Chapter 84: The Crimson Eye

Back in the room, Shang Zhenglin and Cheng Gang took the initiative to say their farewells and leave.

With the outsiders gone, Shen Ning spoke directly, “I’ve reached an agreement with Wan Canglong. This matter ends here.”

Gao Wu said sincerely, “Thank you, President, for stepping in.”

Without Shen Ning’s forceful intervention, his situation would have been uncertain. Of course, he had the moral high ground in this affair. If Shen Ning hadn’t stepped in, he would have found another way to argue his case. Wan Canglong was merely a martial master of Yunling, hardly possessing the power to rule unchallenged.

There are, after all, more good people in this world—or rather, most are willing to abide by order. Those who defy order and act recklessly will eventually be shunned and despised by the majority.

The Hunter Association is an enormous organization. Wan Canglong may weave a vast network of interests throughout Yunling, but he lacks the power to control the entire association. If the Hunter Association were to become thoroughly corrupted, there would be nothing left to say. Truthfully, if not for Song Mingyue, Gao Wu would have handled this differently.

Shen Ning spoke solemnly, “This isn’t your personal matter—it’s a major issue for the association. I didn’t step in for you alone. Whoever is involved in such an affair, as president, it’s my duty to uphold justice.”

She was a distinguished martial master and president of the association; she didn’t need Gao Wu to owe her a debt of gratitude. These words needed to be clear.

“Wan Canglong’s situation is complicated, entangled with many interests. It won’t be resolved quickly. You need to be mentally prepared.”

Gao Wu nodded. He wasn’t so naive as to believe Shen Ning could completely solve the problem of Wan Canglong.

“Wan Canglong is ruthless. You’ve greatly offended him this time. Never go near Yunling again, and be cautious even in Dongjiang.”

Shen Ning saw that Gao Wu was sensible and understanding, and she was relieved. An organization must rely on rules and order to function properly.

Wan Canglong could cause trouble in Yunling because of the intricate web of interests behind him. Shen Ning was neither his superior nor possessed concrete evidence of his crimes; it was impossible to uproot him over a single conflict. She didn’t have that power.

To solve Wan Canglong fundamentally, one must proceed according to organizational procedures. It wouldn’t be achieved overnight.

Her primary concern was that Gao Wu, in a burst of hot-blooded resolve, would insist on tracking down evil and destroying it, ultimately ruining himself. That would waste all of Mingyue’s careful efforts.

This virtual realm was still too close to Yunling. Though the likelihood of Wan Canglong going mad was slim, who could say for sure?

Shen Ning decided to take Gao Wu and Song Mingyue back to Dongjiang immediately. Han Yang and Yang Ru, thanks to Gao Wu, were brought along as well.

Both came from good families and had met Shen Ning before, but they weren’t familiar with her. Sitting in the car, they felt awkward and barely spoke along the way.

At noon, they had witnessed Shen Ning and Wan Canglong’s confrontation in the prefab cabin, and were awed by the powerful mental force fields of the two martial masters, feeling a genuine reverence for Shen Ning.

Shen Ning was rather stern, and the seven-seat SUV was cramped. When she sat, the atmosphere became particularly heavy.

The only one close to Shen Ning was Song Mingyue, who wasn’t fond of conversation, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.

Gao Wu, though intensely focused when training, was restless by nature. But seated in the front passenger seat, he’d have to look back and face Shen Ning before speaking, which wasn’t convenient.

He took out the crimson mask and fiddled with it, then turned to Song Mingyue, “Take a look—what do you think this thing is?”

Song Mingyue examined the mask for a while but couldn’t identify it, though she could tell it was crafted from materials taken from a rare beast.

She handed the mask to Shen Ning, “Second Aunt, could you take a look?”

Shen Ning didn’t take the mask; she glanced at it and said, “It’s the Scarlet Eye, made from the compound eye of a level-six Scarlet Mantis. It has night vision, bulletproof, poison-resistant, and underwater breathing capabilities. It’s worth tens of millions.”

Gao Wu was both shocked and delighted. This mask was unexpectedly precious. Yet Wan Cangsong, a mere martial artist, possessed both the Golden Thunder Eagle and the Scarlet Eye—such extravagance.

“This belongs to Wan Canglong,” Shen Ning said to Gao Wu. “You’d best avoid wearing it publicly.”

The Scarlet Eye was exorbitantly priced—though its functions could be replaced by cheaper alternatives. Its practical value was real, but the price was simply too high; it was a luxury item.

“I understand, thank you, President.” Gao Wu said this, but continued to play with the Scarlet Eye, donning it and removing it, taking selfies with his phone.

After he’d had enough fun with the Scarlet Eye, Gao Wu began to dismantle the Golden Thunder Eagle pistols, checking each component.

He wasn’t merely bored—he wanted to ensure there were no tracking devices hidden within, avoiding any trouble.

Generally, firearms made from special alloys are difficult to fit with electronic devices, but a thorough inspection was reassuring.

Shang Zhenglin had told him that the Golden Thunder Eagle was forged entirely from diamond crystal and nano-fiber memory alloy, every component exceptionally hard and smooth, without the usual scratches.

