Facing Malice, Acting with Impunity

It felt like the time he had won first place at the school sports meet. His emotions soared uncontrollably, excitement and joy filling his eyes, residual heat lingering over his body. Listening to the broadcast music and the spectators' cheers, he had felt as though he had taken a step toward his dream and become an amazing kid.

Only this time, it was a hundred times stronger.

Northwest London, beneath the manor.

Saying he was not nervous would have been a lie. Thinking back to how he had just broken through the gang's blockade and wagered his life against a B-Rank enemy, the addictive thrill and exhilaration of unleashing his full strength and racing wildly through the night, Fang Ran looked at the wreckage and rubble of the manor's underground space, unable to describe how he felt at this moment.

He only felt extraordinarily happy and exhilarated.

When was the last time he had felt this way?

Ah, when he had helped the police catch an escaped criminal at the mall.

Remembering a few things from long ago and figuring out his next move, Fang Ran confirmed that the Strange Sphere he had recovered and the underground space contained no further clues. Holding his abdomen, he found the elevator and prepared to leave.

But before leaving, he suddenly noticed something beside a heap of ruins formed from debris scattered across the hall floor.

A mechanical cube flickering with a faint azure glow.

"Hm?"

He stopped and walked over. Without rashly touching it, he bent down to examine it first. Instinctively sensing that it seemed to be a communication device, he ultimately reached out and picked it up—

The conference channel Fred had been reporting to before being interrupted by Gluttony reconnected. The projection expanded, and Fang Ran's gaze shifted slightly