Chapter 63: Law-abiding citizens naturally report criminals

The weather in late August was intensely hot. If one were in Mexico, which was covered in rainforests, it would be so stiflingly unbearable that one would practically want to peel off one's own skin.

However, for the teenage criminals and gang thugs in the slums of Monterrey, the past few days had brought something far more agonizing than the weather.

Because a stranger had arrived in the slums.

The appearance of a stranger in the slums was hardly anything to marvel at; after all, in this soil soaked in violence, tragedies of shattered families played out every single second.

The problem, however, was...

This stranger would periodically "borrow" some money from them.

Of the kind that was never returned.

It wasn't that these criminals hadn't thought about fighting back, but regrettably, when they saw several of their dispatched gunmen thrown out onto the streets the next morning with their heads wedged firmly into their rear ends, they lost all courage.

Coupled with the fact that the amount the stranger took each time was never too exorbitant, they simply swallowed their pride and accepted their fate.

The stranger was, naturally, Leon.

For him, the chaotic slums were undoubtedly an excellent choice when it came to concealing his tracks.

As for why he only took a tiny amount of money each time...

Aside from practicing sustainable draining of the pond, it was naturally because he didn't want to stir up too much commotion. After all, with his current methods, he had plenty of ways to acquire cash if he so desired.

At this moment, Leon looked at the crumpled wad of US banknotes in his hand and thought silently to himself:

'The money is almost enough to post a bounty task. It's also time to meet that King and Bronze and Fire.'

Originally, he hadn't been in such a rush, but unfortunately, Odin's relentless pressure made him realize that the plot of the original story was beginning to spin out of control due to his arrival.

It was even possible that the little devil was lurking in the shadows right now, secretly observing him.

As for the egg of the Dragon King of Water and Space, Constantine...

Leon had initially intended to contact the Zhou family, but lacking their contact information, he chose a much more direct and brutal method: mailing a tip-off letter to the official channels of Shenzhou.

[Recently, unlawful elements have attempted to carry out terrorist activities at the Cuimen Dam. Beneath the Cuimen Dam lies the egg of the King of Bronze and Fire.]

Well, he had even attached several photographs of pure-blood dragons to the tip-off letter to increase its credibility.

Leon believed that if the official authorities of Shenzhou possessed hybrid bloodlines, even if they deemed the contents of the tip-off letter fabricated, they would likely dispatch personnel to investigate the situation at the Cuimen Dam.

'I'd really love to see the expressions on the faces of the Secret Party.'

At this thought, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Of course, regardless of whether the Shenzhou authorities chose to interfere, Leon had already decided to make contact with the King of Bronze and Fire first.

Following his previous battle with the fourth-generation dragon that had not undergone complete dragonization, he felt confident that against a Norton who possessed only [Authority], surviving under the enhancement of the Reverse Life Triple Stance should not pose a problem.

That was assuming the other party did not use the apocalyptic speech and spell [Candle Dragon].

However, since there was no enmity between them, Leon figured Norton shouldn't go that far. In the original story, the only reason Norton ultimately used [Candle Dragon] was because he was driven mad by the death of Constantine.

Moreover, they shared a common enemy in Odin.

Besides, he didn't necessarily have to expose the other party's identity right away.

With this thought in mind, Leon immediately logged onto the Hunter website and posted a task.

The details of the task specified hiring the bounty hunter Ronald Tang to search for a man named Kennedy in Monterrey.

And Kennedy was Leon's current alias.

Actually, Leon had another option: to remain completely anonymous until this major event concluded and then return to the City of Pioneers.

Yet, faced with Odin's repeated provocations right to his face, he certainly couldn't remain indifferent.

'I hope you'll like the gift I've prepared for you, Odin...'

Thinking about what he was about to do next, Leon couldn't suppress a smile.

......

New York, Brooklyn District.

A decadent-looking young man was slumped in a chair, hammering away at his keyboard, while the screen before him displayed Blizzard's StarCraft.

At that moment, the screen of his mobile phone, resting beside the keyboard, suddenly lit up.

The young man straightened up, glanced at it briefly, and then routinely typed "GG" into the computer.

Quickly ending the game, he scratched his messy hair and muttered, "Why is there another designated task again?"

The young man was, of course, Ronald Tang—which is to say, Norton, whose memories had yet to awaken.

He knew his own limitations best, and Old Tang was painfully clear on his own abilities.

As a bounty hunter, he might not be considered absolute trash, but if you called him some kind of hardcore badass...

Heh.

Despite that, he frequently received high-level designated tasks.

He had no idea what those employers were hoping to get out of it; surely they couldn't be betting on his sheer resilience to survive.

Recalling his past mission experiences, Old Tang couldn't help scratching his cheek. Come to think of it, he really did seem remarkably resilient.

Basically, every time he set out with a group of other bounty hunters and most of them ended up dead, he himself always managed to escape without suffering any real harm.

"Monterrey, huh..."

"He's quite generous with the money."

For the sake of money, Old Tang chose to accept the task, stood up, and began packing his luggage.

......

"Potato Chip Girl, what do you suppose the boss wants with us this time?"

Standing atop a five-star hotel towering into the night sky, a slender woman with a ponytail was sprawled across a sofa, her head bowed as she scrolled through her phone.

Beside her, another capable and mature-looking woman was completely sunken into the sofa, stuffing potato chips into her mouth at regular intervals.

Her appearance and her casual posture formed a striking contrast.

Scratching her slightly itchy arm, she spoke with a hint of uncertainty: "Who knows? He's probably planning to help that kid pick up girls."

"..."

Just as the ponytail-clad woman was about to respond, a boy with pale golden pupils suddenly materialized in the room.

The moment he appeared, the two women, who had moments ago been completely relaxed, instantly snapped to attention and sat upright.

"Boss."

The boy sat down upon a luxurious chair that seemed to materialize behind him out of nowhere, his expression solemn: "There are certain matters that require your investigation."

"The hybrid factions native to Shenzhou have intervened in the plan at Cuimen, and right now, the Secret Party is wrangling with them."

"Investigate the origins of that 'Leon' who previously appeared in New York. This matter is undoubtedly linked to him."

"He is most likely still in Mexico. Go and find him."

Upon hearing the boy's words, the two women exchanged a subconscious glance before nodding in unison: "Task accepted! Boss!"

Meanwhile, in a modest bedroom, a boy who looked identical to the one who had just appeared in the hotel stood by the window, quietly gazing at the bright, clear full moon outside.

'The plan has been altered. Whose pawn is that Leon? Norton, Leviathan, or Jörmungandr?'

'Brother, will I truly get to see you ascend the throne?'

Carrying a complex web of emotions, he turned his head to look at the young man fast asleep behind him, and let out an imperceptible sigh.