Chapter 0009: Outburst

Huizi was still driving.

Qiao Fei was still cleaning her Tang Blade.

Cheng Bin wore a cheerful grin, watching like a man enjoying a show.

It seemed that on this car, not a single person felt nervous — except for Ning Fan.

And Ning Fan…

He slowly clenched his fists, his breathing growing heavier.

That ever-calm look in his eyes finally changed.

Anger.

Humiliation.

Indignation.

But not — not once — fear.

For as long as anyone could remember, Ning Fan had always kept his emotions tightly bottled up.

Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness — you rarely saw any of it on his face.

He seemed indifferent to everything.

And yet, somehow, he seemed driven by everything.

"Kid, that look in your eyes — you're starting to look like a real Walker."

Lin Chuan let out a cold snicker. "But if you can't give me a satisfying explanation, you're still going to die."

"Fuck!"

Ning Fan suddenly let out a short, humorless laugh.

The sound made Huizi glance at him curiously through the rearview mirror.

Wait, isn't that my line?

And honestly, this kid had always come across as quiet and well-mannered.

"Brother Chuan, you brought me into the Hound Shelter — was it because you suspected I was there to gather intel?"

Ning Fan tilted his chin up, chest heaving. "Spirit Servants are a core secret of the Lower City. You don't want the Upper City getting too much information about them. So you took me in — and planned to bury me out here beyond the zone?"

Lin Chuan smiled. "Sharp, for a talented student."

"From the very first time you saw me — the moment you saw I scored perfect marks on all nine assessments — you already started suspecting me?"

Ning Fan pressed on.

Lin Chuan gave a small nod. "More or less."

"Idiot."

Ning Fan said it coldly.

Lin Chuan froze.

Every person in the car turned to look at Ning Fan in that instant.

This kid…

Has he lost his mind?

Huizi's eyes left the road entirely, locked on Ning Fan through the rearview mirror.

"Brother Chuan, he just called you—"

"I'm not fucking deaf!"

"He's the one who called you that, not me — why are you yelling at me…"

"Shut up! Drive the car!"

Lin Chuan's expression darkened considerably.

He glared at Ning Fan with venom. "You little bastard! I've been squad leader for years and not one of my own men has ever cursed me out!"

"That's because you never put your blade to any of their throats!"

Ning Fan kept his face hard. "You suspect me of being an Upper City spy just because my scores were good? So what, the Hound Shelter only takes members who barely passed their assessments?"

"Hey, hey, watch your mouth! Don't drag me into this! Who exactly are you calling an idiot?"

Huizi, at the wheel, felt personally offended.

And faced with Ning Fan's sudden outburst, Lin Chuan found himself momentarily at a loss.

He only suspected Ning Fan. If he'd been certain the kid was an Upper City spy, there would have been no conversation — one clean cut and it would've been over.

But what if he wasn't?

Ning Fan had adapted to life outside the zone with startling speed. For a first-timer his age, not pissing your pants was already considered a win.

The kid had talent. Real talent.

Lin Chuan's private assessment of him was actually quite high.

"You still haven't explained why you weren't selected."

He still didn't trust him.

"Why?"

Ning Fan gritted his teeth hard. "Because the one who got selected — Sun Wenhui — has one thirty-second Upper City bloodline."

Everyone went quiet for a moment.

The selection — none of them had really paid much attention to it.

But Ning Fan's composure was crumbling. All the suppression of recent weeks came pouring out at once.

"For over a decade, I never wasted a single second of my time!

I took the hardest jobs! Ate the worst food! I was the most driven person in that entire Academy!

Since I was six years old, I knew the Miasmic Poison in my mother's body would eventually flare up. If I didn't want to lose her — if I didn't want to watch her rot away day by day — the only way was to get my hands on the Special Remedy!

I could go half a month without sleep to practice a single movement! I didn't know what use the techniques I learned at the Academy would be in the future. All I knew was that if my form wasn't perfect, I wouldn't score full marks!

I refused to let a single opportunity slip past me! Only with a perfect score could I be absolutely certain of getting a pass into the Upper City!"

Ning Fan's eyes had gone red around the edges.

In all these years, not even his own mother had seen him like this.

His fists were clenched so tight they cracked.

"You ask me why the Upper City didn't select me? I did everything I possibly could! And in the end, those bastards still didn't pick me! What was I supposed to do?! What?!"

The veins stood out on his neck as he roared, "If I'd lost to someone who performed better than me, I could have accepted it! I would have owned my failure! But everything I worked for — everything — lost to one thirty-second of some bullshit Upper City bloodline! I — I'm not okay with that! Fuck!!!"

Silence fell over the car.

The only sound was Ning Fan's ragged, heaving breath.

Wang Ye turned his head and looked at him.

Even Qiao Fei — always cold, always distant — had a shift in her eyes.

"Those Upper City lords can go to hell."

Wang Ye let out a cold, bitter laugh. "They still see us as rats and cockroaches. They think if we went up there, we'd taint their world."

Lin Chuan stared at Ning Fan for a long moment, then said quietly, "Stop the car."

Huizi hit the brakes almost before the words had finished leaving his mouth.

The car stopped.

"Everyone out."

Lin Chuan pushed open his door and stepped out first.

No one questioned it. They all followed, one by one.

Including Ning Fan.

The fire inside him hadn't died down.

Over a decade of suppression — you don't clear that out with a single outburst.

"I said earlier — if even one person in that car didn't believe you, you'd die."

Lin Chuan let his gaze pass over each face. "I believe you."

"Me too."

Huizi was the second to speak up.

The others followed, each expressing that they could accept what Ning Fan had said.

The last one yet to weigh in was Cheng Bin.

Feeling everyone's eyes land on him, Cheng Bin looked mildly surprised. "I get a vote too?"

"I said anyone who was in the car counts."

Lin Chuan said evenly.

Cheng Bin cracked a smile. "Then I believe him too! This kid doesn't look anything like an Upper City spy — his resentment toward them might even run deeper than ours."

"Good. Since everyone's chosen to believe you, from this moment on, you're truly one of mine."

Lin Chuan's expression suddenly turned stern. "But you cursed me out just now. I'm keeping a tab on that."

"And you put a blade to my throat," Ning Fan shot back, still sulky.

Lin Chuan spread his hands. "You're welcome to keep a tab on that too. When you've got the ability to settle the score, I won't hold any grudge."

Ning Fan said nothing.

"Alright. Now that your name's been cleared, let's talk about the second matter."

Lin Chuan's tone turned serious.

Ning Fan frowned. "Second matter?"

Lin Chuan pointed at the car.

"Just now, while we were inside — I caught the scent of a Wraith. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"

The words hit Ning Fan like a jolt.

He understood exactly what Lin Chuan meant.

Earlier, he had been about to warn Lin Chuan about something — but Lin Chuan had cut him off and indicated he already knew.

Ning Fan's gaze instinctively moved to Cheng Bin.

Not just him — everyone had silently shifted to form a loose circle around Cheng Bin without a word.

Cheng Bin swept his eyes around the group, thought for a moment, then gave up on explaining himself and smiled with mild resignation instead.

"Can you at least tell me when I gave myself away?"

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