Contract

After the man in black turned into the dim alley, he did not leave, but instead pulled a small Den Den Mushi from his robes and dialed a number.

"Lord Toby, I have brought the people to the slave market as you instructed!"

Once the connection was made, the man in black spoke first to the person on the other end.

"Are you certain? Are they the two people I wanted?"

"It is confirmed. One is The Undying Chen Qiang, and the other is a young girl. She looks exactly like the description you provided!"

"Good! Tell your men to keep watching and ensure they enter my playground!"

"Understood! I understand, Lord Toby! I guarantee I will not let you down!"

Hearing the satisfied tone from the other side, the man in black felt his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settle. Upon hearing the subsequent arrangements, he offered his assurance.

"Damn it! Out of over a hundred intelligence brokers in this city, why did they have to pick me!"

After hanging up the phone, the leader of the men in black punched the wall beside him in a fit of rage; it was clear he had no desire to be involved in this matter.

After all, on one side was the city's underground emperor, and on the other was The Undying Chen Qiang, who carried a bounty of two hundred million—with another two hundred million for his capture alive. Both were figures he could not afford to offend, yet he was now forced to accept arrangements from both sides, leaving him caught in the middle. How could he not be furious?

However, despite his anger, he had to do what was required. After all, this was an order from Toby, the underground emperor of Copperfield. If he offended Chen Qiang, he could at most flee the city and hope the man couldn't find him, but if he offended Toby, he would be hunted down and killed by the man's pursuit squads no matter where he ran. That was a price he could not pay; he still had matters of great importance left unfinished.

So, there was no choice. No matter how much he loathed being dragged into this, he had to carry out Toby's orders carefully and execute them perfectly.

After venting his frustration, the leader calmed down and quickly used his organization's secret code to contact his subordinates, relaying the instructions he had just received.

Still, he figured that just watching them enter the largest and most luxurious building in the slave market—the palace known as Toby's Playground—should be simple enough, as he had already seen them heading in that direction.

Furthermore, when he had left earlier, the man in black had noticed that the members of the Defu Slave Group whom Chen Qiang was looking for were standing right at the entrance of the playground. He assumed that, too, was an arrangement by Lord Toby, intended to lure them into the playground before making a move.

Though he did not know Toby's true intentions, the leader knew that, for him, there should be nothing left to do.

As Chen Qiang led Lin toward Toby's Playground, they were quickly spotted by the members of the Defu Slave Group standing at the entrance. Upon discovering Chen Qiang's presence, these men swiftly retreated from the gate and disappeared into the playground.

By the time Chen Qiang reached the entrance, they were already gone. This time, however, Chen Qiang did not follow them inside immediately; instead, he stopped at the threshold.

"What's wrong? Those people just went in. If we chase them now, we'll definitely find them, and then we can find our fellow villagers sooner!"

Seeing Chen Qiang stop suddenly, Lin, who was beside him, grew anxious. They were so close to finding the people who had raised her; how could she not be worried when he stopped at such a moment?

Chen Qiang did not respond to Lin's anxiety. Instead, he stared intently at the magnificent building before them, his brows furrowed.

"Wait! We need to make some preparations before going in. This might turn into a tough fight."

Chen Qiang did not answer Lin directly. Instead, he caught hold of her as she tried to rush in on her own. After a moment of thought, he spoke to her.

With that, Chen Qiang took Lin's hand and led her into a quieter, less crowded alleyway.

"Come, we are going to sign a Symbiotic Contract. If you get hurt later, the damage will be transferred to me."

Once inside the alley, Chen Qiang didn't offer an explanation; he simply crouched down and spoke to her.

"Ah?" Lin looked at Chen Qiang, clearly confused as to why he wanted to sign a contract with her.

"I sense a very powerful presence inside that building. The person is not beneath me—they might even be stronger. If a fight breaks out, I might not be able to protect you. My ability is super-speed regeneration; no matter how severe the injury, I can recover quickly. Signing this contract is the only way I can ensure your safety. Otherwise, I won't take you in."

Seeing the confusion in Lin's eyes, Chen Qiang knew she wouldn't agree without a clear explanation. After all, in the young girl's kind heart, the people she had previously forced into substitute contracts were all bad people who deserved it, but Chen Qiang was a good person. How could she sign a contract that would transfer her injuries onto him? It clearly went against her conscience.

So, when she heard the first part of Chen Qiang's words, Lin was clearly hesitant. But when she heard that he wouldn't take her inside unless she agreed, her internal struggle eased significantly.

"Are you telling the truth? Do you really have the ability of super-speed regeneration?" Still, before acting, Lin asked with some hesitation.

"Rest assured, I wouldn't lie to you. Besides, after signing the contract, won't you also gain a portion of my abilities? You can check for yourself once it's done."

"Alright then!"

After receiving Chen Qiang's repeated assurances, Lin finally agreed. Purple light began to glow in her hands, slowly condensing into a purple rune. At the same time, she began to chant.

"With the heavens as my witness, by my name, and with blood as the catalyst, I forge the eternal guardian contract. Condense!"

As Lin uttered the final word, the purple light in her hands vanished, and a fully formed purple rune floated before Chen Qiang and Lin.

"Alright, just drip a drop of blood onto it! That will complete the contract." Having said this, Lin bit her finger first and let her blood fall onto the purple rune.

"Are all contracts this theatrical? What a strange ability."

Though Chen Qiang was puzzled by the dramatic nature of the contract created by the fruit, he followed his intuition, bit his finger, and let his blood drip onto the purple rune.

Once Chen Qiang's blood touched the rune, it quickly split into two in mid-air, flying into the bodies of Chen Qiang and Lin respectively. As the light entered them, both felt as if an invisible, intangible thread had linked them together.

If they focused hard enough, they could even follow that sensation to vaguely perceive the other's inner thoughts.