Unease

Zhou Wang regained consciousness with a splitting headache centered around his waist and the back of his head. When he tried to stand, he found himself tied to a chair. Looking around, he realized he was in an interrogation room on the train!

"Release me! Do you know who I am?" Zhou Wang shouted in panic and anger.

The door to the interrogation room opened, and Rosalind along with the train conductor walked in. Seeing them, Zhou Wang yelled, "What are you doing? Untie me now!"

He tried to summon the star essence within him but found it unresponsive. That's when he noticed the collar around his neck.

A star essence inhibitor!

This device could disrupt an Ascender's internal star essence, effective only against lower-tier Ascenders, but more than enough for someone like him. Zhou Wang's horror grew as he realized that inhibitors were typically used on criminals. Were they treating him as a criminal now?

Rosalind looked at him icily, "You know exactly what you've done. Zhou Wang, you have some nerve, attempting to assault Xun?"

Zhou Wang's heart sank as he recalled the events before his blackout—the images of Xun and Zane flashed through his mind.

"So what!" Zhou Wang growled, his eyes bloodshot with fury. "She's still a lower citizen, and my actions were legal! You, on the other hand, are illegally detaining an upper citizen, a family-backed upper citizen at that. Aren't you afraid of the Zhou family's retaliation?"

Rosalind scoffed, "From the moment she became an Ascender, Xun was an upper citizen. It's just a matter of not having received official Bastion certification yet. Even if she were still a lower citizen, she's my student, which means she's off-limits to you—and to any family that might be behind you!"

Zhou Wang retorted with venom, "Shut up! What's so great about you, a woman from the Westland who knows a bit of medicine! I advise you to release me quickly, or else, once I become a high-level Ascender, I'll deal with you too!"

Slap!

The train conductor delivered a stinging slap to Zhou Wang's face, "Shut your mouth! Even the city lord has to be polite when facing Doctor Rosalind. Who do you think you are, using such filthy language towards her!"

Rosaland shook her head and directed to the train conductor, "He's your responsibility now."

The conductor saluted, "Rest assured, I'll hand him over to the Iron Wall Legion."

Zhou Wang was stunned, "Why to the Iron Wall? I'm a Nightwalker. What does that have to do with them?"

As Rosalind walked out, the train conductor sneered, "Mr. Zhou Wang, your exploits are well known to the Nightwalkers. General Ling has personally ordered your expulsion. As for your crimes, the Iron Wall will handle the case. After all, they specialize in dealing with the Bastion's internal affairs. Oh, and your family has been informed. Guess what their response was?"

Zhou Wang swallowed hard, "What did they say?"

"They agreed to any punishment and extended their deepest apologies to Miss Xun," the conductor revealed the despairing truth.

Zhou Wang's strength left him, a coldness overtaking his body. His family's response was a clear sign that they were abandoning him, most likely to curry favor with Xun and Rosalind.

Perhaps Rosalind alone, or a Radiance Ascender alone, couldn't make the Zhous yield so easily. But with both combined, it was a different story.

It was only then that Zhou Wang realized he had been too impatient and had underestimated the influence of the Radiance rank and Rosalind.

If it had not been for that white-haired kid, Xun might already be his, and the outcome would have been entirely different.

He was just one step away from heaven, only to be cast down into hell.

"I will not accept this! I will not!" Zhou Wang ground his teeth, hissing through clenched jaws, "Zane, you bastard, I'll never let this go!"

...

When Zane got back to the Bastion, it was the afternoon of the following day.

Sunshine bathed the city at 3 PM.

After retrieving his electromagnetic bike from the transfer platform, Zane headed toward the lower city district. The wind faced him on the highway, and he was in high spirits.

After his encounter with Zhou Wang, Rosalind had reported the miscreant's actions. The Nightwalkers had promptly stripped him of his position and handed him over to the Iron Wall to be investigated.

Perhaps because of Zhou Wang's influence, Zane noticed that his ascension progress had gone up by another 2 percent, now reaching 42%.

Additionally, Xun had invited him to visit her home in three days, promising to cook a meal herself as a token of gratitude for his help.

Growing up, Zane had never eaten a meal prepared by any woman other than his mother.

Riding his bike on the highway, he suddenly chuckled, eagerly anticipating the meal in three days.

The journey home was quiet.

Upon reaching the lower city district, Zane didn't rush home. He first stopped at a store and spent 15 contribution points on bread, eggs, ham, and even a fish—a fresh fish!

Zane could almost picture his mother's delight at the sight of these ingredients.

The last time they had fish was a memory more than a decade old.

With time to spare, Zane didn't head straight home but instead drove to "Volcano Bar." His mother should have been cleaning there at this hour.

However, upon arriving, he found the doors of the bar tightly shut. He got off the bike and knocked on the door, "Cady, are you there?"

After several calls with no response, Zane found it strange.

He moved to the window and saw a layer of dust on it, indicating it hadn't been cleaned for several days.

This was impossible; ever since Lyra started cleaning at the bar, she had kept every window spotless. Laziness was out of character for his mother.

Knocking on the window, a homeless man sitting nearby shouted, "Stop knocking, Cady hasn't opened for several days."

Zane turned to him, "What happened?"

The homeless man muttered, "How should I know? And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. What's it to me?"

Zane thought for a moment, then placed a piece of bread in front of the man, "Does it concern you now?"

The homeless man grinned, "Throw in a slice of ham, and we're talking."

Moments later, after carefully stashing away the food, the homeless man whispered, "I heard Cady got beaten up a few days ago. Nearly died, but that cripple on East Street saved him. If nothing else has happened, Cady should still be there. You could go check on him."

Zane immediately jumped on his bike, a bad feeling creeping up on him. Cady was a local tough guy in the lower city district, and it was rare for anyone to mess with him, let alone beat him half to death. Zane was more concerned about his mother.

If something happened to the Volcano Bar, could it have affected his mother?

Racing home, his sense of unease deepened when he saw a layer of dust on their front door...