Liberation – Part II

The envoy listened quietly to Xiao Feng's words, then slowly shook his head.

"Athena and I share no connection whatsoever. I have no interest in her whereabouts."

Xiao Feng was visibly stunned.

"Then what is it that you do want?"

The envoy glanced around with measured caution, searching for surveillance devices. Finding none, he began to calmly roll up his sleeve.

"Xiao Feng, I hope you won't be too shocked…"

On his right forearm, identical to Xiao Feng's, was a tattoo—a jet-black barcode, etched with a matching sequence of numbers.

Xiao Feng was utterly taken aback. His eyes widened as he stared at the mark, as though reunited with a long-lost sibling. The envoy extended his wrist toward him, pointing to the final digit in the code.

"See this? Mine ends in a '3'. Yours is a '9'."

In that instant, it was as if all of Xiao Feng's suffering melted away. Even the fact that the envoy had completely cleansed his abilities no longer seemed to matter. Looking at the envoy with a glimmer of joy, he asked eagerly:

"How many others have you found? How many bear the same mark as us?"

The envoy replied, "Including you, there are now five of us."

"Five already… I would give anything to meet them."

The envoy nodded. "You will. I'll get you out of here. Before, I didn't realize you were one of us, so I erased your abilities. I apologize for that."

Xiao Feng shook his head lightly. "It's fine. I didn't have any powers to begin with and still managed to survive. I can hunt for myself now."

The envoy's brow furrowed. "You said you never had abilities—so where did yours come from?"

"I stole them," Xiao Feng answered nonchalantly. "I acquired others' powers through blood-drinking."

The envoy's expression eased. "That makes sense. Your ability must be to absorb powers from the blood of others. If I'm not mistaken, you still possess it—not as a learned power, but as an inherent instinct. Just like I was born with the ability to purify."

Xiao Feng's eyes flickered with confusion. "You mean… I can still regain abilities?"

The envoy nodded. "Indeed. We'll confirm it shortly. For now, I've learned everything I need to know. From this moment forward, we're brothers. We stand outside the League's authority. That worthless League—if the five of us unite, even their military would be powerless before us. I hadn't considered this path until now, but after seeing you, I know it with certainty. We are the strongest beings in this world."

"Let's set aside the grand proclamations for now—just get me out of here first…"

The envoy gave a small nod, surveying the room.

"You'll need to be patient. If I asked them to release you now, they'd refuse. I need to bring in someone I trust. The other gifted ones don't concern me, but that fool Hades... he's troublesome."

Xiao Feng nodded. "No rush… I've waited this long."

With a small smile, he adjusted his posture and settled back in the chair. The sudden shift in circumstance had been overwhelming—he truly felt, for the first time, as though he had found a family. Four of them, no less.

The envoy opened the door and addressed the others.

"You can leave. There will be no more interrogations tonight."

Zeus turned, his gaze cold.

"Is that wise? Are you somehow connected to this Xiao Feng?"

To the envoy, Zeus was of little consequence—a mere one of the so-called Seven Gods of the League, whose abilities were ill-suited for combat.

"I said," the envoy's voice chilled, "that the interrogation is over. Did you hear me, or not?"

His eyes were glacial, tinged with the shadow of killing intent—though in truth, it was largely performative. He was no combatant; his gift was purification. Even if he cleansed every ability in the room, he couldn't leave the temple—not with Hades still lurking nearby.

But the threat in his gaze was real enough to those present. All knew what his power could do. Should he unleash that green radiance, they'd be rendered ordinary in an instant—stripped of every power they possessed.

Zeus stared into those unwavering eyes, and finally relented. The envoy couldn't be harmed—not only because of his fearsome ability, but due to murky ties with Sam that none dared test. And in truth, he could cast down gods from heaven with a mere glance.

Reluctantly, Zeus turned to the others.

"Let's go back and rest. Hades, you'll remain here on watch."

Hades erupted in protest.

"You're joking! Look at me—I need surgery, not a babysitting shift! Just leave Xiao Feng here. He's not going anywhere."

Zeus's fury ignited.

"Have you forgotten your place? Since when do my words mean nothing?"

Hades raised his voice to match.

"And what do your words mean anymore? We're all being jerked around by this old man! Honestly, I'm beginning to lose all respect for you."

With a snarl, Zeus lashed out, kicking Hades hard.

Hades staggered back two steps but remained unharmed. Enraged, he lunged forward to retaliate.

Ares rushed in, throwing his arms around him.

"That's enough—enough!"

Still seething, Hades glared daggers at Zeus.

"Damn it… Why take it out on me? I'm done. I quit!"

Zeus narrowed his eyes. He knew Hades, though not strong, was unique—and indispensable to the League of Seven Gods.

"Ares," he muttered, "stay here and help Hades watch Xiao Feng."

Without waiting for a reply, Zeus turned and walked away.

Poseidon, watching Zeus go, shook his head and turned to Hades.

"You're an idiot. Speaking to the boss like that? If he asked you to guard Xiao Feng, there's a reason. Use your head."

With that, Poseidon jabbed a finger at Hades's forehead and strode toward the exit.

Just as he stepped outside, intending to take a drive and unwind with a drink, a strange aircraft began descending slowly in front of the temple.

Poseidon stared, curious. He'd never seen such a peculiar design—like a dagger cutting through the sky. He stood beside his car, watching as it lowered vertically.

Perhaps it was a new model, so new it lacked any identifying logo. Had it borne the insignia of Victoria Corp, Poseidon would have been shocked beyond words.