At Tabiner Bay, Felix sat in the courtyard of his villa as if he were waiting for someone. His phone rang. It was Kane. "Mr. Zeller, Daniel just called. He said Belle came to ask him about last night's incident in the gala room. He told her Joshua died of a sudden heart attack and didn't reveal your identity." Felix knew someone was watching outside—someone Belle likely sent. Joshua's death could not be kept secret forever, as it would eventually reach Xena. This was why Felix had not immediately driven Daniel out of Avesburgh.Others' words might be useless, but Daniel was the chief of Dragon Alliance's Disciplinary Hall. His status spoke for itself. Belle would at most ask a few questions and would not dare verify personally. So, Joshua's matter was easily settled. "Tell Daniel to call Belle back and say this..." "Understood, Mr. Zeller." Felix was not one to always hide things. Sometimes, what had to be done should be done—just like Ted's death now. Xena's side surely h
"Mr. Rush.""Ms. Cooper, I forgot to tell you something last night. Felix is also a member of Dragon Alliance."What?Belle's mouth dropped wide open as she stared at Felix in disbelief. To be honest, she had never experienced such an overwhelming shock in her entire life.In her eyes, Felix had always been an ordinary doctor from the countryside. And now, she was suddenly told that he was a member of the extremely prestigious and powerful Dragon Alliance. Could there be anything more shocking than this?"What's wrong?"Seeing Belle standing there as if she had turned to stone, Xena frowned. Something important had clearly happened.Belle, being snapped back to reality, looked slightly fazed. She managed to gather herself. "Milady, just now... Daniel called me. He said..."Xena's expression darkened. "Don't make me ask a second time!"Belle swallowed. She really didn't want to say it out loud. "He said Felix is also a member of Dragon Alliance!"In an instant, Xena narrowed h
Xena gave a deadline of three days. She clearly wanted to test whether Felix had any real connection to Daniel or if he was genuinely a member of Dragon Alliance."Milady, you don't believe Felix is a member of Dragon Alliance?"Upon hearing Belle's question, Xena looked over and immediately sensed something off."Are you serious? You're my deputy, yet you're concerned about a member of Dragon Alliance? Why are you still so easily shaken?"Belle froze, carefully pondering the meaning behind those words."Whether he is or not is secondary. We'll know in three days. Let's deal with it then."After Xena left, Ernest came to the courtyard."Felix, things are so lively here! And all your guests are big names, too."Felix could only smile bitterly."Please, don't tease me."Sitting down, Ernest laughed. "With your reputation as a skillful doctor, even someone like Xena will eventually fall for you."Felix shook his head and sighed. "My mentor always taught me to follow my conscien
Even though Xena was reliable, with the halo of the goddess of war, she insisted on following rules and procedures. They found no signs of foul play in Ted's autopsy. In other words, it was impossible for them to arrest Felix.How could Perry just sit by and do nothing? His only son was dead. What was the point of making any more money now? At his age, it was impossible to have another child. So, he used all his connections to find the terrifying Inferno Clan, draining all his savings. Finally, they accepted the job.Normally, an assassin wouldn't cost much, but Perry wanted an ultimate contract. This meant that even if Felix killed the first assassin, Inferno Clan would keep sending stronger assassins until Felix was dead."Felix, I'm waiting for the day you die!…Meanwhile, Felix was drinking with Jack."Jack, you'll get drunk soon if you keep drinking like this. Don't you want to talk to me about it?"Jack kept gulping down one drink after another. His eyes were filled wit
When Jack returned, Felix could see that he was conflicted. Clearly, he truly loved Trina. Otherwise, he wouldn't be acting like this."I've thought about it. I want to give her another chance. I'll find some time and talk to her again.""Alright. Do whatever you feel is right. I'm always here if you need me."At that moment, Felix's phone rang. It was Kane."Felix, we found the old man."Previously, Kane had mentioned that there was an old man in a village on the outskirts of Avesburgh who possessed the rare herb, Shimmeroot. But even after offering ten million dollars in cash, the old man wouldn't budge, claiming it was a family heirloom.Felix had planned to visit the old man after dealing with Ted, but the man had disappeared. He had asked Kane to station people to watch the area, but they lost track of him. Now, unexpectedly, they had news again."Where is he?""You won't believe it. This old man actually owns a villa in Azure Residences. He's inside now, which explains
When Felix arrived at Villa No. 7, it was pitch dark inside, as if no one lived there.But since Kane had said the old man was inside, Felix would like to think he was right.He rang the doorbell. If he wasn't the one who needed the old man's help, he wouldn't have done so with such patience.After a full half-hour of ringing the bell, the courtyard gate finally opened, but no one came out. The door to the villa opened only after Felix had walked a few steps further.It was still pitch dark inside the villa, and there was no one around.A table lamp in the living room was turned on with a click, and there was an old man sitting in an armchair."You must be with them. Are you trying to buy my Shimmeroot? You're quite persistent. You've been politely ringing the doorbell for half an hour."Felix walked over and said earnestly, "Sir, I truly need the Shimmeroot to save someone's life. I hope you can make an exception. Name me whatever conditions you have."The fact that this old m
