Chapter 1709 - Ch: 247-254 (cont. 254)

Ch: 247-254

247. The world of adults

"Mr. Wushuang!"

At the main gate of the Jin family's estate in New Jersey, Taylor Jin, who had been guarding the entrance, watched as Locke, who had removed the black cloth covering his eyes, stepped out of the black car and hurried over: "My apologies, these are the rules set by my father."

Locke shook hands with Taylor Jin: "Your territory, your rules."

Locke didn't mind having to come in blindfolded.

His primary goal this time was to make money. The payment for the Voodoo Compendium had arrived as promised, so he was easy to talk to. But if the Jin family intended to play any tricks, that would be a different matter.

"This way, Mr. Wushuang."

"Mm."

Locke adjusted his sleeves, nodded to Taylor Jin, who was leading the way, and followed him into the outwardly unremarkable estate.

Following the stairs down to the opulent underground auction hall, far more magnificent than the area above ground, it appeared that most of the guests who had come to participate in this auction had already arrived.

Of course.

They all wore masks, as if attending a masquerade ball, but again, if masks were effective, what was the point of Langley inventing skin masks?

Locke spotted a few familiar faces.

For example, the owner of a major federal corporation.

For example, a certain federal assassin company.

For example, a certain contractor mogul rumored to handle the CIA's overseas operations.

It must be said that the Jin family's network was extensive. Basically, every generation, customers who came and went, whether to sell or buy, would, in a sense, become part of the Jin family's connections. Although the Jin family guaranteed not to keep any client records.

But everyone in this business knew that was just talk.

Locke had no doubt that his name was also in the Jin family's ledger, for example, the information about Wushuang Assassin entrusting Taylor Jin to sell the Voodoo Compendium on a certain date, month, and year, in a certain place, would be there.

Compared to others, Locke was better off.

At the very least, the Jin family, like most people, only knew that the Wushuang Assassin was called the Wushuang Assassin, with no other superfluous information.

After a while.

Rosa also arrived.

In a long purple dress, holding a small clutch, as if attending an evening party, she descended from the entrance wearing a crystal-studded mask, looking stunning.

Rosa's appearance attracted the attention of many guests.

Locke turned his head and took a glass of bourbon from a passing attendant's tray.

Rosa walked over: "Hi!"

Locke glanced at Rosa: "This doesn't suit your personality."

"What do you mean?"

"I am Wushuang."

He was the one who liked to go all out; the Assassin's League always operated in stealth mode.

Locke gazed at a Van Gogh painting hanging on the wall, not looking at Rosa beside him, and sipped his drink: "However, it was a stunning entrance. Very eye-catching."

Rosa thanked him, took a glass of champagne from the attendant's tray, and took a sip: "Did I catch your eye?"

Locke's lips curved upward: "Want to see what I look like under my sunglasses?"

"Many people are curious about what you look like under your sunglasses."

"Then let them remain curious."

Locke drained the bourbon in his glass, his tone flat: "Only two kinds of people see what I look like: one is dead, and the other is something that can never speak human language. Which do you want to be?"

Rosa shrugged: "I choose to be myself."

Locke nodded, looking at Rosa: "A wise choice."

As he spoke.

Locke looked up at the underground hall, at the left passage where a bonfire burned, and narrowed his eyes: "Amazing, I didn't know the Jin family also had vampire guests."

He had already unlocked the vampire's aura when he went hunting with George, and he himself had the identity of an Emperor-level bloodline.

So... there was no way he could mistake the smell of a vampire.

Rosa's eyes lit up when she heard Locke's words: "Vampires? We met two in Queens, New York, a few days ago. Before coming to the Federation, I thought these vampires lived in Europe."

Locke smiled faintly, looking at Rosa: "Then you should go to Texas and see."

The Lone Star State, with its vast and sparsely populated land, consequently had more non-human species. If Texas were likened to the bottom of a well, then sitting at the bottom of a well and looking at the sky would not be a derogatory term, but rather a complimentary one.

Being in Texas and understanding Texas meant you had understood the entire world.

Rosa listened to Locke's words and nodded seriously: "Maybe when Lynch's daughter and son arrive, we'll go to Texas for a vacation."

Locke said: "Remember to go to the Lone Star Bar. If you're lucky, you might see a Hell Lord singing on stage."

However, it was pure noise pollution.

If it weren't for the Hell Lord's fighting prowess and extreme pettiness, he would probably be beaten to death in the bar.

Locke didn't dwell on the fact that there was a vampire guest here.

A guest is a guest.

He was also a guest and wouldn't do anything to overstep his bounds.

After a while.

Rosa, who had gone around and returned, found Locke again, who was now looking at a different oil painting. Looking at the oil painting Locke was observing, she asked, "What's the name of this painting?"

"The Battle of Grunwald!"

Locke said indifferently: "A work by the Polish painter Jan Matejko. He specialized in portraits and historical paintings and is considered a famous but overlooked artist."

...You understand art?"

"No."

Locke chuckled, withdrawing his gaze from the oil painting: "I once thought about buying some things that would hold their value, and oil paintings were one of them."

But later, Locke simply gave up on the idea.

For no other reason than this.

Currently, high-value oil paintings on the market all had their owners, and he was too lazy to acquire lost paintings at a premium just to bring them to light.

Most importantly, oil paintings were not easy to liquidate and could attract the attention of the FBI's Art Crime Team.

It was less convenient than simply using the Continental Hotel for money laundering.

"Ding, ding, ding!"

Just then.

On the already arranged auction stage in the hall, a pale-faced old man, flanked by Taylor Jin and his brother Francis Jin, arrived and gently tapped his champagne glass.

Rosa raised an eyebrow and let out a surprised sound: "Earl Jin's health has improved?"

Locke remained impassive.

Rosa whispered: "A few days ago, Earl Jin still needed a wheelchair. I checked the information, and Earl Jin was already terminally ill, but now?"

Locke said: "Perhaps he found a good doctor."

Rosa shook her head.

Locke looked at Earl Jin, who was giving an opening speech, his lips curving upward, and whispered: "While alive, one is naturally susceptible to all kinds of illnesses, but what if one dies? For example, becoming a vampire."

He paused.

Locke looked at Rosa: "Perhaps you should prepare silver bullets."

Rosa was slightly stunned.

After saying that, Locke stopped speaking and watched Earl Jin on stage, who didn't even have a heartbeat, with great interest. He was very curious who had given Earl Jin the first embrace.

Most importantly, how could this vampire have brought himself to do it?

These days, do vampires not consider the quality of the people they turn?

Do they just take any old geezer who comes along?

Wait.

I'm not a vampire; I'm a bloodline, an Emperor-level bloodline.

Oh.

Then it's fine.

Locke chuckled inwardly, then smiled.

On stage, Earl Jin finished his toast. After shouting "Cheers," everyone attending the auction also shouted "Cheers" and took a sip of their drinks.

Immediately after.

The auction segment began.

Taylor Jin, with a smile, walked down from the stage, nodded to Rosa beside Locke, and after seeing off his brother's guests, he turned to Locke and said, "Mr. Wushuang, I apologize, the first five items are all brought by my brother."

Locke smiled: "I never care if I miss the scenery along the way, as long as the final outcome is what I want, that's enough."

Taylor Jin smiled, snapped his fingers, and an attendant walked over. Taylor Jin offered two glasses of champagne, handing one to Locke, and said with a smile, "Mr. Wushuang, I wish you all the best. Cheers."

Locke, with gentlemanly grace, clinked glasses and then drained the champagne in his glass.

Taylor Jin, fulfilling his role as host, took the empty champagne glass from Locke's hand and then said with an apologetic smile, "Please excuse me for a moment, Mr. Wushuang."

Locke nodded, watching Taylor Jin walk towards the next client he had brought, repeating the same procedure.

Indeed.

The adult world is full of difficulties.

But... why would you seek death?

Locke thought to himself, his peripheral vision on the attendant who had taken his champagne. After circling around, with a practiced movement, his empty champagne glass mysteriously disappeared.

Well, well.

Impressive.

You should be performing magic.

Locke narrowed his eyes.

He just couldn't understand why Earl Jin, out of the blue, suddenly started seeking death.

Was his knife not sharp enough?

Or... was the price someone offered too good?

Who could it be?

Locke pondered.

Just then.

On the auction stage, Taylor Jin's brother, Francis Jin, excitedly announced the next auction item.

The whereabouts of the Forbidden Fruit.

Francis Jin's gaze fell on Rosa, who was wearing a mask, and then swept over another masked, tall Western European woman with nine-head-tall beautiful legs: "The Jin family guarantees the authenticity of this information one hundred percent. The starting bid is five million US dollars."

As his words fell.