Each Golden Thunder Eagle weighed eleven pounds, and with a full magazine, even heavier. Such weight made it formidable even as a melee weapon. The more Gao Wu handled the guns, the more he liked them.

Shen Ning watched Gao Wu as he played with these items, feeling rather conflicted. Judging by his current demeanor, he was just an ordinary eighteen-year-old, delighted to have new toys, reluctant to part with them.

No one would imagine Gao Wu had single-handedly killed a martial artist and two martial practitioners—he’d taken the guns from their corpses.

People are complex, with many facets. Yet Gao Wu, at eighteen, already displayed such complexity that Shen Ning found him hard to read.

The seven-seat SUV was much faster than a mid-sized bus, and by five in the afternoon, they reached Dongjiang. Gao Wu breathed a sigh of relief—he’d feared a rocket would strike them mid-journey.

With the Wan family’s wealth, acquiring heavy weapons wouldn’t be difficult; the key was whether they had the resolve to use them.

Han Yang and Yang Ru were the first to get out. Gao Wu asked them to keep the matter secret, and they readily agreed.

Gao Wu knew very well that they would certainly tell their families—there was no way to keep it completely quiet.

Knowing secrecy was impossible, Gao Wu decided to be frank with Shang Zhenglin.

Shang Zhenglin, Song Mingyue, and Shen Ning would surely keep the secret, never spreading the video. Yang Ru and Han Yang hadn’t seen the video nor witnessed the killing; even if the story spread, few would believe it.

The more the news leaked, the more muddied the waters became.

When Gao Wu got out, Shen Ning asked Song Mingyue, “What do you think of Gao Wu?”

“He’s very good,” Song Mingyue replied without hesitation.

“Are you sure you’re not misjudging him?” Shen Ning frowned slightly. “Are you sure Gao Wu will always be so good? Are you sure he won’t become someone frightening in the future?”

Song Mingyue fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, “I’m only eighteen. I can only see the present. I’m willing to take responsibility for my choices—that’s enough.”

She looked at Shen Ning. “What about you?”

Shen Ning didn’t know what to say. Indeed, who could know what the future holds?

She found Gao Wu deep and inscrutable, but that could also mean he was shrewd and extraordinary—it all depended on perspective.

After some thought, she said, “Tomorrow, bring Gao Wu to the association and have those two Golden Thunder Eagles registered and numbered. Otherwise, leaving Dongjiang will bring serious trouble.”

Hunters are permitted to carry firearms, but there are strict requirements for their weapons.

Without serial numbers, the Golden Thunder Eagles would cause major issues if discovered. In truth, these guns lacked a proper manufacturing record, so the association technically shouldn’t register them.

Shen Ning was doing this for Song Mingyue’s sake, taking the initiative to help Gao Wu. She trusted he was clever enough to know this favor was meant for Mingyue.

Back home, Gao Wu reported everything to the old man and Sister Jun.

“Hm? Ah!” The veteran Shang Hongyi was deeply shocked upon hearing that Gao Wu had killed a martial master. At first, he thought he’d heard wrong; after confirmation, he was astonished.

Shang Qingjun wasn’t concerned about the death of a martial master, but she was unsettled that Gao Wu had killed again. She was at a loss, staring at him, not knowing what to say.

“It’s all fine, President Shen Ning of the Hunter Association stepped in and resolved the issue.”

Gao Wu recounted the events briefly, but the old man and Shang Qingjun remained grim-faced. Offending a martial master, especially the president of Yunling’s Hunter Association, was no small matter.

After a period of silence, the old man said, “You’ll have to be extra careful from now on.”

He had some connections, but nothing compared to a martial master. Besides, such a deep grudge couldn’t be erased, even with Shen Ning’s intervention. Seeking help elsewhere was even less promising.

“Alright, I know.” Gao Wu was always especially honest with the old man. If possible, he wouldn’t have wanted to tell him or Sister Jun about this.

But such a serious matter couldn’t possibly be kept from them.

The old man knew Gao Wu had been forced to retaliate; there was nothing he could do but sigh deeply and lament that Wu was simply unlucky—always running into trouble wherever he went.

After the old man retired for the night, Shang Qingjun found Gao Wu for a detailed discussion.

She was even more worried than Gao Wu and stayed in his room to talk strategy.

“If things get too dangerous, you can come with me to Anjing. Anyway, you don’t need to attend cultural classes next semester. You could rent an apartment near Anjing University and wait for the entrance interview.”

The more Shang Qingjun thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. She grew excited, “Anjing University has several martial arts grandmasters on campus, not to mention many other top experts—no minor martial master could cause trouble there.

“If you rent an apartment nearby, you can use my meal card and save a lot of money. You could even attend some lectures with me…”

“Uh, I don’t think that’s necessary.” Gao Wu wasn’t keen on moving to Anjing. He’d won the Xuetao Cup, and his martial arts points should be enough to apply for Anjing University’s Martial Arts Academy.

The Xuetao Cup was an amateur competition, but had no age restrictions—winning it was quite an achievement.

With his current level as a top martial practitioner, passing Anjing University’s interview shouldn’t be difficult. But he didn’t want to go just yet.

Shang Qingjun sensed his hesitation and gently took his hand, her bright eyes full of gentle warmth, “Little Wu, this time you should listen to your sister…”