Tucker looked over.
Suddenly, his pupils shrank.
"What... is this?"
There was a flash of confusion in his eyes—then came a surge of anger.
Just one glance at these women, and it was obvious they had been subjected to inhuman treatment.
But why?
Who did this to them?
An answer surfaced in Tucker's mind, but it was almost too disturbing to believe.
Up until now, Tucker had seen Dark Night and Karoo in black-and-white terms.
Dark Night was a violent criminal faction—brutal, lawless, exploiting the chaos in the United States of Saherta. They killed, they stole, they trampled others underfoot for their own selfish gain. Scum of the scum. A cancer that needed to be purged.
Their very existence made the nation's fragile situation even worse. If left unchecked, they'd spread like wildfire, just like the Red Trang Gang once had. One turned into dozens. Dozens into hundreds.
And Karoo? Tucker had thought of him as a promising young noble.
Talented in architecture. Smart. Ambitious.
One of the future pillars of Saherta.
But the appearance of these women shattered that image like glass.
This was Karoo's estate. That meant these women were connected to him.
And the man had referred to "Karoo-sama."
He'd called them "Karoo's slaves."
The evidence was right in front of him: the women bore the marks of cruelty—physical abuse, mistreatment, dehumanization.
Who did this?
Just then, one of the women stumbled in the wrong direction.
Without hesitation, the man standing nearby cracked his whip. It lashed across her back with a loud snap, drawing a fresh line of blood.
She collapsed to the ground with a sharp cry.
Karoo's expression twitched slightly.
The man raised the whip again—but this time, it didn't land.
Tucker's hand caught it mid-air.
"L-Lord Tucker...!" the man stammered, realizing who was standing before him.
"Get lost," Tucker growled.
He drove a fist into the man's abdomen, sending him flying backward.
The man gasped, winded and stunned.
"Why hit me?! If you've got a problem, take it up with Karoo-sama! I'm just following orders!"
Tucker turned to look at the women pouring out from the building.
Some stared blankly, their eyes dull and lifeless. Not even the man's punishment stirred any visible reaction.
Others trembled in fear as they looked at Tucker.
"Tell me... why are you here?" Tucker asked gently. "Who did this to you?"
The women didn't speak.
But almost all of them turned their eyes toward Karoo.
Tucker's heart sank.
That was all the confirmation he needed.
"Karoo," he said coldly, "I need an explanation."
But Karoo couldn't give one.
Words couldn't erase what had already been shown.
Tucker couldn't be swayed by empty excuses.
"..."
The intruder with the scissors sneered.
"Now you see the kind of person you've been protecting?"
"You think you're some kind of hero? Upholding justice?"
"You're nothing more than a guard dog for a rotten republic."
"This whole country is corrupt to the bone!"
"Kings, nobles, ministers, merchants…"
"Every level of this system is beyond saving."
"We killed Karoo because of what he did—this is why."
"Removing filth like him is the only way this country can have any hope."
"Look at yourself. What have you done?"
Tucker's face darkened. He turned back toward Karoo, shame blooming in his chest.
It wasn't hate he felt. It was regret.
Regret for all the times he defended someone like Karoo.
"Why didn't you say something earlier?" he asked.
The intruder snorted.
"Would you have listened?"
"You're one of their favorites. A loyal little mutt for the noble class."
Tucker clenched his fists.
...
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something.
He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed Kaizen.
"You there?"
"Yeah."
"Did you already take care of the other intruder?"
"Not yet."
Tucker let out a breath of relief.
"Good. Cancel the commission. Don't kill him."
Kaizen replied calmly, "I've got no problem holding back, but the cancellation's not free. You still owe the reward. This whole situation's on you, not me."
"Fine. I'll pay it," Tucker said.
Kaizen ended the call.
Then he turned to Nessley.
"Tucker called it off. You're no longer a target. Hand me the laptop—we're done here."
"You can go meet up with your teammates now," he added.
"And I've got a new commission to handle."
...
Nessley froze.
Everything was moving too fast.
Just moments ago, he and his comrades had been staring death in the face.
Tucker had nearly killed them.
And if that happened, Kaizen would've had no reason to hold back—he would've finished the job.
But then the women appeared.
And in an instant, Tucker pulled the plug.
So Karoo's crimes were that unforgivable?
Could it be that Tucker wasn't just some puppet for the country's elite?
Did he really have a sense of justice?
And if so… would he be someone Dark Night could bring in?
Kaizen stored both laptops inside his Sumas space.
"Ponzu."
"Yes, Captain."
Ponzu followed him closely.
Nessley glanced around.
The body of the A-rank Nen user who had attacked Kaizen earlier… had vanished.
Naturally, it had been absorbed into Sumas space.
Within that realm, corpses could be broken down and processed.
Their aura could be extracted.
And any examinee who passed through the trial ground could inherit those abilities.
An A-rank Nen user was excellent fuel.
...
"Tucker… Nessley's still alive?" the scissors-wielding intruder muttered in surprise.
Just then, three figures approached—Kaizen, Ponzu, and Nessley.
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