Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

“I kept Director Nangong behind because I wanted to speak with you alone,” Duke Wang En said.

"What do you want to talk about?" Nangong Ru crossed her arms and crossed her long legs, which were covered by boots, maintaining her aloof demeanor. Even when facing Duke Wang En, her attitude and expression remained unchanged.

“Director Nangong, to outsiders, our Southern Border Federation Superhuman Association is a group of powerful figures with connections everywhere, but only you and I know that these guys are actually a bunch of good-for-nothings.” Wang En expressed his assessment of those powerful figures without any mercy. “So, this is something I only wanted to talk to you about.”

"What do you want to say?"

“After the Ye family took control of trade and transportation on the southern border, the blood of darkness began to flow into the Great Wall. Don’t you think there’s a big problem with that?”

Upon hearing this, Nangong Ru naturally understood his meaning: "You think the Ye family is secretly helping those rebellious forces?"

"I didn't say that. I only had a reasonable suspicion. After all, the Ye family is ultimately a family of demonized mutants." Wang En sneered, "Director Nangong should know best how greedy and shameless demonized people are, right? They will cooperate with anyone for profit! They have no bottom line or honor for them. They only care about the result."

“…” Nangong Ru remained silent.

Duke Wang En continued, "Now, His Majesty has made that decision, choosing to appease the Ye family, maintain peace within the human race, and grant them such great power."

"The Ye family has always been known for its bravery and love of killing. Now that they're in power, all the noble families in the empire are too busy currying favor with them to dare question them. Even if someone suspects something is wrong, they wouldn't dare to investigate openly, heh heh..."

"But at the same time, I feel that Director Nangong is the only one who is not afraid of the Ye family."

Nangong Ru remained silent for a long time, without giving Wang En any answer. She simply gave a cold snort and then hung up the holographic communication.

Duke Wang En sat in the main seat, looking at the disappearing holographic projection of Nangong Ru, and revealed a contemptuous sneer.

A subordinate came to his side and refilled his teacup: "Your Grace, is this kind of provocation really going to work?"

“Of course it will work.” Duke Wang En picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his eyes shone with confidence: “At least for Nangong Ru, it will definitely work.”

"This woman is ruthless to the core, even to the point of being demonic!"

......

That morning, classes were held as usual.

Xia Xiyao noticed that there were significantly fewer students in the classrooms today than in the previous days.

A couple of days ago, I saw many students getting ready to leave the college in groups, looking like they were going out to carry out a mission.

It is common for students from the War Academy to go out on missions, but the disappearance of so many students at once is unprecedented.

Moreover, Xia Xiyao discovered that all the students who left the academy were extraordinary individuals at the Hundred Soul Realm or above.

"Hey, Ye Ge, Xue'er, have you noticed there are fewer people in the academy lately?" After class at noon, in the cafeteria, Xia Xiyao and her two childhood friends ate together, whispering among themselves, "Has something happened lately?"

Ye Ge slowly ate his lunch: "It's probably about resolving matters beyond the Great Wall."

Xia Xiyao asked curiously, "Outside the Great Wall?"

"Winter is approaching, and monsters are rampant." Gao Shenxue said casually as she fed Ye Ge lunch with a spoon, "Perhaps the Night Watch and the city defense forces are short-handed."

As she spoke, Gao Shenxue picked up another piece of dragon turtle meat, blew on it gently, and then brought it to Ye Ge's lips: "Ah~"

"Ah~......Ugh......"

Yege obediently opened her mouth and ate it in one bite.

Although it was in the academy's cafeteria, with countless eyes from teachers, students, and cafeteria ladies glancing their way from time to time, under the daily pressure from Shenxue's mother, Yege had gradually let go of her inhibitions and abandoned her sense of shame...

'Sigh... I'm really getting more and more decadent...' Ye Ge harshly criticized herself in her heart.

"But I heard from my dad that it seems to be because many underground rebels have appeared outside the Great Wall!"

Xia Xiyao lowered her voice: "They seem to be selling a terrible, illegal drug, something like... something like..."

Xia Xiyao scratched her head vigorously, suddenly unable to remember her name.

“Dark Blood,” Night Song said calmly.

"Ah, right! It's Dark Blood! My dad said that stuff is the Empire's number one contraband. Just carrying a small bottle will get you beheaded, and if you sell it, you'll be publicly tried and executed!" Xia Xiyao looked at Ye Ge and asked curiously, "But what exactly is this 'Dark Blood'? Why would anyone buy poison?"

Night Song shook his head: "That's not poison, but a special blood-synthesizing agent. This agent looks like blood—in reality, it's synthesized from the blood of dark races. After use, it can grant a person near-demonic power for a short time, but this drug is extremely addictive, and these people will occasionally experience severe aftereffects and mania, easily becoming uncontrollably aggressive, biting, and spreading plagues. Those bitten and infected will also become addicted to the dark blood, creating a vicious cycle..."

The Blood of Darkness also exists in the game's storyline, so Night Song is naturally very familiar with it.

