Unfortunately, while the rescued child had indeed seen Misha before, it was only during a moment when she had helped him while he was being bullied. So, after coaxing him a bit, Revy sent him on his way.
"Let's hope that guy doesn't come back..."Amiya said with concern.
The mob violence against the Infected in the slums clearly wasn't an isolated incident. From what the little boy had shared, there had recently been an unusual influx of people targeting the area.
It seemed they were combing the slums in groups, all looking for "someone."
"Don't worry," Revy reassured her. "He might've looked smug, but if things escalate, he'll find out real quick that it's not in his favor.""Eh?" Amiya's ears perked up. "What do you mean?"
"The slums have their own rules. I spared his life, sure—but in the hands of the Rat King, he'll still get what's coming to him."
"Rat King…? Who's that?"
"I don't know his real name. But those who do call him... Lin the Grey Forest."
Revy's tone turned serious.
"Lin's the shadow boss behind the slums. If Wei Yenwu is Lungmen's righteous leader, then Lin is its king of the underworld. When he gets serious, his influence can even rival Wei's. In these slums, his word is law."
"Tch..." Amiya took a sharp breath. "I didn't realize Lungmen had a force like that."
"It gets deeper."Revy nodded."Legend has it, Lin was once the head of the 'Grey' family among the five great northeastern clans of Yan—Hu, Huang, Bai, Liu, and Hui. His strength was legendary. No joke, if he were ten years younger, not even Talulah would be able to stand against him."
"Heh heh heh. You're flattering me. Didn't think an outsider would know this old man so well."
A sudden chuckle interrupted Revy.
"Young one—you already knew I was nearby, didn't you? I don't know how sincere your praise is, but it's still pleasant to hear."
Startled, Amiya jumped, her long ears shooting up. Revy patted her shoulder to calm her and turned toward the shadow nearby.
"If it's no trouble, sir, won't you step out and join us?"
"Of course. Even if you hadn't invited me, I was planning to greet you."
The shadow in the corner thickened, and from it emerged a hunched figure.
"No wonder old Wei said you were the most 'unique' one in this batch to visit Lungmen. The legendary Catastrophe Messenger—Regulus Harvey. Heh, you really live up to your name."
Elsewhere, in another part of the slum...
"...Still nothing?"
The "Regicide," Ludmilla, frowned.
She didn't dare conduct blatant house-to-house searches or force interrogations, and had instructed her subordinates to avoid provoking the slum's residents. After all, they were mostly Infected just barely scraping by.
But still—no leads.
Misha's tracks had completely vanished about two days before she arrived, and not by coincidence. The clean disappearance was clearly the work of professionals. If she hadn't known that Misha had no formal military training, Ludmilla would've thought she was chasing a veteran operative.
She clenched her teeth in frustration.
Whoever had pulled this off had the backing to be officially registered as a Lungmen resident in the slums—something no amount of "luck" could explain.
A face rose in Ludmilla's mind: someone who had once defeated her, someone who left her helpless.Someone who had faced the full force of the Reunion army at Chernobog—and lived.
A bad feeling stirred in her chest. Pulling up her face mask, the Regicide dashed toward a narrow alley she hadn't searched yet.
(I absolutely can't let that person reach Misha first!)
"Rat King Lin, this should be our second time meeting, right?"
Revy's polite tone surprised even Amiya. But the Rat King just chuckled, fully stepping out from the shadows.
Revy's smile widened slightly—he knew this was a gesture of goodwill.
"You're here in the slums to find that girl you brought here last time?"
The Rat King skipped the pleasantries and got to the point.
"That girl of yours has attracted wave after wave of unwanted attention down here these past couple days. Honestly, even festivals don't get this rowdy."
Revy's expression stiffened.
"Then... are you saying—?"
"Just call me Lin, or Rat King. I don't like being called 'Old Lin.'"The Rat King sighed."Relax. The girl's safe. I've already brought her under my protection. No need to worry."
"Old Wei still clings to his fantasy—thinking he can just throw away a hot potato and be done with it. But he doesn't realize...""...the storm's already coming."
Amiya was puzzled as she listened to their conversation.
At first glance, this elderly Zalak man looked completely unremarkable—like he was already half-stepping into the grave. She couldn't quite reconcile that image with the powerhouse Revy claimed could rival Talulah.
Still, she said nothing. She knew that in moments like these, it was best to let Revy handle things.
"What you say is true, Rat King. But since you've chosen not to interfere with Mr. Wei's decisions, I won't comment further."
"Young man, you clearly have more on your mind. But you're holding your tongue because I'm here in front of you, aren't you?"
The Rat King let out another sigh.
"You're good—know when to speak, when to hold back. It's a shame you're not a Lungmen native. If you were, Old Wei would've snatched you up to be his advisor already."
Revy gave a slight bow in response, though his face remained indifferent.
Just then, footsteps echoed from deep within the alley. The Rat King, who had been squinting until now, suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked sharply in the direction of the noise—Revy did the same.
"Heh... Looks like trouble's coming your way."