Southwind City's Second Generation: Assassination!

He had wanted to ask where it came from, but the words changed at his lips. "You want to sell this?"

"Yeah." Su Chen revealed a shy smile. "I don't know where the black market is, and I'm young. I'm worried about getting scammed."

"If it's not too much trouble, after selling it, please help me buy some Blackflame Potions."

Still putting on quite an act, Fatty Sun thought to himself. After a brief pause, he said, "If you need potions, don't sell it on the black market. Just treat it as something you seized."

"Handing in seized items can be converted into internal Inspection Department points at fifty percent of market price. But this thing is contraband and has no standard market price, so I can raise the valuation a little."

"Potion-type support items can also be exchanged with internal Inspection Department points at fifty percent of market price, and it'll count as a small merit."

Getting paid twice from one fish. After hearing this, Su Chen understood the logic and immediately looked at him with solemn respect. "I'll have to trouble you, Brother Sun."

"It's nothing. I'll handle it for you." Fatty Sun left with a beaming smile.

After becoming Yuan Chenyang's student, it seemed that everything had changed.

Su Chen sighed to himself. After resting for a while, he left when the time was about right and headed for the location written on the invitation.

Clearshore Hotel was located in the center of Southwind City, practically directly beneath the artificial light source.

Though it was evening, the place remained brightly lit. Private hovercars of all kinds continuously came and went, their passengers all dressed in lavish attire.

Su Chen arrived downstairs in an Inspection Department vehicle. Looking up, he saw the artificial light source hanging in the sky.

Its academic name was Skyglow. Southwind City lacked the technological capability to manufacture it; it came from Ying Feng.

From what little he understood, much of Southwind City's technology originated from Ying Feng, an incomparably vast megacity that governed Southwind City and other cities like it.

After he handed over his invitation, an attendant led him upstairs. The banquet was being held in a private room. The moment the door opened, soft music drifted out. Quite a few people had already arrived, all of them young.

As the door opened, their conversations abruptly stopped. Their gazes swept toward him, filled with scrutiny, confusion, and surprise...

"So it's Lord Su Chen..." someone suddenly called out loudly, enthusiastically stepping forward while introducing him to the others. "This is Inspector Yuan's newly accepted student. He was the one ordered to infiltrate the place, recover the stolen Holy Word Stone, and slaughter the Azure-Scaled Lion pack."

Some came to a realization, some were indifferent, and some grew even more astonished.

They were no strangers to that name. Almost everyone present knew it; Zhou Zong had only died recently.

Even though they all had different thoughts, they still introduced themselves one after another. As Yuan Chenyang's student, he was qualified to stand on equal footing with them.

"...Shi Haoqiang..."

"The second son of Deputy Minister Shi from the Exploration Department..."

"...Zhu Mingxu..."

"The eldest son of Minister Zhu from the City Patrol..."

"...Tian Lan..."

"The third daughter of Deputy Minister Tian from the Research Department..."

Whenever someone stepped forward, the person beside Su Chen would quietly introduce that person's background.

Once the introductions were over, the group scattered. No one really came to chat with him, aside from the fellow beside him.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. Du Yu." He had a close-cropped haircut and sharp brows. In a low voice, he said, "My father is one of the deputy ministers of the Inspection Department and an old subordinate of Minister Yuan."

Oh... Judging by his background, he was one of their own. Su Chen understood.

"Don't mind it. These people aren't familiar with you either," Du Yu said.

He said this because everyone else had gathered in groups of twos and threes, while their side was rather deserted.

Su Chen did not care. These second-generation heirs all had high status. Some of their fathers even stood on the same level as Old Yuan, so there was no need for them to be overly warm toward him.

He really was steady-minded... Du Yu looked at him with some surprise. What he did not say was that part of this coldness stemmed from Su Chen's refugee background.

More and more people arrived, and the two found a corner to stay in.

"Not bad... This meat is pretty tender..." Su Chen kept sampling the food. Since crossing over, the best meal he had eaten was the one at Jiang He's home that day.

