Chapter 15

To Blake, who was forty or fifty years old, thirteen-year-old Luo Ge was just a child.

The bald man quickly shuddered, wiped away his cold sweat with a swipe, and said with a trembling voice:

"Y-yes, after verification from multiple sources, the man acted alone."

"No one knows how he did it—he was barely a teenager, yet he knocked down three men and made off with a lot of stuff out of thin air."

If Blake had not yet spoken, the bald man's heart was tense.

But once Blake spoke, the bald man's emotion shifted from tension to fear.

He could already guess what would happen next—after all, their boss was infamous for his brutality.

It was said the longer he stayed silent, the angrier he became.

Thinking of this, the bald man swallowed hard.

Though it was only a faint sound he himself could hear.

Yet under psychological pressure, he felt his swallowing was deafeningly loud.

A moment later, a shadow flashed past; the bald man's head tilted sideways, his breath gone.

Just before death, he heard only a cold voice.

"You haven't figured out anything—what right do you have to come before me?"

Thud.

The bald man's body fell to the ground, drawing no attention; soon, someone came in and carried him away.

The way those people moved was practiced—they had done this many times before, long familiar with the routine.

Even seeing a corpse, their eyes showed no ripple.

Blake watched silently as the bald man was carried off, his gaze unchanging—he had killed too many, directly or indirectly.

The bald man was not the first underling to die, nor would he be the last.

The bald man's underling reported this matter to Blake purely by coincidence.

The fat shopkeeper killed by Luo Ge was Blake's illegitimate son—the so-called "Moyes."

In truth, Blake did not place much importance on this adopted son—he was old, and had many illegitimate children.

He treated all his illegitimate children the same: if they wanted to leave Meteor Street, he arranged for them to become bosses in familiar gangs.

Of course, after that, their lives or deaths were no longer his concern.

Either they became local tyrants on the outskirts of Meteor Street, given some shop identities and a few mediocre underlings to guard them.

Generally nothing would happen; even if they truly died, it didn't matter—it was just bad luck.

This time, he paid attention to the matter and remained silent so long not because he was angry.

But because he was puzzled—how strange the whole incident was.

Even if that child was exceptionally gifted, able to knock down two strong men before Moyes could draw his gun,

how had the shop's belongings vanished?

Thud. Thud…

Blake continued tapping the table, then suddenly stopped, and said in a low tone:

"Do you think that child might be a Nian ability user?"

Suddenly, a hoarse voice emerged from the dark corner:

"Nian abilities are countless—there's nothing impossible about one that can store large quantities of items."

He was Blake's most capable subordinate, serving as his personal bodyguard.

He was also Blake's only Nian ability user, with some understanding of Nian.

He had managed to stay beside Blake without being detected by the sensitive bald man's underlings.

All thanks to one of the Nian techniques—【Jue】.

【Jue】 can conceal one's aura, achieving stealth.

"Heh… a Nian ability user, huh…"

Blake murmured to himself, a greedy glint flashing in his sinister eyes as his fingers unconsciously rubbed together.

Though his subordinate had not answered directly, he had already revealed his thoughts.

He believed Luo Ge might possess a spatial-type Nian ability.

A spatial-type Nian ability user…

Even if he couldn't use it himself, handing it over to the higher-ups would be a good option.

…

The next morning,

A soft morning light filtered through the window, bathing Luo Ge's face and filling the room.

Bang! Bang…

Yet rhythmic thuds pierced the quiet of dawn.

Luo Ge slowly woke from sleep—not so much by choice as by being forcibly roused.

He didn't need to guess—he knew this was Nidoking training.

Nidoking was his Nian beast, but its actions consumed no of his Nian energy—only its own.

This was one of the differences between him and normal Nian ability users.

Though other Nian ability users also used Nian beasts, those beasts required the user to expend Nian energy.

He and Nidoking were not like that.

Their relationship was more like that of a trainer and a Pokémon—two independent entities.

Yet Nidoking was fundamentally created from Luo Ge's Nian ability; apart from that, it was no different from an ordinary Pokémon.

It has its own personality and hobbies, its own emotions, and will gradually strengthen itself step by step.

This is a trait normal Nen beasts do not possess.

Besides this, most Nen beasts cannot be seen by ordinary people; only Nen users can see them.

However, Conjuration-type Nen beasts are different; they are equivalent to an item that has been created, so ordinary people can see them too.

The Nidoran in Luo Ge's hand and other tools belong to this type.

Therefore, Machi and Shizuku, who do not yet know 【Nen】, can also see and use them.

Luo Ge yawned and said helplessly from the window: "Nidoran, keep your voice down."

It seemed the reminder worked; the crashing sounds below became noticeably quieter, having previously been as noisy as renovation work.

Luo Ge walked out of the bedroom and happened to see Shizuku rubbing her eyes, looking drowsy.

The two looked at each other and smiled simultaneously.

Clearly, they had both been woken up by the 【Nidoran-brand Alarm Clock】.

In fact, if Luo Ge wanted the Nidoran to stop, it would be very easy, since the Nidoran obeys him completely.

It is not like in the Pokémon World, where Pokémon might run away or disobey.

Because his Pokémon are essentially born from his own Nen ability, their affection is fixed at the maximum level the moment they are obtained.

The reason he does not directly order the Nidoran to stop is first to avoid discouraging the young man's drive to strive.

On the other hand, it can also urge the group, preventing them from becoming lax, and ensuring they wake up on time every day.