The Deal

At the entrance of the dimensional gate leading to the secret realm, the old man who had mocked Gu Tian earlier stood before the portal, his expression cold and serious. He was the Dimensional Gatekeeper of Beast Emperor University, tasked with protecting and controlling one of the institution's most valuable resources.

No one could enter or exit this chamber without passing through him, and even the university's top administrators had no authority here except for him. But recently, he had stolen rare resources from the Immortal Tree Secret Realm and sold them for personal profit. If anyone noticed abnormalities in the dimensional gate, he would face severe punishment. Thus, he kept silent and hoped no one would find out.

He stood still, observing the dimensional gate. But then

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

"AAAHHHH!!!"

Gunshots echoed. Blood splattered across the floor as the old man collapsed instantly. He tried to summon his beast, but the bullets contained special energy that sealed his spiritual power.

Footsteps sounded. Gu Tian emerged from the gate, his expression indifferent. He grabbed the old man's hair and severed his finger. A scream of agony filled the room, but Gu Tian remained emotionless.

Picking up the severed finger, Gu Tian pressed it onto a blood contract scroll. The contract absorbed the blood, and within seconds—it was sealed. He then opened his spatial ring, retrieving a small stone engraved with the sun symbol, before forcing it into the old man's mouth.

The old man struggled violently, but he had already lost all strength. His eyes widened in horror because he recognized that stone. It was the Sun Insignia, an artifact exclusive to the Radiant Sun Organization, a feared underground faction. Worse still, only high-ranking members possessed it.

This meant… The young man before him wasn't just an ordinary operative. He could be a Cardinal… or even a future Pope.

Shock and rage flashed across the old man's trembling eyes. He clenched his teeth and croaked, "You… bastard… How did the Radiant Sun Organization infiltrate the university!?"

Gu Tian didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a phone and played a video in front of the old man's face.

The old man's pupils shrank in terror.

On the screen he saw his daughter's family. His daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law were bound to chairs, their eyes filled with fear, their voices shaking as they cried for help.

His breath hitched. "F-Fake… This must be fake!"

Gu Tian remained silent. He simply opened his spatial ring and tossed a severed hand onto the floor.

The old man froze. His body shook violently. His eyes locked onto the severed hand, and his mind went blank.

Because that hand belonged to his daughter.

Her wedding ring was still on her finger. The ugly birthmark she had always hated was still there.

His world collapsed.

Slowly, he turned back to the video and saw his daughter missing a hand.

His heart shattered. His voice cracked. "No… No… No… This isn't real…"

Then, rage erupted from his soul. "YOU BASTARD!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

Before he could move, Gu Tian calmly crouched down and delivered a brutal kick to his chin. CRACK! The force sent him sprawling.

Gu Tian's voice was as cold as ice. "Calm down. Your family isn't dead… yet."

The old man gasped, struggling to breathe.

Gu Tian smirked. "If you do as I say, perhaps on your birthday in seven days… you might get them back. Along with a gift."

The old man's gaze locked onto the video his granddaughter sobbing, begging for mercy. His heart was torn apart.

At that moment, he knew.

He had already lost.

Tears streamed down his face as he bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood.

He had been forced into the cruelest choice of his life.

In the end, the old man lowered his head. His voice trembled. "…Please… I beg you… Let them go…"

Gu Tian smiled in satisfaction. "Now we're getting somewhere."

His grin widened before he spoke again. "From now on, you are a member of the Radiant Sun Organization. That makes us comrades."

Tears streamed down the old man's face, a mix of helplessness and fury. His body was still too weak from the wounds, and the bullets' power had sealed his movements completely. He lowered his head in shame, suppressing the burning hatred inside him.

Gu Tian shook his head slightly. "Do you even know what the true goal of the Radiant Sun Organization is?"

The old man remained silent, refusing to even look at Gu Tian.

With a loud thud, Gu Tian smacked his chest and continued. "To give all humans an equal chance at survival. To ensure no one starves, no one is oppressed. We want to save this world from those bastards."

His voice was firm, filled with conviction. "The Central Government is shackled by the Ten Sacred Families. Those parasites fear our existence, the Radiant Sun Organization, because they know we can bring down their rule."

