[Year Z100, June 20]
You retained your combat experience and skills from the Dawn Army. A week of sparring at the martial arts gym further honed your abilities.
Your excellent performance caught the attention of the gym owner, who recommended you to a mysterious girl as a sparring partner.
If you could satisfy her, your daily pay would increase from 20 Dawn Coins to 100 Dawn Coins.
[Year Z100, June 21]
This was your first training session with the mysterious girl. Her formidable combat skills left you stunned. In less than ten moves, you were overwhelmed.
The girl seemed disappointed, and you failed the assessment, relegated to being an ordinary sparring partner.
Missing this golden opportunity left you regretful, but witnessing the girl's incredible skills made you realize your own shortcomings.
You began to refine your combat abilities and incorporate your unique power, the Silver Threads, into your training. Through continuous practice, your Silver Threads grew to five feet, becoming effective in close combat. However, the further you progressed, the harder it became to improve. You longed for a book on psychic meditation techniques or a "White Source" to aid your training, both of which were expensive.
[Year Z100, June 22]
News broke that Vanessa, the youngest daughter of the Olson Family, had been kidnapped.
The Olson Family offered a reward of 10,000 Dawn Coins for any credible information.
You recalled a woman being kidnapped in an alley a few days ago.
Could she be Vanessa? Desperate for money to buy the meditation book and White Source, you decided to take a risk.
On your way to the Olson Family, you were ambushed by a group of men in black.
Despite your fierce resistance, you managed to kill one of them, thanks to your recent combat training.
However, you were still outmatched and captured.
They transported you to an abandoned power plant called Azure outside the city.
The plant was well-stocked with supplies, indicating it was a base of operations.
You recognized the scar-faced leader as one of the kidnappers from the alley.
They tortured you, demanding to know if you had told anyone about what you saw.
You confessed immediately, but they didn't believe you.
They continued to torture you until you died, still insisting you hadn't told anyone.
They finally believed you and dumped your body into the sewer, where it was swallowed by a dimensional crocodile.
In your final moments, you reflected on that day. You were just an innocent bystander, struggling to survive at the bottom.
Life, your most precious possession, seemed so cheap in the eyes of others.
What the heck?!
Last time, I barely made it out of this city alive, joining the Dawn Army to explore the outside world. But this time, I got killed right here in the city!
Bertram was furious, feeling like his brain was about to explode.
Yesterday, when I passed that alley, I was already being super cautious, not daring to interfere in anything, just wanting to stay out of trouble. But they still wouldn't let me go.
I've been working so hard to raise my strength to F-rank, constantly honing my combat skills. Yet, I only managed to kill one of those guys in black, and he was probably the weakest one.
To be able to openly carry out kidnappings in this city, and possibly even kidnap the youngest daughter of the powerful Olson Family, shows how formidable they are.
They must have the strength to crush me easily!
As an F-rank, how could I possibly survive against such a group of villains?
What should I do now?
Bertram started to panic.
The only good thing is, they didn't kill me right away. They plan to do it in a few days, when the Olson Family starts offering a reward for their daughter's return.
They're obviously afraid I'll expose their actions for the reward.
But Bertram was speechless. Even if I did see you, you were all wearing masks. What could I possibly say?
"These people are ruthless. If I do nothing, I'm dead for sure. Wait, in the simulation, I was taken to an abandoned factory called Azure, which was fully stocked with supplies. That's their hideout! I even know where their base is. Why not just go all out and report them to the police under Olson Family's jurisdiction? Let the police raid their hideout in advance!"
"This involves the Olson Family's daughter, and in the simulation, they kidnapped me because they were afraid I'd expose them!" Bertram's mind suddenly became clear.
What they fear is exactly what I can rely on!
Bertram had an idea and felt a surge of confidence.
He immediately dashed out of the training room.
The school hallways were bustling with students coming and going.
"Bertram, where are you going?"
"What's up with Bertram? He hasn't even been back to the dorm, and now he's rushing off somewhere?"
His roommates watched as Bertram's figure gradually disappeared into the crowd, murmuring in confusion.
After leaving the school, Bertram headed straight for the largest police station nearby.
The top brass at that station were all from the Olson Family.
A smaller station wouldn't do; it would take too long to get the message up the chain.
The people who dared to kidnap the Olson Family's daughter must be quite capable.
If he wasted time at a small station, it might be too late.
Moreover, Bertram was worried about exposing himself, but at a larger station, confidentiality would be much better handled.
He didn't want to get involved in such dangerous matters, but the other side was determined to see him dead!
At the Enderfield Police Station.
In the police chief's office, the once-imposing chief now stood at attention like a scolded child, getting an earful from the person beside the desk.
"Officer Nelson, you think you're so important, huh? And yet you can't even manage the security in your own district?!"
"In your jurisdiction, the Olson Family's daughter has gone missing, and it's been an entire day now. Yet, your precinct hasn't found a single lead!"
"Is it because you're incompetent, Officer Nelson, or have you already colluded with the people who took Miss Vanessa?"