Chapter 1 Suren's Wrath

Suren cut open the pawnshop's safe with a single knife strike, found the ring he had given to Kama, and walked straight out the door.

The ring had been pawned by Kahn "Rotten Tooth" of the Viper Gang. The guy was a gambling addict and a regular at the pawnshop. A ruby ring worth a million on the market was pawned for less than ten thousand Lisso.

Suren walked out and went straight to a back alley in the leather market, where a group of people were gathered playing cards.

He scanned the faces of the people, and luckily, he spotted Kahn in the crowd right away.

"Yo, Kahn, where'd you strike it rich? Betting so heavily today?"

"Heh, pulled off a big score, made a few hundred thousand."

"Hey, next time you have a good job like that, introduce it to the brothers."

"Easy to say."

"..."

The guy seemed to be in good luck, beaming, with a large pile of money in front of him.

Beside him were some gang members with viper head tattoos on their arms, carrying guns and weapons.

Suren walked straight to the small gambling stall, pulled out his pistol from under his windbreaker. Without saying a word, he shot a bloody hole right between the guy's eyebrows.

"Bang!"

The gunshot and the sound of a head exploding rang out simultaneously, and blood splattered on the gambling table.

The gamblers at the table were stunned for a moment, and then their expressions changed drastically.

The timid ones had already fled in panic, while the gang members thought they had encountered a rival gang shootout and instantly drew the guns from their waists. But Suren didn't give them a chance to shoot, firing several shots in rapid succession, turning the heads of the other three who were trying to raise their guns into rotten watermelons.

He didn't bother with those who escaped, directly harvested the gray mist from the corpses, and then learned the intelligence of another person, a "middleman" named Rigg Chapman who introduced kidnap victims.

...

Suren was very familiar with the business of the underworld, and he knew that these low-level gangsters simply didn't know the inside story; they just did things for money.

Usually, between the employers and the kidnappers, there were some brokers who moved on the fringes of high society.

These guys were usually information merchants, with wide connections and wild information channels.

Rigg Chapman was such a middleman. He usually mingled in upper-class circles, specializing in solving some dirty matters for nobles and wealthy people that they were not convenient to handle themselves.

He also had good relationships with the Viper Gang's executives, and was considered a figure who moved freely in both the underworld and the upper world.

At this moment, in a mansion at 16 Martin Street, the plump Chapman had just been awakened on his luxurious big bed.

Tossing and turning with two naked girls beside him all night had left him feeling exhausted.

"Gunshot?"

Chapman vaguely felt like he had heard gunshots in the leather market a kilometer away, and he opened his eyes alertly.

As a professional businessman, he vaguely felt uneasy.

Thinking back to recent business, it seemed that only the urgent task arranged last night had a bit of a problem?

Originally, kidnapping was just a normal business, and it was fine to arrange people to do it.

But for some reason, after hearing that gunshot, he always felt his eyelids twitching.

"It's just a small noble without a foundation; kidnapping shouldn't be a problem, right? Besides, it was arranged by that big shot..."

Chapman thought in his heart, but something still felt wrong.

Thinking about it, he decided to put on his clothes and go out to check the situation.

But just as he got out of bed to put on his pants, without hearing any movement at the door, he suddenly saw an extra person appear out of thin air in the room.

Before he could see what the person looked like, his vision followed his rolling head to the ground, and then he fell into endless darkness.

Suren stripped the "gray mist" from the corpse, and this time he finally obtained the employer's information: "Marquis Purple Moon, the Bach Family."

Because he had the Death Reaper talent, he didn't need to waste time interrogating. In just ten minutes from leaving Aberke's inn, he had roughly sorted out the entire kidnapping incident.

Although the person who commissioned this Chapman was not from the Bach family, but another person who had close ties with the Bach family. But as an information merchant, this head-moving guy also guessed that the person behind the scenes who hired the murderer was the Bach family's young lady, "Elsa Bach."

Suren had seen that person.

During the "National Puppeteer Competition" before, the noble lady who competed with Kama for first place.

Obviously, things were clear here; an ordinary person would think it was a kidnapping case caused by the noble lady's jealousy.

That young lady had the motive, and all the clues pointed to her hiring someone to kidnap Kama.

The logic seemed flawless.

But it was precisely because the indication was too obvious that Suren was more alert.

He had obtained these real situations through reverse deduction from the clues.

But what if this line was deliberately arranged and guided by someone?

Suren would never underestimate his enemies.

His intuition told him that the matter was directed at him.

Not some simple jealousy and revenge.

After all, Karoline of the Hydra could probably guess his identity.

