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Whoosh. Whoosh.
The only sounds were Brother Tiger's own ragged, panicked gasps as he ran for his life. He could feel the connection to his Vampire card in his mind go cold as it entered its cooldown phase. A wave of icy terror washed over him.
How could it have been defeated so quickly!? he thought, his mind reeling in disbelief. The Vampire was a standard-issue bronze-level card from the Spirit Begging Society, an excellent and resilient model. That boy… that boy! He's no ordinary bronze-level cardmaker!
A profound despair began to set in. All he did was lend money to orphans, widows, and desperate iron-level cardmakers. Sure, he might have forced a few ordinary people to their deaths and pressured some single mothers to pay off their debts with their bodies, but did that really warrant the Association sending a monster-class genius to hunt him down!?
High above on Pidgeot, the night wind whistling past his ears, Russell had a completely different thought. Man, I really want a golden Vimana for flying around. That would be so cool. The mythological atlases showed the Vimana as something like a UFO, not nearly as handsome as the golden, palace-like version from the legends.
Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a round figure scrambling through the streets below. He had found him.
The next moment, Pidgeot folded its wings and dove, accelerating instantly. It swooped down, landing gracefully on the street right in front of Brother Tiger. At the same time, Luffy appeared beside it, blocking the path completely.
The sudden appearance of his pursuer startled Brother Tiger so badly he skidded to a halt. He looked from the boy on the ground to the one in the air, a ghastly, ugly smile stretching his lips. "I'll talk! I'll be a tainted witness!" he blurted out, his hands raised in surrender. "Just let me go!"
Seeing Brother Tiger's immediate capitulation, Russell became certain of one thing: he was acting alone. There was no backup. But… a tainted witness? What is he talking about?
Suppressing his confusion, Russell decided to bluff. He put on a calm, authoritative expression and asked, "Did the Spirit Begging Society order you to kill me?" It was the only logical explanation for the unprovoked attack.
Brother Tiger nodded frantically, taking Russell's question as confirmation that his cover was completely blown. "You must have known from the start!" he confessed, his words tumbling out in a panicked rush. "You knew there was something wrong with the Prodigy Cup that Golden Talent Credit was setting up!"
"After I transferred all my assets to Golden Talent Credit," he continued, "the Society ordered me to tie up my loose ends and then rendezvous with them."
A large, invisible question mark slowly formed over Russell's head. Golden Talent Credit? Prodigy Cup? I have no idea what any of that is!
He showed none of his confusion, however, instead letting out a cold, disdainful sneer. "Did you really think a pathetic little scheme from your Spirit Begging Society could remain hidden from the Association?"
Hearing this, Brother Tiger's face crumpled with regret and fury. "Damn the Spirit Begging Society! All their talk about a 'bright future'! They're the ones who are doomed! The Cardmaker Association saw through them from the start, and I fell for their lies like an idiot!"
Russell, still piecing together the fragmented intelligence, decided to press his advantage. "Just wait here quietly," he commanded. "I'm calling this in."
He took out his phone and dialed Jonathan Whitemore's number. It was the only choice. Jonathan was the only high-ranking person he knew and trusted.
Seeing Russell casually making a phone call in mid-air, a sinister, desperate glint flashed in Brother Tiger's eyes. But then he saw Luffy standing nearby, nonchalantly picking his nose, and a basin of ice-cold water seemed to pour over his murderous intent. Better to be a tainted witness than a dead man, he thought, slumping in defeat.
"Uncle Jonathan , this is what happened," Russell explained calmly into the phone.
Jonathan's voice on the other end instantly turned sharp and serious. "Russell, keep your eyes on him. Do not let him get away. I'm on my way now."
Soon, the throaty roar of an engine filled the night, and a sleek, black sports car screeched to a halt nearby.
"Uncle Jonathan ," Russell said, landing Pidgeot and greeting him.
Jonathan nodded, his eyes scanning the scene. When his gaze fell on Luffy, his focus sharpened. He slowly turned his head to look at Russell, his voice low and intense. "You're bronze-level?"
Russell simply nodded.
Jonathan took a deep, sharp breath. This boy… he's a true monster. To advance from Black Iron to Bronze in just over a month was unheard of.
After a moment of stunned silence, Jonathan acted. A magnificent, white six-tailed fox, nearly three meters tall, materialized beside him. An invisible wave of psychic energy washed over Tiger, and the terrified man's expression went slack. A foolish, dopey smile spread across his face as drool began to trickle from the corner of his mouth.
Pushing his gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, Jonathan walked over to the mesmerized man. "What is the Spirit Begging Society's specific plan?" he asked, his voice cold and commanding.
Brother Tiger giggled foolishly. "How would a grunt like me know the specifics? I just know that the Society wants Golden Talent Credit to make this Prodigy Cup as big as possible. The bigger, the better. They want every talented young cardmaker in New Metro to participate."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Jonathan's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by steely resolve. To uncover this much was already an incredible stroke of luck. The next moment, the psychic hold was released, and Tiger came back to himself with a jolt.
The memories of what he'd said under the illusion flooded his mind, and his face turned deathly pale. He finally understood everything. Russell wasn't bait. Russell hadn't known a thing. It was his own paranoia, his own guilty conscience, that had led him to this end.
Regret, sharp and venomous as a snake's bite, consumed him. He looked at Russell, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "You bastard!" he roared. "You were messing with me this whole time!?"
Before Russell could respond, the six-tailed fox let out a soft cry, and Brother Tiger crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Jonathan's face was dark, his expression grim. He walked over to Russell. "You've done the Federation a great service today, Russell. If not for you, the Society's plan might have succeeded."
"However," he continued, "this information cannot be made public yet. It would alert the enemy. Don't worry. When this is all over, the Association will reward you handsomely."
Russell understood. The Association had been completely in the dark. If he hadn't accidentally stumbled into this conspiracy, the damage to New Metro would have been immense. "I understand, Uncle Jonathan . But what do we do with him?" He gestured to the unconscious Brother Tiger. They couldn't just brazenly drag him back to the Association.
Jonathan thought for a moment. "Wait here. I need to make a call." He found a secluded corner and spoke quietly into his phone. After a long while, he hung up and returned to Russell.
"Let's go, Russell." "Director Blake and President Jennings want to see us. Right now." "As for this one," he glanced at Brother Tiger, "my fox will tamper with his memory. We'll let him live a little longer, so we don't tip our hand."
Hearing this, Russell was stunned. He understood the logic of the plan. And he certainly knew who Director Blake and President Jennings were. He had met the leaders of the New Metro Cardmakers Association once before.
But why did they want to see him? Jonathan knew the cause, the process, and the outcome of the entire incident. What use was he?
Filled with questions, Russell got into Jonathan Whitemore's black sports car.
(End of this chapter)
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