The Western European woman immediately raised her paddle: "Six million!"

Rosa, without changing her expression, also raised her paddle: "Seven million!"

248. Locke is infected

In just four bids.

Instantly.

The price of this item, which was only a piece of news with no physical object, had been directly bid up to eleven million by that cold-skinned Western European woman.

This was the unique art of the Gold family's auction.

They would ensure that every item had two customers who wanted it. If only one customer wanted it, they wouldn't put that item up for auction but would hold onto it, waiting for a better price.

From this perspective, Locke was very curious as to why the Gold family had been able to thrive for so long.

What a pity.

Originally, you could have thrived for even longer.

Locke thought to himself.

Then, he heard Rosa bid again from beside him, her voice cold: "Twenty million!"

Instantly.

Rosa once again drew everyone's attention, including that of the Western European woman.

Locke was also a bit curious.

"The Gold family only delivers the goods after receiving payment."

"I know."

Locke raised an eyebrow: "Do you have the money?"

"No."

"..."

Rosa whispered: "You lend it to me first. I'll pay you back with interest, principal and all, within two hours."

Locke understood.

Alright.

Rosa hadn't come here planning to pull a fast one; she had likely premeditated this, intending to rob the rich to help the poor.

Robbing the Gold family's wealth to alleviate the poverty of their Assassin Brotherhood!

This was also a tradition of the Brotherhood assassins; they had been doing this since the Middle Ages.

The Western European woman on the other side bid again without changing her expression, but after bidding, she took out a phone handed to her by a bodyguard.

After a while.

Even Locke hadn't clearly heard what the Western European woman said to the person on the phone. He could swear that the language on the phone just now seemed to be an unfamiliar one.

A language that Locke had never even dabbled in, a new language that even his advanced language skills couldn't decipher.

Was this a dialect from some remote corner?

Locke thought to himself.

Subsequently.

Francis on the auction stage had already excitedly brought down the hammer: "Twenty-five million, sold!"

After the hammer fell, the Western European woman glanced at Rosa, then turned and, escorted by two black-suited bodyguards, chose to leave directly.

Locke's peripheral vision followed the Western European woman.

When he came in, his first glance had actually been at that Western European woman, because, like him, this woman hadn't chosen to converse with others after entering.

Instead, she stood quietly with her arms crossed.

Such a person had only one purpose: to come solely for the item they wanted to bid on.

Now?

She gave up just like that.

Also... Locke looked at Rosa beside him and whispered, "Is that Western European woman a remnant of the Knights Templar?"

Rosa shook her head: "Not really. She looked at me just now."

"And then?"

"She's very arrogant. The Knights Templar are also very arrogant, but her arrogance is different; it's a mix of three parts disdain, three parts indifference, and four parts hostility."

"...So?"

"I don't know."

Rosa directly shook her head and said, "But she shouldn't be from the Knights Templar. After all, the forbidden fruit, which is the Golden Apple, isn't only known to a few of us."

Locke nodded.

That was true.

Regardless of whether Hydra cared about the Golden Apple, since S.H.I.E.L.D. already knew about it, it wasn't that incredible for any organization to know about the Golden Apple.

Forget it.

Who cares? Even if there was trouble, it would be the Assassin Brotherhood's trouble. Once he took off his glasses, he was high school student Locke, and this trouble wouldn't find its way to him.

Locke thought to himself.

Soon.

The people on the auction stage exchanged places.

At this moment, nine guests had already left the hall. Five of them were unsuccessful bidders who chose to leave directly, and four others went to the back office to swipe their cards and pick up their goods.

Taylor Gold took the stage.

Francis Gold, buttoning his coat, his face somewhat flushed, walked up to Rosa: "Ms. Ada..."

Rosa's expression was calm: "Wait a moment."

Francis Gold's expression froze.

What did she mean?

Was she regretting it?

Locke, standing nearby, looked at Francis Gold and said directly, "I'd like to chat with Ms. Ada for a bit, if that's alright?"

Francis Gold, looking at Locke with sunglasses, felt a thump in his heart, then smiled and said, "Of course, but..."

Rosa's right hand flashed, handing a bank card to Francis.

Francis's eyes lit up.

This was what he wanted. Whether Rosa went or not didn't matter, as long as the card arrived. They provided card payment services here.

Locke watched Francis leave, smiled, and looked at Rosa: "Didn't you say you didn't have money?"

Rosa said, "I only had this much left. If it had gone over, I really would have had to borrow money from you. I wasn't deliberately hiding it from you, but it's good that you're willing to lend me money. You didn't join us because you agreed with our ideals, but I believe that one day, you will come to agree with our ideals."

How did that sound like planting a flag first?

This money was the Brotherhood's operating funds.

It was also the hard-earned money they had made by helping the Continental Hotel with assassination jobs similar to Locke's, running all over the federation during this time.

Locke smiled, looking at Taylor Gold, who was conducting the auction on stage, and said to Rosa beside him: "You go get the item first."

"Don't I need to wait for you?"

"No need."

Locke said, looking at Rosa beside him, his lips curving upwards: "If you wait for me, I'm afraid you might lose both your money and your goods."

Rosa paused slightly, then frowned: "I'll stay."

This was merely a stronghold of the Earl Gold family, not the true location of their wealth. However, Rosa and her group had already figured out that only after she obtained the intelligence about the Golden Apple would the Brotherhood assassins, who were already ambushed near the Gold family's true castle, move out to complete this mission of robbing the rich to help the poor.

Locke smiled: "You have your own troubles too."

Rosa raised an eyebrow.

Although he hadn't understood what the Western European woman said here, his keen six senses had caught what the young Western European woman said when she had already walked outside and was waiting for a car to leave.

"Attack when Rosa comes out!"

She said that in English, and he heard it clearly.

Rosa looked at Locke's expression, seemed to guess something, and then nodded: "See you tomorrow?"

Locke hummed in affirmation.

Soon.

Rosa turned and walked towards the back hall to retrieve the intelligence about the Golden Apple. After a while, on the auction stage, Taylor Gold had already auctioned off Locke's "Voodoo Compendium."

As the bidding started at five million US dollars, Locke also clearly saw who the buyers of his item were.

They were all of African descent.

Hmm.

Voodoo, primitive against primitive, seemed quite reasonable.

Only... Locke quickly flipped through it, then asked Rosa beside him curiously: "Who are these two people?"

Since Rosa was planning to rob the rich to help the poor, she must have done some homework. Moreover, if Rosa hadn't reacted in time and realized she couldn't just barge in, she probably would have already driven straight to this estate.

"The one on the left, the assistant to the Haitian president."

"And the one on the right?"

"The head of voodoo in Louisiana."

"Alright."

One was from a country where voodoo was the state religion, and the other was the head of voodoo in the largest base in the Federation.

Good.

This was very good; both parties should not be short of money. After all, one treated the national treasury and UN relief funds as his personal piggy bank, and the other had the offerings of voodoo believers in the Federation.

Locke nodded with great satisfaction.

One thing at a time. Although Earl Gold was courting death, it was undeniable that in terms of finding clients, Earl Gold was still top-notch.

Except for the matter with Rosa, where he misjudged.

Locke thought to himself.

Three minutes later.

The auction price for Locke's "Voodoo Compendium" was also finalized.

Thirty million US dollars!

After deducting the commission due to the Earl Gold family, he would receive a full twenty-two million US dollars.

What a pity.

I originally planned to let you earn your rightful commission, but why didn't you give me that chance?

Locke shook his head internally, looked at Taylor Gold descending from the stage, smiled and shook hands with Taylor Gold, then said to Rosa: "Wait for me, Ms. Ada."

Rosa nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Wushuang."

After a while.

In the back hall.

Earl Gold, whose heart wasn't beating at all, and whose face was pale but who habitually sat in a wheelchair, stood up from his wheelchair when he saw Locke enter with his son, and happily extended his right hand to Locke: "Mr. Wushuang, I've long admired your reputation."

Locke shook his hand.

Cold.

It was like shaking hands with a block of ice.

Earl Gold, who seemed to have just drunk fresh blood, withdrew his right hand and laughed, saying: "Apologies, my body is just recovering. The doctor said I'm still very weak, and my hands and feet are too cold."

Locke smiled politely, then turned to Taylor Gold: "Transfer the money."

Taylor Gold regained his composure and smiled: "Mr. Wushuang, the buyer is currently paying the corresponding amount. Once the funds are received, twenty-two and a half million US dollars will be transferred immediately by our finance department at home. Please rest assured."

Locke hummed, looking at Taylor, thoughtfully: "So, inviting me in was for what?"

Taylor Gold poured two glasses of bourbon from the table, and with a ingratiating smile, handed one to Locke: "Mr. Wushuang, thank you for giving us this big business. Cheers, I toast to you."

