Having fought alongside each other for so many years, Drumph knew Zahilter’s character all too well. If Zahilter was genuinely offering help, Drumph would dare to eat the meeting table in front of him.
At that moment, the burly man who had been the first to leave the meeting room spoke up. “Chairman Drumph, Mr. Zahilter and Young Master Zadownlow are here to help with the clearing of the cities in the northern district. You don’t need to be so opposed.”
The short-statured team leader beside him also added, “With only this few people from Morning Star, how long will it take to clear the entire northern district? Mr. Zahilter’s willingness to help is a great opportunity!”
“It’s nothing,” Zahilter waved his hand dismissively. “Monsters are a threat to all of humanity, so our Willow Family naturally wants to do our part.”
Then, he pointed to the group of people behind him, narrowing his eyes and smiling. “Apart from these people, our Willow Family can send more players to help, and we don’t want anything in return.”
“Drumph, although we have some old grievances between us, when it comes to something like this, I don’t need to deceive you. I hope you don’t reject my offer due to personal grudges.”
What’s his real motive?
Both Luca and Drumph furrowed their brows. Naturally, they didn’t believe a word of Zahilter’s claims.
It was obvious that he had some hidden agenda, but unfortunately, their information was limited.
Drumph turned his gaze toward Zahilter, his expression hardening. “I don’t know what your Willow Family is up to, but the northern district doesn’t need your help. We can handle it ourselves.”
At these words, the burly man, Zheng Chenggong, sneered. “With just your people, by the time the monsters arrive, you won’t even be able to clear half of the cities in the northern district.”
“I advise you to think carefully, Chairman Drumph. This kind of opportunity is something the people from other districts would love to have, but they can’t even get it.”
Beside him, the short man, Otownroad, also sneered. “Exactly. Instead of sending your Morning Star people to their deaths, only to fail to complete the plan, why not cooperate with us and clear the northern district together?”
Many of the former Morning Star members who had left earlier now joined in, obviously having been swayed by Zahilter beforehand. No wonder they had exited so decisively.
This caused a stir in the conference room, and many of the remaining members felt anger rising within them. Yelling, sitting at the table, shouted angrily, “You traitors have already left Morning Star. You have no right to lecture Chairman Drumph!”
“You’re not welcome here.” Donlow immediately stood up, his voice cold. “Either leave now, or I’ll make you leave. You can choose.”
Quagmire, Melania, and others also placed their hands on their weapons, their eyes cold as they glared at Zahilter and his group.
“Drumph, I think it’s about time you controlled your people,” Zahilter said calmly, showing no signs of panic. “Didn’t you tell them that when elders speak, the younger generation should keep their mouths shut?”
Yelling, furious, retorted, “You bastard! You’ve bribed our people, and yet you still have the nerve to—” Read exclusive content at empire
“If you don’t know how to speak properly, I can teach you,” Zadownlow, who had been lounging, spoke in a disinterested tone. As soon as the words left his mouth, there was no sign of him moving, but suddenly, he vanished from his spot in the blink of an eye.
Everyone in the room was startled.
“Watch out!” By the time they reacted, Zadownlow had already appeared behind Yelling, his eyes burning with black flames as he reached out to grab Yelling by the neck.
How fast!
Yelling’s face changed in shock. His heart raced as he tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
It looked as though he would be immobilized by the next move, but just as Zadownlow’s hand was about to make contact, a hand burning with golden flames shot out from the side and grabbed Zadownlow’s wrist with a fierce grip.
Luca spoke indifferently, “This is not a place for you to run wild.”
“Oh?” Zadownlow was taken aback, surprised that his attack was blocked. He turned his head to look at Luca. In their eyes, one was filled with swirling black flames, while the other flickered with golden fire.
“Interesting.” Zadownlow chuckled lightly. “I didn’t expect Morning Star to have someone like this. This is certainly getting more interesting. Looks like my visit wasn’t in vain.”
Sensing the force in his wrist, Luca’s eyes narrowed. “Indeed, it’s interesting.”
Because Luca realized that the strength Zadownlow was showing was clearly at Platinum Grade!
Even in the game, only a few players might reach such a level, and considering the game had yet to descend, the fact that this person already possessed this kind of power was astonishing.
“Zahilter, do you really think I can’t handle your Willow Family?” Drumph suddenly slammed his hand on the table, standing up in fury, his eyes glaring at Zahilter.
To dare make a move in front of him wasn’t just arrogant—it was as if Zahilter didn’t even regard Morning Star or the authorities!
At this point, the guards and Morning Star members snapped out of their shock. They immediately drew their weapons, aiming them at Zahilter and his group. The sounds of gun chambers being clicked into place filled the room.
“Calm down, it’s just that the younger generation doesn’t know any better. Don’t lose your temper,” Zahilter immediately softened his tone, but his eyes shifted to Luca, his gaze taking on a peculiar edge.
