Chapter 200: Guild Exposed? Or a Deliberate Setup?
The meeting dragged on for hours, finalizing the strategy for dealing with the volcanic ash from Mount Fuji in Ashlanda and the investigation of the Ghost King.
As everyone prepared to leave, Ryan Carter, the young man who had obtained the Super Fruit, suddenly spoke up:
"I suspect there's another transcendental organization operating in South Sea City—or at least, one has extended its influence here."
The room fell silent, and a wave of surprise washed over everyone.
The green-haired girl pouted disdainfully:
"What kind of formidable group could your Raven Squad uncover?
It's probably just some ragtag team made up of E-rank or D-rank talent users.
And you call that a transcendental organization?
That's Security Bureau business, not ours."
The bald captain of the Raven Squad let out an awkward chuckle, tugged at Ryan's sleeve, and whispered:
"The Blue Whale Squad veterans have more critical matters to handle. Let's deal with this on our own, okay?"
The long-haired captain gave Ryan a cold glance and said indifferently:
"If there's nothing else, this meeting is adjourned."
With that, he turned to leave.
But Ryan suddenly pulled a grotesque-looking fruit from his bag and slammed it onto the table.
"Our Raven Squad might have a low security sequence, but we're still Peacekeeping Bureau administrators!
I can distinguish between a petty criminal group of awakeners and a true transcendental organization."
His voice was firm and filled with frustration.
Throughout the meeting, the Blue Whale Squad had exuded an air of superiority, treating the Raven Squad like dirt.
Yes, the Raven Squad's combat abilities were limited.
But it was they who had first discovered the Ghost King!
Low combat power didn't mean low competence or stupidity.
Ethan Blake's pupils contracted sharply when he saw the Super Fruit on the table.
He knew exactly what it was.
Could it be that the Mercenary Guild was about to be exposed to the Peacekeeping Bureau?
Why would the guild allow a Peacekeeping Bureau administrator to obtain a Super Fruit?
Was this an oversight?
The green-haired girl leaned over, her red-painted fingernails tapping the fruit as she squinted at it in confusion.
"What kind of fruit is this? Why does it look so ugly?"
She looked up at Ryan and teased,
"And what does a single fruit prove?
Are you saying this transcendental organization is a group of fruit farmers?"
High-ranking Peacekeeping Bureau administrators, accustomed to life-and-death battles, often saw themselves as elite warriors above ordinary mortals. This arrogance made them dismissive of others.
Ryan responded seriously,
"This fruit can awaken new talents in people!"
The green-haired girl froze for a moment, then collapsed onto the table, clutching her stomach in laughter.
"Hahaha! Are all Raven Squad members comedians?"
The bald captain felt utterly humiliated and believed Ryan had gone mad.
He coughed awkwardly and said,
"Ryan, this is a serious matter. We need to investigate it thoroughly.
Let's not trouble the Blue Whale Squad veterans with this right now."
He grabbed Ryan's arm, as if to lead him away, and whispered in his ear:
"Ryan, I understand you want to prove yourself in front of the Blue Whale Squad. So do I.
But just being part of the Ghost King investigation is already a big deal for us.
There's no need to cause unnecessary trouble.
Is this about what happened at Changbai Mountain? If you're still shaken, we'll arrange for a test when we get back."
Realizing no one believed him, Ryan, out of sheer frustration, grabbed the fruit and ate it in a few bites.
He had hesitated before, fearing the fruit might have harmful effects.
But at this moment, his emotions overrode his caution.
Almost immediately after swallowing it, regret set in—what if it was toxic?
The long-haired captain, who had been about to leave, turned back, his expression suddenly serious as he stared at Ryan.
The green-haired girl, oblivious to her captain's reaction, thought Ryan was simply acting like a childish fool.
She kindly advised him,
"Maybe you should head to a hospital right away. If this is some random junk made by shady people, it could be dangerous to eat."
At that moment, Ryan's eyes widened in extreme shock, followed by uncontrollable excitement.
