The successful conquest of the dungeon in the Bermuda Triangle became hot news. All media from various platforms reported it. However, they were not talking about the heroic story of the awakeners but a scandal committed by the Oathkeeper's guild master.
Yes, they were talking about Elizabeth Jung.
For almost a whole month, major media outlets in America did not stop airing her false claims. Critics from various parties came to attack her. There were even demonstrations in several states, demanding that Oathkeeper be disbanded.
Oathkeeper was a giant trade guild that housed hundreds of companies nationwide. If its leader was caught in a scandal, the companies were also affected. Investors became skeptical of the Oathkeeper's management. Many withdrew their shares, causing the companies' stock value under Oathkeeper to plummet.
As a result, Oathkeeper lost billions of dollars in just a few weeks.
And during that time, Elizabeth could only vent her anger.
[Columbus, Ohio.]
"Fuck!"
The breaking sound echoed throughout the apartment as Elizabeth threw the glass against the wall. Her eyes bulged, and her face was red as blood rose to her head.
Elizabeth was completely stressed out, and she almost lost her mind if it wasn't for the bottles of wine that allowed her to escape this harsh reality. The blonde-haired woman couldn't contain her anger as she looked at her tablet screen, showing her asset value was constantly decreasing.
David, her right-hand man, could only hiss in concern as he saw his boss facing a tough situation. He wanted to hug and comfort her but knew it would only make her angrier.
David said with a sense of worry, "You need to calm your head down, boss."
"Goddamnit, David!" Elizabeth snapped at him. "How can you calm down when you lose 500 million dollars every fucking day? How, David? How?"
David folded his lips, lowering his head.
Elizabeth had been through a lot in her life. Even though this was not her lowest point, it still devastated her. She had to watch what she had built from scratch slowly crumble. It was draining her sanity.
Luckily, the government was still willing to lend a hand to her. They gave Oathkeeper a fresh injection of funds so that the guild and the companies under its management could still operate. After all, they absorbed a ton of workers spread across the country. If they collapsed, millions of people would lose their jobs.
Moreover, the storm was not only hitting Oathkeeper. Morning Star was also experiencing a similar situation.
[Queens, New York.]
Vincent Thomsen was alone in his office. He stood by the window, gazing at the Hudson River glistening in the reflected sunlight. Although his face showed resilience, his heart was heating up, holding back the turmoil of anger.
"You scum, you bastard."
Vincent growled as the sound of the news broadcast from his tablet entered his ears.
The news of him killing all his men while they were in the dungeon had a tremendous impact.
Negative publicity attacked him. Thousands of people from all walks of life and ages took to the streets to protest, demanding that Vincent step down from the guild master position. At the same time, the public's trust in Morning Star dropped dramatically. As a result, many young awakener candidates, with special talents and high class, abandoned their plans to join the number one guild in New York.
Besides losing credibility, Vincent had to face penalties from the Awakener Association.
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To prevent similar incidents, Director Logan temporarily revoked Vincent's certification. Vincent may not participate in raid dungeons for an indefinite period.
Of course, this was just a ploy made by Director Logan. He wanted to restrict Vincent's movements and reduce the influence of Morning Star's power in New York. And Vincent knew about this. But with the negative press about him now, he could only wait for the situation to calm down.
In the middle of his reverie, he sensed someone stalking him.
Vincent sighed. "Come out, Zee."
A brown-skinned woman in a gray hoodie emerged from the shadows under the table. With her lips curled up, she drew close to Vincent with leisurely steps.
"Looks like you have a headache. Do you need some aspirin?" Insinuated the woman named Zee.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Zee."
"Fufu, sorry, boss."
Vincent turned around. His eyes were sharp. This man was not in a playful mood.
"What did you get?" Vincent asked.
Zee took out an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Vincent. He glanced at her for a moment, then opened the envelope. Inside was a photograph of a man's head. A cutout of a human head.
Vincent raised his eyebrows. "Who is this?"
"He is Roche. The head gangster who collected your stolen arcana."