Saying that.

Taylor Gold directly drank the wine poured from the same decanter in one gulp.

Locke looked at the bourbon in his glass, watched Taylor Gold, who had just downed his drink and seemed perfectly fine, chuckled, and also drank the bourbon in his glass in one gulp.

The fine wine went down his throat.

The next second.

Clink!

The wine glass in Locke's hand fell with a thud, slipping from his grasp, and then plummeted straight to the floor.

Bang!

The wine glass instantly shattered!

249. Dolan on the brink of death

Thud!

After the wine glass fell to the ground with a shattering sound, Locke, too, followed suit and collapsed onto the floor. For the sake of realism, he landed headfirst, and his head hitting the floor produced a genuinely crisp thud.

The back hall was noticeably silent.

Tyler King, holding his wine glass, blinked as he looked at Locke lying on the ground.

This poison?

Is it that potent?

Tyler King snapped back to reality and looked at his father, Earl King.

The latter chuckled, then sneered at Locke, who was sprawled on the ground, his hands and feet twitching weakly: "The Peerless Assassin, nothing more than this!"

The King family's auction business thrives on the principle of supply and demand. For them, clients can become auction items, provided there's a demand for them.

And the Peerless Assassin was in high demand.

Earl King hadn't intended to lay hands on the Peerless Assassin a few days prior, but that was before he became a vampire.

Now?

Earl King's courage had grown. He had initially thought the Peerless Assassin would be difficult to deal with, but he never expected that a mere cup of potent poisoned wine would directly take down the renowned Peerless Assassin.

This… was somewhat fantastical, yet it seemed to follow a certain logic.

After all, the Peerless Assassin was also human. As a human, drinking poisoned wine would result in being poisoned; this was a law.

Tyler King nodded to the two bodyguards who had just entered.

A moment later.

Locke was directly hoisted onto a chair.

Just then.

Francis King had also walked in from outside. He first froze upon seeing the Peerless Assassin bound to the chair, then walked towards Earl King: "Father, the Assassin League people have left."

Earl King nodded: "Remember to transfer the money our master needs."

"Don't worry, I've already arranged it."

"Mm."

The master Earl King referred to was, without a doubt, the vampire who had given him the first embrace. Although vampires weren't very active these days, they would acquire money through such means.

Tyler King also walked over from nearby: "Two clients have been contacted and are already on their way. Father, what do you think would be a good starting bid?"

"Ten million."

"Alright."

Tyler King rubbed his hands together, looking a little excited: "This time, we can give our master a hundred million. Our master will definitely be very happy."

Perhaps if he was happy enough, he might even turn him into an immortal vampire.

This was excellent.

Locke, sitting in the chair with weak limbs, swayed at this moment, seemingly waking up.

Then.

Locke struggled for a moment, then looked up, staring at the excited Tyler King in front of him, and asked a question many minor characters often asked Locke: "Why?"

Tyler King smiled.

But… just as Tyler King was about to speak, with a ripping sound, the ropes binding Locke instantly broke.

Locke shook his head, his tone devoid of any emotion: "This isn't my line. It's enough that you know you're seeking death."

Was there even a need for a 'why'?

There were countless individuals and organizations who wanted the life of him, the Peerless Assassin.

There was no need to ask why at all. If he were to make a list and write down the wealthy individuals and organizations that wanted him, five sheets of paper probably wouldn't be enough.

They were nothing more than a bunch of hidden vermin, completely insignificant.

Locke had originally intended to go along with their plan, but after thinking about it, that would be like playing the pig to eat the tiger, and he didn't like it. So, he decided not to play along.

Click-clack-clack!

Several nearby gunmen, seeing Locke break free from the chair and stand up, immediately drew their weapons, cocked them, and aimed at Locke.

The three men of the King family, father and sons, also couldn't help but change their expressions as they watched Locke rise from the chair.

Locke nonchalantly patted his clothes, which had gotten dusty from his earlier forceful movements, then slightly raised his head.

The next second!

Golden Dancer instantly struck.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The Golden Dancer's muzzle emitted silent flames, and golden bullets shot out. Then, in a flash, the nearby bodyguards who had drawn their guns instantly jerked their heads back.

Then, thuds and thumps of bodies falling to the ground were incessant.

Instantly.

The room was cleared!

"Roar!"

"Boom!"

Locke extended his left hand, firmly grasping Earl King, who had lunged at him like lightning, fangs bared. Then, he shoved the Golden Dancer into Earl King's mouth.

Earl King's face instantly contorted in terror.

"I'm a professional at killing vampires."

Locke's lips curved into a slight smile as he looked at Earl King, who had walked right into his trap, and said in a chilling tone. Then, he pulled the trigger of the Golden Dancer in his right hand: "Boom!"

Instantly.

His head exploded, brains splattering all over the floor.

The next second.

Locke took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the stains that had accidentally gotten on his right hand, then looked up, staring at Tyler King and Francis King, who seemed stunned and were still standing motionless.

"Three…"

"Bang!"

"Thud!"

Locke opened his mouth, shook his head, and with a thud, watched as Francis King, who had snapped out of it and was trying to run outside, was instantly dispatched with a shot to the back of the head.

It was Tyler King who had made the calls to contact the clients.

Therefore, there was no reason for Francis King to remain.

"Three seconds!"

Locke discarded the handkerchief and looked at Tyler King, whose forehead was now covered in cold sweat, and said calmly: "Who are those two clients you convinced, who actually believed you could capture me?"

Tyler King shivered and came to his senses: "I don't know."

Locke smiled.

The Golden Dancer instantly rose.

Wait.

My money.

Locke raised an eyebrow and looked at Tyler King: "My payment. I'll give you one minute, otherwise, you'll have no meaning or value in existing either."

Tyler King quickly said: "I'll arrange it right away."

Locke sneered, his gaze then falling on a headless corpse on the ground.

Earl King's.

He walked closer.

Locke squatted down, bent over, and pulled a photograph from Earl King's corpse.

A woman's photograph.

Her eyes were fierce, and her orange-red hair was long and messy, like a ball of fire!

Mistress?

Locke looked up at Tyler King, who had already made the call, and held up the photo: "Who is this?"

Tyler King looked over, shaking his head: "I don't know."

A ding-dong sound.

Locke took out his phone, looked at the over twenty-two million US dollars deposited into his overseas bank account, pursed his lips, and put his phone back.

Tyler King, seeing this: "Mr. Peerless, kidnapping you was a family…"

"Bang!"

"Uh…"

A silent gunshot, only a golden light flashed, and Tyler King's words instantly stopped. Then, his eyes moved upwards, as if trying to clearly understand why his forehead felt cold.

The next second.

With a thud, Tyler King also fell, shot in the center of his forehead, losing all vital signs and collapsing onto the ground.

Locke flicked his right hand, and the Golden Dancer transformed into a golden ring.

"Heh."

Locke walked over to Tyler King, took out Tyler King's phone, and glanced at the wide-eyed Tyler King: "I just came to an auction, everything was fine, why did you have to seek death?"

After speaking.

Locke shook his head, somewhat speechless.

If he had known this, he wouldn't have come. Did they think being a vampire was amazing? What good was it? Within ten steps, wasn't his gun still faster?

A moment later.

Locke used Tyler King's fingerprint to unlock the phone, then scrolled to the two calls Tyler King had made.

He scrolled to the first one and dialed directly.

"Ring-ring-ring!"

"Ring-ring-ring!"

A middle-aged man took out his phone, glanced at the incoming call, then looked up at the person heading towards the helicopter, walked over, and handed the phone to that person.

The person glanced at the caller ID, then looked at the middle-aged man.

The next second.

The person took the phone, tossed it towards the helicopter, and instantly, the sharp rotor blades sliced the phone into countless small pieces.

Locke listened to the dial tone on his phone, took it away from his ear, and chuckled.

This one… quite clever.

Next.

The second call he dialed was not so clever.

A young voice answered.

"Mr. King, we've set off and should arrive in about half an hour."

"…"

Locke narrowed his eyes. Half an hour to get here. There was no sound of helicopter blades on the phone, it seemed very quiet, which meant they were coming by car.

And if they could arrive in half an hour…

New York City.

Or New Jersey.

But… this voice also seemed to be heard for the first time, a stranger.

"Hello? Mr. King, can you hear me?"

"…"

Locke snapped back to reality, listening to the young man on the phone, who, by asking that question with a frown, indicated he was inexperienced. Locke chuckled: "I've memorized your voice."

The young man in the car froze slightly upon hearing the voice on the phone: "What?"

An old man in a suit, looking fifty or sixty years old, sitting beside him, opened his eyes and nodded towards the driver's seat in front.

