Chapter 0008: Give Me an Answer

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Ning Fan sat inside the vehicle, hacking away as the smell hit him.

Such a heavy stench of blood!

Even stronger than the smell outside the Zone Wall!

Soon, Ning Fan realized the odor was coming from Lin Chuan's blade.

And then there was...

Spirit Servant: Butcher?

What did that mean?

Before he could think further, he watched Lin Chuan whip his blade forward in a sharp, powerful slash!

A blood-red crescent arc swept off the edge of the blade.

Shink—

The crimson crescent sliced clean through the Rotface Toad's extended tongue just as it lashed out. The jagged, serrated tongue fell to the ground, still twitching.

Qiao Fei's heart was still pounding, but she composed herself quickly.

"Brother Chuan, should we?"

"Go ahead."

Lin Chuan turned to look at the dumbstruck Ning Fan. "Kid, whatever you see today — you take it to your grave. Understood?"

Ning Fan nodded blankly.

He finally understood what everyone had been hiding.

Because one by one, the others had begun using what they called Spirit Servants!

"Spirit Servant: Flower Dance!"

With Qiao Fei's sharp whisper, her Tang Blade blazed with a blinding radiance.

The Rotface Toad behind her had gone into a frenzy after losing its tongue, letting out a grating, skin-crawling shriek.

Qiao Fei's brow furrowed slightly. A hint of impatience crept onto her otherwise cool, pretty face.

She turned around, raised her blade...

And the world became a blur.

Ning Fan couldn't follow the movements of that Tang Blade at all.

The Rotface Toad seemed frozen in place — even its incessant croaking cut off abruptly.

Swish!

Qiao Fei flicked her wrist, sending the filth clinging to the blade's surface in a perfect circle onto the ground.

Creak... crack...

Fissures finally began to appear across the Rotface Toad's body.

Then, fine fracture lines spread across it like a fishing net.

Ning Fan watched with his own eyes as the Rotface Toad went from whole to scattered chunks of meat raining down on the ground.

Cut... cut apart?

The whole process had taken three seconds.

This...

This was what a Walker was.

Ning Fan had thought he'd done thorough research on Walkers before deciding to join them.

But less than half a day outside the zone, and so much had already shattered everything he thought he knew.

Whether it was the rules of this world, or the sheer power these people wielded.

Why had he never once heard anyone inside the zone mention the name "Spirit Servant"?

Meanwhile, Huizi had already taken down two Rotface Toads on his own.

His Spirit Servant was called Shadow.

In under a minute, the area fell silent again.

Every last Rotface Toad had been dealt with.

The speed and efficiency were even greater than when they'd handled the Shadow Hounds.

That guy named Cheng Bin hadn't been lying.

With this team's strength, dealing with those Shadow Hounds hadn't required nearly so much fuss.

They just hadn't used their Spirit Servants before — that was all.

Everyone had returned to the vehicle.

"Want more?"

Qiao Fei now held two more Gall Crystals and held them out toward Cheng Bin. "Cheaper this time — two for three thousand."

Cheng Bin was taken aback, then laughed bitterly. "Miss, my money doesn't grow on trees, you know. You really do treat me like a walking cash cow, don't you? We haven't even been in this car long and I've already sunk seven thousand into this."

Qiao Fei frowned slightly, visibly displeased at missing out on the sale.

"Fine, give them to me," Cheng Bin said at last. "When we get to District F27, I'll sell them at the Black Market. Consider it me helping you move goods — courier fee included."

Cheng Bin seemed to figure that since he was a guest in someone else's ride, it was better to stay on good terms with everyone. He pulled out three thousand Sola and handed it to Qiao Fei.

Qiao Fei studied his face for a moment, then took the money and handed over the Gall Crystals.

Lin Chuan's gaze remained fixed out the window.

"Move out."

"On it."

Huizi pressed down on the gas pedal and the vehicle rolled forward again.

Ning Fan kept stealing glances at Lin Chuan, seeming to hesitate.

Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer and lowered his voice. "Brother Chuan..."

"I know."

Lin Chuan didn't let Ning Fan finish. Instead, he turned the question back on him. "Was I cool just now?"

"Huh?"

Ning Fan blinked.

He hadn't expected Lin Chuan to ask something like that in an environment this dangerous.

Besides, what he had to say was important!

It concerned the safety of everyone in this vehicle!

"You know why I didn't want you watching us use Spirit Servants?"

Lin Chuan didn't acknowledge Ning Fan's reaction. "Use that clever little brain of yours and guess."

Ning Fan understood — Lin Chuan didn't want him to say what he'd been about to say.

He didn't know why, but he had no choice but to follow Lin Chuan's lead.

"Before leaving the zone, I tried to collect as much information as I could about Walkers. But I never once saw any description of Spirit Servants in any record — not even at the Academy did anyone ever bring up that name."

Ning Fan furrowed his brow. "On top of that, you just warned me to keep what I saw today buried deep. So I'll venture a guess — Spirit Servants are the core secret of the Walkers!"

"You got half of it right."

A flash of admiration passed through Lin Chuan's eyes. "Worthy of a Talented Student."

"And the other half?"

Ning Fan felt like a sponge right now, eager to absorb as much as he could.

"The other half..."

Lin Chuan narrowed his eyes, studying Ning Fan with a measuring look. "Spirit Servants aren't just the core secret of the Walkers. More accurately — they're the core secret of the entire Lower City."

Ning Fan sensed something off in Lin Chuan's gaze.

And in the next instant, a blade was pressed against his throat.

Lin Chuan's blade.

The red gleam had faded from the steel, but it still radiated a bone-chilling cold.

"Brother Chuan, you..."

The sudden change caught Ning Fan completely off guard. "Why?"

"Kid, there's something I've been curious about for a while. I want an explanation from you."

Lin Chuan's eyes turned sharp and cold. The others in the vehicle seemed oblivious to the whole scene — each one going about their own business.

"What is it?"

"Why are you in the Lower City?"

Lin Chuan's voice dropped low. "The Upper City selection was five days ago. Why... weren't you chosen?"

Ning Fan swallowed hard.

On January 1st, the day he was passed over, Ning Fan had never shown the slightest bit of anger or resentment.

But that didn't mean he truly didn't care.

The truth was — he was furious.

Not just angry. It was the kind of rage that comes from wounded pride and bitter refusal to accept it.

He just couldn't afford to waste energy on anger, not with his mother's condition the way it was.

Now that Lin Chuan had brought it up, Ning Fan felt that same fire stir in his blood again — restless and seething.

"Ninefold Mastery. Heh. With scores like that, even those Upper City elites with their impossibly high standards couldn't possibly pass on you. Those Upper City lords still need decent-looking servants to wait on them. And someone with your qualifications? That's exactly the type they love most."

Lin Chuan's gaze grew colder by the second.

Ning Fan could even feel the faint sting of the blade's edge drawing a hairline cut on his neck.

"Son, choose your next words very carefully. Think before you answer."

Lin Chuan's finger swept around the interior of the vehicle. "Every single person in this car — if even one of them doesn't believe what you say, you die."

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Proofreader & Editor: Fat Goose 🪶