"It really is you, Dr. Zeller," Elliott said. Jed stood dumbfounded. How did this random Dragonian martial artist know Elliott?Elliott might not have been a big deal himself, but his mentor was legendary. That was why nobody dared to disrespect him."My sincere apologies for the trouble, Dr. Zeller." That one demonstration from Felix had completely won Elliott over back then, which explained his respectful demeanor. "Jed, come apologize!" Jed complied immediately in fear. After all, his future depended on Elliott's good graces.Once they settled in a room with coffee, Felix asked, "You're conducting human experiments here, aren't you?"Elliott pondered before responding, "My mentor always said the most skilled Dragonian traditional medicine practitioners were also martial artists. Seeing you easily defeat Jed proves that point. I'm sure you noticed he isn't ordinary, right?"Seeing Felix nod, he continued, "Yes. We're doing biochemical human trials, but I can't disclose more
"You'll show me what a Dragonian martial artist can really do?" Jed scoffed to himself. How scary could it be? If Felix didn't know Elliott, Jed would show him what his transformed state could do.The next moment, Felix threw a casual palm strike into the air. A thunderous explosion followed, blasting a hole in the wall big enough for a car to drive through. Jed and Elliott stood wide-eyed while the armed guards gaped in disbelief.This had to be a joke! How could any human do this? How could a palm strike from 200 feet away cause such destruction?The wall contained reinforced metal, so even an RPG could not breach it. Only a tank stood a chance. Yet, Felix had just demolished it with pure human strength."There are quite a few martial artists like me in Dragonia, some even stronger." Felix left them with that thought before getting in the car. He had exaggerated a bit for intimidation. Truth be told, his power level was rare even in Dragonia.Jed gulped at the sight. His s
A cold glint flashed in Felix's eyes. "Did you find out where John lives?"Luna nodded but looked helpless. "I did, but May mentioned he hasn't been home for months. She learned this by chance, so she has no idea where he's staying now."Months? Felix frowned and wondered if he had been doing that since the lab incident. This bastard John was paranoid enough to abandon his own home. Was he that scared of dying?John spent money and connections just to watch airports, even here in Guneria. He was certainly a crafty old fox. "I know some people here. Do you want me to ask around?"Felix waved it off. "No need. John's too influential here, so your contacts might alert him."He had already investigated Wealthhealth Pharmaceuticals. It was a major corporation in Guneria, and with John's connections, he was thriving here. Without absolute certainty, any investigation could tip him off and make him flee to another country. Felix had considered asking Elliott's help but decided agai
John's face changed when he heard Gage's words. He grabbed his desk phone and said, "Get me a ticket out of the country immediately—anywhere except Dragonia!"Gage just smiled silently, making John uncomfortable."To be frank, I'm really terrified. Elders' Council has tried multiple times, yet Felix is simply impossible to kill. His power keeps growing more terrifying. I'm just a coward with no powerful protectors like you. So, this is my only option."Gage nodded. He said with a smile, "We remember your service to the Council. Too bad you crossed into the Grand Elder's most hated domain. Otherwise, you'd have plenty of protection."John sighed helplessly. Business was about profit, so sometimes he couldn't control himself. Besides, how was he supposed to know what the Grand Elder hated?If he had known experimenting on those children would anger the Grand Elder, he would not have touched it no matter what. Though it had advanced his company's pharmaceuticals, losing the Grand Eld
After using a needle on an employee for information, Felix learned that no one could access the top ten floors of Wealthhealth Pharmaceuticals without John's permission as the CEO. Even his secretaries worked below the tenth floor.Even if he got in, a forced entry would alert John immediately. He would be gone before Felix reached him. …Around noon, a Maybach emerged from the underground parking garage. It was followed by five identical cars without license plates.From what the employee said, Felix knew this was John's vehicle. But he detected three people in each car through his senses. Having never seen John, he could not distinguish his energy from the others.The six cars split up at the first intersection, making tracking nearly impossible. "Forget it. I'll focus on treating Yasmin's cousin first. I'll have to ask Elliott for help later," Felix concluded.…Around 3:00 pm, Felix and Yasmin arrived at a suburban residential area. Guneria's vast territory and relatively
Yasmin helped Linda up, then turned to Felix. "Dr. Zeller, you can treat this, right?"He was the first to identify Linda's condition, so surely that meant hope. Why else would Linda be so emotional?"There are two options. Please sit down, and I'll explain."Only after Felix spoke did Linda return to her seat, her attitude completely transformed. "Please go on, Dr. Zeller."After a moment's thought, Felix said, "First, I can use acupuncture to control your condition and reduce it to once a month."Before he could mention the second option, Linda's face fell."Is there no complete cure?" She never wanted to experience the unbearable itching and disgusting scales again."There is, but it requires something I don't have. We need to find the person who caused your condition."The substance in Linda's body wasn't exactly a toxin—it was more like a hormone that had fully merged with her hands. Even with Felix's expertise, he could not completely remove it. The only alternative was a
