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Chapter 340 - 337 - BE12 - Breach of Trust

Chapter 340: Chapter 337 - BE12 - Breach of Trust

In front of the deep red desk, two well-equipped S-rank Soul Hunters, one on either side, surrounded Su Ming’an.

They appeared vigilant, their hands resting on the swords at their waists, seeming ready to draw their blades at any moment.

Behind the desk, Aelas lifted his gaze from a pile of documents. He rubbed his temples, his expression somewhat weary.

"Explain, S-rank Soul Hunter, Su Rin," Aelas’s face had lost its usual affability.

His look toward Su Ming’an was now especially stern:

"Only the creator of the Barrier can dismantle it without causing damage. Are you the creator of the Barrier involved in this morning’s incident?"

Su Ming’an didn’t speak.

...He was not the creator of the Barrier.

It was likely due to Su Rin’s special abilities that he had inexplicably dismantled the Barrier without harm.

"Thinking to meet my interrogation with silence?" Aelas stood up, a silver star on his shoulder gleaming with a layer of bright light.

He clasped his hands behind his back and paced two steps around the office: "Unfortunately, in the realm of Soul Hunters, silence can only signify consent."

The dull sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet office as Su Ming’an raised his head.

"...You should provide some explanation as well, Aelas." He suddenly spoke up.

Aelas turned his head, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes:

"What?"

"That secondary sweep operation, what was that about?" Su Ming’an said flatly.

"What do you mean by ’what was that about’?" Aelas still countered with a question.

"There are no Soul Clan hidden on Thirteenth Street in the Eastern District." Su Ming’an looked at him. "You gave me an impossible mission, what were you really thinking?"

Aelas chuckled.

He rested his hand on the pistol at his waist.

"The mission I gave you was genuine. The Soul Clan indeed exists on Thirteenth Street," Aelas said. "Victims have already appeared, precisely Gerald. You saw it yourself, the enormous wounds on her body, and how cruelly the Soul Clan hung her up—It’s precisely because you neglected your duties last night that you failed to capture the hidden Soul Clan, resulting in her demise."

"Impossible." Su Ming’an emphatically denied.

There was no trace of the Soul Clan on Thirteenth Street; how could they possibly exist there.

"...So how do you know it’s ’impossible’?" Aelas suddenly lowered his voice.

The gazes of the two S-rank Soul Hunters beside him fixed on Su Ming’an as a heavy pressure swirled within the room.

"I heard that members of the Soul Clan can sense each other’s presence—they can accurately determine where the Soul Clan exists and where it does not."

As Aelas spoke, he turned in a half arc on the smooth tiled floor, his boots making a slight noise.

He looked up, his gaze fixing on Su Ming’an standing in front of the desk, his tone more serious than ever, "I also heard that, the night before last, over in the Soul Clan city in the Southern District, a new leader wearing a white mask appeared."

Su Ming’an looked at him, his expression unchanged.

"Moreover, I heard, coincidentally on the same night, you mysteriously disappeared for an entire evening. Even the patrolling Soul Hunters couldn’t find any trace of you." Aelas turned around, hand waving, revealing a pure white mask: "One of the Soul Hunters under me provided me with a Recording Stone. The stone recorded the appearance of that new Soul Clan leader... This is a newly crafted mask I had made by a craftsman. Shall I make a comparison for you?"

He reached out, holding the pure white mask at a distance in front of Su Ming’an’s face.

"...Look." He paused for a moment: "They look exactly alike."

He put down the mask.

The mask clinked sharply against the desk.

The office fell into a silence.

Suddenly, Su Ming’an spoke:

"Aelas," he said, "I have no intention of harming the Soul Hunters."

"..." Aelas didn’t respond.

He turned away and went to another room. Moments later, he returned, holding a Crystal Stone emitting white vapors.

He tossed the stone to Su Ming’an, "Hold it."

Su Ming’an clasped it in his palm.

The gazes of Aelas and the two Soul Hunters beside him were firmly fixed on his hand.

A moment later, Su Ming’an spread his hand open, the stone lying quietly in his palm, unchanged in appearance.

The Detection Stone could not detect his Soul Clan identity, which was something Su Ming’an had long known.

Aelas rested his hand on the edge of the desk, seemingly lost in thought.

