Chapter 0019: The King

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Ning Fan's eyes were blank and cold as he mechanically drove the Black Sword into Yang Beihai again and again.

Yang Beihai's stomach had been nearly torn open.

Blood poured from his mouth as his hands clutched desperately at Ning Fan's shoulders.

Finally, his strength gave out, and he slid off Ning Fan and crumpled to the ground.

Until the very end, he couldn't understand — why was it this newcomer who killed him?

What he didn't know was that Huizi and Qiao Fei had shown themselves precisely to drive him back into the Institute of Technology.

Yang Beihai knew three people were still alive. With only two showing their faces, nowhere he ran would truly be safe.

Only inside the Institute of Technology would he be secure.

In his final moments, Yang Beihai realized — he had glimpsed a man in a peaked cap slipping into the Institute of Technology under cover of the fire, but he hadn't paid the man any mind.

He had only met Ning Fan once.

He had never given a second thought to the stray pup Lin Chuan had just taken in.

Ning Fan stared coldly at Yang Beihai's body. Only after confirming there was no life left in him did he lift his leg and step over the corpse.

As he reached the doorway, he paused briefly.

Then a complicated smile crossed his face.

"He's dead?"

Qiao Fei was still occupied fending off several guards. When she saw Ning Fan walk out drenched in blood, her eyes lit up immediately.

"Yeah."

Ning Fan nodded. "Let's go."

With that, he sprinted toward a nearby alley.

Qiao Fei and Huizi shook off the remaining pursuers and fled in different directions.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them regrouped at the prearranged meeting point.

"You're sure he's dead?"

"Dead as can be."

Ning Fan said quietly, "I stabbed him until he fell apart."

"Alright."

There was no joy on Qiao Fei's face. "Are you coming with us, or staying?"

Ning Fan's heart gave a jolt.

He knew this was a choice he'd have to face sooner or later.

Qiao Fei and Huizi had shown their faces in front of the Institute of Technology — Zone F32 would no longer be safe for them.

Killing an ordinary person was one thing.

But killing a Level 3 Researcher was another matter entirely.

Ning Fan had been wearing his cap, and he had only just joined the Hound Shelter. Hardly anyone knew there was a new member on the team.

So he had a choice.

It was just a difficult one.

The Hound Shelter's revenge wasn't finished yet — he didn't want to run away.

But his mother was still in Zone F32.

"Kid, stop being so wishy-washy," Huizi said, tilting his head with a careless shrug. "If you want to go, go. If you want to stay, stay. Nobody's going to blame you."

"If the two of us finish what we started, we'll come back and let you know."

"Alright, let's move," Qiao Fei said, not waiting for Ning Fan, and waved Huizi along.

Just as their silhouettes were about to disappear into the depths of the alley, Ning Fan suddenly called out, "I'm going with you."

"What?"

Huizi couldn't believe it. "Didn't you say you have family back in Zone F32?"

"Yeah."

Ning Fan nodded. "Once we've avenged everyone, I'll come back."

"You sound pretty confident."

Qiao Fei crossed her arms.

"Oh, right," Ning Fan said with a wry smile. "I think I've awakened a Spirit Servant."

At those words, both of them froze.

"When?" Huizi's expression was full of disbelief.

"Right after I killed Yang Beihai. It just... came to me."

Ning Fan's smile grew more strained. "If it had come a little sooner... that would have been better."

"Impossible," Qiao Fei said, frowning. "Do you even know what a Spirit Servant is? How could anyone awaken one inside the zone?"

Clearly, Ning Fan's situation was strange.

Lin Chuan had explained it before — Spirit Servants arose from the gathering of wandering souls.

Out in the wilds, drifting spirits were everywhere, which made it far easier to awaken a Spirit Servant there.

But inside the zone...

While it was far from peaceful, as far as they knew, no one had ever awakened a Spirit Servant inside the zone.

"I don't know how it happened either," Ning Fan admitted. He had only just awakened it and couldn't explain it clearly himself. "If you want, I could try using it so you can see?"

"Never mind that," Qiao Fei cut him off. "There are Observers in the zone. Using a Spirit Servant would expose you."

After a moment's thought, she asked again, "You're sure you want to come with us?"

"I'm sure."

"Fine. Once we're outside the zone, show us your Spirit Servant."

"Deal."

Part of the reason Ning Fan decided to go with them was precisely because he had awakened a Spirit Servant.

Without one, he would have felt like dead weight.

But now it was different — he could fight alongside Qiao Fei and Huizi as an equal.

"There's still time. Do you want to go home and see your family?" Huizi walked up beside him and asked quietly. "Once you leave, there's no telling when you'll be back."

Ning Fan's chest tightened.

He had been away for several days now. He had no idea how his mother was doing.

He wanted desperately to go back and check on her.

"No," Ning Fan said, forcing a smile. "I'm afraid that if I go back, I won't be able to make myself leave."

While the three of them began working out how to leave Zone F32...

Back at Ning Fan's home.

His mother was no longer in her bed.

The mattress had been freshly made with a crisp, snow-white sheet.

Seated at the bedside was a man of striking, refined features.

He wore a black brocade robe trimmed with golden thread, with a pair of gleaming tall leather boots on his feet.

His hand — smoother than any woman's — held a handkerchief pressed lightly over his nose and mouth.

"How on earth did anyone live in a filthy place like this for over a decade?" he muttered to himself, gazing out the window. "This child — his mother's in such terrible shape, and he can't even be bothered to come home. Out running wild all day long. How utterly unfilial."

A commotion broke out outside.

The man stood up, curious, and walked to the door. He draped his handkerchief over the door handle before turning it open.

"What's all the noise about?"

A woman standing outside — dressed just as lavishly — answered respectfully, "It seems the Institute of Technology caught fire. A researcher was killed."

The man paused, then smiled.

It was a smile full of contempt.

"They're nothing but cockroaches living in the sewers. Why must they tear each other apart even in their own nests?"

He strolled out onto the street.

The woman followed immediately. "My King, are we not waiting any longer?"

"No," the man said with a look of disgust. "The stench is practically killing me."