At that moment, deep within the underground chamber, both Meijelo and the butler Rugerhans were filled with apprehension.
"Master, what should we do now?" Rugerhans asked with growing panic.
"Do not worry," Meijelo replied, his voice calm but tense. "This hidden chamber is unknown even to Lacey and the others. Surely that damned Z-country man hasn't discovered our refuge here either." He then turned to Rugerhans with a stern expression. "Did you manage to contact Carlo and Sun Jiefu?"
"Their phones are unreachable, and with the commotion from the western villa, they must have heard it," Rugerhans hastily responded.
"Good. As long as we wait here a little longer, we should…" Meijelo's words were abruptly interrupted by a deafening crash from the direction of the stone door.
Neither of them had anticipated this—just moments ago, they had spoken of their safety, only to have their assumptions shattered in an instant.
"Master, you should—" Before Rugerhans could finish, a foul stench of urine filled the air.
At that moment, a feeling of dread washed over Meijelo, sinking deep into his chest as if dragged beneath the sea's waves. He had imagined many ways his family could fall, but never had he envisioned being torn apart from the inside.
As he pondered futile escape plans, the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoed closer.
"I'm pleased to meet you once again, Mr. Meijelo!" Xu Que's voice was dripping with mockery as he smiled at Meijelo and Rugerhans.
"Why?" Meijelo asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"God has told me that this land belongs to Him, and so it is my duty to cleanse it of those who defile it!"
Xu Que's sarcastic words struck Meijelo like a sharp blade, causing him to break into a hollow laugh. It was now that he understood what Lacey had meant—had it not been for the decisions made by him and Myer, he should never have had to die!
Greed.
What a truly ironic word.
But little did Meijelo know, his assumptions were only half correct. The truth was, Xu Que had intentionally chosen them and offered terms they could not refuse.
"Xu Que, it was the Chaisfield family that nurtured you! You should not repay kindness with cruelty!" Rugerhans pleaded desperately.
"Oh?" Xu Que glanced at the fool, then turned to Meijelo with a smile. "Is that so, Mr. Meijelo?"
Meijelo remained silent. He understood—no amount of excuses could change the truth.
"Very well, your actions have pleased me. In a moment, I will give you a swift and painless death."
Hearing this, Meijelo laughed bitterly. He looked at Xu Que and asked, "Were you waiting for the family list all along?"
Xu Que nodded, his tone calm. "Yes. But unfortunately, you were blinded by greed."
"As expected, it seems the times have indeed changed." Meijelo exhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he prepared for death.
"I will not—"
Before Rugerhans could finish, a flash of sword light severed his head.
Warm blood splattered across Meijelo's face, and his body shuddered, though he refused to open his eyes to witness the carnage.
"Do not harbor any false hopes. You are the last one left in this manor."
Meijelo snapped his eyes open, disbelief flooding his expression as he stared at Xu Que. But the next instant, he was dead, his eyes still wide open in shock.
"Thud!"
With a swift motion, Xu Que's black sword sliced through Meijelo's neck, sending his head rolling across the floor. His eyes remained wide in astonishment, as if unable to comprehend why he was the last to die.
Xu Que walked over to the severed head and kicked it, turning Meijelo's face toward him.
"In our past lives, we held no personal grudge, but in this life, your family has been responsible for countless innocent deaths. Now, I shall serve as the judge and executor for your false god, this demon who hides behind a divine facade!"
With that, Xu Que's foot came down with force.
"Crack!"
Meijelo's head exploded like a ripe melon, blood and white matter spraying in all directions.
Thus perished Meijelo, once a legendary figure, the patriarch of the Chaisfield family, the schemer who manipulated the entire Blue Star, and the demon who slaughtered others like cattle.
Xu Que exhaled deeply, feeling as though the invisible shackles around him had loosened.
...
Returning to the villa, Xu Que took a spade and approached the water tank. Though he could not yet understand what was drawing him beneath, he knew he had to dig.
With his right hand gripping the black sword, he struck the ground, cleaving the water tank's overhead mechanism into rubble with a single slash.
After digging for several minutes, the spade struck solid rock. Xu Que lightly used his sword to cut through the stone, and suddenly, a faint blue glow emerged before him.
His heart raced at the sight.
With his "Eye of Exploration" active, an instant message appeared before him.
**[Name: Core of Water Yuan (Water Elemental Magic Core)]**
**[Quality: Legendary (Light Red)]**
**[Magical Category Item: Upon fusion, grants affinity to Water Elemental Magic.]**
"Damn!" Xu Que nearly jumped in excitement.
"This is it! I've been searching high and low for this, and now it appears without effort!"
He hadn't expected this powerful artifact to be hidden in the Chaisfield family's manor, but after some thought, it made sense. After all, Meijelo was a legendary figure, and upon reaching S-rank, he was far stronger than other S-rankers.
Now, after understanding all the connections, Xu Que quickly placed his hand upon the Core of Water Yuan.
His hope was to activate the magical affinity as soon as possible, as the opportunity to transcend S-rank lay before him.
The moment his hand touched the core, a soft, magical energy enveloped his entire body. It was as though he was submerged in a hot spring, and he could feel the presence of water around him—everywhere he could sense, it became his battlefield.
"This is magic? Truly incredible!"
Xu Que was ecstatic. A thought suddenly crossed his mind—since he had achieved affinity with water magic, could he also fuse with other elemental cores?
Greed stirred within him, as obtaining one item often leads to a desire for more.
He felt this was something that should involve Duan Jiude, for this man was certainly an expert at analysis.
As Xu Que continued absorbing the energy, a layer of water-like ripples formed on his skin, which became more translucent and fair.
Time passed by.
When Xu Que opened his eyes again, it was already four in the morning!
He checked his status window, then folded his personal attributes.
**[Strength: 218 (Additional 4360)]**
**[Agility: 150 (Additional 3000)]**
**[Stamina: 160 (Additional 3200)]**
**[Spirit: 220 (Additional 4400)]**
**[Magic Resistance: Base Resistance 17.8%. Fire Resistance 28.9%.]**
**[Magical Affinity: Water 25%]**
"YES!" Xu Que clenched his fists. He now had a better understanding of his abilities, though there was still much more to explore.
Closing the interface, Xu Que glanced back at the grand villa.
When he left Meijelo's room, he carried a torch in one hand and a backpack slung over his shoulder. Inside the backpack were various abilities he no longer needed, but some others would certainly find them useful.
He broke a window on the first floor, lit the curtains on fire, and then ran toward the direction of the other villas.
As the Chaisfield family manor was consumed by flames, Xu Que mounted his flying sword and made his way toward Boningman Street.
Though he had enjoyed his time at the Feixunwei Hotel, he could not forget that Fian and the others knew of his connection to the Chaisfield family. Hence, they, too, had to die.