"Pair of threes! Only one card left."

"Can't play..."

"Are you freaking kidding me? Can't play a pair of threes? We're on the same team, he's the landlord, are you even playing?"

Evening, in a certain mansion area in the Capital City.

Three young men were happily playing cards, each with a uniquely beautiful woman in their embrace.

After losing a round, one of them, whose hair was dyed gray and white, roughly pushed the woman on his left over and said angrily, "Fine, fine, she'll keep you company tonight. How is it you can't play a pair of threes? Let's play something else! Let's play Pro Evolution Soccer, I'm good at video games."

"What are we betting this time?"

"Hmm... a supercar, I guess. Hey, go turn on the machine!" said the dye-haired youth impatiently.

Casually, he pinched the woman in his arms, motioning for her to turn on the equipment in the adjacent video game room.

The other two laughed at the dye-haired youth's misfortune.

The one who just said "can't play" was a young man with a nose ring. He sat on the sofa laughing, "Can't help it, third bro, I really didn't have a pair just now. By the way, did the authorities come looking for you last night?"

The dye-haired youth smirked with disdain, stood up, and downed a glass of red wine from the table, saying, "Yeah, didn't they come often these days? What's the matter asking that?"

"It's just that their attitude seemed a bit different from before last night, what do you think, boss?" said the nose-ring youth, somewhat uncertain.

Their eyes then all turned to the youth who had just won the card game, seemingly seeking his opinion.

Surprisingly, this young man mingling with them and even called the boss looked remarkably bookish. He wore heavy glasses, had unstyled hair resembling a bowl cut, and seemed quite thin, matching the stereotype of a nerd in TV dramas.

He instinctively adjusted his glasses and said, "Our civil organizations have always been a focus for the authorities, especially now that the 'Promised Land' has emerged."

"They're worried we'll be swayed by 'Promised Land', so they regularly touch base to confirm our stance, which is normal. But last night... it felt like they suddenly didn't care about our stance, which is quite odd."

"I suspect the authorities are planning something soon, so I called you two over to caution you, telling your men to lay low and not cause any trouble."

"After all, the authorities are still the main voice among Awakened organizations in society."

After hearing the Bookish Boss speak, the other two's playfully cynical expressions turned serious, and they nodded solemnly.

They knew well that this seemingly nerdy youth was, in fact, more ruthless than anyone.

Since even he took this matter seriously and gathered them to warn them, they'd better take it seriously.

"Don't worry, boss, I'll call those punks to behave..."

Click—

Before the words were fully out, a sound like a breaker tripping was heard, and the lights in the villa abruptly vanished, plunging the previously well-lit room into darkness.

The beautiful woman beside him got up smilingly and said, "Hui, I'll go check the meter."

But before she finished, the Bookish Boss pressed her back onto the sofa, leaving her too shocked to speak.

The beauty wondered why the youth suddenly turned rough, maybe he wanted to...

"Shh, stay quiet, something's not right. Second and third, prepare your weapons."

With that, the Bookish Boss carefully removed his thick glasses and put them in his pocket, his eyes, long narrowed from nearsightedness, faintly glowing a dark green.

The other two, who also thought it was just a power outage, quickly pulled out two guns from under the sofa.

The dye-haired youth's skin gradually took on a metallic sheen, while the nose-ring youth's arm turned as cracked as dead wood.

As the three remained vigilant of their surroundings, a round of inexplicable clapping sounded from afar.

Clap clap clap—

"Not bad, commendable. I thought you guys were just a bunch of thugs, little better than useless. Didn't expect you to have some reflexes."

The voice was not only sudden but also from an indiscernible direction, as if it sounded directly in their heads.

The Bookish Boss looked around at the women fallen on the floor.

At some point, they had slid into deep sleep.

Damn it! This mysterious person's skills aren't simple!

"Are you from 'Promised Land'? Or hired by the Awakening Association?" the Bookish Boss asked coolly.

He could only think of these two organizations daring to approach during such a sensitive time.

'Promised Land', of course, had openly opposed the authorities.

Trying to win over ambiguous civil organizations like us was only natural for them.

As for the Awakening Association, it's another large civil organization.

These guys had a bit of a vendetta with us, causing tension between us brothers.

This mysterious person's uncanny skills were something he'd never encountered. If they were from the Awakening Association, they could only be an ace or an outsider hired for this.

Many powerful Awakened had yet to join any organization and operated like mercenaries on the Black Market.

With the right price, they could handle various tasks, even those too shady for the light of day.

"Oh? Surprise, surprise. Didn't expect your group of hotheads to have someone knowledgeable, saves me some talk. I prefer dealing with smart people." The voice once more seemed right in front of them, still elusive in location.

"You sound like someone from 'Promised Land', trying to recruit us? Isn't your approach a bit aggressive?"

The Bookish Boss widened his dark green eyes, searching the surroundings for the speaker.

Bam bam—

Suddenly, two muffled sounds were heard.

The dye-haired and nose-ring youths drew sharp breaths as pain radiated from their wrists, their guns now missing.

The mysterious voice taunted, "Carrying illegal firearms in this country can get you arrested, even Awakened have to register. Do you two have gun permits?"

"As for attitude... doesn't matter, as I'm not from 'Promised Land'. I'm here representing the authorities to negotiate with you."

The Bookish Boss was stunned upon hearing this, his expression finally cracking.

It never crossed his mind that this person could be from the authorities.

After all, cutting off electricity, disabling his brothers, and seizing their guns before asserting it was a negotiation.

Dude! How can you act like someone from the authorities!?

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