He was well aware of his grandson’s strength. Originally, he thought Morning Star was just a group of amateurs, but he hadn’t expected someone like Luca to be among them.
“Take your people and get out now, or you can stay here and see if I dare to follow through on that,” Drumph’s voice was calm, but it sent a chill down Zahilter’s spine.
Realizing that Drumph was truly serious this time, with a murderous intent, Zahilter didn’t say another word. He waved his hand and said, “Let’s go.”
“We’ll meet again. I hope next time you can still stop me,” Zadownlow said with a deep look at Luca. He then broke free from Luca’s grip and turned to leave the meeting room with Zahilter.
Once the Willow Family members had left, Donlow gritted his teeth and said, “Grandfather, the Willow Family is too arrogant. I don’t understand why we didn’t just kill them.”
Kanade and the others also felt a simmering anger. How dare these powerful families come to Morning Star’s branch and cause trouble? These people were completely out of control.
Drumph sighed. “The Willow Family and the James Family are both major powers with deep roots. They have too many vested interests tied up with others. It’s not something we can just kill them for.”
Donlow, still furious, retorted, “So, this matter just ends here?”
“Of course not,” Drumph’s expression turned cold. “Morning Star may have only been established recently, but it’s not something that anyone can trample on. These two will pay for what they’ve done today.”
…
Outside the Morning Star branch, several black luxury cars were parked on the street.
Zahilter and his group walked out of the building, their faces dark with anger.
Detriumph tried to comfort them, “Mr. Zahilter, don’t be upset. Not accepting our help is their loss. When the monsters are being dealt with, they’ll realize how foolish their decision today was!”
Otownroad, standing next to him, nodded in agreement. “That’s right. They’ll regret it when the time comes.”
The others also joined in, sharply criticizing Drumph, while praising Zahilter and his group profusely.
Zahilter glanced at them, suppressing his disgust, and waved his hand. “You all head back first. I’ll send money to your accounts later. Wait for my instructions.”
Without waiting for the ecstatic Detriumph and the others to respond, Zahilter and Zadownlow got into the car.
“You shouldn’t have made a move earlier,” Zahilter glanced at his grandson. “With Drumph’s temper, he won’t let this slide easily. Now, we’ve put ourselves in a passive position.”
“So what?” Zadownlow leaned back against the window, casually playing with the black flames in his hand. “They’re a bunch of people about to die. Why bother caring about what they think?”
Zahilter furrowed his brow. “But the person who sealed the Black Mountain node— we still haven’t found them. Now that we’ve made an enemy of Drumph and Morning Star, it will be much harder to locate them.”
“You should understand, this is the opportunity given to us by Zenith Technology Company. As long as we can kill that person, the Willow Family will no longer have to worry about future disasters and turmoil. At that point, the Willow Family will…”
“You’ve already said that hundreds of times,” Zadownlow suddenly interrupted his grandfather.
“And I think I’ve already found that person,” Zadownlow said, his gaze falling on the dark burn mark on his wrist. A cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
…
After the meeting concluded, Luca and Quagmire, along with the others, left the Morning Star branch. By this time, the sky had completely darkened. The cool breeze carried a slight chill, and the city’s neon lights shone brightly, though there weren’t many pedestrians on the streets.
The group discussed for a while and eventually decided to head back to Celephais that night.
One reason was that the distance wasn’t far; they should be able to reach there before midnight. The other reason was that Fuzzsir had mentioned he wouldn’t be able to get up the next morning.
If they waited until tomorrow to return, they might not reach Celephais until the afternoon. The others didn’t mind much, as Donlow and Melania were already living in Water City.
But Luca’s family was in Celephais, and he couldn’t afford to stay away for too long. Everyone knew about the earlier assassination attempt on him, and they understood his concerns. So, taking advantage of the early hour, they set off on their journey back.
When Yelling and his group saw that Quagmire’s team was heading straight for Celephais, they decided to go along as well, to make tomorrow’s actions more convenient.
Soon, a long convoy was on its way to Celephais.
Not long after, Luca was dropped off at a villa on the outskirts of the city.
After setting up the time for tomorrow and saying goodbye to Quagmire and the others, Luca watched as the tail lights of the convoy gradually disappeared into the distance. He then turned away, walking into the darkness.
Although Zadownlow had hidden it well during the meeting, Luca had still sensed a faint trace of murderous intent in his eyes.
Luca wasn’t sure why the young man wanted to kill him, but he didn’t think it was because he had stopped him from attacking Yelling.
He had intended to ask Zadownlow some questions anyway, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
“Hopefully, they’ll be sensible about this, and I won’t have to exert too much effort,” the young man murmured to himself as his figure slowly disappeared into the darkness.