The driver nodded, quickly pulled the car over, then turned the steering wheel to complete the turn.

The young man, like a greenhorn, said: "Who are you!"

Before he finished speaking.

The car window opened.

The old man silently snatched the phone from the young man's ear, then directly threw it out. With a plop, the phone landed and was instantly run over by a passing vehicle.

"Go back."

"Understood."

The driver nodded, and the car sped up.

The young man also seemed to have realized something and looked at the old man: "Pastor Dolan…"

The old man extended his hand, signaling the young man to be silent: "This matter ends here. We know nothing."

The young Pastor Dolan: "…"

Two hundred and fifty. Kingsman?

"Beep, beep, beep!"

"Heh."

Locke chuckled at the sudden, rapid dial tone on the phone and put it down.

It would have been fine if you hadn't answered, but do you really think that just because you answered and then hung up, I wouldn't be able to find you? Are you overestimating yourself, or underestimating me?

A slight smile played on Locke's lips.

Although the only voice on the phone was that of the seemingly naive young man, Locke still heard the distinct sounds of New York traffic and the old man's breathing nearby.

Interesting.

Locke mused to himself.

Ding!

Task generating!

Task Name: "I Found You"

Task Reward: "Achievement Points * 20,000", "Potential Points * 20,000"

Task Description: "Someone actually tried to buy you. Although unsuccessful, it undoubtedly caught your attention. You are eager to find that person and ask them face-to-face what your worth is."

Task Note: "Your interest is my motivation for issuing tasks. I will provide the fuel to ignite your passion!"

Accept/Reject!

"…"

Locke's eyebrow twitched as he looked at the two misspelled words at the end of the task note.

He suspected this damn system had intentionally misspelled them.

But he had no proof, and frankly, Locke didn't want to find any proof either.

However… Locke directly chose to put this task on hold. He hadn't intended to do any tasks; he had simply come to experience the auction. Who would have thought such a thing would happen?

"Huh?"

Locke picked up his phone again, mimicked Earl King's voice, and spoke a few words to the person on the other end. Then, he tossed the phone onto the body of the deceased Taylor King at his feet, looking at the neatly arranged two generations of the King family before him. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "You're all the same as everyone else. You all like to court death."

He had originally thought that the King family had managed to pass down from generation to generation until now by relying on a heart that could control its desires and a cautious attitude—perverted internally, but externally meticulous.

But who would have thought… the King family had only survived until now because, before this, they hadn't offended anyone they shouldn't have.

Now?

Locke shook his head, somewhat speechless, and began to ponder what else in the criminal underworld could replace the King family's auction, especially since there were still many oil paintings in the living room outside.

Just then, a maid, seemingly preparing to bring in drinks, walked in from outside. Her gaze fell upon the bodies scattered everywhere. She froze for a moment, then the tray of drinks in her hands crashed to the floor with a crisp sound. Immediately after, a high-pitched scream burst from the maid's throat.

In an instant!

The guests who hadn't yet left, or were preparing to take their auctioned goods, reacted immediately. Then, under the cover of their bodyguards, they quickly ran and retreated outwards.

Immediately after.

Gunshots, like a torrential downpour, instantly echoed throughout the entire manor.

After a while.

By the time Locke appeared at the manor's entrance, aside from a dozen or so bodies of bodyguards loyal to the King family inside the manor behind him, there was no living, breathing creature left in the entire estate.

"Sigh!"

Locke, wearing sunglasses, looked up at the sky. The moon was somewhat round. "It truly is a dark and windy night, perfect for killing… But I just came to attend an auction. How did it end up like this?"

Locke was a bit speechless. He stepped out of the manor.

Behind him!

Boom!

The moment Locke left the manor, a huge explosion erupted from the manor's underground space. Then, with flames and a massive shockwave, the manor instantly exploded and went up in smoke.

Whoosh!

A golden light, having completed its explosive mission, shot out from the ascending fireball and landed steadily in Locke's hand, transforming back into a golden ring on Locke's finger.

Half an hour later.

Locke arrived at an abandoned factory near Jersey City, about half an hour to an hour's drive from New York. By this time, the battle inside had already ended.

Boom!

Not far away, a crashed helicopter was burning fiercely.

"Wow!"

Locke walked over, looking at the black-clad bodies sprawled everywhere, all precisely slit at the throat. Then, he looked at Rosa, who had taken off her purple dress and reverted to her medieval female assassin attire. He clicked his tongue and praised, "I thought you might need my help here."

Rosa stood up, gestured to the masked assassins around, and walked towards Locke. "They were too stupid."

Locke nodded. "I can see that."

Since these people came to steal the Golden Apple, they should have known that Rosa was from the Assassin's Guild. Instead of thinking about overwhelming firepower to kill, they tried to quietly resolve it. Isn't that clearly neglecting their strengths and trying to compete with others using their weaknesses?

Wait.

By the way, why do my enemies seem quite smart, while Rosa's enemies look so foolish?

Is it a matter of rank?

Locke thought to himself. He remembered the two clients who had expressed a desire to buy him, the peerless assassin. He hadn't considered waiting there to ambush them.

But there was no need.

Firstly, it was already very late.

Secondly, he wasn't so petty as to pay attention to two cowards who didn't even dare to answer his calls.

Rosa also took out a satellite phone.

"Callum…"

"Yes, it's done."

"Okay, received."

"Alright, I understand."

Rosa put down the phone and looked back at Locke. "Callum has succeeded."

Locke raised an eyebrow. "He led the team to the King family castle. He's back?"

Rosa hummed, then a smile played on her lips. "Half an hour ago, several of the King family's financiers reported that nearly 100 million in funds had been transferred to an unknown overseas secret account."

Locke raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Rosa smiled. "Yes, several of the King family's financiers confessed that Earl King personally called to say so. However, if Earl King discovers something is amiss, he should transfer all the funds from the accounts. There's a full five hundred million in there."

Locke chuckled. "Didn't you say you were short on money?"

Money, as long as it's enough, is fine.

Besides.

Locke had packed up all the valuable oil paintings and such from the manor. When the time came, finding a reliable auction house to sell them for a good price wouldn't be a problem.

And.

Locke smiled. "I'm also a member of the Brotherhood, so consider this my duty."

Just then.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Not far away, from the shattered helicopter, a Western European woman, having lost both her lower legs and her cold, elegant demeanor, struggled to crawl out of the helicopter.

Rosa glanced at her, then turned back.

Locke smiled slightly.

"Aren't you going to send her off?"

"No."

Rosa's expression was cold. "I prefer to let her bleed out and die."

Locke shrugged.

These people came to cause trouble for Rosa; how she dealt with them was her business, not his.

"Going back?"

"Yes, I'm going to the New York Hilton Hotel. Are you coming?"

"I'm afraid Lynch might misunderstand."

"...Callum's daughter and son are at the hotel. It will take some time to move all the King family's belongings, so I need to go to the hotel to oversee things."

"Oh, never mind."

Locke opened the car door and smiled at Rosa, who was standing outside the car. "It's late. Nothing good ever happens when you're still awake at two in the morning; that's what I've always believed. Good night, Rosa."

Anyway, in two days, once this weekend is over, school will start.

Whether Callum was Magneto or not would soon be revealed.

There was no need to rush. Going to the Hilton Hotel with Callum's lover in the middle of the night felt a bit strange, no matter how you looked at it.

Vroom!

Locke started the car, and it shot out like an arrow.

At the same time.

Two ghostly figures quickly darted through the woods, then suddenly stopped, their gaze falling on the manor, which had been completely reduced to ruins and even sunk into a deep pit.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

One vampire's nose twitched like a husky's, then he opened his blood-red eyes and looked at the vampire next to him. "Dead."

The vampire next to him nodded. "We need to tell Lord Laurent."

Saying that.

The two vampires nodded, then once again looked at the ruins of the manor, where firefighters had already arrived, and turned around, disappearing with a whoosh back into the deep night.

Over at an abandoned factory in Jersey City.

By this time, Locke had already left half an hour ago, and Rosa had also left with her people.

As for that Western European woman?

As Rosa had said, she deliberately left the Western European woman to await death.

But… the Western European woman, Gazelle, had an extremely strong will to live. She spent more than ten minutes, at the moment the helicopter behind her exploded a second time, managing to save herself.

Just then.

The air distorted, and then a group of fully armed black-clad men in helmets, carrying weapons, silently appeared beside Gazelle, the Western European woman. Three black-clad men held their weapons, guarding the surroundings, and then two black-clad men, one on each side, helped the pale-faced Gazelle, who had lost both her lower legs and was still bleeding profusely, towards the invisible fighter jet that was slowly appearing in the night behind them.

"Ah!"

