— An Embarrassing Request —
Aveline blinked, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Eren... these past few days—" The words caught in her throat, but slipped out anyway. "Did you... miss me?"The moment she said it, heat rushed to her face; she almost wanted to bite her tongue off, and she hastily looked down, adding, "Don't misunderstand, I was just joking."
Eren let out a light laugh, a teasing smirk playing on his lips. "No need to explain. Explaining just means you're covering up. To be honest...it did feel a bit unusual without you here."
Aveline composed herself, the blush receding as she adopted a serious expression. "I'm here because I need a favor.
First, thank you for your help last time—after we extracted the confession from Harry, we moved quickly. Three of Crimson Tide's factories were destroyed, five tons of drugs seized, and several high-ranking members captured.
Thanks to you, I've reported it to my superiors. You'll likely get a sentence reduction."
Eren smiled faintly but didn't respond. A reduced sentence? That wasn't his goal. What he wanted was to uncover the truth and clear his name.
Aveline's tone shifted, becoming more earnest. "However, we still have a major problem—the leader of the Crimson Tide syndicate is still at large, his identity unknown. If we can't capture him, these people could easily regroup. We need to find him. Can you...help?"
Eren raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a god. Empty words won't get me anywhere. If I had something of his, like hair or blood, maybe I could try. But with no clues at all, what can I do?"
Aveline paused, her face reddening again as she stammered, "During the interrogations...one of the higher-ups saved something...It might be useful."
Eren eyed her sideways. "What is it?"
Aveline looked down, as if struggling to form the words. "The leader...took a liking to a female dealer and...forced himself on her." She couldn't continue, caught between embarrassment and shame.
Eren sighed impatiently. "Stop beating around the bush. Just say it."
Aveline swallowed hard, leaned closer, and whispered, "Afterward...he threw the used condom in the trash. That underling retrieved it and kept it. City Lord Arden sent me to ask...is it possible to find him based on the...the sample inside?"
Once the words were out, Aveline was so tense that sweat beaded on her forehead. She half-expected a flat-out refusal, and dreaded it.
Eren's face darkened. "Using a condom to find someone...that's just...low." Now he understood why Arden had sent Aveline to deliver this message—this kind of thing was better suited for someone younger and more easily embarrassed.
Aveline blushed even deeper, her voice as soft as the wind. "So...can you...do it?"
Eren let out a long sigh, his teasing demeanor fading into calm resolve. "I can try. Bring it to me."
---
— The End of the Trail —
Two hours later.
Arden personally placed a test tube in front of Eren, his tone complex. "Mr. Eren, I apologize for the...unseemly task. But time is of the essence, we must act immediately."
Eren couldn't be bothered to comment, merely shooting him a glare before raising his hand to inscribe an array. Spiritual energy gathered, swirling like a river of stars.
"Array, rise—Bloodline Tracking Art!"
The moment his voice fell, the crimson liquid in the tube burst into light—
threads of blood and spirit entwined, weaving themselves into a glowing sigil that pulsed like a living heart.
Arden and Aveline exchanged a stunned glance, holding their breaths.
Eren closed his eyes for a moment, then suddenly opened them, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Found him."
"Really?" Arden and Aveline could hardly believe it.
"Let's go." Eren's tone brooked no argument.
Over a dozen SWAT vehicles sped out of the prison, sirens cutting through the mist. They finally halted before a sprawling estate.
Arden's expression shifted drastically. "The Morven Estate? Mr. Eren, are you sure there's no mistake?"
Aveline also gasped in shock. "The drug lord is hiding with the Morvens? They're one of the three great families of the Novalis Sector!"
Eren's gaze was firm as iron. "No mistake. Blood does not lie."
Arden fell silent for a long moment, his face grim. He knew storming the Morven estate meant tearing face with the powerful. But if they missed this chance, the trail might go cold forever.
Gritting his teeth, he gave the order: "All units, hold positions—await my command."
He then turned to Eren. "Let's go in and meet this Morven family head."
---
The main door opened.
Alaric Morven, dressed in traditional Tang suit and emanating an imposing aura, strode out. The smile on his face froze and turned icy the moment he saw Eren.
"City Lord Arden, what is the meaning of bringing a death row inmate into my Morven home?"
Eren spoke calmly. "Patriarch Morven, you've heard of the Crimson Tide syndicate, surely? We're here today to capture its leader."
Alaric's face changed dramatically, his voice trembling with cold fury. "That's a syndicate despised by gods and men alike! But what does that have to do with me? You bring a criminal here to frame me? Preposterous!"
A faint smile touched Eren's lips, his tone leaving no room for debate. "Because the evidence points to you. You are the mastermind behind Crimson Tide."
Silence descended upon the scene.
Alaric's pupils constricted, then he laughed in extreme anger. "Slander! My Morven family has stood for a century! How dare you defame us? Spout any more nonsense, and I'll make you pay!"
Eren stood with his hands behind his back, unmoved. "Won't admit it? Then let's get serious."
Alaric's face darkened completely, a series of cold sneers escaping him. "You want to interrogate me? Boy, do you think you can act lawlessly here? Don't think the City Lord can protect you; even a Provincial Governor wouldn't dare lay a finger on me!"