He slowly extended his hand as spiritual energy surged from within him, forming a massive bubble that floated in the air.
[Bubble Fruit: C-Rank][Consumes spiritual energy to create durable and controllable bubbles.]
[At seven levels of spiritual resonance, it can consume immense energy to manipulate bubbles capable of cleansing all forms of power, intelligence, or spiritual energy.]
The room fell into stunned silence.
The moment the bubble appeared, the entire room was stunned.
The green-haired girl's jaw dropped so wide that one could easily fit an apple in her mouth.
At first glance, the bubble didn't seem particularly impressive. If its sole ability was to create bubbles, it might barely qualify as an F-rank or E-rank talent.
But that wasn't the point.
This bubble not only validated Ryan Carter's claim but also proved that talents could be awakened through external means!
This was a revolutionary moment, overturning everything the world thought it knew about talent awakening.
It was an absurd and almost surreal revelation.
The long-haired man extended his hand, and the bubble was quickly covered with a layer of corrosive mold. Within seconds, the bubble burst and vanished.
"To think it lasted two whole seconds against the boss's touch! This bubble's durability is terrifying!" the green-haired girl exclaimed as she finally regained her composure.
The long-haired man shot her a glance.
"A dual talent isn't just an additional ability—it's a game-changer in combat.
Raven Squad's Number Three already has the talent [Compressed Hydrogen-Oxygen].
What happens if he injects high-concentration hydrogen or oxygen into a bubble and compresses it further?"
The green-haired girl froze, her face blank.
If that were true, Ryan Carter's combat strength wouldn't just improve—it would skyrocket!
When she looked at Ryan again, the disdain in her eyes had vanished entirely.
The long-haired man turned to Ryan, his gaze now carrying a hint of respect and scrutiny.
"I'll admit I underestimated you earlier. My apologies.
Now tell me—where did you get this?"
A proud smirk played on Ryan's lips.
Hadn't they looked down on the Raven Squad?
Now that he'd regained some dignity, he wasn't about to keep them guessing. He recounted the story of the Mercenary Guild app in meticulous detail.
When Ryan finished, the room fell into deep contemplation.
Except for Ethan Blake, whose forehead was dotted with a cold sweat. He was growing increasingly anxious.
Thanks to Ryan's revelations, the meeting dragged on for another two hours.
The long-haired man toyed with the phone Ryan had handed over, occasionally tapping on the Mercenary Guild app.
[Server error. Please try again later.]
Frowning, he turned to the green-haired girl.
"Turn off the signal jammer."
The green-haired girl pulled a remote control from her dress pocket and pressed the central button.
In the parking lot of the Security Bureau, a red light flashed on the Peacekeeping Bureau vehicle, signaling the deactivation of the signal-blocking system.
Suddenly, the phone displayed:
[Dear Hunter "Raven," welcome back to the Mercenary Guild.]
But as the app began to load, it flickered, and a new message appeared:
[System detection indicates the current user is not Hunter "Raven." Access denied. Please try again later.]
The long-haired man furrowed his brow and handed the phone to the green-haired girl.
"Can you crack this app?"
The green-haired girl examined it briefly and smirked confidently.
"Of course. It'll be easy."
"Good," the long-haired man said with a nod. "Find the server's location while you're at it."
The green-haired girl opened her laptop and began working on the task with practiced precision.
The long-haired man leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest, while the bald captain discreetly gave Ryan a thumbs-up.
Ethan Blake, on the other hand, grew more and more tense, his frown deepening.
"Why hasn't Ryan been punished for exposing the guild?" he wondered.
The rumors were clear: anyone who revealed even the slightest information about the guild—sometimes not even uttering the words "Mercenary Guild"—would be consumed by an eerie flame and reduced to ashes.
So why was Ryan still unharmed?
Suddenly, Ethan's eyes widened as a chilling possibility crossed his mind.
His gaze flickered to the green-haired girl, who was working diligently to crack the app's firewall.
Could it be that the Mercenary Guild was setting up the Peacekeeping Bureau?
Was this… a trap?
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