The Western European girl couldn't help but let out a cry of agony, then bit down hard on her teeth, watching the red-hot iron cauterize her two lower legs, lying in someone's arms, drenched in cold sweat.

"It's alright."

A black hand caressed the mutilated lower legs, its voice very gentle. "I will heal you, and I will make you even stronger."

251. Is the Sky-drop System coming?

The next day.

When Locke arrived at Umbrella Pharmaceuticals, he saw Callum Lynch yawning.

"Yo!"

Locke walked in and sat on the sofa, looking at Callum across from him, who looked exactly like Magneto but insisted he wasn't. "How's the harvest?"

Callum put down his arm and looked at Locke. "It was pretty good, but you beat us to it."

It always seemed like they were just tagging along with Locke, getting scraps.

Otherwise... Locke could have left them nothing.

"Haha."

Locke chuckled, looking at Callum. "We're brothers, allies, comrades. Whether you go first or I go first, there's no need to be so clear about it."

Callum smiled but said nothing.

After a while.

Rosa came over and, with a thud, a stack of photos landed directly on the coffee table in front of Locke and Callum.

The background of the photos was very dark.

But... in these photos, the scene from last night, where the Western European woman was taken from the abandoned factory, was captured very clearly.

"These were taken last night by an assassin staking out the place."

"From the Templar Order?"

"No."

Rosa shook her head. "Even if they were from the Templar Order, they wouldn't have the military's most advanced weapons, especially these, which haven't even appeared on the black market yet."

"That S.H.I.E.L.D. agency?"

"Very likely."

Locke listened to Rosa and Callum's conversation, looking at the photos in his hand, and shook his head. "It shouldn't be."

Rosa looked at Locke.

Locke said, "If it were S.H.I.E.L.D., they would prefer to carpet bomb the area, not try to secretly abduct Rosa."

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operating standards might change due to Nick Fury's death.

But S.H.I.E.L.D.'s style of action wouldn't change. If it were S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra, they would directly use overwhelming force to pressure Rosa into giving up clues.

Callum and Rosa exchanged glances, then shook their heads. "Forget it, just send them a message. The current matter is the most important."

No matter what, they had already found another clue to a Golden Apple.

Callum looked at Locke. "Wushuang, are you participating in this mission?"

Locke waved his hand. "I'm going to the East Country tomorrow."

Tomorrow was the first day of school, and Wushuang Assassin needed a reasonable excuse to disappear for a while. This was also why Locke was here today.

"However…"

Locke smiled and said to Callum, "If you run into trouble, you can contact me via satellite phone. I'll rush back as soon as possible."

Callum nodded. "Okay."

Wushuang Assassin was brought in by Callum on the principle of "if you can't beat him, get him to join." Unlike the other assassins they found, those assassins, having awakened their memories, had a natural sense of belonging to the Brotherhood. For Wushuang, Callum only needed to ensure that Wushuang wouldn't use the Golden Apple to destroy the world.

However, since Locke stated he wasn't participating in this mission, Rosa didn't bring up the Golden Apple information she had received from the Jin family.

Locke didn't mind; he wasn't very interested in the Golden Apples. Instead, he was curious about Callum's children and asked, "I heard you brought your son and daughter over?"

Callum shook his head. "The education quality in Sokovia isn't very good, and my record in the Federation has been cleared. I've owed them too much over the years, so last year I went back, thinking of bringing them over, but I didn't expect…"

As a result, it delayed him for a whole year.

Fortunately.

With Rosa's remote help and guidance, his son and daughter finally relented and were willing to return to the Federation with him.

"Oh, right."

Callum seemed to remember something and looked at Locke. "I arranged for them to attend Midtown High. You don't have any problems with that, do you?"

Locke smiled. "What problems would I have?"

Callum said, "I hope you don't think I'm sending my son and daughter there to monitor a certain student."

Locke's expression was indifferent as he turned and walked out. "I'm leaving."

Monitor a certain student?

I'm afraid you're sending lambs to the slaughter.

Locke thought to himself.

Soon.

September 1, 2005, Midtown High School opening day.

Parking lot!

"Ah!!!"

"Gwen!!!"

"Betty!"

"L!"

"Cindy."

As always, just like the first day of school in spring, when good friends meet again, even Ken and Cindy, who had just seen each other yesterday, acted as if they hadn't seen each other in ages, gathering in twos and threes, then hugging, severely blocking traffic in the parking lot.

Some students waiting to enter the parking lot were angry but dared not speak.

They were clearly dominant student figures.

"Locke."

"Carrie."

Locke also hugged Carrie, who had driven to school, then asked, "Has Chester not returned yet?"

Carrie shook her head. "I called yesterday. She said she might be back a few days late."

Locke chuckled. "I knew it."

When Chester left that day, she said with her chest puffed out that she would be back in two days at most. Locke felt that this time would probably have a zero added to it.

After all, when men get angry, their anger gradually fades with time.

But if a woman gets angry, and you don't comfort her immediately, the result will be that her anger will grow more and more with the passage of time.

This was the third law of women.

Just then.

Sam Malik, the captain of the school's football team, also parked his car and walked over, shaking Locke's hand. "How was your summer vacation?"

Locke smiled. "Quite fulfilling."

He went to West Virginia, transferred to his third profession, became an Imperial Bloodkin, met a little vampire girl who might have mistaken him for someone else, and after returning, had a fight with Wuxinmo. It was indeed fulfilling.

Locke smiled and asked, "How about you?"

Sam smiled. "I went to the manor with the team, you know, to practice football."

Locke's eyes lit up. "Oh, right, the high school football league starts this month. I'm rooting for you, so don't disappoint me."

After he became the student council president, several guidance counselors recommended several talented out-of-school students in football to him, hoping he could work on the football team.

It was simple.

The recruited players needed to play, otherwise, why recruit them?

Locke kept his promise to Sam Malik and directly blocked this matter. If Sam Malik failed to bring back the trophy, known as the High School League Super Bowl, this time, he felt that he would undoubtedly be impeached by the eleventh and twelfth-grade guidance counselors.

Sam patted his chest. "Don't worry, this is my only chance left."

Locke smiled. "I believe in you."

Excluding family background and such, Sam Malik was one of the new friends he made this year. Last year, he made friends with Cindy and Kahn.

In the classroom.

The atmosphere was like the first day of school in spring, with students chattering, gathering in twos and threes, sharing their summer vacation experiences and so on.

Locke and Gwen were called to the office by their college counselor, Mrs. Cordiff.

Mrs. Cordiff handed a list to Locke and Gwen. "This is the list of fall enrollment students."

Gwen looked at the bottom of the list, where several newly enrolled students were marked with asterisks, and blinked, looking at Mrs. Cordiff. "Mrs. Cordiff, you've emptied out Brooklyn."

Good heavens.

The names of Helen Zhao, Jane Foster, and Peter Parker, the runner-up team from the last High School League Knowledge Comprehensive Competition, which was the Brooklyn team, clearly appeared on the list.

Only... Locke looked up at Mrs. Cordiff. "Mrs. Cordiff, what about Susan and Ben?"

Why didn't Invisible Woman and Thing come?

That shouldn't be.

In Locke's opinion, Invisible Woman and Thing's performance in the last knowledge competition was far superior to Peter Parker's.

Mrs. Cordiff shook her head. "Susan and Ben were poached by Trinity."

Gwen was slightly stunned. "Trinity? Didn't they reportedly poach that super prodigy from California this year?"

"Are you talking about Reed Richards?"

"Yes."

"Don't we also have you and Locke, two academic gods? The more good students, the better."

"…"

Mrs. Cordiff said this, then shook her head and continued, "As long as Trinity indicated they could offer a spot to Susan's brother, allowing Susan's brother to also attend Trinity School."

Gwen said, "We can do that too."

Mrs. Cordiff shook her head. "Of course, there were also Susan's parents' reasons, but it's still very good."

Five people from Brooklyn.

Midtown High poached three, while Trinity only poached two.

Although Mrs. Cordiff hadn't originally intended to poach Peter Parker, after hearing that Trinity had also poached two, the school board, in order to defeat Trinity, simply had her poach Peter Parker as well.

In that case, it was three to two.

By all accounts, Midtown High had won again this time.

"Helen Zhao and Jane will be in your class, Peter Parker in another class."

"Wait."

Gwen blinked, and upon hearing this, looked up at Mrs. Cordiff. "Mrs. Cordiff, you forgot, the Sokovian siblings who were supposed to enroll in spring but didn't will also be coming today on enrollment day. We only have two empty desks left in our class."

And two more girls?

Their class already had a severe gender imbalance.

Most importantly.

Gwen glanced at Locke beside her. Last night, while eating out, Helen Zhao had called Locke…

252. Misjudged Gwen

Gwen trusted Locke very much.

