Sam

The moment Zeus heard the name Sam, his expression shifted instantly. For Sam was no ordinary man—he was the president of Sam Corporation, one of the four great financial conglomerates of the Alliance.

In truth, Sam's company was the very backbone controlling the Alliance's military forces; his corporation was synonymous with the Alliance army.

Naturally, Sam stood as the supreme superior over the Alliance's Seven Gods. So when Zeus heard the name Sam, he immediately recognized the solemn man on the monitor as none other than him.

Upon seeing the messenger, Sam on the screen could not help but smile, saying, "Uncle, what favor do you seek from me?"

The fact that Sam addressed the messenger as "Uncle" revealed the extraordinary closeness between them.

The messenger chuckled in reply, "A few of your friends are on my farm. My bodyguards had a minor scuffle with them. I need you to handle this."

Sam responded, "Let me see who they are."

The messenger then turned the communicator's camera toward Zeus and his companions.

Upon recognizing Zeus, Sam's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "Hand the communicator to Zeus."

The messenger smiled and passed the device to a nearby bodyguard, who delivered it into Zeus's hands.

Zeus accepted the communicator with a serious demeanor and faced it solemnly. "President Sam, I never expected this matter to trouble you."

Sam was no fool—Zeus was his indispensable asset. Thus, Sam spoke with a hint of deference. "Zeus, what brings you to my uncle's farm?"

Zeus briefly explained the situation.

After listening, Sam smiled lightly. "It's nothing of consequence. I'll dispatch a plane for you immediately. Let's put this matter to rest. If I've offended you in any way, I will come myself to offer my apologies."

"President, you are too kind. We shall depart at once."

"Also, leave those four items of yours with my uncle. As for rescuing your two companions, I'll inform him personally. He'll assist you."

Hearing Sam's words, Zeus smiled warmly. "If you can persuade the honored messenger to intervene, that would be splendid. Thank you."

"Now, return the communicator to my uncle."

Zeus walked up smiling and handed the communicator back to the messenger.

The messenger accepted it with a trace of irritation. "Sam…"

"Uncle, listen. Perhaps you don't fully grasp the current global landscape, but I must tell you: we have long severed ties with Brown and Victoria. They are rapidly conquering the Eurasian continent, their strength expanding exponentially. If we fail to halt them swiftly, the consequences will be dire. It might not be long before you no longer see your nephew."

The messenger inquired, "Don't you still command the formidable Alliance army?"

"Yes, but their force—the so-called X Legion—is expanding rapidly. The linchpin of the X Legion, a man named Xiao Feng, is our greatest headache. We enlisted the Evil Dragon Cult to unleash all their might, yet they failed to kill Xiao Feng. I had no intention of troubling you, but since Zeus has found you, I implore you to intervene this once."

Sam's tone was earnest through the communicator.

The messenger nodded. "Very well. For your sake, I'll intervene this once—but only once. My goal is to eliminate Xiao Feng. The rest of the mess is not my concern. Do you understand?"

"Rest assured, Uncle. If you take care of Xiao Feng, I won't let you meddle in the aftermath."

The messenger nodded again. "Fine. Prepare yourself; send the plane over."

Upon hearing the messenger's agreement, Zeus and the others leapt with joy. A Level-10 Esper intervening meant that Xiao Feng, a Level-8 Esper, was vastly outmatched.

...

After Sam ended the communication, far away on the other side of the Earth, in a Victoria Corporation operations room, a junior employee hurriedly copied a video file and dashed out, heading straight for his superior's office.

The young man absorbed in reviewing a dossier was William, son of Jason, president of Victoria Corporation. William remained impeccably dressed, his handsome face betraying an intensity few would expect from the heir to a corporate empire.

"Boss, there's something urgent I must tell you," the junior burst in, flustered.

"What's the rush? Don't you know how to knock?" William snapped, less annoyed by the breach of etiquette than by the subordinate's overreaction.

The junior apologized. "Sorry, sir, but this matter is too important; I feared wasting time."

He handed over a chip containing footage of Sam's conversation with the messenger. "You'll understand once you watch this."

Curious, William inserted the chip into his computer, the footage playing instantly.

"This is the intercepted communication of Sam. The person he contacted is none other than the Level-10 Esper, the messenger."

William frowned, sighing after the video ended. "It seems that bastard Xiao Feng has truly met his match. The messenger's power is evolution—though not overwhelmingly strong in combat, he can reduce Xiao Feng to a cripple. We absolutely cannot let him reach Xiao Feng. Damn, this is troublesome."

"I understand, sir," the junior nodded.

"Good job. Go to the finance office and collect a 2,000 Alliance coin bonus."

"Thank you, boss!" The junior hurried off.

William pocketed the chip and took the dedicated elevator to the top floor, entering his father Jason's office.

Jason, leisurely playing golf on an indoor grass patch, cigar in mouth, looked every bit the relaxed tycoon.

William approached casually. "Father, I need to report something."

Jason set aside his silver golf club. "Speak."

William inserted the chip into a communicator and replayed the footage. "I believe Xiao Feng is in trouble."

"Hmm, that messenger is tricky, but not impossible to handle. Go on with your work; I'll take care of this."

William nodded and left.

Jason connected via communicator to Hebrew. "Brother, looks like we're in trouble. That bastard Sam found a Level-10 Esper to target your precious daughter Kelly's boyfriend. Haha, troublesome, isn't it?"

Hebrew responded skeptically, "A Level-10 Esper? Come on, do such beings really exist on Earth?"

"Of course. This guy possesses the terrifying power to nullify all other Espers. For Xiao Feng, he is an overwhelming adversary. If we slip up, your son-in-law is doomed."

Hebrew frowned. "What shall we do?"

"Has our latest weapon been produced?"

"Yes, but it's still in the testing phase—not ready for battlefield deployment," Hebrew admitted.

"We can't wait. Send her to find Xiao Feng immediately. She must also be ordered to seize this chance to eliminate Sam's company's ace. A Level-10 Esper is not invincible."

Hebrew hesitated, "What if she rebels?"

Jason chuckled, "If she does, we'll build stronger machines. With Victoria Corporation's powerful R&D team, rest assured, our robots will grow ever mightier. Besides, our Mars probe recently achieved unprecedented results. Tonight, we'll drink; I'll fill you in."

Hebrew nodded. "Alright, see you tonight. I'll dispatch her now."

"Don't worry. These are small matters. Soon we'll crush those bastards Sam and Hilton."

"Heh, let's hope so."

...

Unaware of the looming storm, Xiao Feng and Kelly sped across the wasteland in a battered jeep.

"Faster! Faster! We'll see it soon!" Xiao Feng urged Kelly, who was driving.

"Damn, Xiao Feng, you think I'm flying a plane or what?"

"Watch your language."

"Fine, I'm actually quite gentle," Kelly teased with a laugh, accelerating once more.

Xiao Feng kept his gaze fixed on the light spot blinking on his wristwatch—an indicator of a C-level magical beast slowly moving ahead.

Under Kelly's reckless handling, the worn jeep neared speeds of two hundred kilometers per hour across the rugged plain, jolting violently and threatening to fall apart at any moment.

After several screams from Kelly, at last, a massive magical beast loomed before them.