"I can't answer that question for you, Loren."
A somewhat helpless female voice came through the red communicator.
"Then it seems there is one." Loren shrugged, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Sometimes, not answering directly was also an accurate answer.
After hearing Loren's tone, the red communicator fell into a dead silence.
Loren didn't speak either, instead using his slender fingers to toy with the communicator in his hand. He even sat back down on the sofa behind him, quietly waiting for the "First Secretary" on the other end of the communicator to speak.
He had always been patient, especially when it came to things like this...
And silence was sometimes a kind of power too, forcing people to do something.
Two minutes later.
The long silence finally ended, and a voice came through the red communicator again:
"May I ask why, Mr. Loren?"
But this time, it was an unfamiliar male voice that sounded.
This man's voice was a bit weathered, and his tone carried a hint of calm that signified wisdom.
Based on Loren's many years of experience as an Interstellar Hunter, this was the habitual voice of someone who had received a good education for many years.
"Heh."
Loren, sitting on the sofa, let out a light, cold laugh.
"Because... it's fun, isn't it..."
A long silence appeared once more.
The silver-haired old man standing in the Agency was now covered in cold sweat on his forehead.
His breathing had nearly stopped.
He, who had personally invited Loren into the Association, was frantically regretting his past actions in his heart.
Why did he have to invite him into the Association back then just because he saw a good seedling...
As a branch chief who had dedicated most of his life to the Interstellar Hunter Association, he understood better than anyone what kind of astonishing power the major figures on the other end of that communicator possessed.
And now, the good seedling he had personally invited into the Association was having a fundamental disagreement with the will of the Interstellar Hunter Association headquarters!!
Moreover, the two sides looked like they were hard to reconcile!!
He couldn't help but start thinking about his own future.
This silver-haired old man had already begun considering his retirement plans in advance inside his own mind.
Of course, if he could still retire peacefully after tonight...
That would be something worth celebrating.
Fortunately, this prolonged torment didn't last too long.
After a brief silence.
A calm, weathered male voice came from the red communicator again:
"Mr. Loren, although we don't know why you hold such great malice toward the Resistance, the Interstellar Hunter Association chooses to respect your will."
"We will stop our covert support for the Resistance."
"Finally, welcome back. Feel free to visit the headquarters in the Central Star Domain when you have time."
"We old-timers would also very much like to meet 'the youngest Legendary Hunter in the history of the Interstellar Hunter Association.'"
"This invitation is not a conspiracy, but the sincere expectations of a group of seniors for an outstanding junior."
"We are on the same side, not enemies, nor certain conspirators who hold ill will toward you."
"The Interstellar Hunter Association, at its core, is a place for unfortunate Superhumans to band together for warmth."
"On the matter of the Resistance, the Association, which 'always remains neutral,' may not be able to help you openly in any way."
"But as long as you are a member of the Association, most conspirators will give up targeting you out of consideration for the Association's stance."
"Good luck to you, Mr. Loren."
"Just know that the path you've chosen... is not an easy one to walk..."
After saying these words, the red communicator was hung up directly.
It didn't give Loren any chance to speak, as if afraid he would say something else to provoke them...
---------
Federal Calendar 7709, January 3rd, as the early morning hours were coming to an end.
Loren looked at the now-hung-up red communicator in his hand and gently tilted his head.
Why did you guys hang up so quickly...
After all, I'm not really that hard to get along with...
At this moment.
The other person in the Agency, the silver-haired old man who had personally invited Loren into the Interstellar Hunter Association, let out a deep sigh of relief after seeing that the disagreement had been resolved.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
It seems it's not just me who thinks Loren is a good seedling; those big shots at headquarters think so too...
I won't have to retire for now!
My dear grandson, you can still go to mecha university!!!
Loren turned his head and looked at the old man who was wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, his brow furrowed.
This reaction...
"Dear Chief, besides that First Secretary, who else was on the other end of that communicator?"
Loren asked directly.
This greedy old man's reaction was not quite normal...
The silver-haired old man, having finished wiping his sweat, heard Loren's question and looked at him in disbelief:
"You mean you didn't know?!"
And you still dared to be that arrogant?!
Loren nodded quite calmly. "Is there a problem?"
Hearing this, the silver-haired old man was stunned.
"No... no problem."
Sure enough, Loren's brain has never been quite right...
After thinking for a moment, the silver-haired old man spoke cautiously:
"I don't know the exact identities either..."
"I only know that a long time ago, the Chief once imitated the Federation Council and created a department within the Association called the 'Hunter Council.'"
"Most of the members of this department were personally invited into the Association by the Chief."
"They are the strongest group of people in the Interstellar Hunter Association."
"They are also the true upper echelons of the Interstellar Hunter Association."
"That First Secretary, that lazy fish Retab Collin, and that low-key old man from the Benjamin family are all members of this Hunter Council..."
After conveying this relatively secret information to Loren, the silver-haired old man carefully studied the expression on Loren's face.
He was trying to read something from Loren's expression.
But unfortunately, Loren, who was learning about the existence of the "Hunter Council" for the first time, was equally taken aback.
Loren unconsciously raised his hand to stroke his chin, gently rubbing it.
That demigod lazy fish is also a member of the Hunter Council, huh... interesting.
Suddenly, he sensed a probing look in the silver-haired old man's eyes from across the room.
Loren's brow furrowed.
"What does that look mean, dear Chief?"
Hearing Loren's question, the silver-haired old man let out a somewhat sleazy chuckle.
"So, um, Loren..."
"When you become a high-level executive in the Association in the future, could you write a letter of recommendation for my grandson to develop his career at the Interstellar Hunter headquarters?"
"In two years, he'll be an outstanding graduate of the mecha major from Federation Slupu University!!"
"He doesn't need a position with too many perks, just something easy, safe, and with a certain amount of resources..."
"Anyway, you don't have any subordinates, so he could be a good fit for roles like assistant or secretary. What do you think?"
Hearing this, the corner of Loren's mouth twitched.
"Get lost in two seconds!"
"Look at you, you're already a big shot and still this irritable..."
The silver-haired old man ran toward the door of the Agency, shouting back over his shoulder.
"Oh, by the way, that special communicator you have was given to me by headquarters to give to you. It allows you to have a direct line to that First Secretary at headquarters!"
The words had barely left his mouth!
"Bang!" A door-slamming sound rang out.
The door to the Agency was conveniently closed by the silver-haired old man's agile figure!
