"I guess Anthony definitely wouldn't want to use his connections only to find you tied up with a dog leash in some rich woman's kennel. That would be quite a disgrace."

"Is it that much trouble?"

"That's exactly how much trouble it is!"

Kapu took a sip of his drink and chuckled. "You know, before I retired, I had a colleague, a veteran special agent with double-S clearance. His daughter went to hang out with her classmates. As soon as she boarded the plane, her information appeared on an online auction list. Ironically, because my colleague's public identity was that of a priest, his own daughter became highly valued prey, a prime target. Those people had very comprehensive sources of information and methods for identity recognition. The nationality, age, gender, occupation, and even family background of the 'merchandise' all led to different auction prices."

"What happened to your colleague's daughter in the end?"

"A bunch of us old buddies cleaned up the small gang responsible, but that also alerted their backers. We could only help my colleague's daughter escape through special channels. Actually, the reason I retired early was also because of that operation. As for my colleague's daughter..."

Kapu's expression grew complex as he drained his glass. "Those people were planning to make her play the role of a 'pure nun' to be offered to those big shots for their enjoyment. To train and control her, those bastards injected her with an overdose of drugs and did many unspeakable things to her. By the time we found my colleague's daughter, although we saved her, both her body and mind had already suffered irreversible damage."

Reality wasn't like the movies. As elite staff of a United States Federation special unit, when faced with such darkness, Kapu and his team could only exact limited revenge with the power of their small group. In doing so, they also ruined their careers, unable to bring true justice for their colleague's daughter.

If an ordinary person experienced all this, they could only expect to restart their life. There would be no other outcome.

Dean snapped his fingers at the bartender, asked for the bottle, and poured another amber drink for Lap, laughing. "Well, after hearing all that, I'll definitely have to take good care of myself when I'm out and about."

Kapu punched Dean's shoulder. "Those people aren't stupid. They wouldn't easily mess with public officials, or the world would be in chaos by now. In fact, if you really get into trouble, you can definitely reach out to Anthony's Arkaz School."

He glanced at Dean and added seriously, "As long as you can gain the school's recognition, then in the Commonwealth, provided you don't provoke those in power, you can basically do as you please."

Hearing the information he wanted, Dean's spirits were lifted.

He asked curiously, "Actually, Mentor Anthony mentioned this school to me, but he's busy with a personal matter right now and didn't tell me how to contact them. Kapu, do you know? I'm hoping to build some connections while I'm over there."

"It's no secret. The Arkaz School's headquarters is in London. Publicly, it's just a private college, but they only accept students by recommendation. You just need to go there and mention Anthony's name."

With that, Kapu told Dean the school's location.

As a former 'special agent,' the guy certainly knew the information I wanted, Dean thought.

After memorizing the address, Dean had a few more drinks with Kapu, chatting about some of the secretive and vague missions Kapu had experienced, before taking him back to the boxing gym.

「Evening.」

Dean drove to his mom's house.

There was a strange atmosphere in the house. His younger sister, Sinclair, was curled up on the couch with a small blanket, listlessly watching a bromance anime about a mouse and a blue cat on TV, lacking her usual energy. His younger brother, Thompson, was grimacing as he did beginner bodyweight exercises under the supervision of their older brother, Beck. Beck, meanwhile, seemed to be keeping an eye on Thompson, but his gaze kept flitting to his phone, as if waiting for a call or text. The only one who seemed normal was their mom, Sheila. Humming an Italian folk tune, she was busy in the kitchen preparing a lavish dinner for the family.

As a strong woman who had raised four children on her own, the recent troubles with Sinclair and Beck didn't seem to affect Sheila much; she maintained a very calm mindset.

"Dean, you're back!"

Upon seeing Dean, Thompson rushed over, as if seeing his savior, wanting to give Dean a hug and seize the opportunity to escape Beck's 'real man training'!

Dean disdainfully pushed him away with one hand. "Thompson, get lost. You reek of sweat."

Beck disagreed. "Dean, that's the smell of a man! Saying that could damage Thompson's determination to get stronger!"

"Get stronger and then follow in your footsteps by finding a fifty-year-old rich woman?" Dean retorted, his tone conveying frustrated concern. "Beck, you're so glued to your phone—are you still trying to contact that woman? Give it up. To her, you're nothing but a flesh-and-blood doll. In this world, for the rich, there's no shortage of beautiful women and handsome men. You have no competitive edge!"

Beck's lips moved slightly, then he slumped onto the carpet in dejection, silent.

Judging by his reaction, it seems he actually developed feelings for her, Dean thought. This is all too melodramatic. He was speechless.

This is actually one of the downsides for kids growing up in single-parent families, Dean mused. Due to a lack of certain affection, children from such backgrounds often develop peculiar preferences in their future choice of partners. Fortunately, in their family, the atmosphere was decent. So, the impact of losing their father wasn't too significant for him and his siblings. At most, it made them a bit more aggressive and independent from a young age, as a way to protect themselves. Many families, however, have terrible atmospheres. This leads to many in the younger generation of the United States Federation developing various character flaws, which in turn cause numerous social problems and contribute to consistently poor public safety.

After dealing with his two unreliable brothers, Dean picked up a small cake and approached Sinclair. He gently pinched her somewhat listless cheek and asked softly, "Feeling any better?"

"I'm not going to die, but Mom won't let me eat this or do that—I'm bored to death!" Sinclair exclaimed, snatching the cake from Dean's hand. She lifted the lid and, without bothering with utensils, took a large bite, smearing her face like a little clown.

Seeing her like this, Dean breathed a sigh of relief. He had actually been quite worried that Sinclair might develop psychological issues from the previous events. It seems I was worrying too much, he thought.

After dinner, Dean found his older brother and suggested taking him to the Commonwealth for a change of scenery.

Beck, unaware that Dean had warned the rich woman he (Beck) still yearned for, had called her over ten times. After finally being harshly scolded and humiliated by her, he'd at last given up on the idea.

He refused Dean's offer, packed his bags overnight, and decided to go to their uncle's place to re-form their "storage-scavenging duo" in the auction world!

「The next day.」

Dean contacted Niel, whom he hadn't seen for a few days. Then, his mother drove him to the airport, and he boarded a plane headed for the Commonwealth.

「Just as Dean boarded the plane.」

In an unassuming house in the Commonwealth, keyboards clattered noisily. Selected photos began to emerge from a nearby printer, only to be quickly taken away from the room by someone.

Suddenly, a man with thick glasses stopped typing.

He maneuvered the mouse over a photo and personal information page of a handsome man. His pupils contracted as he spotted a special symbol in the upper-left corner of the identification details.

Is this a student from Akaz College? the man wondered.

The man hurriedly sent the information about this person named Dean to a special email address. He didn't relax until he received an "OK" reply, then he buried himself in his work again.

Dean, meanwhile, was unaware that he was already being watched.

As soon as he got off the plane, Niel, who had come to pick him up, rushed forward. Disregarding the surrounding crowd, she threw her arms around him in a flying tackle. "Oh God, I'm so glad I came back to Mommy's early!" she exclaimed, clinging to him.

Dean chuckled. "Missed me that much?"

"Yes!" Niel exclaimed, still clinging to Dean. She looked into his eyes, her tone serious. "Every minute, every second, I've been thinking of you!"

Dean's eyes softened. He was about to say something when his gaze caught a frail figure in the periphery of his vision. His pupils dilated instantly.

It's her!

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