The Viper Gang was a gang controlled by the Hydra.

Some of the kidnappers were members of the Viper Gang.

The clues were already very clear.

And that young lady Elsa wasn't wronged either. Although she was instigated and used as a pawn, she had malicious intentions.

Even if he guessed it was a trap, Suren didn't intend to back down at all.

A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he thought, "Using a knife to kill someone? It seems like they not only want to lure me into the game but also have other plans. Fine, I want to see what those guys are up to!"

Thinking this way, being able to use the daughter of a marquis as bait to provoke a war, only a few families had this motivation and means.

The purpose was not difficult to guess.

At this juncture of his upcoming marriage with Ekaterina, it was nothing more than wanting to sabotage the marriage or personal revenge.

Regardless of which, there was no room for retreat.

Moreover, the brilliance lay in the fact that the person behind the scenes had anticipated that Suren would find the person who hired the murderer through these directional clues and would inevitably go to find Elsa for trouble.

This was also the unsolvable aspect of this game.

As long as he cared about the safety of his disciple, he would have to enter the game.

But this game had one key point: the other party had to succeed in their conspiracy, either by capturing or killing Suren.

Otherwise, everything would be meaningless.

But Suren's strength now was not so easy to kill.

He thought about it and directly dialed Shabina's communication, saying, "Immediately help me confirm where 'Elsa Bach' is! Also, contact that 'Shadow Earl' and ask how much trouble that gold coin can solve for him."

On the other end of the communicator, Shabina, upon hearing Suren's arrangements, immediately took action.

...

At the same time, just as Suren was looking for clues.

Karoline also received the news.

She hadn't guessed the identity of that "Mr. Nicholas" when she was on the cruise ship before.

But after returning to Lunden, after collecting information from all sides, Karoline roughly guessed what was going on.

Even if he wasn't the one in the newspapers, he was definitely a powerhouse best not to offend.

So she had been paying attention to the movements of his two disciples recently.

After all, they, the Hydra, owed him a big favor on the cruise ship, thinking that if "Nicholas'" disciple had any difficulties, they could take care of them, and in the future, they would have a relationship.

But unexpectedly, just after getting up today, she heard the news that someone from the "Viper Gang" controlled by the company had gone to kidnap that young lady named Kama.

This scared her a lot.

Her intuition immediately told her that there would be a big problem!

As a high-level executive of the Hydra Corporation, she knew everything with just one question.

She quickly drove to find the employer, Miss Elsa Bach.

...

11 Winery Street, Franklin District, an art exhibition was being held here.

Karoline hurried over, and as soon as she entered the door, she saw Miss Elsa leisurely looking at the art exhibition.

The Bach family behind this young lady was a marriage ally of the Andreas family, a major financial backer behind the "Hydra Trading Group."

Karoline had business dealings with the Bach family and had met this Elsa a few times.

The bodyguard relayed the message, and she had the opportunity to approach the young lady.

Looking at Karoline, who had a look of anxiety on her face, Elsa didn't recognize her and asked arrogantly, "People from the Hydra? What are you doing here?"

Although Karoline had a high position in the Lunden underworld, in the eyes of these high-ranking noble ladies, she was just a tool for the family to handle things.

Karoline didn't have time to be polite and went straight to the point, "Miss Elsa, did you arrange for someone to kidnap Miss Kama before? Where is she now?"

Her first priority was to determine whether the person was still alive.

As long as the person was alive, there was still room for things to be salvaged.

Hearing that she had directly revealed the fact that she had arranged the kidnapping, a hint of displeasure appeared in Elsa's eyes.

When could subordinates question the affairs of upper-class nobles?

Besides, kidnapping was not a glorious thing in the first place; how could she admit it?

She didn't hide her dissatisfaction and coldly replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"..."

Karoline's eyes twitched upon hearing this.

If she hadn't reported the situation here to the boss earlier, and the higher-ups hadn't demanded that she try her best to resolve this problem, she really wouldn't have wanted to get involved. Let this Miss Elsa pay the price for her arrogance herself!

But even if she was very unhappy, Karoline had to continue to speak, only being a little more subtle, "Miss, you may have gotten into trouble. That Miss Kama of the Boyle family has a big shot behind her. And that person also helped the Councilor a great deal before, so they have some connection. If you know where the person is, can you hand it over to me to handle?"

Hearing that it involved the "Grand Councilor," Elsa's expression changed slightly.

She pondered for a moment, and although she didn't answer, she didn't bother denying it, saying, "What trouble could it cause? Isn't the Boyle family just a declining small noble family?"

