Chapter 493
Night blanketed Highcliffe. Nearly a hundred fireworks erupted at once, turning the city into the center of gossip.
The instigator-Leander-after leaving his contact information with Celia, quietly returned to the dorm.
Something puzzled him—Nathan and the others were nowhere to be seen.
“Independence Day is coming, and there are no core classes. They probably went off to party,” he said, shrugging.
He didn’t dwell on it. A quick wash later, he flopped onto the top bunk.
The clash between him and the Netherweb barely shook the city. Except for a few who had brushed shoulders with Netherweb operatives, most residents had no idea what had happened.
At the Shadow Division base, Jimmy and Christopher still felt the aftershock. “Jimmy, seeing General Ashcroft makes me feel old,” Christopher murmured. “Old? Facing him makes the last few decades feel wasted,” Jimmy said. “In an instant, he wiped out nearly a hundred Netherweb assassins-thirteen Slayer-tier, including Barrett, thirty-two Earth-tier, and forty-three Absolute-tier. Even with the Netherweb’s massive roster, this loss is catastrophic. This time, he practically annihilated the Netherweb’s mid-to-upper assassin cadre p>
Christopher nodded. “A hundred eliminated in a single sweep. Lucky for the city, those dazzling flames reduced them to nothing. A hundred corpses appearing at once would have caused mass panic p>
They fell silent, staring out the window.
Leander’s battle had linked the martial world and the assassin world, striking the international assassin scene at its core.
Even the Blood Demon had died at his hand. Over a hundred Netherweb assassins were gone in a single night. No one in the world dared challenge him next.
News of the Highcliffe battle spread quickly. Jimmy ordered Shadow Division intel to circulate it worldwide.
The International Martial Network erupted. So did the Global Assassin Network.
‘The Blood Demon is dead! Barrett is dead! Nearly a hundred top Netherweb assassins are dead p>
Messages flooded the forums. Martial artists and assassins alike trembled. Self- styled elites posted their shock.
‘The Blood Demon is a century-old legend. He’s even hunted King Phase. How could Jeff have killed him? This has to be fake,’ wrote a Transcendent Realm master.
Even if Jeff did take down the Blood Demon one-on-one, how did he slaughter over a hundred Netherweb assassins in a single night? These assassins are ghosts— forget killing them, just finding them is nearly impossible. I can’t believe it,’ added a newly verified Martial Sovereign.
Others with influence voiced similar doubts. The Blood Demon had dominated the international assassin scene for decades. Because he was a hired assassin, he never appeared on the International Combat Units ranking. Otherwise, he could have easily claimed the top spot.
Few wanted to believe that his first appearance in twenty years would be his last.
While the forums debated, the shadowy owner of the International Martial Network -The Destroyer-appeared.
‘Confirmed. Jeff single-handedly destroyed the Netherweb’s assassination offensive. Even if not at King Phase, his strength is equivalent to it p>
Two sentences silenced the forum. The Destroyer’s confirmation left no room for doubt.
Many clicked on the International Combat Units ranking. Jeff’s name still stood alone at the top, radiant and unshakable.
“D*mn it p>
In a secret underground facility in the West, several men in black suits gathered. One hurled a glass bottle at the wall. Water splashed everywhere, but it could not douse the fire in his eyes
“Who can explain this? How did so many die at once p>
The man was Holden Brown, current head of the Netherweb, responsible for online
operations and concealment. The others were his subordinates.
No one dared answer. His fury burned hotter. In the Netherweb’s centuries-long
history, not even the War of the King Phase had caused such losses.
This time, it wasn’t just the Blood Demon and Barrett. Nearly a hundred renowned heavy-hitters had fallen. It was an unprecedented blow.
Holden finally calmed, his eyes icy.
“Since the Netherweb’s founding, every leader has sworn to kill Jeff p>
He pulled out his phone.
“Prep the helicopter. I’m heading to Breyji p>
Faces around him went pale.
A middle-aged subordinate gasped. “Mr. Brown, are you going to invite him out of seclusion p>
Holden’s eyes flashed. “Even the Blood Demon couldn’t handle Jeff. If we don’t call him, there’s no other option. He’s our ace. Only he can wash away this shame.” The room fell silent.
On the vast Breyji ice fields, a frozen lake stretched for miles. Amid the
endless white, a tiny black dot- appeated-an old man in a straw ramcoat, sitting cross-legged, fishing
through the ice.
The rod was a rotten stick. A white line ran from its tip through half a meter of ice
into the lake.
Closer inspection revealed it wasn’t
a line at all, but a thread of vital
energy The old man condensed his
vital energy into a filament-
method mysterious and formidable.
Then came the drone of helicopter rotors. Holden, in a suit, descended via rope
ladder, landing before the old man.
He did not step closer, bowing deeply from a hundred feet away.
“Master Hermit, I’ve come to see you p>