.
In the four-room apartment on the top floor.
The atmosphere was silent as dull pantings sounded.
John, Hamlet, and Victoria looked closely at Salefani, who was sitting at the computer.
Soon, the attempt at overcoming her fear again ended up in failure!
Since that time when the Internet that Salefani controlled was easily invaded by the giants one after another, she began to fear the Internet.
Once she touched the keyboard, her pupils would begin to constrict and her body began to tremble.
Towards those traces that would expose herself on the Internet, she would felt a sense of collapse and panic.
Even the smartphone would make Salefani tremble and sweat.
John focused on the steps in Foresee.
He didn’t feel powerless against Salefani’s resistance.
He gently stroked Salefani’s back and whispered something in her ear.
…
John lifted the curtain and glanced out the window.
When he looked back, Victoria, Hamlet, and Salefani, who kept trying to take deep breaths were already sitting around the dining table.
John sat down too and scanned the steps in Foresee.
“Actually, there’s no need to be so nervous.
“All of this is only temporary.” His tone was as gentle as possible as he said this.
His eyes focused and his expression gradually became solemn. He said in a deep voice word by word, “Owain City is a test given to me by the organization and also to everyone gathered around me.”
Hearing John’s words, the three people in front of him also became focused.
When they knew that this was the test of the ancient Dawn Association regarding the Arbiter, they heaved an inexplicable sigh of relief.
Towards the behemoths in the Shadow World, they suddenly didn’t felt as despair and powerless as before.
After all, only the shadows could resist the shadows.
The reason why the Dawn Association didn’t provide any help was that this was a test for the Arbiter.
This would explain everything.
John kept comforting them.
At the same time, through the steps given by Foresee, he taught Hamlet and the others to improve as fast as possible.
After doing all of this, John stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
Beside him was a box of cosmetics.
“How can I make myself as inconspicuous as possible while traveling?”
Accurate and cold steps flashed past his eyes.
Following the steps, he only made a few minor changes to his face.
His straight back hunched slightly.
His burning gaze became restrained and dim.
In just a few minutes, he seemed to have changed completely.
John was wearing a dark blue coat as he pushed the door open and left.
He stood in the elevator on the upper floor.
He stared at the floor numbers.
His eyes flickered as he pondered.
All of the organizations were extending their open palms towards John in the shadows.
They promised seemingly endless benefits to him.
John knew that once he agreed to their promise, he would lose his freedom to do whatever he wanted to.
He could only become a gun, a sharp spear!
That circle was the cruelest and where the rule of the weak being prey to the strong was the strongest.
The slightest bit of naivety would result in him being eaten up whole and leaving nothing behind.
Moreover, there was another deeper reason for his rejection.
It was a tacit understanding with the officials of the Mold Country.
He arrived at the basement.
John shook his head heavily.
…
Before planning the curtain call for Alexander and the other two, John had made many backup plans and arrangements.
After coming out this time, he was prepared to deal with those arrangements and plans one after another.
But before that, the place where John needed to go was the Owain City Police Headquarters that he had already visited twice.
…
Inside the Owain City Police Headquarters.
The existences from the secret department of Mold Country reached a tacit understanding and a mutual understanding.
The official department in the shadow world would protect John’s girlfriend Alice, the director of the orphanage, and his friends…
In exchange, John couldn’t join any of the organizations that didn’t belong to the official shadow organization.
What’s more, he couldn’t even easily join any Mold Country’s shadow organization.
This was something they agreed on the last time that John communicated with the officials.
When he received the official representative’s invitation, he already understood the bottom line.
If John easily joined a certain shadow organization, at that time, what awaited him, his lover, and friends would be true horror!
…
At the intersection of the Owain City Police Headquarters, in the shadows of two corners.
John had his hands in his pockets and a hood over his head.
His gaze was fixed on the main door not far away.
He looked at Foresee over and over again.
In Foresee, the result he calculated was that the government wouldn’t detain him for no reason.
Even so, John continued to search for backup plans.
After memorizing all the details, he took a deep breath and wiped the makeup off his face.
Then, he lowered his head and strode towards the police headquarters.
When comforting Victoria and the others, he appeared very calm and was confident that the ‘Dawn Association’ would back them up.
But only John himself knew how afraid and oppressed he was when he came into contact with the shadow world for the first time!
It was as if he had fallen into the darkness and around the endless darkness were pairs of greedy eyes looking at him.
He couldn’t sleep that whole night.
…
In the early days of the Shadow World, the laws were similar to those of the Dark Forest Law.
On the deepest side of the world was a dark forest.
Every existence was a hunter with a gun.
Like a ghost, John sneaked into the forest and gently pushed aside the branches blocking the way.
He tried his best not to make any sound.
Even breathing had to be done carefully.
He had to be careful because there were hunters moving in the forest like him everywhere.
If he discovered another living being, there was only one thing he could do.
Kill.