“In this world, if you want to live with a bit of dignity, there are only two paths: become a hunter, or join the Silver Watch.”

“As for money, and power? Heh, in the face of true strength, they’re worthless.”

“In the eyes of B-rank heroes, our desperate struggles are nothing more than a joke, like stray dogs fighting each other.”

The Shopkeeper finished speaking and shook his head helplessly.

“Don’t you have any helpers? I heard there’s an awakened one here called Night Owl.” Blake asked.

The Shopkeeper shook his head. “In a place like this, it’s pure survival of the fittest. As for Night Owl, he’s the king of the entire underground district, but he won’t stand up for us.”

“Why not?”

The Shopkeeper sighed lightly and said, “Because to him, only the winners have the right to keep surviving here. As for the losers, he doesn’t care about them at all.”

“He’s not our guardian angel.”

Blake tapped his fingers lightly on the table, deep in thought.

“So I’m telling you, you’d better leave as soon as possible. Scarface definitely won’t let this go. Next time they come, they’ll probably bring that B-rank hero with them.”

“And you’ve definitely made yourself their enemy. I’m afraid they’ve already decided to cause you trouble.”

The Shopkeeper said, somewhat helplessly.

“How about I go and ‘persuade’ them for you?” Blake studied the teacup in his hand, speaking casually.

The Shopkeeper was a bit surprised, but quickly realized that what Blake meant by “persuade” was definitely not just talking.

However, The Shopkeeper had already witnessed Blake’s strength. Knowing that the other side had a B-rank hero, yet Blake was still willing to step in, meant he was very confident in himself.

Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope actually rose in The Shopkeeper’s heart.

“How much… do you want?” The Shopkeeper asked nervously.

An ordinary second-awakened, in Silver Watch, would be a B-rank hero; in the Hunter Association, a three-star hunter.

No matter how you look at it, a second-awakened is already among the elite of humanity—status, power, they have it all. Hiring someone like that would never be cheap.

Those two rich kids were willing to spend a fortune to hire a B-rank hero, but The Shopkeeper couldn’t afford that kind of money.

Blake thought for a moment and said, “Get me an invitation to the hunter assessment?”

The Shopkeeper was stunned.

“What, is it hard to get?” Blake asked.

“No, no, no.” The Shopkeeper waved his hands quickly. “On the contrary, it’s not hard at all. It’s just… it’s not worth that much. You’re taking such a big risk, it’s not a fair deal for you.”

Blake smiled. “It’s fine. For me, the difficulty of these two things isn’t much different.”

……

Meanwhile, in a mansion in the villa district of Hanhai City.

“Oh? You’re saying the other side has a helper?”

On the sofa in the center, a pale-faced young man raised his eyebrows, a bit surprised.

“Yes.” Scarface knelt on the ground, facing the three people in front of him, not daring to breathe loudly.

His right arm had been given some basic treatment, but to fully recover, he’d need a very complex surgery and a long period of rest.

Of course, Scarface hated Blake to the core, but he also knew that this young man was not someone he could afford to provoke!

The three people in front of him were the third young master of the The Thompson Family, David Thompson; the seventh young master of the The Foster Family, James Foster; and the B-rank hero, The Gentleman.

The pale-faced young man was David Thompson, twenty-two years old this year. Though young, he was meticulous in everything he did, and was a strong contender for the head of the The Thompson Family.

Sitting next to him was the somewhat roguish blond-haired James Foster.

To be honest, the The Foster Family’s influence was much greater than the The Thompson Family’s. James Foster, as the youngest son, was especially favored, so he was quite arrogant and domineering.

The number of great families kept increasing, and their power kept growing—an inevitable result in the post-apocalyptic world.

In this era, survival resources are extremely limited. To seize what little there is, you have to stick together.

And blood ties are a natural, unbreakable bond.

So, the clan system, which had almost disappeared in modern society, was slowly making a comeback.

What’s more, the genes of awakened ones determine the genes of their descendants, so “bloodline” has once again become a hot topic.

Sitting beside these two young masters was a man in a white tailcoat and a silver mask, his age indiscernible.

He was the B-rank hero of the Silver Watch, The Gentleman.

Chapter 14: The Final Battle Arrives

David Thompson stroked his chin, deep in thought.

“You didn’t see how that person made his move?” David Thompson asked.

“No.” Scarface kept his head down, not daring to look at the three people in front of him.

David Thompson fell silent again.

James Foster laughed. “Yo, David, aren’t you overthinking it? We have a B-rank hero here—what’s there to worry about?”

David Thompson said calmly, “That’s not how it works. Acting rashly without knowing the enemy’s background isn’t my style.”

Seeing David Thompson hesitate, Scarface grew anxious inside.

If David Thompson didn’t act, then his arm would have been broken for nothing.