After all, Gwen felt that if she hadn't pursued Locke, he would probably have remained content and treated her courteously, going to college together and then parting ways.

But… she didn't trust Helen Cho.

Helen Cho had an exotic charm and extensive knowledge, and she was from their same world. According to the experiences shared by Cindy, Kym, and Helen, Helen Cho's threat level felt extremely high.

As the three of them would say, there were always anonymous love letters secretly slipped into Locke's locker at school. Every three days, Gwen had to help Locke clear out a large pile of them.

But the reason Locke hadn't fallen for anyone wasn't because they weren't pretty enough, but because they weren't from the same world.

Only academic geniuses belonged together, or academic geniuses and top students. Before, there wasn't an academic genius from the same world to pose a threat to Gwen.

Now, the appearance of Helen Cho undoubtedly sounded the alarm in Gwen's heart, an alarm that had never rung before.

So.

Gwen said to Mrs. Cord: "Mrs. Cord, our class can only accept one more student at most. There's really no more space for seats."

Mrs. Cord listened to her student assistant Gwen and nodded thoughtfully: "You're right. That brother and sister who transferred from Sokovia will also be coming today."

Gwen smiled slightly.

Although the tenth-grade class was mostly for show, with most of the time spent following individual class schedules, Gwen felt that Cindy was right: prevention should start from the smallest details.

Hmm.

Mrs. Cord nodded and said: "Then Jane can go to another class. Helen Cho and that brother and sister will join yours."

Gwen: "…"

Outside the door.

Gwen suddenly grabbed her handbook and sighed.

Locke looked at Gwen curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Locke hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze falling on the names of the brother and sister from Sokovia in his handbook.

The boy was named Pietro Lynch.

The girl was named Wanda Lynch.

Good heavens!

Callum, how dare you say you're not Magneto?

You old Magneto, you're very bad!

Locke grumbled inwardly, but his mood was already somewhat unperturbed. After all, he had been mentally prepared for the Scarlet Witch to possibly make an appearance since the beginning of the year.

So.

Locke felt like he had already given up.

After shaking her head, Gwen, seeing Locke's seemingly indifferent reaction, wanted to roll her eyes. However, she suddenly wrapped her arm around Locke's and chuckled.

It was silly.

Locke reached out to touch Gwen's forehead.

"…What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

This time, Gwen couldn't help but roll her eyes, then smiled: "Let's go. I wonder if the new students have arrived yet."

She had figured it out.

Whether Helen Cho could become a threat wasn't up to Helen Cho.

It was up to Locke.

And it seemed Locke wasn't interested at all. Besides, yesterday during dinner, Locke had openly answered a call in front of her and hadn't avoided her.

Her mother had said that when a man starts avoiding you to make calls, that's when you need to be careful.

Back in the classroom.

Flash and Kahn had already brought a table back.

Kym, who was sitting in front of Gwen, brightened when she saw Gwen enter and pulled her over: "Didn't you say two students were coming? Why is there an extra table?"

Gwen glanced at Locke, who had walked to his seat, and whispered to Kym and Cindy: "There's also Helen Cho from Brooklyn."

Kym and Cindy exchanged glances.

Carrie, who was sitting to Locke's left, looked at Locke as he sat down and asked curiously: "Are new students coming?"

Carrie felt that she might have more in common with transfer students. After all, the year wasn't over yet, and in some ways, she was still a recent transfer student herself.

Locke nodded: "Yes, three."

Betty, who had moved to sit in front of Carrie this semester so she could easily turn around and chat with her, looked at Locke: "Three? Wasn't it two?"

Locke smiled: "Helen Cho from Brooklyn will also be joining us this semester."

"What about the others?"

"Trinity poached two, and we poached three. But this semester, we have three transfer students in our class, so Jane Foster and Peter Parker went to the next class."

"Next door? Why?"

Betty blinked: "Mary went to the next class this semester too."

Locke looked up.

Betty shrugged: "Mary worked at a restaurant during the summer and met some students from the next class. Then she applied to switch classes with the counselor."

Locke hummed in understanding.

It was still the same point: high school classes were all in a small or large auditorium format. There was no rule that a certain grade had to attend together. Setting up a classroom was just for convenience of management.

Hadn't Jessica Campbell also gone to the next class?

It was a very normal thing.

The most abnormal thing was probably Midtown High itself.

This time, Midtown High was probably going to be truly blessed with outstanding talents.

Look at the luxurious lineup of the tenth grade now.

Locke, I am destiny, no need to say more.

Gwen also didn't need much explanation, an academic genius since childhood. If she hadn't been killed by Spider-Man in her original world, Gwen's achievements as she grew up would have been astonishing.

Wait!

Mary Jane.

Peter Parker.

Is this the old Spider-Man storyline?

Locke thought to himself.

Speaking of which, what was the old Spider-Man story about? Frankly, Locke couldn't remember very clearly anymore.

He only remembered that version of Spider-Man was very cocky.

The kind of cocky that made you want to punch him.

To put it plainly, he was the kind of cocky that became arrogant once he gained power, like the wolf from Zhongshan.

Just then, the class teacher also walked in from outside. Once again, the endless chatter in the classroom instantly quieted down the moment the teacher's right foot stepped into the room.

The usual announcements.

Then, it was time for the transfer students to make their appearance.

Locke, like the other students, applauded for the three transfer students who walked in, welcoming them.

The few male students who had virtually no presence in the class immediately started whispering to each other when they saw the two beautiful girls enter.

Helen Cho, needless to say, possessed an academic genius aura and an exotic, aloof charm.

As for Wanda, her iconic red pique, red hair, and wild aura made it hard for anyone to forget her at first glance.

After entering, Helen Cho waved at Locke, who was sitting below.

Locke nodded in acknowledgment, his peripheral vision catching Wanda.

Huh?

Shouldn't Wanda be the heir to Scarlet Magic? How come she just feels like an ordinary Wanda?

Locke raised an eyebrow.

Helen Cho on stage revealed a smile.

She came to Midtown High because of Locke's invitation, plus the offer Mrs. Cord gave her wasn't low. Moreover, it allowed her to use the lab at a board member's biological company for some of her research data.

How high your achievements are depends on your vision and the people around you.

This is what her mother told her. Compared to Midtown High, where two academic geniuses shone brightly and top students were as numerous as stars, Brooklyn, apart from boasting about being Captain America's alma mater, didn't seem to have much else.

Moreover, knowing that both Midtown High and Trinity were trying to poach her, Brooklyn showed no reaction at all. Some students even mocked and ridiculed them after their twelve consecutive losses.

Then, adding to that, the phone call she had with Locke the day before school started made Helen Cho, at the last moment, call Mrs. Cord to express her acceptance of the transfer invitation.

Wanda, standing next to Helen Cho, also noticed Locke.

She had heard Callum mention Locke yesterday.

And Wanda felt that Callum might have let it slip, which was how he mentioned Locke's name. But because of that, Wanda remembered Locke's name.

Hmm.

Aside from being excessively handsome.

He didn't seem to have any other differences.

Gwen, sitting to Locke's right, looked at Helen Cho smiling on stage, then glanced at Wanda. Still feeling that Helen Cho was the bigger threat, she dismissed Wanda into the safe zone. Her eyebrow twitched imperceptibly. Kym, in front, turned to look at Gwen, seemingly asking if they needed to "educate" this new female student. Such pranks were Cindy's specialty, after all.

Cindy, feeling Kym's gaze, slightly raised her head, looked at Kym and Gwen, blinked, and then seemed to realize something. She looked at Gwen, as if to say, "Just one word from you, and my sisterhood can immediately arrange a series of pranks to let the new student feel Midtown High's enthusiasm."

Gwen immediately backed down.

But… when Helen Cho raised her hand, pointed to the empty seat in front of Locke (due to Betty's move), and said, "Teacher, can I sit in that seat?", Gwen took a deep breath, feeling a strong urge to agree with Kym and Cindy's instigation.

Fortunately.

Gwen took a deep breath and restrained herself.

But.

After the three students took their seats, the few male students in the classroom, who weren't even worthy of names, once again cast envious glances at Locke.

After all, Locke's seat felt like a feng shui treasure spot.

To his left was the icy and aloof Carrie.

To his right was the warm and gentle Gwen, like a girl next door.

Then, in front of him, was the exotic Helen Cho.

Behind him was Wanda, full of wild beauty.

Actually, these two seats were originally reserved for Wanda and Pietro, but Helen Cho spoke up first, so Pietro was sent to the upper left corner to share a desk with Flash.

Subsequently.

The teacher clapped her hands, a bright smile on her face: "Alright, everyone, new semester, new beginning. Here's a test paper to warm up and see how well you've maintained your level."