Vincent frowned. "So, where the fuck is my money?" Then, one of his eyebrows shot up. "Don't tell me that guy named Morgan you haven't caught him yet? The guy who stole my money."
Zee pursed his lips. "Yup. I've used various torture methods. Cutting off fingers, twisting entrails, gouging out eyes. But none of them worked. He always says, 'Don't know.' I think he's telling the truth."
BAM!
The workbench suddenly shattered. A terrifying aura came out of Vincent. However, Zee still stood calmly before the man.I think you should take a look at
"You disturbed my peace just to say this? To tell me of your failure. Zee, for God's sake, you are the one I can rely on the most out of all my men. Don't make me kill you. Do your fucking job properly!"
Vincent was really serious. The woman in the gray hoodie could feel his strong killing intent, but she still kept her composure.
Zee sighed. "Before I killed this loser, he gave me a name."
"If it's someone you can't find again, you might as well keep it to yourself. And get the hell out of here."
Zee wagged his finger. "No, no. This woman will lead us to Morgan."
Vincent raised his eyebrows. "Woman?"
"Yeah. Her name is Sheila Valentine."
Frowning, Vincent felt unfamiliar with the woman's name. "Who is she?"
"I don't know if this is a coincidence, but she is the secretary of the person who screws you up—Klaus Lee."
Naturally, blood rose to the top of his head. Vincent was furious as he heard the person he hated the most.
When Vincent woke up from the hospital, the first thing he saw was a news broadcast showing Klaus standing on a stage, exposing Vincent's ugliness about killing almost all of his men in public. Since then, he has smashed hundreds of tables and broken many walls.
And to make Vincent even angrier, he learned that the man who was supposed to be his pawn betrayed him.
A few weeks to the day after Vincent regained consciousness, Noah broke off the partnership. He replaced the contract penalty with money out of nowhere. What was clear was that Noah didn't owe Vincent a dime, and the grand plan to take over LR Enterprise through Noah failed.
None of his plans had worked since Klaus appeared in Vincent's life. His hatred for Klaus was unbearable.
"Morgan and Sheila? They're in a relationship?" Vincent stopped what he was saying. "Don't tell me. They are Klaus's men. So... the one who stole my money all along was Klaus? This little bastard was after me from the start?"
Zee nodded his head. "Apparently, yes."
The sound vanished, and the atmosphere became quiet for a moment. Then, a grin bloomed on Vincent's face.
"For now, keep an eye on that woman. Stay close to her no matter what. Don't do anything before I give an order. Understood?"
"Aye-aye, boss."
Vincent grinned. "Good, now get lost."
The woman in the gray hoodie nodded her head before she took a step back. She stood above the shadows, and they swallowed her body slowly until she finally disappeared from his sight.
Vincent faced the window again, looking at the glittering Hudson River below the building. This time, he was not angry. Instead, he grinned wickedly.
"Klaus Lee, you rancid bastard. So you've been after me all this time, huh? I'll make you regret it. I'll ruin your life! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Alone in the room, Vincent couldn't help but cackle with his devilish thoughts.
…
[Wall Street, Manhattan.]
Klaus got goosebumps in the middle of his work.
"Uh, what's going on?" he muttered as he stroked the back of his neck.
He shook his head, then his attention returned to the papers on the table.
Unlike Morning Star and Oathkeeper, who had a crisis after conquering the orange dungeon, Rays of Hope was quite the opposite.
The guild's popularity skyrocketed. Rays of Hope became the most searched keyword on search engines. People were curious about the Rays of Hope. Even a few days after their return from the Bermuda Triangle, they received an email application to join the guild. This time it wasn't just C or D-class awakeners, but dozens of B-Class crew members. In fact, some famous names in the transfer market were among them.
And, of course, Klaus was also famous.
He received thousands of phone calls from big media companies for interviews but turned them down. In addition, people started talking about Klaus on the internet. He was even a trending topic on social media for several weeks.
However, Klaus was always busy with his work.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
An incoming call.
Sighing in annoyance, Klaus picked up the phone.
"Klaus, sweetheart!"
Before he could say hello, a loud female voice pierced his ear.
