Su Lun had once thought that Chitose might come to rescue him if she got the news.
But he never expected that this gambling-addicted young woman would be *this* outrageously strong!
She was supposed to be a second-tier executive, just like Smokey, yet she had effortlessly crushed someone of the same rank, killing them in a single encounter!
And if she really was part of that "third force" opposing the Umbrella Organization, the situation became even more complicated.
She was also Lena’s aunt—did that mean the recent turmoil in the Reiss family had deeper implications?
What about Lady Philo, the mysterious backer behind the Cross Society?
And what about Mr. Black?
A series of questions flooded Su Lun’s mind, quickly forming a web of underground connections spanning the Inner and Outer Cities.
Chitose’s appearance was like the tip of an iceberg—what lay beneath the surface was far more vast and enigmatic.
To oppose the Black Tower, one needed matching strength, resources, and manpower.
This "third force" already had all three.
Though unknown to outsiders, its power was undeniable.
......
Su Lun understood that since Chitose was wearing this cloak—one with special significance—she couldn’t reveal her true identity.
The Cross Society likely couldn’t afford to openly antagonize the Umbrella Organization, so they needed this "third force" to take the blame.
Chitose walked over, making no move to remove her hood.
But the moment she spoke, the mystique vanished.
*"Tch, you really recognized me, huh? I wasn’t planning to meet you like this, but you get it—if I came as myself, things would get messy."*
Her tone and words left no doubt—this was *definitely* the gambling-addicted woman he knew.
A Cross Society executive couldn’t just go around killing Umbrella operatives.
Hearing her explanation, Su Lun asked, *"Chitose, you came to save me?"*
*"Yeah,"* she replied bluntly. *"Lena sent me a frantic message saying you were in danger in the Inner City and begged me to help. I was halfway there when I intercepted Umbrella’s intel and realized you’d already escaped. Took me a while to reroute."*
*"Thanks,"* Su Lun said sincerely.
*"You’re under my protection. No need for thanks,"* she waved it off.
Su Lun knew her well enough not to insist.
After a pause, Chitose smirked. *"Heard you even took Lena hostage. No idea why she’s still helping you."*
Su Lun shrugged self-deprecatingly, knowing she was teasing. *"Word got around that fast?"*
*"Oh yeah,"* Chitose said, amused. *"The whole Inner City’s buzzing. After the last ‘purge,’ people are jumpy. Everyone’s scrambling to figure out who the hell would dare kidnap the Reiss heiress in broad daylight."*
*"..."*
Su Lun raised an eyebrow.
The Umbrella Organization wouldn’t admit they’d tried to ambush an Outer City gang’s transport and got wiped out instead.
But since the chaos at Dunwich Commercial Street couldn’t be hidden, the official story would probably paint him as a common criminal.
Chitose didn’t dwell on it. *"Let’s move. Talk on the way."*
*"Where to?"*
*"Getting you out of the city."*
She explained, *"The Umbrella has top-tier trackers. After the mess you made, they’ll hunt you relentlessly. You can’t stay in Old Lunden. Lay low outside for a while. I can’t afford to expose myself yet, or I might not be able to protect you if things go south."*
*"Got it. Just a sec."*
Su Lun walked over to Smokey’s corpse.
Under the guise of looting the storage ring and harvesting the corpse’s "job materials," he also collected the soul fragments.
**[Silver Job Material - Hines’ Rune Pipe]**: A second-tier "Ash Caster" class material.
**[Silver Parasite - Light-Eating Hourglass]**: Grants the ability to distort light and vanish into smoke.
Both were high-tier assassin-class materials.
If they weren’t mismatched for his Puppeteer path, Su Lun would’ve loved Smokey’s smoke-cloak ability.
*(Curse Fusion Principle: After a job advancement, the corpse typically yields only one high-tier job material and parasite.)*
As for the harvested memories, they confirmed what Su Lun already suspected—Smokey had been the Umbrella’s mole.
The rest just added to his experience pool.
......
