Only Bullies the Honest

Loa watched A-Xin walk back with her head lowered and sighed. "How was it? Can you still hold on?"

It wasn't a question of whether she could win, but whether she could endure. One could imagine just how large Heiduo's psychological shadow over her was.

"...Even if I can't, I have to!" A-Xin's gritted voice reached Loa's ears. She raised her head, revealing bloodshot crimson eyes, as though she wanted to devour someone alive.

Loa saw it and fell silent for a moment. "A-Xin... how about we run?"

"Run?" A flicker of astonishment passed through A-Xin's predatory eyes. "Where could we run to? Silver Town is full of their spies! We have no chance. We can only fight!"

Loa wasn't flustered by A-Xin's hurried voice. He gently patted her shoulder. "We can run. They can't cover the sky with one hand. If they really had that kind of power, they wouldn't have let a child grow into a threat, only to become wary of him... At their core, they're a bunch of incompetents too. We're just even more incompetent than they are."

He looked at Heiduo, seated in the rest area in the distance. Sunlight fell over Heiduo like a serene statue of a god, inspiring awe. "When they truly encounter someone capable, they'll be just like us, able only to take a beating passively. They can only bully powerless, honest people. When someone possesses strength they themselves could never have..."

Before he could finish, A-Xin already understood what Loa meant.

The authorities were wary of them because they were officials. They had to act openly and honorably, and every action required evidence. They could do dirty work, but if it was exposed, they were finished. They would lose public trust, no one would believe them, and everyone would see