Karoline knew that "Nicholas" definitely didn't want her to talk about his existence everywhere, but at this time, she had no choice but to speak, only being a little more tactful: "Kama has a very powerful teacher, possibly a top professional."

Elsa thought it was some amazing big noble, but after hearing this, that was it?

"Teacher?"

Her tone was full of contempt, "Heh... So what if he's a top professional? This is the imperial capital, Lunden, not some backwater territory where anyone can run wild!"

There were many top professionals in Lunden; even the head guard of her Bach family was a Tier 7 professional.

So what?

In Lunden, the most important things were power and status, not reckless men without any background. Besides the royal family and a few grand councilors, there was no one the Bach family had to bow their heads to.

Seeing that Karoline still wanted to explain something, Elsa added, "What, you don't think anyone would dare to harm a high-ranking noble in Lunden, do you?"

Karoline was anxious upon hearing this, obviously this young lady hadn't realized the seriousness of the matter.

Others might not dare to be presumptuous in Lunden. But that person who could face two hundred thousand pirates head-on, with such a heavy killing intent, did she think he wouldn't dare?

She anxiously said, "Miss Elsa, things aren't that simple! There's no time to explain now. I already asked when I came here; the people involved in the kidnapping have all been killed. Moreover, if it's really that person, you may have been schemed against. The person who instigated you to kidnap her may have a problem."

As soon as she finished speaking, Karoline knew that there was no point in explaining these things. She quickly asked again, "Where is that Miss Kama?"

Elsa frowned upon hearing this lecturing tone, obviously displeased.

Even if she was wrong, was it her place to say it?

Elsa didn't like this kind of cryptic communication and asked with a blank expression, "Who exactly are you talking about?"

Although Karoline knew she shouldn't say it, she could only tell her guess, "Possibly that 'Grim Reaper' in the newspapers."

Hearing this, Elsa realized that the situation was slightly unfavorable. She muttered to herself in a voice that only she could hear, "No wonder that bitch's puppetry is so powerful; it turns out she's that person's disciple."

But even knowing that that so-called Kama had a teacher, she didn't think that the so-called "Grim Reaper" could cause trouble in Lunden.

Karoline asked again, "Is that Miss Kama... still safe?"

Hearing this, Elsa didn't respond, only glancing at her disdainfully.

Seeing this expression, Karoline's face turned pale instantly, and she thought: It's over!

She knew very well that,

If the hostage wasn't dead, she could still smooth things over with favors;

Once the hostage was dead, this matter would be irreconcilable!

Karoline's face was gloomy, but since things had come to this, she could only say, "Miss Elsa, please go back to your mansion immediately and don't go out. Someone will notify you when things are resolved."

She calculated the time; Chapman's murder had only happened a few minutes ago, and there should still be time to evacuate.

"Is there any need for that?"

Elsa frowned.

Even now, she still didn't think it was a big deal.

But thinking about the various assassination events recently, she also thought her life was important and there was no need to gamble her life with some low-level people.

Only then did she reluctantly say, "Alright."

Saying this, she called out to the bodyguard beside her, wanting to leave.

Karoline breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that at least she had protected this young lady.

But just then, something unexpected happened.

A void ripple flashed in the exhibition hall, and a trench coat man with a raven on his shoulder appeared out of thin air.

Karoline's expression changed drastically when she saw who it was.

The scene she least wanted to see had happened!

She wanted to stop him, but before she could speak, she saw the man disappear out of thin air, already appearing next to Elsa.

The person who came was none other than Suren!

...

Suren didn't give the bodyguards around him a chance to react at all, and lightningly grabbed Elsa by the neck and lifted her into the air, asking in a deep voice, "Where is Kama?"

Elsa had been a beloved daughter of heaven since she was a child; when had she ever been grabbed by the neck?

Although being grabbed by the neck gave her a kind of instinctive fear, at this moment, a strange fire suddenly surged in her heart, suppressing that fear, and she shouted, "You lowly inferior, how dare you attack a top noble! Do you know this is a capital crime?!"

Suren's eyes were full of indifference, and upon hearing this woman's words, the black raven on his shoulder cawed.

Being so arrogant while being grabbed by the neck, was this woman brainless?

Obviously, not entirely.

Knowing that she couldn't break free, her identity was the only bargaining chip she could use to save her life.

Moreover, Suren also noticed an abnormality; this woman's emotions seemed to be influenced by some mysterious force.

It was precisely because he knew that this woman was likely being schemed against that Suren didn't immediately strike a fatal blow.