"I can't ask him to meet me. He hasn't blocked me but won't respond to messages or calls. But I know where he lives. He's a painter, so he barely leaves his house," Linda said. Things would be perfect if he were still around. "Give me the address. Yasmin and I will go. You stay home and wait for our news."After sharing the location, Linda added quietly, "Dr. Zeller, you won't hurt him, will you?"Yasmin covered her face in exasperation. Even after what he had likely done, Linda was still worried about him. Love really did make people hopelessly blind."Wake up, Linda! Dr. Zeller's here to treat you, not hurt people! I'm the one who won't let Pierre off easy. Say one more word, and I might slap some sense into you!"Hearing Yasmin's threats, Linda fell silent. In the car, Felix smiled. "Ms. Qualls, you're quite perceptive."One sentence cleared Felix of responsibility while hinting at Pierre's fate. No wonder her father trusted her with Qualls Pharmaceutical at such a young ag
Though Pierre remained silent, his wide eyes confirmed Felix's suspicions."You're causing harm to others at such a young age instead of doing good deeds. Linda is suffering while you paint comfortably here. Don't you know what you've done?"At Linda's name, Pierre broke down in tears. "It wasn't intentional! I swear! I... I just wanted to touch the skin of the person I loved. Is that so wrong?"Then, his voice rose to a shout. "Did I choose what family I was born into? I'd rather be normal than have these disgusting hands!"Felix helped Pierre's gloves back on and signaled Yasmin to turn around. She immediately launched into him. "So, you knew what would happen when you touched Linda, yet you did it anyway?"Pierre wept harder. "No! I didn't know until afterward. I'd never have touched her if I knew. I love Linda enough to die for her. How could I possibly hurt her?"After checking Pierre's pulse, Felix shook his head. "Early on, one scale would have sufficed. Now we need both
"Just sit tight for a bit. I'll be right back," Felix said before quickly heading off.Yasmin was a Martial God with the strength to protect herself, so Felix felt comfortable leaving her there. He slipped into the restroom, and finding it empty, he donned the Shadow Mask, transforming into a blond, middle-aged man.The store's unusual nature worked to his advantage—there were no surveillance cameras, making it the perfect setup for his plan. The room he needed to reach was on the second floor, heavily guarded by over a dozen men armed with pistols, their safeties off and ready to fire.Nonetheless, this was no challenge for Felix. He burst into the room, a wave of energy knocking out three of the men he had seen earlier stepping out of the SUVs.The only man still standing caught Felix by surprise. The man shouted as he attacked, "You're dead!" Felix prepared to strike but suddenly froze, his brow furrowing as the seven Dragonspine fragments in his body began to resonate. It mea
Yasmin followed Felix's command immediately, sensing the urgency in his tone even though he had not explained why. They tailed two black Cadillac SUVs for about 30 minutes until they reached a remote area, which was not uncommon in Guneria. Then, four people in dark clothing emerged from the vehicles and entered a building, one of them carrying a black briefcase. Anxious and consumed by thoughts of the Dragonspine, Felix did not think much and just asked Yasmin to drop him off near the establishment. "Ms. Qualls, you can head back now," he said.Two imposing security guards stood at the entrance, immediately stopping Felix. One of the guards gruffly stated, "Entry requires a pair—one male, one female—and it's 500 dollars per person. Can't you read the sign?" Without bothering to check the sign, Felix rushed back to Yasmin, who had not left yet. "Ms. Qualls, would you mind accompanying me inside? This place has some weird rule that requires a man and a woman to enter."Yasmin ap
Yasmin said, "Dr. Zeller, I know it's a lot to ask. If it's too troublesome, we can forget about it."Felix was about to refuse immediately, but the mention of Wealthhealth Pharmaceuticals piqued his interest. Since the vice president was involved, he thought he might be able to infiltrate the company and find John after disguising himself. "Sure, I've got nothing else going on anyway," Felix agreed, which made Yasmin beam with joy as she repeatedly thanked him.At that moment, Felix decided to tell Yasmin that his current identity was inconvenient once they reached the restaurant. After donning the Shadow Mask, he could dine as another medical expert without issues. However, just as they parked the car and Felix was about to speak, his phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number."Felix, it's John Reynolds. I know you're in Guneria, and I know how desperately you've been trying to find me. Here's your chance—come to this location tomorrow night. Of course, I'll und