It was the first exam of the semester.

Points.

Here I come!

253. Pietro's Backdoor Attempt

High school life is always rich and colorful.

For students with social savvy, the start of the school year meant they could gather in small groups to chat again, stretching their summer job stories into five chapters and eighteen sections, enough to last until winter break.

For people like Locke and Gwen, who loved to learn and were passionate about their studies, the recurring cycle of exams that filled their lives once more was even more delightful.

Locke wished he could take exams three times a day.

After all, these were all Achievement Points and Potential Points.

In the face of missions, even Wanda's arrival couldn't stop Locke's love for learning.

Especially since this Wanda wasn't the Scarlet Witch yet.

Yes.

Neither Wanda nor Pietro had shown anything special about the Scarlet Witch or Quicksilver; Locke felt this was likely the same state Carrie had been in back then.

The time for awakening hadn't come yet.

Once Locke figured this out, he didn't pay much attention to Wanda.

He had a girlfriend.

Gwen Stacy. They were recognized as the model couple of Midtown High School; in fact, this year's promotional video for the school had already cast Locke and Gwen as the male and female leads.

Even the New York Youth High School Gazette, which followed high school life in New York, ranked Locke and Gwen at the top of their list of ten high school couples.

So, a plain Wanda—though she was developing quite maturely and possessed a certain attractive, wild beauty—wasn't a concern. He had a girlfriend, and too much attention would cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

High school was a miniature society, and in this society, frankly speaking, Wanda and he were from different Worlds. Wanda's grades weren't good enough for her to fit into Locke's small inner circle.

Furthermore, Wanda hadn't even thought about fitting in.

Besides, they took different classes. If everything went as expected—and if Wanda wasn't named Wanda—then according to a typical story, Wanda wouldn't even have a name in this tale about Locke.

"I'm going to the office."

After Locke and Gwen left the cafeteria, he said, "The Student Council President from Regis High School is coming over to sign the agreement. I'll be waiting there."

Gwen hummed in response. "I have one more class this afternoon. I'll head over once I'm done."

Locke nodded, turned, and walked toward his private office as the Student Council President of Midtown High School.

Since school started last month, aside from grinding points through exams, Locke had poured most of his energy into his grand plan for the Student Council.

Creating a Knowledge Competition for high school student councils across New York State and Jersey City.

A competition belonging to the student councils, launched through a powerful alliance of the presidents from eighteen prestigious high schools in New York State and two in Jersey City.

After a month of hard work, most of the schools were settled, with only Regis High School left.

Fortunately.

Once the agreement was signed today, he could set up a group chat, have the Trinity High Schoolpresident find some media outlets to spread the word, hold a press conference, and then start organizing.

At that point, the plan he had schemed—which could grind points for two years and yield at least 500,000 points—could finally be launched.

Locke was looking forward to it.

"Hi, Gwen."

"Helen."

In the break hallway, Gwen smiled and greeted Zhao Helen, whom she had been in class with for a month.

Across from them, Cindy was opening her locker to take out her bag. Once Zhao Helen left clutching her biology textbook, she leaned in toward Gwen. "Hey, don't let your guard down."

Gwen laughed. "Helen just admires Locke's knowledge, that's all."

Cindy was pained by Gwen's nonchalance. "Admiration can easily turn into an opportunity to swoop in!"

"It's not that exaggerated."

"Go take a look at Wall Street. Which of those young stock managers hasn't fallen that way?"

"...Locke isn't a Wall Street stock manager."

He is Wall Street himself!

Gwen thought to herself.

Kem walked over at that moment and asked curiously, "What are you guys talking about?"

Gwen smiled. "Nothing."

Cindy rolled her eyes and pulled Kem along. "Gwen doesn't think Zhao Helen is a threat. It's only been a month and she's already relaxed her guard."

Kem looked at Gwen in surprise. "Really?"

Gwen felt a bit helpless.

Kem then added, "I also don't think Helen is much of a threat to Gwen."

Gwen looked at Cindy as if to say,'See? This is why Kem is my best friend.'

Kem then nodded thoughtfully. "Helen really doesn't pose much of a threat to Gwen. I actually think that Wanda might be one. I've observed closely—when they first transferred, Locke's gaze lingered on Wanda at least twice as much as it did on Helen."

Cindy was shocked. "What? Wanda? That's impossible, they're not even from the same World."

The minimum entry requirement for their circle was being a Top Student.

Gwen?

At most, she was just a smart classmate.

Kem nodded with certainty. "It's precisely because they aren't from the same World that she's more of a threat. Helen and Gwen are both Top Students, and Locke already has one. If he wants to try something fresh, he'll definitely look to another World. So Gwen, I think you need to watch out for Wanda."

Gwen was completely speechless and rolled her eyes at Kem. "I take back what I was about to say."

Kem looked suspicious.

Gwen said exasperatedly, "What kind of broken theories are these? According to you, since you know where Locke's gaze lands, does that mean you've been secretly watching Locke this whole time? By your logic, I should be wary of you."

Beside them, Cindy's eyes lit up.

Was Kem's position as Gwen's number one best friend wavering?

Time to add some fuel to the fire!

She had always coveted that top spot, but whenever she tentatively asked, Gwen's answer was always the same.

Kem was her best friend.

But now?

This was a great opportunity!

Cindy felt a secret joy. She nodded, echoing Gwen's words, and then looked at Kem with a provocative gaze. "Mhm, I think you have a point, Gwen. Kem, you're acting suspicious!"

Kem glared fiercely at Cindy.

This bitch!

Trying to steal my spot? In your dreams.

Kem gave Cindy a warning look, then spread her hands to Gwen. "Honey, you have to believe me. My intuition is pretty good. Even my mysterious father praises my intuition for being excellent."

Brian Mills indeed praised her for it, though Kem herself didn't know that her intuition wasn't actually innate.

Gwen held her forehead; she shouldn't have started this topic with these two. She shook her head. "Alright, let's stop this topic here. Wanda is actually quite nice, and I heard she's on good terms with Betty and Carrie. Let's not talk about this anymore. Locke isn't a dollar bill; it's impossible for everyone to love him."

Not a dollar bill?

Kem and Cindy exchanged a glance, then looked at Gwen with strange expressions. "Are you sure he's not a dollar bill?"

Gwen opened her mouth to speak.

Fine.

The whole school probably knew Locke was very rich by now.

It wasn't that Locke's savings had been exposed, but rather that Locke's photobooks were selling like crazy in high schools across the country, and were even gradually moving into various universities.

It was quite ridiculous.

If Locke hadn't seen another 200,000 in dividends last week and, with a twitching brow, directly threatened Cindy to stop her plan to acquire another printing plant, his photobooks might have crossed the ocean by now.

It was absurd.

To this day, Gwen couldn't figure out why Locke's photobooks sold better than those of A-list Hollywood stars.

It was unscientific.

Gwen had even specifically discussed this with a psychology teacher from the NYPD, and the conclusion she got was rather mystical.

It might be due to the bandwagon effect.

When one girl who appreciated beauty bought Locke's photobook, other girls followed suit when they saw it.

In short.

After Locke's dividends and the exposure from Cindy's sorority, there was no doubt that in the eyes of some girls, Locke was a walking stack of US dollars.

But Gwen didn't feel threatened by those superficial girls at all.

Gwen looked at her two best friends and shook her head. "Alright, this matter is over. Stop it here. Especially you, Kem. Wanda has a pretty good personality."

Although she hadn't spoken much to Wanda, Betty was her friend. Besides, they weren't from the same World, so how could she be a threat?

Following Kem's logic, Gwen felt that Wanda was no threat; Carrie was likely the most threatening one.

She was a classmate and, in private, the illegitimate daughter of Locke's godfather.

No matter how you looked at it, Carrie was the bigger threat.

So... Kem's theory was simply wrong.

Mhm.

Gwen nodded to herself, feeling she should trust Locke more. Validating things with a suspicious gaze would surely result in filtered information.

Kem opened her mouth, suddenly feeling like she was the only sober person in a World of drunks.

"Achoo!"

In the office, Locke sneezed and pinched his nose. He then looked at Pietro, who had rushed over to seek justice the moment Locke arrived. Locke frowned. "If you want to join the Football Team, you should go talk to Sam. I won't interfere with the Football Team at all."

Good grief.

He's here to use the backdoor, isn't he?

But... I haven't even become your brother-in-law yet.

Wait!

Hold on, why... why did I have that thought?

Locke was dazed for a moment, and then his mind couldn't help but recall Wanda's indeed overly impressive chest muscles.

It's all the fault of those perverted classmates who were whispering about Wanda in the break hallway earlier.

Shameless!

Vulgar!