"Su Rin. You are the descendant of Lord Su Rin, I once trusted you greatly... no matter how mysterious your whereabouts, no matter whether you have been to the City of Soul Clan," he said, "...But I cannot comprehend how you are controlling the entire Soul Clan. I know Sevya, and he is not one to submit to a human."

"..."

"...Unless," Aelas turned his head, "you are the child of a Soul Clan and a human, right?"

Su Ming’an was stunned.

It was as if something had shattered by his ear, he seemed to hear a highly plausible answer.

Undetectable by the Detection Stone, not needing to consume human souls, having the scent of humans yet able to detect the scent of the Soul Clan...

The characteristics of two races bizarrely combined in him.

Suddenly, he remembered the night when Kassan and little Na had left.

...So there was such an existence, a combination of two races.

"Su Rin," Aelas looked at him, his fingertips slowly tapping on the table, "I do not care about your thoughts, how ambitious you are... I do not care why you returned to Pulaya, what you are fighting for..."

"As long as your heart is with humans, helping humans, without any connection to the Soul Clan, I can trust you. I can offer you Contribution Points, grant you the freedom to act, give you Sherrod’s trust, give you the title of captain of the covert team.

"Because Pulaya lacks stability, Pulaya needs a mighty warrior like you, and you have indeed made significant contributions to the tasks in Flower Street, brilliantly resolving those living in the gutters. So I trust you, I need you, I can give you the rewards and honors you desire.

"But now—"

He withdrew his hand, his hand resting on his hip gun, "...you cannot explain how you broke that barrier. I also... cannot tolerate a leader of the Soul Clan still living in the Soul Hunter area, right under my nose.

"So now,

"I no longer trust you, Su Rin."

...

Aelas drew his gun, aiming it at Su Ming’an.

Under the steady room light, the regret in his eyes was especially evident.

"Su Rin, leave Pulaya, or die here. Out of respect for your grandfather, make a choice," he said.

The two S-level Soul Hunters beside him simultaneously turned, drawing their swords, the blades glinting, their tips positioned one in front and one behind, side by side with Su Ming’an.

"I am very sorry, my colleague," said S-level Soul Hunter Christie softly.

"..." S-level Soul Hunter Ed remained silent.

As their focus converged, Su Ming’an lifted his head.

"Ding-dong!"

The system voice rang in his ear.

[Since you have lost the trust of the Soul Hunter leader Aelas, you cannot participate in "Maritime Banquet", Perfect Pass·Heaven’s Line by default fails.]

[Enter Perfect Pass·Hell’s Line.]

["A thought of Heaven, a thought of Hell."]

[Route tip: Use the Soul Clan camp, launch a war, slaughter the residents of Pulaya, seize Pulaya.]

...

Su Ming’an made no move to draw his sword, nor did he raise his hand.

He merely slowly lifted his head and then, with a distinctly sharp attitude looked toward Aelas, gazing directly into his eyes.

"Aelas, before we proceed, answer me," he said.

Aelas held his gun, squinting.

A heavy pressure brewed between them.

"Does the Soul Clan really exist in Thirteenth Street?" Su Ming’an asked.

"..." Aelas paused for a moment, "They do."

"Was Gerald killed by that member of the Soul Clan?"

"...You could say that."

"Where is Sherrod now?"

"He violated the church’s regulations; you don’t need to bring him up anymore."

"Understood," Su Ming’an said.

He pulled out the photo Gerald had entrusted to him from his chest, rubbing his fingers over it.

"Leave Pulaya, and never return," Aelas said. "You are a descendant of Su Rin; your grandfather made great contributions to Pulaya. For his sake, I will spare your life."

Under the tense gaze of the Soul Hunters, Su Ming’an put the photo back into his backpack and then raised his hand.

"Don’t spare me for Su Rin’s sake," he said.

...

Heat hazed in front of him.

Sitting at the barbecue table, Su Ming’an’s fingers involuntarily curled for a moment, then quickly relaxed.

"I tell you, I was really stupid to go with that group to the Southern District; actually, all I picked up was trash equipment, totally useless..." Lin Yin was devouring meat, wielding two pairs of chopsticks attacking from both sides.

Lv Shu sat beside her, sipping tea, seeming uninterested in the meat.

Su Ming’an turned his head, looking out at the night view through the window.

The rewind had taken them back to last night.