Arden looked troubled, lowering his voice. "Mr. Eren, the evidence is insufficient. Acting rashly violates procedure. That...'condom'...while it can be DNA tested, it's old and of questionable provenance. It wouldn't hold up in court…"
Before he could finish, Alaric snorted coldly, his voice sinister. "Hear that? No evidence, no cause for trouble here! Now, get out—immediately!"
Eren looked up, his expression stern, and suddenly smiled.
"I'm not a police officer. I don't follow procedure." His tone was calm, yet edged with sharpness. "You want evidence? I'll give it to you—right now."
Before the words had fully faded, he blurred into motion, one hand shooting towards Alaric's head.
"How dare you!" Alaric roared, striking out with a palm strike that carried a thunderous force. But Eren's fingers flicked lightly, the air crackling and exploding, numbing Alaric's hand from the impact.
Alaric was horrified—
This power was completely beyond his comprehension.
Tap—
Eren's palm lightly brushed the top of his head, a few strands of hair slipping into his fingers.
Alaric was furious beyond measure, his voice like thunder. "You dare—humiliate me, brat?!"
Eren let out a cold laugh, his tone as sharp as a blade cutting through the air:
"You wanted evidence? I'll make you see it with your own eyes."
---
— The Final Reveal —
Eren dropped to one knee, swiftly inscribing a glowing array on the ground—the Liuren Soul-Compelling Art.
Watching his practiced movements, a chill shot through Alaric's heart, a sense of foreboding flooding him uncontrollably.
He lunged forward, trying to destroy the single hair placed at the array's center.
"Stay put!"
Eren flicked his fingers, and silken threads shot out, binding Alaric tightly, rendering him immobile.
"You—!" Alaric's face turned purple with rage as he struggled, his eyes shifting to Arden. "You're the City Lord! How can you let a death row inmate torture me? Order him to release me now, or you're finished!"
He then turned back to Eren, his voice hoarse and sharp. "Boy, stop this evil art immediately! You have no idea who you're messing with!"
However, the array lit up, a blinding light pouring into his eyes.
Alaric's entire body convulsed violently, his voice becoming hoarse and distorted, as if forcibly controlled by some ancient power.
No...this power...it's tearing his soul apart!
He gritted his teeth, circulating his internal energy, resisting with all his might. But the soul-compelling force was like a hand from the abyss—cold and merciless.
Eren frowned slightly. "Still resisting? Not bad."
His voice turned cold. "Let's see how long you can last."
"Tell me, what is your name?"
Alaric clenched his jaw with all his strength, but found his mouth moving completely against his will—
"My name is...Alaric! You bastard! What have you done to me?! Why can't I control myself!"
Eren smiled coldly. "Good. Now tell me—are you the leader of the Crimson Tide syndicate?"
Alaric's face contorted, veins bulging. "I—I'm not—!"The words broke off as his own voice betrayed him—
"Yes... I am! I'm the leader of Crimson Tide!"The confession tore through the silence like thunder.
Arden and Aveline were utterly stunned; the air seemed to freeze for an instant.
Eren pressed on. "Where is the evidence?!"
Alaric desperately tried to clamp his mouth shut, but a spark from deep within his consciousness made resistance futile.
"In...in the secret room of my mansion! The syndicate's account books, member lists, cargo records...they're all there!"
Aveline's eyes widened. "Heavens, he confessed!"
"Let's move, now!" Eren's forehead was beaded with cold sweat; the backlash from the soul-compelling art was growing stronger, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
The group followed the entranced Alaric through corridors and hidden passages, finally arriving at a reinforced steel door deep underground.
Aveline stared, dumbfounded. "This place...if he hadn't led us here himself, we could have dug up the entire Morven Estate and never found it."
The secret room was filled with sealed crates and account books, along with an entire cabinet of drug samples. The truth was laid bare.
Alaric's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth gritted. "You...you've ruined me! I will never let you get away with this!"
Eren's expression was cold."You trafficked drugs and destroyed lives... Death ten thousand times over wouldn't be enough."
As Alaric collapsed, coughing blood, a faint black mark flickered behind his ear—
unnoticed by anyone in the room.
Aveline, furious, let out a bitter laugh. "You're the Morven Family Head! You had fame and success. Why sink to this depravity?"
"Hmph." Alaric snorted coldly, his gaze filled with madness and contempt. "It doesn't matter now. It's all over. So what if I die?"
Eren narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly. "Then let me send you off properly."
He drove his fist straight into Alaric's lower abdomen, shattering the energy core within and crushing all his pride.
"Ah—! Bastard! You crippled my cultivation!" Alaric screamed, his voice piercing.
Eren said coldly, "If I didn't cripple you, who could guarantee you wouldn't escape?"
Aveline looked at him in awe, unable to help but give a thumbs-up. "Eren, you did brilliantly."
Arden let out a long sigh of relief, excitement shining in his eyes. "This syndicate...is finally completely destroyed!"
Hearing this, Alaric let out a cold laugh, a trace of mockery in his eyes.
Aveline stepped forward. "Let's go—it's time to face your judgment."