He only wanted to know Kama's whereabouts as soon as possible and rescue her.

Hearing this murderous question, Karoline, who was not far away, secretly thought it was bad and anxiously interjected, "Don't!"

She said in a very fast voice, "There may be some misunderstanding; could you give me some face and put down Miss Elsa first? We can talk about anything."

She knew very well that if the person was still alive, things could still be discussed.

But now that the person was gone, she could only find an excuse to protect Miss Elsa first.

"..."

Hearing this, Suren tilted his head slightly, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

He didn't expect the woman he had met on the cruise ship to be here as well.

The Hydra Corporation had sent a large check for the matter on the cruise ship before, which could be considered a bit of a friendship.

But it was precisely because she was here that the problem was big!

Seeing this woman for a moment, Suren keenly captured the panic in her eyes.

Karoline was here and recognized him, which meant that she probably knew the ins and outs of the kidnapping case very well.

But if she didn't have a guilty conscience, there was no need for her to panic at all.

As long as she said where Kama was at the first time, the dangerous situation could be eased instantly.

But not only did she not do that, but instead, she suppressed that panic and wanted him to let go of the person first?

If one could be said to be nervous, then the panic that Elsa had when she was just questioned could basically confirm one fact.

That was...

They couldn't give Suren the answer he wanted!

Thinking of this, Suren suddenly felt a fire rising in his heart, "Does your Excellency think that anyone's face is worth more than my disciple's life?"

In an instant, the killing intent in his eyes poured out like a tidal wave, and the fingers grabbing Elsa's neck embedded themselves into the soft flesh of her neck.

A Tier 2 student at the Royal Academy, known as a puppetry genius, with a combat power comparable to Tier 3 or 4 professionals, Elsa was helpless in Suren's hands, being twisted like a helpless little chick.

Although he had guessed something, Suren still didn't want to make things absolute and asked one last time, "Tell me where she is within five breaths!"

Karoline was full of anxiety, but there was nothing she could do.

The killing intent that suddenly surged from the man in front of her pressed down like a mountain, making her, a Tier 4 professional, not dare to have any thoughts of rescuing the person.

While anxious, she was also shocked: How strong is this guy?

Elsa naturally couldn't answer.

Seeing that the person in front of her really dared to kill her, a thick fear appeared in her eyes.

Wanting to call for help, the desperate feeling of suffocation plunged her into endless fear.

As time passed breath by breath, her face turned red due to lack of oxygen, and she was about to die on the spot.

Suren didn't intend to stop at all.

This woman was the mastermind of the kidnapping; regardless of her identity or background, if something really happened to Kama, Suren, as her teacher, would definitely seek justice for his disciple!

Seeing that this noble lady was about to die on the spot.

But just then, something unexpected happened!

At the fourth breath, Suren noticed an abnormality, and without hesitation, he squeezed hard, and a crisp sound that made people's scalps tingle resounded throughout the exhibition hall.

Karoline was in despair, and her face turned pale instantly.

But after listening carefully, she realized that it wasn't the sound of bones breaking.

Moreover, looking closely, the neck of Miss Elsa, who had been strangled, burst into shattered pieces of wood!

Karoline obviously knew what this meant and was overjoyed: "Master Aubrey finally caught up!"

...

Suren snapped Elsa's neck, but in an instant, he noticed something was wrong.

"Substitute puppet?"

Suren's pupils shrank suddenly.

In his perception, the touch of Elsa in his hand was completely wrong, and the soul fluctuation also teleported to a location more than ten meters away.

Just at that moment, someone had used an extremely clever puppetry secret method to replace the person in his hand!

Suren squinted and looked over, and just saw a white-haired old man appear in the exhibition hall, with Elsa, who was standing beside him gasping for breath, bowing.

The person who came was none other than Elsa's teacher, Aubrey Hernandez, the chairman of the Ruen Puppeteer Guild!

Aubrey looked at the murderous Suren, and even as a Tier 7 professional, he felt a strange palpitation.

As a top professional's intuition, he judged that the man in the trench coat in front of him was very strong!

Looking at the black raven again, he vaguely guessed Suren's identity.

Although there were countless people in Lunden with black raven pets these days, all imitating the famous "Grim Reaper Puppet Master".

But low-level professionals could be said to be imitating, but high-level professionals... were probably too lazy to imitate.

Suren saw that the dignified Tier 7 professional, the Grandmaster Aubrey, the chairman of the Puppeteer Guild, had come in person, but he didn't intend to back down at all.

On the contrary, because this guy had saved the person he wanted to kill, the killing intent in his heart became even more agitated.

