Autumn Summer was chatting with her classmates when her phone suddenly buzzed.
She glanced at the screen and saw a message from Vincent Fox.
"I need to talk. Meet me in the grove."
Her first reaction was happiness.
Finally… the blockhead actually asked me out.
But just as quickly, her expression shifted to frustration.
He only texted me now? After I worked up the nerve to leave him that note? Took him long enough. Some nerve.
They weren't kidding when they said a woman's heart was like the bottom of the sea unfathomable.
No one could ever predict what thoughts swirled through their minds.
…
Still, angry or not, Autumn decided to go.
After all, it was rare for that dense guy to finally show some initiative. If she played too coy and scared him off, she'd regret it.
"Autumn, who messaged you?" one of the girls asked, noticing her shifting expression. "Why do you look happy one second and mad the next?"
Autumn pocketed her phone. "Nothing. I've got something to handle. Let's talk later."
"Okay, take your time."
Autumn rose from her seat and headed out of the classroom.
She made her way straight to the grove, where she quickly spotted Vincent.
It was broad daylight hardly anyone would pick now to go for a romantic stroll here. The grove was usually a place for couples to sneak off to at night.
"Vincent!"
Autumn strode over, arms crossed and voice slightly haughty. "You said you wanted to discuss something. What is it?"
Vincent smiled and said, "It's about the mission in Zone 3. I want you to join me… and take the harder mission the one that involves hunting jiangshi."
Autumn froze. "You already have a plan?"
"I do," he nodded.
"Can you share it with me?"
"Of course."
Vincent laid out the rough outline of his strategy.
He wasn't worried about her leaking it.
The plan hinged entirely on having overwhelming power.
Even if someone else heard it, they wouldn't be able to pull it off without that kind of strength.
When Vincent finished explaining, Autumn stared at him, stunned.
It really was an incredibly daring plan.
"Vincent… jiangshi are terrifying. Professor Joe said even an average one might have C-Rank strength. Are you really sure about this?" she asked hesitantly.
Vincent chuckled. "Even if the plan doesn't succeed, I'm confident we can still complete the basic mission."
Seeing that she was still thinking it over, he added, "Take your time. Let me know once you've decided."
With that, Vincent turned and walked away.
It was lunchtime. If he didn't head to the cafeteria now, he'd miss the food.
Autumn stood there, teeth clenched, glaring at his retreating back.
That idiot…
He asked her to come all the way here, dropped a couple of sentences, and then left?
What a thick-headed brick of a man!
And yet, Autumn's competitive streak flared up.
The more emotionally oblivious he acted, the more determined she became to make him notice her.
He thought he could just mess with her feelings in Zone 2 and walk away like nothing happened?
Not a chance.
Later, when Autumn arrived at the cafeteria, she found Vincent already halfway through a mountain of food.
The guy hadn't stopped training these past few days, so his appetite was monstrous eating double portions every meal.
People had even started calling him "the glutton" behind his back.
Watching him shovel down food, Autumn couldn't help but think that nickname was surprisingly accurate… for this blockhead.
She grabbed a meal tray, picked up her food, and walked straight over to sit across from him without hesitation.
Vincent blinked at her, startled.
Autumn coolly said, "I'm in. I'll join your plan."
Vincent smiled. "Great."
…
Meanwhile.
In the city of Jingmen, inside a private room of an upscale restaurant, several elite freshmen from Godslayer Academy were having lunch and discussing Zone 3.
There were five of them total.
All had successfully bonded with heroic talents.
Each one was a top-tier prospect.
The one at the head of the table had a longsword slung across his back even during a meal.
This was the student known as Damon Lawson the successful host of the S-Class hero Atomic Samurai.
His swordsmanship was legendary, and he had already mastered the signature technique: Atomic Slash.
During Zone 2, he had been one of the very few students at Godslayer Academy to receive a Red-rated evaluation.
"Damon, you didn't call us here just to eat, right?" one muscular guy asked.
Damon, the sword-wielding leader of the group, didn't waste words.
"I called you here to ask for your cooperation in Zone 3. I've got a mission plan, and if it works, every one of you will earn a Red-Rank evaluation."
That got everyone's attention.
"Oh? What's the plan? Can you share the details?"
Damon began to explain.
And if Autumn Summer had been present…
She would've been shocked.
Because Damon's plan was nearly identical to Vincent's.
They'd come to the same conclusion.
Vincent had been right
now that Mr. Vampire's plotline had been thoroughly analyzed, it was only natural others would attempt the same high-reward strategy.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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