Chapter 37: Decision (3)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Wu Chao, who was as thin as a bamboo, laughed faintly. “Boss, he does indeed have his own way of thinking and reasoning. Very critical, I must say. But he has someone backing him up. Yuan Shuo is not a Super but he has mastered the technique of the five beasts, so he isn’t weak, either. I have been working with the Night Patrollers. It might not be a bad thing entirely to get Li Hao to join us.”
A fat man, whose eyes weren’t visible, said in a muffled voice, “Yuan Shuo is a proud man. He didn’t even give a d*amn when the boss tried to have him join the hunt. He kept Li Hao with him so he wouldn’t be targeted by the Night Patrollers—”
“Night Patrollers?” Liu Long interrupted coldly. “Do you think they don’t know? My office had killed so many Supers. There is no way they don’t know what’s happening.”
“I don’t care,” continued Liu Long, “So what if they know? All the Supers we killed were criminals after all! They were the ones who spread the information that killing the Supers and absorbing their power was possible.”
Liu Long sneered. “If they didn’t want us, the left-overs, to deal with the Supers, they wouldn’t have let the information slip. They have a lot of work to do so they don’t care about that yet. But if they begin to care, it will pose a huge problem. It is too dangerous for ordinary people to deal with Supers. They muddle along through their miserable life without offending the Supers. But now that the news of an ordinary person being able to absorb the power of Supers has spread, what do you think will happen?”
Everyone fell silent.?It would be bloodshed. Those who no longer wanted to be ordinary would take a gamble even if it meant death. If they joined those who were powerful, they would have a chance. With methods, weapons, and intellect, it wasn’t as difficult to beat a Super anymore.
They were the living proof of this!
“Do you think this is happening only in Silver City?” said Liu Long. “I am afraid not! The Night Patrollers spread the news to use people as cannon fodders temporarily so that they could do half their work. The Night Patrollers are indeed very smart. If we manage to become a Super, where do you think we will be taken?”
“We will be recruited to the Night Patrollers,” laughed Liu Yan.
Everyone nodded. They wondered what would happen if they refused. Will they be branded as criminals or heretics if they refuse to join the Night Patrollers?
The fat man took a deep breath. “The Night Patrollers are indeed cunning. Maybe they intend to kill some of the Supers themselves to absorb more power. They would certainly get rid of anyone who stands out and absorb them for themselves.”
The Night Patrollers let slip a little bit of information so that the criminals who were Supers would be hunted by those who wanted to become one. Since, the Night Patrollers are the only legitimate organization for any Super to join, they would have no other choice than to contribute to increasing the number in Night Patrollers, or to be absorbed. There were always a few people who refused and lived as heretics, branded as criminals and hunted.
“It’s a very cunning scheme,” said Liu Long. “I know for a fact that those people who failed in the selection would definitely do anything to become a Super. No one would be willing to give up once they have tasted the power of the mystical realm. We are the core of the law enforcement team, so we have power, weapons and enough confidence to fight for even a sliver of opportunity.”
“We don’t have to pay that price and join the Night Patrollers,” continued Liu Long. “We can choose to fight them. We can pick young talents and expand our small group. Because why not?”
The other members finally understood what Liu Long was getting at. Some nodded sagely, while others, like the fat man, appeared worried that they might be discovered by the Night Patrollers. They might be punished for killing Supers and absorbing them for the mysterious energy.
The fat man nodded anyway, willing to follow his boss anywhere. “Boss,” he said. “About Li Hao joining us… will it be beneficial?”
“Certainly!” said Liu Long but did not explain any further.
As for whether Li Hao would join them was not even a question. No one rejected Liu Long’s invitation, especially with promises of supernatural powers.
The Night Patrollers had a formal selection process but the success rate was only 1%. Li Hao might not even be chosen as a candidate among the ten thousand. Many people knew about the Supers, most were very high-level executives. So, what change did Li Hao have?
Many higher-ups hoped that they or at least their descendants could become Supers. Even if Yuan Shuo stepped in to get Li Hao a chance, there was a high chance he wouldn’t be selected. There were just too many powerful and influential people on the line.
As long as Li Hao knew that he had no chance of even trying unless he joined the law enforcement team, everything would work as Liu Long wanted.
...
The night was quiet as Li Hao walked back silently.
The Zhang family residence wasn’t very far from his own community. But the walk felt much longer than usual because Li Hao had a lot to think about. He finally decided to give Professor Yuan another call.
“Beep, beep, beep ...”
Professor Yuan accepted the call very quickly. He must have been worried.
“Professor!”
“Is it settled?”
“Yes, Captain Liu Long is here with his men. I’m already on my way back.” He hesitated. “Professor, Captain Liu said that I might be in danger. He said that the people who killed Zhang Yuan might want to kill me, too. I am fine for now but…”
Professor Yuan seemed to have guessed as much. “Tomorrow, you will move back to the academy,” he said calmly. “You don’t have to stay in the dormitory or attend classes if you don’t want to. Just stay at my place and don’t go out. It won’t be difficult to avoid them for at least another year or two.”