When Damon Lawson finished explaining his plan, silence fell over the private dining room.
Everyone was momentarily stunned by how bold and utterly ruthless the proposal was.
"This plan… is insane."
A handsome young man broke the silence, shaking his head. "But I have to admit, it's got potential."
Another student frowned in thought. "Why does this plan sound… familiar? I think I've heard of something like this happening before."
Damon nodded coolly. "You're not wrong. Someone tried this before but they failed miserably. The outcome was tragic."
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
Then, the only girl in the group spoke up. "Damon, how confident are you in this plan? Our instructors warned us: jiangshi are terrifying. Blades and bullets don't work on them. Even with your sword, you might not be able to pierce their defenses."
"And in your plan, they'll evolve. If that happens, we might not be able to stop them even if we work together."
Damon responded evenly, "I wouldn't propose this if I didn't have a foolproof plan. In truth, the strategy wasn't mine it came from Elias Vale. He'll be working with us too."
The moment that name was spoken, the room changed.
Everyone's expression grew serious.
Someone immediately responded, "If Elias is in, then the success rate skyrockets. I'm in."
"Count me in too."
"Same here."
"If the rest of you are going, how could I say no? Damon, I'll be relying on you once we're in Zone 3."
One by one, they all voiced their support.
With the plan accepted, the mood in the room lightened. Laughter and conversation returned as they continued eating.
Then, the girl brought up a new topic.
"Oh, by the way… have you all heard? That second-rate school, Martial Saint Academy, recently produced a rising star."
Another nodded. "You mean that guy who got the highest mission rating in Zone 2, right?"
"That's the one," said the girl Serena Wren.
"Not only did he earn the top rating, he also awakened a fire-based talent. During his evaluation, he was ranked C-Class in power. Now Martial Saint Academy is treating him like royalty."
The others looked visibly displeased.
They were all top-tier talents, elite among elites. Naturally, they didn't like the idea of some nobody from a backwater academy outshining them.
"Hmph. Probably just dumb luck," someone scoffed.
But then Damon spoke up again, dropping a bombshell.
"Instructor Walter Wayne reached out to me privately. He asked us to eliminate that guy from Martial Saint Academy along with a girl named Autumn Summer."
"What?!"
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
On one hand, Walter Wayne had always appeared to be an upright, principled man. No one expected him to resort to something so sinister plotting to take out students from a rival academy.
It was ruthless.
On the other hand, the national law strictly prohibited student-on-student violence. Anyone caught would face severe punishment.
Of course, each student was granted one immunity token, meaning they could commit one offense without legal consequences.
But that token was precious. No one wanted to waste it unless absolutely necessary.
"All this over a freshman? That seems excessive."
"I can't believe it. Instructor Wayne always acted so proper. What's his beef with Martial Saint Academy?"
"Does he have some old grudge or something? This is way overboard."
They all voiced their disbelief and disapproval.
After all, Martial Saint Academy had finally produced someone promising. Suppressing him was one thing but eliminating him? That crossed the line.
Damon remained calm. "I don't know what feud Wayne has with them. But I already agreed."
Everyone turned to stare.
"Why?" someone asked.
Damon replied flatly, "Because he promised us blood orchid petals. Everyone gets a share."
At those words, the room went still.
Blood Orchid from the world of Anaconda.
Its petals were known to greatly enhance mental strength. Though it could only be consumed once, it was still incredibly rare and valuable.
On the black market, a single petal could fetch millions.
Even so, it was nearly impossible to buy.
The Forbidden Zone containing Anaconda was locked down by a secret organization, completely inaccessible to outsiders.
At the mention of such a reward, the other four students fell silent.
And then, none of them objected again.
Damon continued, "If we run into the two from Martial Saint Academy in Zone 3, I'll handle the fire talent kid. You deal with the girl."
"No problem."
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