Protecting cubs without reason?

You protect, why shouldn't I protect!

Aubrey didn't know why a high-level professional harbored such a great killing intent towards his Tier 2 disciple, but he also guessed that there might be some reason and cautiously asked, "Who is Your Excellency, and why are you attacking my disciple?"

Suren sneered and said, "My disciple Kama Boyle was kidnapped. It was done by the lady next to you. Now I just want to get an answer, where is my disciple?"

He also wanted to see how this old man would speak!

Hearing the name "Kama Boyle", Aubrey's face changed slightly.

As the chairman of the Puppeteer Guild, he instantly thought of that talented puppet girl who had tied for first place in the Puppeteer Competition with his disciple before.

So this was her teacher?

Instantly, the old man also understood the reason for the matter.

His disciple did have some arrogant temper from a noble family, and it seemed she had kidnapped that Miss Kama out of jealousy.

Although Aubrey also felt that this behavior was wrong, now was not the time to say this.

In any case, he could never watch his disciple be killed.

Karoline, who was on the side, felt stable when Aubrey came.

But at the same time, a touch of guilt rose.

This place was not far from the Puppeteer Guild on Firearm Street. When she came, she thought that there might be situations she couldn't handle, so she notified the Alchemist Guild headquarters a few blocks away.

Now that the Tier 7 professional had come, Miss Elsa was naturally not in danger.

But she was a little worried about this "Mr. Nicholas" in front of her.

After all, no matter what, Elsa was at fault for this kidnapping, and it was reasonable for the other party to come to seek justice.

Besides, "Nicholas" had helped a lot on the cruise ship before, and she owed him a favor.

Karoline's mood was very contradictory.

Ruen's law served the nobles. Now that the crime of attacking a noble had been established, if something went wrong, it would be "Nicholas" whose life was in danger.

Afraid that things would get out of hand, she quickly interjected, "There may be some misunderstanding..."

However, Suren ignored this woman's intention to please both sides and, in front of the old man, asked again, "So, where exactly is my disciple now?"

...

Aubrey's face was gloomy upon hearing this. He didn't know about this matter and didn't know how to respond for a while.

His disciple was young and impulsive, and it was understandable that she acted recklessly.

No matter how thick-skinned he was, it was impossible for him to reverse right and wrong.

But just then, Elsa, who had recovered from the intense feeling of suffocation, also came back to her senses.

After the ecstasy of surviving, she felt an unprecedented humiliation in her heart, and the evil fire in her heart suddenly rose again.

Now that her teacher had arrived, there was nothing to worry about anymore.

She arrogantly and arrogantly admitted everything, a morbid sarcasm on her face, "Hmph! So what if I arranged for someone to kidnap her? I not only had her kidnapped, but I also had someone kill that bitch. What can you do? You damned commoner, you still want to kill me?"

Since she had offended him to the death, it was best to kill this kind of enemy on the spot and never leave any future troubles!

Saying this, she took out a box from her storage ring and deliberately slammed it hard on the ground.

The box shattered on the ground, and two bloody severed hands fell out instantly.

Seeing this scene, Aubrey frowned, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He knew that his disciple's character had a bit of noble arrogance, but she shouldn't be so reckless.

But there was no time to stop her.

With these words, Suren, looking at the pair of bloody severed hands on the ground, immediately confirmed that these were Kama's hands!

This woman was obviously playing tricks, forcing him to take action.

She also wanted to rely on her teacher to kill him on the spot!

Hehe!

Things had come to this point, there was no need for any communication at all.

Suren's eyes flashed fiercely, and he magically took out the Black Scythe and slashed at Elsa in the distance.

With a "clang", the spatial crack slashed by the Black Scythe hit a puppet.

Aubrey flicked a thread with his finger, and looked at his protective puppet that had been slashed with a large gap, his eyes full of coldness.

A dignified Grandmaster also had a temper. Being threatened by someone pointing at his nose and even attacked, a fire inexplicably rose in the old man's heart. He suppressed his anger and said, "Your Excellency doesn't think that with me here, I can still allow you to kill someone, right?"

A red light flashed in Suren's eyes, and facing the pressure of a Tier 7 professional, he was fearless, and his killing intent overflowed, "I can't protect the person I want to kill!"

The conspiracy and calculations had been clear so far, but he wasn't sure who was causing trouble.

Whether this Elsa lived or died wouldn't turn the situation around.

But not killing her wouldn't calm his anger!

Since there was a conspiracy, he might as well make it bigger and see how many people this conspiracy could pull out!