The Real Wanted Criminal

"Eh?! Why?!" An Hui looked anxiously at Kevin and Lin Shuyao. "Senior..."

Lin Shuyao had already sensed that something was off. Watching Kevin sit beside Ron with practiced ease, she frowned.

"You... know each other?"

"Yes, we do." Kevin nodded firmly, then added, "We met today."

"But sorry, Senior, I really can't introduce him to a job."

Kevin spoke frankly. "Otherwise, if Ron's training gets delayed and he fails to take first place in Moen University's physics department in the future, Teacher will break my legs."

An Hui: "...?"

Lin Shuyao: "...?"

Ron: "..."

Moen University?

First place in the physics department?

Teacher?

"Today isn't April Fools' Day, Kevin."

Lin Shuyao became serious.

"Making fun of a classmate from the slums isn't funny. Students from Moen University shouldn't have such poor character either."

"No, no, I'm serious, Boss."

Kevin hurriedly raised both hands in surrender.

"That was Teacher's requirement for Ron. You know which teacher I mean—how would I dare make jokes about him?

"But I understand why you're confused. Ron probably hasn't had time to tell you yet.

"He's not some powerless person, nor is he a useless deadbeat drowning in debt."

As An Hui and Lin Shuyao watched in mild confusion, Kevin casually threw an arm around Ron's shoulders and solemnly introduced him to them.

"He's my junior apprentice, Teacher's personally chosen final disciple, a genuine genius.

"Someone whose ability model was so complex that he only successfully awakened recently, someone Teacher only discovered today—a one-in-ten-thousand rarity among Ideal City's ability users.

"A rough gem that revealed itself late."

Kevin spread his hands, practically delighted. "Tell me, Senior."

"Could I still introduce a job to someone in that situation?"

Lin Shuyao fell silent.

It was very awkward.

Ron fell silent too.

He was even more awkward.

Only An Hui—

She first looked Ron over in confusion. Only after Ron nodded to confirm it did she spring up from her seat. Judging by her posture, she was one step away from jumping onto the table.

Then she let out a shout.

"Ron! I knew you could do it!"

Her joy was plainly heartfelt.

The atmosphere at the dinner table immediately grew livelier.

Or rather, An Hui had been the only one chattering all along.

...Perhaps this was the happiest thing that had happened to her in a very long time.

Kevin and Lin Shuyao did not seem particularly familiar with each other. Seeing that he had nothing to do here, Kevin answered a call and left early.

After dinner, while An Hui went alone to pay the bill, Lin Shuyao tugged at Ron's sleeve, looking a little awkward.

"I'm sorry..."

She turned her face away, though the tips of her ears had turned bright red. "I thought Huihui was like I used to be... I wrongly blamed you."

Like she used to be?

No wonder she had reacted so strongly. So Senior Lin had been harassed by vampires before.

Ron understood, then said earnestly, "It was all a misunderstanding... I should be thanking you for caring about me, Senior."

Senior really was an honest person.

Not only was she eager to help others and stand up for justice, she even took the initiative to apologize.

No wonder even Kevin called her Boss.

"That's because of Huihui." Lin Shuyao waved a hand. "She really... cares a lot about you."

As she spoke, Lin Shuyao blinked, and the look she gave Ron carried a fair amount of gossiping curiosity.

Unfortunately, An Hui returned just then after paying the bill. Humming softly, she waved the receipt and bounced back into the room.

"You two, what were you talking about behind my back?"

"We were praising you." Lin Shuyao rolled her eyes and rose from her seat. "All right, it's getting late. I'll head back first."

As she spoke, she looked at Ron and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Old Deng's student... I look forward to seeing what you can do, Ron."

"I'll be waiting for you at Moen University."

When she turned and left, her cool, dashing presence returned.

She became that stern, serious Boss who rarely smiled.

Ron watched the Boss leave, feeling somewhat emotional.

But when he turned around, he ran into An Hui's gloomy gaze.

"Now that there are no outsiders around, we have time to settle the score...

"You awakened your ability and didn't tell me. What were you trying to do, Ron?"

Ron scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"I just didn't get the chance..."

"But still, that's good."

An Hui's voice suddenly softened, carrying the relief of a weight being lifted.

She suddenly clenched her fist and punched Ron hard. "It's all over now."

"If something had really happened to you, if you'd gotten into trouble because of those loans, I honestly wouldn't have known what to do."

"These days... must have been really hard, right?"

Ron froze for a moment. When he looked up, he met An Hui's eyes directly.

"Mm... it was okay?"

"You make it sound so easy. Looks like you're pretty satisfied with your ability now, huh?"

An Hui gave a soft snort.

"First place in the entrance exam... do you know how many opponents you'll have to face?

"That includes me."

"Challenge me?" An Hui lifted her chin slightly. "Are you ready for that?"

"..." Ron's lips curled faintly.

A long-lost sense of familiarity returned to his heart.

"Challenge you? Heh... Huihui, you're the challenger!"

"I don't care. If you've got the skills, prove it to me. I'm definitely still stronger..."

"Heh, do you know what happens to the overconfident..."

Bickering, the two of them unknowingly walked out of the hotel.

Before long, the taxi Ron had called arrived.

"When you get home later, remember to message me."

Ron spoke as he opened the door of the taxi that had just arrived.

"Oh, right!" An Hui suddenly leaned against Ron's car window again and earnestly reminded him.

"You have to be careful on the way back. That murderer I told you about is still wandering around District D. It's a critical time with the college entrance exams coming up, so don't let anything happen to you!"

"..."

Ron felt strangely amused.

Was she reminding the murderer to be careful of him?

Interesting.

Did she know that the car she was stopping was the death shuttle of that cold-blooded killer?

...With An Hui's concern in his heart, Ron drove past the border between districts. Before long, the surrounding buildings became shorter and more densely packed.

Illegal shacks and piles of trash scattered everywhere came into view, instantly giving Ron the feeling of coming home.

In an alley not far from his home, Ron got out of the taxi while humming a tune and strolled leisurely toward home.

But just as he turned from the path into another alley before his house, a flicker of fire suddenly lit up in the distance.

Specks of flame hung in the air, illuminating someone hidden in the darkness of the alley—

He wore a Noah Pharmaceuticals uniform, his suit neatly pressed, yet it could not conceal his conspicuously round beer belly.

It was obvious that the man had made a serious effort to groom himself, but he still could not hide the changes that years of overtime work had wrought upon his face.

Yet this utterly ordinary middle-aged office worker was doing something far from ordinary at that moment—

He was gripping an elderly sanitation worker in a sanitation uniform, a cruel grin on his face.

"Heh heh... another poor bastard, and powerless too. An old thing like you has absolutely no value to Ideal City!"

He punched the elderly man again and again. The old man had long since stopped breathing, and orange-red flames fell onto his corpse, burning fiercely.

"Do you know what last-place elimination means?"

"Trash like you should be eliminated by Ideal City elites like me, then incinerated as combustible waste!"

As he spoke, this arrogant madman who called himself "me" began cackling to himself.

"..."

Witnessing this scene, Ron suddenly fell silent.

It felt unexpected, yet completely reasonable.

So the person on that wanted poster was actually you?