Felix frowned. When the man first appeared, he had sensed a murderous intent aimed at him, but it quickly disappeared and shifted toward the old man. Yet now, he just heard that the man was here to kill him."You're here to kill me?" the old man asked, astonished.Killian gave a bitter smile. He could move his legs and his facial muscles slowly. To be frank, Felix's strength had amazed him. With just half a coffee cup, Felix had rendered him immobile with almost no visible injuries on his body."That's right. But we underestimated you."The old man, finally understanding the situation, took a step back in shock but said nothing."Interesting. You must be a professional assassin, right? Seems like your organization is on the brink of destruction," Felix said.He was no stranger to assassin organizations. Back in Eden Village, assassins had managed to locate him. The nine female apprentices became furious. On that same day, three of the apprentices left the village, and by the
The old man let out a sigh of relief and nodded at Felix. Then, Killian collapsed to the floor."Someone will come to deal with the body."Since the old man was also an assassin, his background was not clean, either. Thus, Felix didn't mind killing someone in front of him. It wasn't a big deal."I keep my word. Wait here, and I'll get the Shimmeroot for you."As for the so-called Inferno Clan, Felix didn't take it seriously at all. As long as he was strong, everything else would just be a piece of cake for him. It was just noises and not real danger.By the time Felix left the villa, Kane, who had already been notified, brought people over to handle the body inside.…Meanwhile, in Villa No. 6 next door, Sasha was tearfully complaining to Nattie, who had just returned. "Mom! Felix is such a jerk! He actually slapped me in the face. You have to stand up for me!"Although Nattie was also angry, she managed to stay calm. "Sasha, just bear with it for now. Your father just signed th
The existence of crossbreeds was classified as top secret by headquarters. If word got out, even if the general public remained unaware, just the knowledge reaching certain members within headquarters would cause mass panic.Would you dare to question whether your partner might be a Malevolent Phantom? Would you risk wondering if your child inherited some of its traits and became a crossbreed? No one wanted to shoulder that responsibility.Take Johann and his team, for example. They had absolutely no knowledge of crossbreeds, and their resistance right now stemmed entirely from their own moral convictions."Sir!"Johann didn't dare stop Felix outright, but he raised his voice to make his stance clear. The others followed suit, not to mention Lina, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, and Steve, whose eyes were red with fury as he glared at Felix without a hint of fear."Mr. Zeller! If you're really going to take my grandson, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"Tears st
"So what?" Lina asked. "Even if I lied, what does that person's death have to do with my son?"Felix suddenly roared, "Are you telling me that when you opened the door, your son never left your sight for even a second?""I—"Lina opened her mouth but suddenly found herself at a loss for words. That instinctive hesitation was the most telling of all."Get the car ready. Take her with us. We're going to Lina's house.""Yes, sir!"The convoy arrived at a luxurious mansion in Zuera. The moment Felix and his team rushed inside, they saw Steve sitting in the living room, holding a three-year-old boy in his arms."Mr. Zeller, why are all of you here?"Lina, restrained by Felix's men, screamed in a frenzy, "Dad! Save Leonardo! They're trying to take him away!"Then, she turned to Felix, shouting in fury, "You monsters! He's just three years old, and you suspect him of murder? I'll expose you! I'll take you to court!"By the time she finished, she was sobbing uncontrollably."Mr. Zel
Even though Lina knew Felix held an unimaginably high status—so high that even Steve feared him—his continued questioning and the direction of his suspicions pushed her to the edge. The mere idea that her son might be involved sent her into a silent rage.She was a mother, and when it came to her child, she did not care who the hell the other person was."I'm just asking questions," Felix said flatly. "Just answer them. Don't make me start quoting laws and rights to get you to cooperate."His voice was so calm. For a moment, Lina wondered if she had overreacted, so she took a breath and continued.She explained, "He wasn't in the stall. It's way too small in there. I left the door cracked open so he could see me, and since I had the tether on, plus the nanny and driver waiting outside, I wasn't worried about him wandering off."Felix did not say anything right away. He stood there, clearly deep in thought.Silvercrest Restaurant might have been an upscale dining place, but it was