Yasmin stood speechless. She had never seen Linda smile like this before."After you left, I did a lot of thinking! I love him deeply, and now, I know he still loves me. Since I'm already affected, I can hold his hand without worry now, right, Dr. Zeller?"At that moment, Pierre broke down as he sobbed uncontrollably."Linda, are you absolutely sure about this?" Since their clasped hands were behind them, Yasmin could safely offer her counsel. Linda nodded, kissing Pierre's cheek. "Yes, Yasmin. I'm certain! Though it's unbearable, I'm okay with it. Having Pierre by my side is enough. "After experiencing love this deep, I doubt I'll ever find someone who loves me this much again."Pierre pulled away from her and donned his gloves. Then, he cupped Linda's face, giving her a gentle kiss. "Linda, I'll love you forever, but I don't want you remembering the man who hurt you."He moved lightning-fast. As he pulled out a small axe, he swung it toward his left wrist."No!" Despite bei
Just one glance at Pierre's hands had frozen a Martial God like Yasmin. That just showed how terrifying Fish Men at higher levels had to be.The mutation rarely passed down in the Lannerby family. Sometimes, entire generations were skipped. Pierre's father's generation had none, yet Pierre inherited it.His family sent him abroad for protection. Despite the prevalence of guns, Pierre's abilities kept him safer here than in Dragonia. The "Fish Man" title had been passed down through the Lannerby bloodline since ancient times. Their reputation as the Thief Guild's nemesis was one-sided—their power affected everyone, not just thieves.Felix realized the Fish Men had been holding back. Thief Guild believed touch was necessary, but mere eye contact at their scaled hands sufficed. Those with purple scales and above had full control over their powers.The Lannerbys' vendetta traced back generations. People from Thief Guild had stolen something precious, creating a blood feud. The Lanner
Though Pierre remained silent, his wide eyes confirmed Felix's suspicions."You're causing harm to others at such a young age instead of doing good deeds. Linda is suffering while you paint comfortably here. Don't you know what you've done?"At Linda's name, Pierre broke down in tears. "It wasn't intentional! I swear! I... I just wanted to touch the skin of the person I loved. Is that so wrong?"Then, his voice rose to a shout. "Did I choose what family I was born into? I'd rather be normal than have these disgusting hands!"Felix helped Pierre's gloves back on and signaled Yasmin to turn around. She immediately launched into him. "So, you knew what would happen when you touched Linda, yet you did it anyway?"Pierre wept harder. "No! I didn't know until afterward. I'd never have touched her if I knew. I love Linda enough to die for her. How could I possibly hurt her?"After checking Pierre's pulse, Felix shook his head. "Early on, one scale would have sufficed. Now we need both
"I can't ask him to meet me. He hasn't blocked me but won't respond to messages or calls. But I know where he lives. He's a painter, so he barely leaves his house," Linda said. Things would be perfect if he were still around. "Give me the address. Yasmin and I will go. You stay home and wait for our news."After sharing the location, Linda added quietly, "Dr. Zeller, you won't hurt him, will you?"Yasmin covered her face in exasperation. Even after what he had likely done, Linda was still worried about him. Love really did make people hopelessly blind."Wake up, Linda! Dr. Zeller's here to treat you, not hurt people! I'm the one who won't let Pierre off easy. Say one more word, and I might slap some sense into you!"Hearing Yasmin's threats, Linda fell silent. In the car, Felix smiled. "Ms. Qualls, you're quite perceptive."One sentence cleared Felix of responsibility while hinting at Pierre's fate. No wonder her father trusted her with Qualls Pharmaceutical at such a young ag
Yasmin helped Linda up, then turned to Felix. "Dr. Zeller, you can treat this, right?"He was the first to identify Linda's condition, so surely that meant hope. Why else would Linda be so emotional?"There are two options. Please sit down, and I'll explain."Only after Felix spoke did Linda return to her seat, her attitude completely transformed. "Please go on, Dr. Zeller."After a moment's thought, Felix said, "First, I can use acupuncture to control your condition and reduce it to once a month."Before he could mention the second option, Linda's face fell."Is there no complete cure?" She never wanted to experience the unbearable itching and disgusting scales again."There is, but it requires something I don't have. We need to find the person who caused your condition."The substance in Linda's body wasn't exactly a toxin—it was more like a hormone that had fully merged with her hands. Even with Felix's expertise, he could not completely remove it. The only alternative was a
After using a needle on an employee for information, Felix learned that no one could access the top ten floors of Wealthhealth Pharmaceuticals without John's permission as the CEO. Even his secretaries worked below the tenth floor.Even if he got in, a forced entry would alert John immediately. He would be gone before Felix reached him. …Around noon, a Maybach emerged from the underground parking garage. It was followed by five identical cars without license plates.From what the employee said, Felix knew this was John's vehicle. But he detected three people in each car through his senses. Having never seen John, he could not distinguish his energy from the others.The six cars split up at the first intersection, making tracking nearly impossible. "Forget it. I'll focus on treating Yasmin's cousin first. I'll have to ask Elliott for help later," Felix concluded.…Around 3:00 pm, Felix and Yasmin arrived at a suburban residential area. Guneria's vast territory and relatively