Chitose watched Su Lun loot Smokey’s corpse without comment.
They were past formalities.
But then she noticed the plague doctor mask still on his face.
*"You killed ‘Plague Doctor’ Sergei?"*
*"Yeah."*
*"That guy’s a pain—curses, resurrection... Most second-tiers can’t touch him. How’d you pull it off?"*
*"Well..."*
Su Lun hesitated. It was Black’s trap, after all.
Seeing her cloak, he decided to ask, *"Chitose, do you know Mr. Black?"*
She blinked. *"Huh. How do *you* know about him?"*
Su Lun sighed inwardly. *So it’s true.*
This "third force" was tied to Mr. Black—or rather, the shadowy figure behind the Black Market.
*"I used some... unconventional methods to kill Sergei,"* he admitted. *"But it involves Black’s secrets. Ask him yourself."*
*"Oh."* She dropped it.
After burning Smokey’s corpse, they headed for the southern wall.
With Chitose guarding him, Su Lun finally relaxed after a day of relentless pursuit.
......
While *he* was curious about her hidden identity, *she* was more intrigued by his absurd survival skills.
*"Even if I hadn’t shown up, Smokey might not have killed you, huh?"*
*"Maybe,"* Su Lun said calmly. *"But I’d have been in deep trouble."*
*"Tch. You’re full of surprises. Smokey’s assassination skills are top-notch—even second-tiers struggle against him. Yet you not only survived but took his arm..."*
She paused. *"Wait. Did you know he was the mole?"*
Su Lun saw no reason to hide it. *"Yeah. Remember that shipment we escorted to the Inner City?"*
He summarized how he’d found the notebook and deduced Smokey’s betrayal.
Chitose whistled. *"Damn. You’re sharp."*
Then she eyed the scythe on his back. *"How’d *that* end up with you?"*
*"Picked it up during the last dungeon run."*
*"You used it to cut Smokey’s arm off?"*
*"Yep."*
*"That’s... bad. The curse backlash from that thing is lethal. I’ll try to get a medic team outside, but time’s tight. Hope we can save your ass."*
*"Uh... I think I can handle part of it. Just need a doctor’s help."*
*"You don’t get how nasty that scythe’s curse is."*
*"I do."*
*"..."*
With his spider-arms, suturing wounds was trivial.
Plus, he’d recently studied emergency medicine and mastered Black Tower’s trauma protocols. Short of instant death (like a bisected brain), he could manage.
The "X-Serum" had boosted his regeneration, and he’d learned the "Life Conversion Array" from Lena. Multiple fail-safes meant his odds of sudden death were low.
Still, a doctor wouldn’t hurt.
......
They scaled the southern wall—Su Lun with his spider-legs, Chitose with effortless leaps.
*"I arranged for you to join an Inner City expedition team under a new ID. The Dawn City ruins are high-risk, high-reward... You’re cautious enough. I don’t need to spell it out."*
What sounded like an escape was more like a guided tour.
*"One more thing,"* Su Lun said. *"I’ve got a basement on Green Street. If you can, clear it out for me."*
*"Sure."*
*"And there’s a guy named Danny—a brilliant alchemist—in the basement at No. 16. The Umbrella might come for him."*
*"Got it."*
*"Chitose... that phantom aura earlier. Was that a second Awakening?"*
*"Whoa. You know about *that*? That’s elite-tier knowledge—even the Inner City restricts access..."*
*"..."*
As they talked, Chitose noticed his skin had turned an eerie blue.
*"You poisoned or something? Why’re you blue?"*
*"..."*
Su Lun sighed.
If she’d shown up sooner, he wouldn’t have needed the "X-Serum."
But maybe it was a blessing in disguise—no mutation meant it had worked.
Neither brought up her cloak’s significance.
But before parting, Chitose left him with cryptic advice:
*"Get stronger. Only at the top can you see the real game."*
*"Yeah."*
Su Lun smiled.
Her words carried weight—he wasn’t *ready* for the bigger picture yet.