Ye Ge thought to herself that the current timeline was around version 1.16, and the appearance of the Dark Blood storyline seemed to have been slightly earlier than expected.

Xia Xiyao exclaimed in surprise, "Why would anyone buy and use something so terrifying?"

Night Song shook his head: "The area outside the Great Wall, the third line of defense, is extremely dangerous. Various monsters roam freely, and food is scarce. Ordinary wilderness survivors would find it difficult to survive without powerful strength. But the Blood of Darkness can grant ordinary people powerful bursts of combat strength."

For a weakling surviving in the wilderness, let alone encountering monsters, even other scavengers and hunters pose just as much danger as facing monsters. In such a harsh environment, people are competitors to each other. Even scavenging in ruins, the weak can only pick up the leftovers and eat the scraps left behind, and may even have to compete with vultures and hyenas for carrion.

"Then why doesn't the empire bring all these refugees inside the Great Wall?" Xia Xiyao couldn't help but ask.

"How do we take on billions of wanderers in the wilderness?" Ye Ge shook his head.

"So many?!" Xia Xiyao exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes."

"So that's how it is..." Xia Xiyao suddenly realized, "How pitiful..."

"..."

At this moment, not far from the dining table where Ye Ge, Xia Xiyao, and Gao Shenxue were eating, in a corner of the restaurant.

A little girl with brown hair and brown eyes, her hair in a bun, was secretly hiding in a corner of the cafeteria, only peeking out from behind a table, her rest of her body completely concealed, observing Ye Ge and her group's situation. (Image)

'Is that guy really Ye Ge? He's the young master of that family of mutants with demonic genes?'

The little girl with brown hair and a bun looked at Yoru, who was being fed by Takayuki in the distance with her mouth wide open, and immediately pursed her lips slightly.

Isn't this guy a demonized mutant? How come he's already ten years old, just like me, yet he still needs to be fed?! He's so shameless!

I stopped accepting food from my older sister when I was five years old!

Are all corrupted mutants like this?

Nangong Qiuyue leaned against the table leg, picked up her notebook and placed it on her lap. Like a spy, she furtively peeked at the notebook while quickly jotting something down.

Then she picked up several more photos and compared them with Ye Ge and the others one by one.

'Hmm...it should be Night Song!'

The girl next to him, with black hair in a high ponytail, who was feeding him, was named Gao Shenxue. She was a student in the elite class of the War Academy, and her extraordinary profession was mechanic.

'That girl with light brown hair and pink eyes is named Xia Xiyao. She is Earl Xia's daughter and a water-and-wood type ability user.'

'Are these two people also his accomplices?'

Nangong Qiuyue thought to herself.

'I heard that this Ye Ge defeated Chu Wanhe, the Earl and Lord of Wanjian City, without relying on his family's power.'

'This means that although this little guy looks cute, he's definitely not as innocent as he seems!'

'Hmm! ...He must be a very capable and extraordinary ten-year-old elementary school student, just like me!'

'In that case, we can't judge him by the standards of an ordinary elementary school student.'

'Perhaps he was also involved in the Dark Blood incident involving the Ye family.'

'If I can uncover evidence linking this guy to the Dark Blood through my secret investigation, let's see if my sister will dare underestimate me because of my young age again!'

'Then my sister will definitely come looking for me and ask me to join the Night's Watch!'

Nangong Qiuyue's little head was already filled with countless images, and she started giggling foolishly...

A cafeteria cleaning lady passing by gave her a suspicious look, wondering what was wrong with the child.

After a while, Nangong Qiuyue came to her senses, wiped the drool that had dripped down her face, turned her head and looked at the seats where Ye Ge and the others had originally sat, and then she was immediately shocked.

It's gone! ? ?

Where did those three people go?!

Nangong Qiuyue quickly jumped up from the ground, looking left and right in the cafeteria for Ye Ge and the other two.

But I can't find it no matter what I do.

'Did they just finish eating and then leave?'

'This won't do! My covert investigation has only just begun!'

Nangong Qiuyue quickly picked up her notebook and hurriedly ran out of the cafeteria.

After searching the campus for a long time, they finally found Ye Ge, Gao Shenxue, and Xia Xiyao.

'found it! ’

Nangong Qiuyue was overjoyed and immediately followed after him with swift movements.

"strangeness......"

"I clearly saw them come here just now."

"How did it disappear again so suddenly?"

Nangong Qiuyue entered a garden, twisting her head, which was tied in a bun, and looked around, searching everywhere.

At that moment, a figure silently approached from behind her.

Are you playing a detective game?

The sound of a night song drifted gently up behind her.

Nangong Qiuyue didn't react immediately, still focused on her investigation, and impatiently replied, "It's not a game! I'm seriously investigating a case! I'm conducting a covert investigation!"

"Case handling? Investigation?"

Ye Ge looked puzzled.

The next moment, Nangong Qiuyue finally reacted, turned her head and saw Ye Ge, and then almost jumped up with a "Wow!"