They've corrupted an honest, duty-bound Midtown High Student Council President like me, renowned throughout New York...

Chapter 254: The Reason Quicksilver Failed

Locke silently condemned those shameless and lewd classmates in his heart. If they hadn't brought it up today, he could swear to God that he would have forgotten who Wanda even was.

And now?

Locke looked at Pietro, who wanted to join the Football Team but hadn't gone to Sam Malik, instead coming to him. He asked curiously, "I recall that during the player trials yesterday, you passed, didn't you?"

The football league, known as the High School Alliance Super Bowl, had just begun, but the selection for the new semester's football players was also underway.

During yesterday's football trials, Locke had been dragged along by Sam to show support.

This was part of the deal he made to secure his position as student council president.

Pietro's performance back then was quite good, and Wanda had cheered happily on the sidelines. However, Locke's attention hadn't been on the game, so he wasn't entirely sure of the details.

Pietro, who was the same age as him, shrugged. "I passed, but then this morning, Malik kicked me off again. I don't think it's fair."

Locke raised an eyebrow.

Did Pietro have Black heritage?

That's impossible.

Locke felt it was a bit strange. "Why did he kick you off?"

Pietro shrugged. "He asked me why I wanted to join the Football Team. I told him that being the Football Team's quarterback makes it easy to pick up girls."

Locke: "..."

You've only been in the Federation for a month, and you've already mastered these unspoken rules.

In reality, it wasn't just football quarterbacks who were popular; basketball Captains and baseball players were also very popular.

But... those were the unspoken rules of 'happy education' high schools. Midtown High School focused on elite education.

Wait.

Locke had a vague idea of Wanda's personality, but was Quicksilver's personality really like this?

Locke flipped through his database. There wasn't much data on Quicksilver—very little, in fact. After all, this guy was known as the fastest in the world, and his exit speed was probably the fastest among superheroes too.

But.

A beard?

Lack of sleep?

Dark circles under his eyes?

Locke found a photo of Pietro from an image and compared it with the somewhat youthful Pietro in front of him. A beard was starting to grow, but only a little. No matter how he looked at him, he seemed to have the appearance of someone who had overindulged in debauchery.

Could it be... that this was why Quicksilver, despite being the fastest, still died from a single gunshot?

He was physically drained.

This won't do.

This is a bad habit and must be changed.

At the thought that his future brother-in-law might inexplicably die due to overindulgence, Locke's brow furrowed.

Wait?

Brother-in-law?

Locke shook his head, regained his composure, and looked at Pietro. "Sorry, I don't interfere in any Football Team matters!"

Pietro was slightly stunned. "You're the student council president. Can't you manage the Football Team?"

Locke smiled. "Of course I can."

The student council didn't rely on the school board; it existed independently. Similarly, it operated under a separation of powers. In a way, Madam Cort was actually an employee of the student council rather than an employee of the high school administration.

The school buses were entirely provided by the student council, with all funding and personnel handled by them.

"But..."

Locke shook his head. "The Super Bowl has already started. At this time, it's not good to recklessly interfere in Football Team affairs. Perhaps you can try again next year."

Anyway, they would only be in the eleventh grade next year.

By then, Sam Malik would be in the twelfth grade. According to his plan, after winning this year's Super Bowl honors, he would retire at his peak to prepare for Yale, the cradle of politicians.

After all, if he relied solely on grades to get into Yale, Sam still fell a bit short, but with this honor, it would be very easy to get in.

Sam was now considered his friend, and looking out for his friends had always been one of Locke's virtues.

Having said that.

Locke stood up, smiled, and walked toward the student council president of Regis High School, who had appeared at the door led by a female member of the student council. "Rhodes, I've finally been looking forward to your arrival, hahaha!"

As long as Regis High School was settled, there would be no more problems or obstacles remaining.

Soon.

After discussing the details of the 'New York State High School Student Council Knowledge Competition Platform,' such as the resources and seats enjoyed by each school's student council, both parties signed their names in the conference room.

A little later.

Once the student council president of Regis High School left, thunderous applause erupted in the conference room.

Locke looked with a smile at the student council officers of this term, all of whom he had personally promoted. He waved twenty documents with identical content but different names. "It's done."

The crowd cheered instantly.

If this competition platform grew big and strong, it would be a brilliant addition to their resumes. As long as the high schools existed, this tournament would exist, and they, as the founding student councils of this platform, would not be forgotten.

There was another founder, Holy Trinity.

That was bought with money.

But who could blame them for being Holy Trinity? As the saying goes, compared to Holy Trinity, Midtown High School was at most a nouveau riche, but Holy Trinity was a genuine elite powerhouse.

"Betty."

"President."

"Coordinate with the news department at Holy Trinity for joint promotion. As for the press conference, since we're not choosing Midtown, we won't choose Holy Trinity either. Pick a new location."

"Got it."

Locke said to Betty, "The promotion for the first month is the most important part for your side. Don't drop the ball."

Betty smiled. "Don't worry, I won't."

Gwen spoke up from the side, "I'll make an appointment with Aunt Finn later to see if she can help us out by inserting a segment about our news into the evening news on New York Channel One Television Station."

Betty turned to look at Gwen, her eyes lighting up. "Is that possible?"

Gwen nodded. "If all else fails, I'll go to Dad."

If Dad asked Patty Finn, it would surely succeed. As for Helen's side, Dad would be seeing Aunt Finn for official business, not personal matters, so it could be kept secret.

Since the extra episode of 'exploring the mysterious' Season One aired, the show, which was on the verge of being canceled, had been directly revived. Moreover, Patty, who seemed to have reached an official spokesperson agreement with the Peerless Assassin, had her position at the TV station further solidified.

Asking for a favor, even if it was just a thirty-second free broadcast, shouldn't be much of a problem.

"By the way."

Gwen seemed to have thought of something and said to Betty, "How about you try to record a promotional video? I'll take it to show Aunt Finn when the time comes."

Betty nodded. "That's a good idea."

If they used their promotional video, it would be even better.

Betty said, "I can be the producer, Carrie and Wanda can be the hosts, and then we'll find a few classmates with good images to act as random passersby."

Carrie, who was sitting nearby, and Wanda, who had also been dragged to the meeting by Betty, couldn't help but look up when they heard their names.

Gwen smiled. "That's up to you. Don't make it too long, just thirty seconds. If it's too long, I'm afraid it might be difficult for Aunt Finn."

Cindy, also at the side, said to Betty, "I'll go back and ask my dad. I remember he has a colleague whose girlfriend is the deputy editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal. Maybe she can help increase the buzz a bit."

Betty smiled so much her eyes narrowed into slits.

Investing in Locke back then—wasn't this reward now being returned many times over?

Locke listened to the girls' discussion and chose not to interrupt.

Results.

He only wanted results; he didn't care at all about the process. Moreover, this was the law of life in the Federation. A lawyer could ensure you live safely in the Federation, but connections could allow you to live better on top of that safety.

A while later.

After school let out in the afternoon, Gwen got into the car, took her phone out of her bag, and dialed Patty Finn's number.

Locke was in no hurry to drive.

Soon.

Gwen said thank you to Patty Finn on the other end of the phone, then hung up and said with some surprise, "I thought I'd have to find Dad to ask for a favor, but I didn't expect her to agree directly."

Locke let out a laugh.

Those who haven't given up on their ulterior motives generally agree this quickly. After all, Gwen is George's daughter.

And George's weakness is his daughter.

"Let's go."

Gwen put away her bag and looked at Locke. "Let's go to Chester's restaurant to celebrate. My treat?"

Locke smiled. "Let's change restaurants."

"Why?"

"How about considering not going there for half a year?"

"Ha."

"His old flame came back with him half a month ago."

"..."

Gwen blinked. "Old flame?"

Locke gave an affirmative hum.

This was also why he hadn't gone to see Chester since the start of the semester, even though he knew Chester had returned from Texas half a month ago.

Agatha Harkness was a legendary Witch.

And now she was also Carrie's Witch teacher. If Agatha were to discover some clue from Carrie's power, and then Agatha directly switched sides to confess everything, frankly speaking, Locke didn't know whether he would refuse or agree then.

After all, Chester was considered his godfather.

If his godfather's old flame were to be his subordinate, what if things came to light in the future? So, it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Locke thought for a moment. "How about the revolving restaurant at the Empire State Building?"

Gwen smiled. "Sure."

Locke hummed and drove straight out.

Over there, Carrie was also getting ready to go home.

However, just as Carrie was about to head home, Betty walked over, bringing Wanda along with her. "Carrie, how about we go to your house tonight? We can also organize the preliminary concept for the promotional video."

Carrie was slightly stunned, then nodded. "Okay."

She was very much enjoying her life now.

And she was willing to integrate into it...