Quick as a striking serpent, Ethan’s hand shot out, closing around Han Wei’s throat. He lifted the young master off his feet, watching his legs kick uselessly in the air.

“Those ‘street rats’ had names,” Ethan said, his voice deceptively gentle. “Besides, do you think money can buy you everything? It certainly won’t buy your life.”

He slammed Han Wei against the wall, hard enough to crack the expensive plaster but not enough to render him unconscious.

“Twenty-six people, Han Wei. Twenty-six lives extinguished because of your wounded pride.”

Han Wei clawed at Ethan’s iron grip, face purpling as he struggled for air. Ethan loosened his hold just enough to allow shallow breaths.

“P-please,” Han Wei gasped. “I’ll give you anything. Position. Power. My father—”

“Your father isn’t here,” Ethan interrupted. “It’s just you and me.”

He dragged Han Wei across the room, throwing him into his own chair casually, Ethan used his newly acquired Water talent to form liquid restraints around Han Wei’s wrists and ankles, binding him to the chair.

“What are you doing?” Han Wei’s voice rose in pitch, real terror replacing his earlier arrogance. “What is this?”

“This?” Ethan gestured to the water bonds. “Just a little trick I picked up recently. You see, I’ve changed since we last met, Han Wei. Evolved, you might say.”

He paced slowly in front of the chair, letting the young master absorb his predicament. “Do you know what it feels like to burn alive, Han Wei? To wake up surrounded by flames, choking on smoke, hearing the screams of children as they die around you?”

Han Wei’s eyes widened. “I didn’t—it wasn’t—they weren’t supposed to be there!”

Ethan stopped pacing. “What did you just say?”

Realizing his mistake, Han Wei tried to backtrack. “Nothing! I didn’t say anything!”

Ethan leaned in close, his voice a whisper. “You just admitted it, Han Wei. The fire was deliberate. But they ‘weren’t supposed to be there’? Who wasn’t? Explain.”

“It was just supposed to be you!” Han Wei blurted, desperation loosening his tongue. “Feng said you’d be alone! The scout quarters were empty, so we thought… we thought…”

“Hahahah. I was just joking with you. Do you really think that I don’t know that you done it deliberately? You even used Hong Wei as bait,”

“How does it feel to lose hope of actually convincing me, and staying alive?” Ethan said, as he saw the expression of Han Wei twist and turn.

Han Wei’s silence was confirmation enough.

“Twenty-six lives,” Ethan repeated, straightening. “For what? Because I helped a girl you were harassing? Because your pride couldn’t handle being challenged by someone from District Three?”

He called upon his Fire talent, a small flame dancing across his fingertips. Han Wei’s eyes fixed on it, terror evident in every line of his face.

“No, please,” he whimpered. “I’ll confess. I’ll turn myself in. I’ll pay reparations to… to whoever you want!”

“There’s no one left to pay reparations to,” Ethan said calmly. “Except Hong Wei. And he certainly wouldn’t want anything but your life. That’s the reparation I want…we want.”

He brought the flame closer to Han Wei’s face, watching him flinch away. “You know what’s interesting about fire, Han Wei? In the right hands, it can be controlled with incredible precision. I could burn just your eyelids, for instance. Or the insides of your nostrils. I could make it last for hours.”

Tears streamed down Han Wei’s face. “Please… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for them to die!”

“But they did die,” Ethan replied, voice soft. “And sorry doesn’t bring them back.”

He extinguished the flame, watching relief wash over Han Wei’s features.

“But I’m not like you,” Ethan continued. “I don’t torture the helpless. I don’t burn children in their beds.”

Hope flickered in Han Wei’s eyes. “You’re… letting me go?”

“No. I’m giving you a clean death. More than you deserve, but I do it for Mrs. Chen, not for you. She taught us mercy, even toward those who don’t deserve it.”

Han Wei began to struggle against his bonds in earnest now, desperation giving him strength. “Wait! My father won’t let this stand! He’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth!”

Ethan smiled. “Your father is busy with the monster horde at the northern wall. By the time he learns of your death, I will have become a different person. Just pray that your father accepts your demise. Otherwise, he might join you soon.”

Han Wei’s face twisted with rage and terror. “My father will avenge me! He’ll burn all of District Three to the ground! He’ll—”

Ethan didn’t waste time with more words. Han Wei had said enough. In one fluid motion, he drew his sword and slashed horizontally across the young master’s throat.

The blade parted flesh with minimal resistance. Blood erupted from the severed arteries, spraying in a crimson arc that would have drenched Ethan if not for his Protective Shield activating at the perfect moment.

Han Wei’s eyes bulged,he tried to move his cuffed hands to his throat in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. But he was unable to.

Gurgling sounds replaced his threats as he struggled against the water bonds, his expensive robes quickly soaking through with red.

Ethan watched dispassionately as life drained from his enemy’s eyes.

After a minute of weakening struggles, Han Wei’s body slumped in the chair, eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling. The water bonds dissipated, splashing to the floor around the corpse.

Ethan placed his palm against the dead man’s forehead, still warm with fading life.

‘Devour.’

Power flowed into him, Han Wei’s talent being consumed and integrated into Ethan.

<You have gained the talent: Mental Enhancement (F)>

<+4 Intelligence>

‘What a waste,’ he thought as his gaze swept the room, looking for valuables.

Ethan began emptying the room of valuables. Jade ornaments. Gold figurines.

One by one, they disappeared into his storage ring.

When the ring approached capacity, he frowned. ‘Still a few more pieces worth taking…’

His eyes landed on Han Wei’s corpse, specifically the ring on his right index finger.

‘A storage ring.’

Ethan removed it easily from the cooling flesh. With Han Wei dead, the ring’s protections fell away, allowing him immediate access to its contents.

What he found inside surprised him. Dozens of monster cores, ranging from Peak-Iron to High-Bronze, filled most of the space. Multiple tubes of some kind of oil took up the rest.

‘Is that baby oil? Why does he have so many?’ Ethan wondered, before discarding the tubes to make room for the remaining valuables from the room.

As he placed the last jade figurine into the ring, a voice thundered from the doorway.

“YOU DARE!”

Ethan spun to face the newcomer. It was a broad-shouldered man, his face contorted with rage and shock.

<Human: Feng>

<Rank: High-Bronze>

<Water Talent: E >

<Skills: Basic Footwork (Apprentice), Basic Water Strike (Novice)>

The High-Bronze awakener that Steven had told him about.

Feng.

The guard captain’s gaze moved from Han Wei’s blood-soaked corpse to Ethan. His eyes widened, as his worst fear came to fruition.

Han Wei…is dead.

Killing intent radiated from him like heat. “You moron! What have you done!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep