Jujube X Vow X Warning

"Nen."

Iron Wall's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

His heart began to race uncontrollably. He looked up at Jiang Ye, then quickly lowered his head again.

"I... I heard about it from Dodge."

His voice trembled slightly.

"He knew a little, but he never taught us."

"All we know is that it's a very powerful force. What it actually is, how to use it... we have no idea."

After listening, Jiang Ye did not rush to speak.

His fingertips tapped lightly against the windowsill twice.

The answer did not surprise him.

For a leader like Dodge, who had fought his way up from the bottom, it was only natural to treat Nen as his trump card and keep it hidden from his subordinates.

After all, once his subordinates learned Nen, they would have a chance to challenge his position.

In a place like Meteor City, what a leader feared most was being bitten by his own dogs.

But Jiang Ye thought differently.

He looked out the window. The sky was still gray and hazy, and an aircraft dropping garbage trailed a thin streak in the distance.

"Go and fetch Gray Beak and Shattered Eye."

Iron Wall was momentarily stunned, then nodded.

"Yes!"

With that, he turned and hurried out the door.

As the door closed, the room fell quiet again.

Jiang Ye stood by the window, his gaze resting on the mountains of scrap iron and rubble outside.

He waited until Iron Wall's footsteps had completely faded at the end of the corridor before murmuring to himself.

"I'll teach what Dodge didn't dare teach."

He did not want a gang that could only follow orders.

He wanted a core group that could share his burdens and keep things steady when he was away.

He was the Rust Bone Gang's only Nen user at the moment, but that was precisely why he needed to train people who could stand on their own as soon as possible.

Otherwise, trivial matters would run him into the ground.

Territory had to be managed, businesses watched over, and the Shattered Iron Group and Gray Rat Squad could attack at any time.

If all of that required him to act personally, when would he have time to tame Toad?

That was not even mentioning training his own Nen Ability and physical strength.

Besides, he understood one thing.

Fear alone could only command obedience, but fear combined with favors could inspire loyalty.

He had killed Dodge. That was the stick.

He would teach them Nen. That was the jujube.

The people of Meteor City did not care about morality. What mattered was who could feed them and keep them alive.

He had given them a chance to survive, and now he was giving them a chance to grow stronger.

As long as they were smart enough, they would not betray him.

Even so, he still needed some safeguards.

Before long, footsteps approached from outside the door.

The next second, the door was pushed open.

Iron Wall walked in first, with Gray Beak and Shattered Eye behind him.

Gray Beak's lips were pressed tight, while a rare glint flashed in Shattered Eye's pale eyes, as though he had already guessed something.

"Boss."

The three stood in a row, and Iron Wall spoke.

"I brought them."

Jiang Ye turned from the window, his gaze sweeping over the three men.

He could see the faint beads of sweat on their temples.

Clearly, they already knew why they had been summoned.

"Iron Wall must have told you on the way here."

Jiang Ye spoke slowly, his tone calm.

"I intend to teach you Nen."

Gray Beak's eyes lit up, but he did not speak, forcibly swallowing the shock and doubt in his heart.

Shattered Eye drew a sharp breath, his fists clenching.

Jiang Ye looked at them and continued.

"You're the Rust Bone Gang's core officers."

"Whether the gang can hold its ground and expand depends entirely on how much weight you can carry."

"But..."

He paused, then continued.

"With your current strength, you clearly can't carry it."

At those words, all three men's hearts sank.

The words struck home because Jiang Ye was telling the truth.

They were a little stronger than ordinary people, but only a little.

A Nen user who had only just learned Nen could kill all three of them.

"That's why I'm going to teach you Nen."

His tone softened a little.

"Once you've learned it, you'll be more than ten times stronger than you are now."

Hearing that they really were going to learn Nen, the three men's breathing grew noticeably heavier.

They had seen Dodge use Earth Spear and Earth's Favor with their own eyes.

The earth splitting open, armor made of rock, a single blow that could blast a wall apart.

They had never imagined that they might one day possess that kind of power too.

And now, the chance had come!

Gray Beak moved first.

He took half a step forward and dropped onto his right knee before Jiang Ye.

He lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Boss... I'm willing to learn."

Iron Wall and Shattered Eye exchanged a glance and dropped to one knee almost simultaneously.

The three knelt side by side before Jiang Ye. They offered no flowery words, but their posture said it all.

Jiang Ye looked down at them.

There was no trace of happiness or relief on his face.

He simply stood there in silence, his gaze moving from the top of Gray Beak's head to Shattered Eye's shoulders, then finally settling on Iron Wall's clenched fists.

At that moment, silence fell over the room.

It was as if an invisible iron plate were slowly descending from the ceiling.

The three felt the pressure mounting bit by bit. The silent force pouring from Jiang Ye's direction bore heavily down on their chests.

Their breathing unconsciously grew quieter, and sweat seeped out in layers down their backs.

Only when they began to have trouble breathing did Jiang Ye slowly speak.

"I could have forced you into submission."

His voice was calm, without threat or anger.

"But coercion in Meteor City only breeds assassination and rebellion."

He took two steps forward and stopped three paces in front of them.

"So I want each of you to make a personal vow."

He paused, then spoke the words he had chosen.

"A Nen vow."

"You'll make the promise yourselves, and choose the price yourselves."

"I don't need your verbal obedience."

"You can still have grievances, and you can still think for yourselves."

"But if you choose to betray me, sell me out, or harm me... the Nen curse will fall upon you."

He tilted his head slightly, looking at the backs of their lowered heads.

"This isn't a threat. It's a safeguard."

"Those who are willing can stay."

"Those who aren't can leave now."

"I won't stop you."

At his words, not one of the three stood up.

Gray Beak's forehead was almost touching the floor, Iron Wall's back was taut as a bow, and Shattered Eye remained motionless on one knee.

Their silence was the answer from the depths of their hearts.

Jiang Ye watched them quietly without saying a word.

The next moment, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

His voice suddenly turned as cold as the acid rain on a winter night in Meteor City, and an intense killing intent spread from him without warning.

At the same time, the shadow beneath his feet swelled abruptly, and a massive black-and-white figure rose silently from it.

Divine Dog: Totality!

The enormous mastiff crouched beside Jiang Ye, its black-and-white slit pupils slowly sweeping over the three men kneeling on the floor. A deep rumble, almost too low to hear, came from its throat.

All three men's hearts leaped into their throats, and they did not even dare breathe too hard.

The piercing killing intent hung over their heads. The slightest movement would spell their doom!

Jiang Ye stood beside Divine Dog: Totality, looking at their postures under the crushing pressure, and slowly spoke.

"I'll warn you once."

His voice was cold and clear, like ice cracking.

"If you choose to go back on your word after learning Nen... then there's no need for you to exist."

Divine Dog: Totality's gaze fell on Iron Wall's back. The invisible pressure brought a visible layer of cold sweat to all three men's foreheads.

But they did not move. None of them stood up and left.

The three of them simply knelt there before Jiang Ye, using their body language to tell their young leader.

They accepted the condition!

Jiang Ye watched them quietly for a few seconds, then restrained his aura.

The pressure receded like the tide. Divine Dog: Totality sank back into the depths of the shadow, and most of the oppressive feeling in the air vanished in an instant.

Gray Beak's chest heaved, and he finally caught his breath.

"Get up, all of you."

Jiang Ye's voice returned to its usual warmth.

He walked back to the window, turned his back on the three men, and tilted his head to look at the gray daylight outside.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll formally begin teaching you Nen."

"I'm quite looking forward to it..."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"What your Nen Abilities will be."