"Can you cooperate now?" Felix asked calmly.Lina snapped back to her senses, her face burning with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I'll fully cooperate from now on."Sure enough, seeing the richest man's daughter completely fold made the rest of the group abandon any rebellious thoughts. Whatever frustration they had been feeling vanished instantly.Once they were settled, Felix began examining them closely. This was not just a casual observation. He activated his Spirit Eye, a skill from the Phaeron Codex that allowed him to see into a person's soul.After reaching Higher Spirit Realm, Felix had gained access to this ability, but he had never actually used it to inspect a Malevolent Phantom before. Still, he was sure of one thing—their souls would look nothing like normal humans'.So, checking with Spirit Sight was a far more reliable method than looking at whether someone's wounds were healing.When Felix finished scanning all nine people, he froze, completely s
A few minutes later, Felix stepped into the restroom that had been sealed off. It was a fully enclosed space, with no windows—just a single ventilation fan. That meant there was only one entrance and exit.He examined the body sitting upright on the toilet in one of the stalls. The man's head was resting gently against the tiled wall. His pants were already pulled back up and fastened, clearly indicating he had finished using the restroom. More importantly, it was obvious no one had touched or tampered with the body.Felix commented, "No need to call in forensics. There are no external wounds, and his internal organs are completely intact. We can also rule out heart failure or brain hemorrhages. This wasn't caused by any natural condition."With his medical background, it only took Felix a glance to determine the truth.Johann replied, "Yes, sir. But then… what now? Should we interrogate those nine people?"The closer they got to confirming Malevolent Phantoms were involved, the
Felix said, "Go ahead, Delilah. Zara's in your hands now—take care of her on the road.""Don't worry," Delilah replied.Once Zara was gone, Felix stood there for a moment, feeling a weight settle over his chest. She had already been through so much just surviving the ordeal of Twinshade Body, and he had promised himself—without saying a word—that he would make sure she never suffered like that again.However, no one could have predicted the sudden arrival of the Malevolent Phantoms. That was a nightmare nobody could escape, and only by ending it would they have the right to even dream of a peaceful life.…That evening, as the sun dipped low on the horizon, Felix was having dinner with Luna at a quiet restaurant, and Paul had joined them, too."Thank you, Mr. Zeller. Holden is awake and doing surprisingly well," Paul said, raising his glass.He was genuinely grateful. Even the doctors had called it a miracle. Holden had a severed artery and was transported across a long distance
"Mr. Hoffman?" Felix muttered. No wonder Delilah had shown up in person."Why didn't Mr. Hoffman just call me?" he asked.Delilah shrugged, raising both hands. "Because it's not convenient. If you make one choice, I can report back and be done with it, saving everyone the time."Felix nodded, finally curious about this big choice. Then, Delilah asked, "Zara, the one with Twinshade Body, came to see you, didn't she?"That caught Felix off guard. "How do you know about that?"Delilah rolled her eyes with a little smirk. If one of her fans saw her like this, they would probably faint from the shock.She explained, "It's not like I'm psychic. Mr. Hoffman told me. Ever since you left Martial City and came back, he's had Ophelia keeping an eye on Zara the whole time, so of course he knows."Ophelia? That explained why he had not seen her around since coming back. "So, what's the choice Mr. Hoffman wants me to make? Is it really about Zara?"Delilah nodded firmly. "Exactly. Mr. Hoff
Donna said, "Felix, Specter's the kind of guy who'll stop at nothing. I'll hold back and observe for now, but if you really prove you've got what it takes, I'll act like I never even saw that woman."…Later, Zara was resting her chin in both palms with a sweet, innocent smile on her face. She hummed, "Mhm!"Felix let out a groan and rubbed his face. "Don't just say 'mhm'! Did you even understand what I just told you?"After piecing together everything Donna had said, Felix laid it all out for Zara. Since Specter could strike at any time and Zara still did not know what Malevolent Phantoms even were, he figured she needed to hear it all."Of course I understood. Relax, honey. I'm not stupid," Zara replied casually. Since she got it, Felix finally let himself relax, too. A weight lifted off his chest, and for the first time in a while, he really looked at Zara's flawless face. He thought, "Yeah—there's no way I can hold back anymore."He said, "Let's take care of something… imp
Felix finally snapped out of it. Just moments ago, Donna had looked so grim, claiming something big was about to happen. Yet now, after her whole speech, it was all about the benefits of Zara being a Hollow Soul.Donna said, "Hollow Soul has a unique trait. If consumed, it can greatly boost your chances of success.""Consumed?" That one word made Felix's face darken instantly. "Success in what exactly?"Donna had tried to be vague, but there was no way Felix did not get the implication. To put it bluntly, she was talking about eating Zara's soul."Whether you're stuck at a plateau in your cultivation, your soul is mutating, or you're trying to master powerful soul-based techniques—offensive or defensive—if it's soul-related, Hollow Soul can drastically increase your chances of success."Felix's expression shifted as something came rushing back to him. Billy had once told him that when the Mystical Explosive Orb absorbed enough soul essence to reach capacity, it could be used to re