Every so often, covert gazes swept over him before their owners secretly shook their heads.

The atmosphere remained peaceful until—

"Hengyu is here!"

Someone shouted, and the indifference on everyone's faces seemed to melt away. They hurried toward the entrance with smiles on their faces.

"Zhang Hengyu..." Su Chen could not help looking over as well, wanting to see the talented man who had taken the blame for him twice.

He did resemble that city lord by fifty or sixty percent, but he seemed rather cold by nature. His face was expressionless as his gaze swept around the room.

Behind him stood a tall woman with a gentle smile, fiery red lips, and alluring eyes.

Gulp!

Su Chen clearly heard someone beside him swallow.

Meeting Su Chen's disdainful gaze, Du Yu gave an embarrassed smile and hastily explained, "That's Zhang Yunqing. Her personality is awful. All of us have been taught a lesson by her before."

"Of course, that kind of older sister was also deadly to us back then."

"But..." Du Yu changed the subject again, pretending to ponder. "She went to Ying Feng a long time ago, then suddenly came back four months ago. I don't know what she's here for."

The arrival of Zhang Hengyu and Zhang Yunqing seemed to give the banquet a center, and everyone gathered around them.

Zhang Hengyu was clearly uncomfortable with it, but Zhang Yunqing was perfectly at ease. She occasionally shared amusing stories, keeping the atmosphere lively.

As the conversation deepened, Zhang Yunqing brought up Ying Feng, and Su Chen listened carefully.

The gap between the lower class and people like them was not merely one of wealth, power, or talent.

Many of the things Zhang Yunqing spoke about were things Su Chen had almost no way of learning.

Even many topics this group had discussed earlier were things he knew nothing about.

For example, peak first-tier classes.

Only then did Su Chen learn that even in Ying Feng, peak first-tier classes were extremely rare. There seemed to be no more than five, and every one of them was tightly controlled. Only after passing layers of review could someone obtain one.

Yet at the second tier, they were not rarer. There were actually more of them, while third-tier ones became scarce again.

"The first tier is the beginning of a class. It's like striving for perfection within a limited range, which is extremely difficult," Zhang Yunqing explained. "At the second and third tiers, the stage becomes much broader, so top-tier classes are actually more likely to emerge."

"Of course, that ease is only relative."

"No wonder Old Yuan reacted that way..." Su Chen clicked his tongue. If he had not pinned the source of the peak class on Yuan Chenyang, there would probably have been major trouble.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but while discussing this matter, Zhang Yunqing's gaze occasionally flicked toward him.

"But within any given tier, don't obsess too much over reaching the peak. I've seen quite a few fairly talented people who insisted on pursuing those peak classes." Zhang Yunqing revealed a sorrowful expression. "In the end, they died to the advancement requirements."

"Peak classes are powerful, but compared with superior classes, their difficulty nearly doubles."

Su Chen deeply agreed. When he became a Mystic Artificer, he had nearly died in the process.

She emphasized, "And no matter how powerful a class in the next tier is, it's still difficult for it to defeat an ordinary class in a higher tier."

"Is something wrong with Zhang Hengyu's head?" Su Chen turned and asked quietly. "Why has he been staring at me the whole time?"

Du Yu was currently immersed in the gentle teachings of an older sister. Hearing this, he looked over, then grinned. "He's curious."

"I heard it from my father. If not for your refugee status, the identity for this trip to Ying Feng might not have gone to him."

"That guy is a little stubborn. This kind of victory is hard for him to accept. I bet he wants to defeat you head-on to prove himself."

"You know about it too?" Su Chen asked in surprise.

Du Yu waved a hand in explanation. "Only the upper ranks know, so don't worry... Since the city lord agreed, no one will dare stroke his tiger's whiskers."

"He doesn't know that I took out the Azure-Scaled Lion pack aside from the leader?" Su Chen asked.

"That was real?" Du Yu was stunned.

Su Chen was speechless.