The old man still didn't speak.

Gu Tian chuckled faintly. "Tell me… Do you remember the destruction of the Level 5 city? And the death of Emperor Shen Kang?"

The old man's brows furrowed immediately. That had been one of the biggest events in recent days a city erased overnight, the entire incident dominating the news.

"Most people believe it was caused by wild beasts… or maybe our organization, right? But that couldn't be further from the truth."

Gu Tian stepped closer and whispered, "That city was erased because the son of the Ye Clan's Patriarch wanted Emperor Shen Kang's daughter, Shen Ya, as his concubine."

Gu Tian sneered. "When Shen Kang refused… the entire city was wiped off the map, along with him. They didn't hesitate. They didn't care about the hundred million people who lived there, or the emperor who had protected humanity for decades."

The old man's fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his own palms.

Gu Tian laughed. "And what about them? The ones responsible? They're still eating, drinking, sleeping comfortably, living lavish lives while pinning all the blame on us the Radiant Sun Organization. And on the beasts, who had once lived in peace alongside humans."

Still, the old man remained silent.

Gu Tian opened his spatial ring, pulling out a stack of photographs and video clips evidence of the horrors committed by the Ten Sacred Families.

Images of mass executions. Children being offered as tributes to the nobles. Human experiments so cruel that even in death, the old man wouldn't have imagined such atrocities.

His eyes trembled as he looked at the horrifying truth before him. For the first time in his life… he wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

The old man stared at the images, his gaze trembling before he clenched his teeth tightly. "You people are all rotten, every last one of you."

Gu Tian chuckled, walking over to pick up the severed hand. Without hesitation, he sank his teeth into the palm, biting down hard. Bright red liquid spilled out. The old man gritted his teeth, ready to curse, but Gu Tian simply said, "It's just cake."

The old man, who had been seething with rage, suddenly froze. A faint scent of sweetness reached his nose. "What...?"

Before he could process what was happening, Gu Tian played another video.

This time, it wasn't footage of torture. Instead, it showed his daughter's family, all tied to chairs—singing a birthday song for him.

The old man was thrown into a state of confusion. Then, the voice of his little granddaughter rang out through the recording.

"Happy birthday, Grandpa! And welcome to the Radiant Sun Organization!"

He turned to Gu Tian, eyes filled with disbelief.

Gu Tian smiled warmly. "Your daughter was the one who recommended you to join the Radiant Sun Organization. She came up with the whole plan, and it doubled as your birthday surprise."

The old man was frozen in place, his mind struggling to process everything.

Gu Tian continued. "What you just went through was a test. And you… passed."

The old man was still in shock when Gu Tian placed a phone next to his ear. From the other end, a familiar voice spoke.

"…Dad."

His breath hitched. His voice trembled. "…Is this real?"

His daughter took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, Dad. I made this choice myself."

The old man hesitated before asking, "On your tenth birthday, what did I buy you?"

His daughter laughed softly. "A pink teddy bear with angel wings. My birthday cake was chocolate. You love drinking tea, have a scar on your left chest, and sleep in your favorite pink bear pajamas. Oh, and you can't cook at all. You even managed to burn an omelet once, and....."

"Alright, alright! I get it!" the old man interrupted, overwhelmed.

After that, father and daughter talked, mending their understanding. During their conversation, Gu Tian silently applied a healing medicine to the old man's wounds.

Five minutes later.

The old man, now watching Gu Tian carefully treat him, suddenly spoke in a firm voice. "Kid... I'll help you."

Gu Tian grinned before holding out a fist. "For a brighter world."

The old man, now fully healed, bumped his fist against Gu Tian's and replied, "For a brighter world."

Gu Tian laughed before tossing him another vial of medicine. As soon as the old man swallowed it, his body fully recovered.

The man before Gu Tian was named Ji Gang, a Legendary-tier Beast Tamer who had worked at the Beast Emperor University for over ten years. After that, the two of them began discussing something in private. However, no one could hear a single word of their conversation because the Stone of Silence had already absorbed all surrounding sound.