“What’s this?”

“This item, you must, without fail, deliver it personally to the chairman of the Hunter Association, Ethan Brooks. Remember, you must not reveal it to anyone, or you will bring deadly trouble upon yourself!”

Henry Sutton, trembling, stuffed the black crystal into Blake’s hand.

“What does this thing do?” Blake asked in confusion.

“Don’t ask, and don’t go around inquiring. All you need to remember is that this concerns all of humanity. It can only be given to the chairman of the Hunter Association—remember that.”

Henry Sutton insisted on finishing his words, and finally breathed his last.

“It seems it’s too late for me to refuse now, isn’t it?”

Blake sighed, wiped the rhombus pendant and the black crystal clean, and put them into his pocket.

Half an hour later.

Two small aircraft landed on the open ground not far away.

“Old Mr. Sutton!” Liam rushed out of the aircraft, immediately knelt down beside Henry Sutton, and checked his pulse.

“Mr. Sutton!!” William Foster also got off the other aircraft, looking panicked.

Moments later, Liam sat down weakly, because Henry Sutton was already dead!

Beside them, Cassie and William Foster also looked ashen.

As a senior, Henry Sutton was not only a four-star hunter in the Hunter Association, but also the head of the Benlei Martial Arts School in Yunzhou City, enjoying high status.

What’s more, he was a long-time close friend of the Hunter Association’s chairman, Ethan Brooks. Even high-ranking officials would respectfully address him as “Old Mr. Sutton” when they met.

But now, Henry Sutton was dead. How could they explain this to the Hunter Association?

Liam was silent for a moment, then said to Cassie, “Cassie, notify headquarters and the Hunter Association immediately. Tell them that Old Mr. Sutton fell in battle against the Black Crow King!”

“Yes.” Cassie nodded. “Should I also mention that the Black Crow King is dead?”

“Yes, say that the old gentleman disregarded his own safety and perished together with the Black Crow King,” Liam said mournfully.

Cassie returned to the aircraft to send the report, while William Foster felt around Henry Sutton’s chest.

“William Foster, what are you doing?” Liam said sharply.

William Foster glanced at her. “I’m checking Mr. Sutton’s fatal wounds.”

Liam was taken aback, but found it reasonable and said nothing more.

A moment later, disappointment flashed across William Foster’s face, but it quickly disappeared. He paused and said, “Oh, there are only obvious wounds on both shoulders. It looks like he died of exhaustion.”

William Foster paused again and continued, “But, something seems odd.”

Liam frowned. “What’s odd?”

William Foster pointed at the Black Crow King’s two severed legs. “Both of the Black Crow King’s legs are severed at the knees. Clearly, he was grabbing Old Mr. Sutton’s shoulders at the time. If that’s the case, how could Old Mr. Sutton have cut off both of the Black Crow King’s legs by himself?”

“Moreover, the cause of death for the Black Crow King was a crushed throat. Mr. Sutton was already exhausted before he died—how could he have crushed the Black Crow King’s throat?”

Liam looked at William Foster and said, “You mean, there was a third person?”

William Foster nodded.

“But.”

As Liam spoke, she pulled out an irregular orange crystal from the back of the Black Crow King’s head.

“This is the beast core of a beast king–level wild beast. If there really was a third person, why didn’t they take the beast core?”

“This—” William Foster was momentarily speechless.

“I’ll write a detailed report to headquarters about this. As for the Hunter Association, you need to report to them as well. This matter definitely needs further investigation,” Liam said.

“All right.” William Foster nodded.

However, he couldn’t help but glance again at Henry Sutton’s chest.

At this time, Blake had already boarded the military train to Hanhai City. There was still more than an hour before he would arrive.

The ruined small city where the battle took place was originally near Hanhai City. Even before the Great Cataclysm, human high-speed rail technology had already shortened the travel time between the two places to less than an hour.

But after the Great Cataclysm, the traditional lines had been completely destroyed by wild beasts. The current military railways were rebuilt using special technology, connecting only the military bases in the ruins of small cities near the central cities.

As for the trains, they had naturally been modified as well, with thicker armor and equipped with cannons. As a result, their speed was actually slower than the high-speed trains before the Great Cataclysm.

And what about transportation between the twenty or so central cities? The distances were too great, so people could only rely on those extremely expensive UFO warplanes.

Humans had tried to build subways, but in the face of burrowing wild beasts, subway lines were basically like conveyor belts delivering fresh meat—like a revolving sushi bar.

Fortunately, the wild beasts in the sky were relatively weak, and UFO warplanes with stealth capabilities, under heavy firepower escort, could manage transportation tasks fairly well.

However, for most ordinary people, even a lifetime of savings might not be enough for a single plane ticket.

After Blake returned home, he saw the message Emily Carter had left for him.

Emily Carter said her father had come to pick her up, and she might have to leave for a while. She didn’t mention where she was going.

However, Emily Carter left her hunter ID number. As long as Blake became a hunter, he could use the special wristwatch from the Hunter Association to contact her.