Du Yu stared at him in astonishment and explained, "The rumors outside are too outrageous. They say you wiped out the whole lion pack in less than a minute, and even scared the leader away. Only a second-tier classholder could have that kind of strength, right?"

Su Chen understood. There had been quite a few witnesses at the time, but rumors distorted by repeated retellings had instead made the truth seem less believable.

He guessed few of these people truly believed it.

"Congratulations to Hengyu for having such a smooth journey in Ying Feng..." Zhang Yunqing raised her glass, and everyone else offered their congratulations as well. Attendants moved through the crowd, serving drinks.

Su Chen and Du Yu did not stand apart either, casually taking glasses from an attendant beside them.

But just as they raised their hands, Su Chen's expression shifted slightly. With his left hand, he grabbed Du Yu.

Du Yu looked dazed. Before he could react, a tremendous force struck him. His vision spun, and he was sent flying backward.

At the same time, Su Chen raised his right hand. Soundlessly, blue-gold metal threads wrapped around his arm.

Clang!

Sparks burst from the metal. The attendant beside him had actually drawn a slender dagger from beneath the metal tray. The blade glowed a dark green as it stabbed straight toward him.

At the same time, another attendant opposite him launched an attack.

"Looking to die!" A cold glint flashed through Su Chen's eyes as Spirit Spike locked onto its target.

The attacker in front of him swayed, then froze in place.

Twisting at the waist, Su Chen spun and threw a punch.

Bang!

Accompanied by the dull sound of cracking bones, the attacker behind him had his chest cave in. His eyes bulged, and he died on the spot.

A strand of metal thread split from Su Chen's arm and wrapped around the dagger. With a sharp tug, he sent it shooting out like a dart, striking the opposing attacker in the head with the hilt.

Bang!

The man toppled backward, blood bursting from his forehead.

Su Chen's actions unfolded in the blink of an eye. By the time Du Yu reacted, all he saw were two corpses lying on the floor.

"Ass-assassins!?" He froze for a moment before crying out in shock.

Both were first-tier classholders, yet he had barely managed to react.

Only then did the others turn around in confusion. Seeing Su Chen's bleeding arm and the corpses on the ground, their hearts jolted in alarm.

Zhang Hengyu's pupils contracted slightly, while Zhang Yunqing's peach-blossom eyes narrowed.

Whoosh—

A shadow suddenly shot out from behind a nearby curtain. Like a venomous snake, it had lurked silently for a long time, waiting only to deliver a fatal blow.

It was so fast that Su Chen could barely react.

A second-tier classholder! That was the only thought in his mind.

But faster than his thoughts was the assassin's body flying backward.

Boom!

The whole person was embedded in the wall, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Su Chen looked at the figure standing in front of him, his bald head gleaming brightly.

I knew it... He secretly curled his lip, but still shouted excitedly, "Teacher!"

"Black Tuo will watch you forever!" The figure embedded in the wall roared. His pupils were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Su Chen. "You ruined Black Tuo's plan. Black Tuo will not let you go. Just wait for death!"

He let out a crazed laugh. Blood flowed from his pupils, his entire body convulsed, and he gradually fell silent.

Bang!

The banquet hall doors suddenly opened, and fully armed Inspection Department guards swiftly entered to collect the bodies.

"This one is still alive," an Inspection Department guard reported. It was the man whose head had been struck by the dagger hilt.

"Oh..." Yuan Chenyang glanced at him. "Take him back for interrogation."

Only then did the others finally snap out of it.

"Inspector Yuan, what is this?" Zhang Yunqing stepped forward to ask. Her gaze swept over Su Chen, her expression displeased.

"Nothing. Just an assassination." Yuan Chenyang was expressionless.

Just... an assassination?

Everyone looked at Su Chen with complicated expressions. Judging from where the bodies had fallen, they knew how narrowly he had escaped danger.

Yet before they had even turned their heads, Su Chen had already dealt with both attackers. That level of reaction and decisiveness was chilling, and he looked utterly unconcerned.

Were refugee mindsets all this fierce?