"Sherrod, let’s go," he said.

"Hey, hey, won’t you eat a bit more?" Lin Yin called from behind: "Christmas Eve is just two days away; aren’t you going to seize the moment to enjoy a bit...?"

Su Ming’an ignored her.

He quickly walked out of the barbecue restaurant, stepping into the night, leaving her shouts and the warmth of the barbecue behind.

Sherrod immediately followed, looking somewhat nervous.

The next steps were very similar to the last loop; as Su Ming’an passed an old lady’s house, he saw that it was obscured by curtains.

He followed Sherrod all the way to the end, still not smelling the scent of the Soul Clan.

"It seems there was a problem with the intelligence department..." Sherrod said, somewhat annoyed.

Su Ming’an did not join in.

He knew Sherrod was hiding something, and this second sweep task was full of doubts.

How did Gerald die? Why was she out at night, leading to her death at the hands of the Soul Clan and being hung up?

Why did the church catch fire at night?

Why was Sherrod punished for breaking the rules?

Su Ming’an bid farewell to the secretive Sherrod and walked into his own room.

As soon as he entered, he stood still at the doorway, suddenly spotting a dark shadow approaching him.

...Just as expected.

He remembered, in the last loop, there had been someone hiding in his room.

His wristwatch lit up, fully illuminating the approaching figure.

"...Lele?"

Su Ming’an looked in surprise at the dark-skinned girl in front of him.

This was indeed Gerald’s granddaughter, Lele.

She had always been wary of him; he hadn’t expected her to come to his room at night.

Lele, wearing a revealing wrap, appeared somewhat chilly in the night wind, her face streaked with tears, her eyes slightly red as if she had just cried.

"Shh..."

As soon as she saw him, she immediately kicked the door shut.

She asked him to keep his voice down: "...Don’t let the Knight of Light outside find me here."

"Is there something you need?" Su Ming’an said.

Lele paused for a moment.

Suddenly, she kneeled before him with a "thud."

Her forehead hit the floor, making a noise. Her kneeling was forceful; Su Ming’an felt the ground shake.

"Please..." she whispered, her voice trembling, "Please save my grandmother."

Su Ming’an figured it out.

Last night, Lele had actually come to him for help, but he had gone to bed so quickly she hadn’t even had time to speak up.

By the next day, everything had already happened; when he opened the door, the neighbor’s house was empty.

"You know the Knight of Light outside; he even called you ’Captain’ before. You must be very strong," Lele said. "Only you can save my grandmother."

"Go ahead," Su Ming’an said.

"My grandmother disappeared suddenly after speaking with you this afternoon and hasn’t come back till now," Lele sobbed. "I was at the grocery store buying things and didn’t notice when she left. When I came back, only my mother was asleep at home, but my grandmother was gone."

"Her legs are not good, and she can’t see clearly at night; she wouldn’t go out at night," Lele said. "It was still early evening, and I thought she would come back soon, but I waited until it was dark, and she still hadn’t returned... I heard that there’s a hidden Soul Clan in Thirteenth Street—it must’ve been the Soul Clan that took my grandmother away... otherwise, she would have come back..."

"I understand," Su Ming’an said. "I’ll go ask around the Soul Hunters now; wait here."

"Wait," Lele grabbed his clothes, "Take me with you."

"No need."

"I’m quite capable physically; I can help you."

"No need."

Su Ming’an pushed her away and opened the door.

The slanting moonlight poured in; the Knight of Light, bathed in the moonlight, stood quietly at the door.

Sherrod looked at the situation inside the room, showing no expression of surprise.

"Knight... Knight of Light..." Lele suddenly fell silent.

Despite seeing Lele’s frightened expression, Sherrod did not show his gentlemanly side.

He ignored Lele, looking toward Su Ming’an.

"Captain," he said, "you should go back to sleep. Leave this matter to me."

"Tell me everything you know," Su Ming’an said.

"Captain, you don’t need to worry about this kind of thing," Sherrod advised.

"Sherrod," Su Ming’an stared at him, "I order you in the name of the captain—tell me everything you know. As a knight of the Cloud Cathedral, you shouldn’t be hiding anything."

Sherrod tilted his head slightly.

Looking at the empty clothesline hanging by the door, his eyes shifted subtly.

"Since that’s the case," he said, "come with me."