# Chapter 17: The One Who Kills Small Monsters and Drops Divine Equipment
Inside the office, Su Xiao was chewing on a Soul Crystal. Before him knelt two black-clad men, members of "Ears."
"I understand. You may withdraw."
Su Xiao waved his hand dismissively after hearing their report.
"Yes."
The two Ears members retreated, leaving only Su Xiao and Baha on the second floor of the office.
An hour ago, something had happened. The host of the Devourer, Aichi, had coincidentally encountered the World Child (Fake) cultivated by Kingsley in Garman City.
At this critical juncture, Kingsley's pawn had arrived in Garman City. His intention was clear—to train that pawn and involve him in the mermaid incident.
The only entry point into the mermaid incident in Garman City was the bombing of the Thorn Flower News Agency.
If Su Xiao's guess was correct, Kingsley hadn't directly commanded the white-haired youth. In fact, the white-haired youth probably didn't even know Kingsley was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.
From the white-haired youth's perspective, everything was shrouded in mystery. But given Su Xiao's status and position, he had a general understanding of what was happening.
First, Kingsley had given the white-haired youth a motivation—perhaps the mystery of his origins, or finding a loved one, or saving someone close to him.
After that, he began to let the white-haired youth grow freely. Now that he was sufficiently developed, Kingsley set him into motion.
The plan was simple: first, investigate the bombing of the Thorn Flower News Agency. If the white-haired youth was indeed a useful pawn, he would likely discover that this incident was connected to the dangerous object at sea—the Mermaid.
What followed was straightforward. With the world's favor, the white-haired youth would join the competition for the dangerous object, the Mermaid.
Following the normal protagonist's script, the white-haired youth would face numerous powerful enemies, then with the help of companions and sheer dumb luck, successfully find and take the dangerous Mermaid. After that, he would rapidly rise in power using the Mermaid's abilities, crushing all obstacles in his path, eventually standing at the pinnacle of strength.
Of course, that was the normal script. In reality, if the white-haired youth actually captured the Mermaid, he would be suppressed by an irresistible force, and the Mermaid would disappear, ending up in Kingsley's hands.
After Su Xiao brought the little boy from Winter Spring Town to the office, Kingsley had given up hope on the boy's blood. He changed his strategy, wanting to use the white-haired youth—the World Child (Fake)—to try his luck with the Mermaid.
Su Xiao placed two gold coins on the table. The two pawns had already met. Since that was the case, he would add some spice. He would let the Devourer's host, Aichi, also participate in the investigation of the Thorn Flower News Agency bombing, and later join the competition for the dangerous Mermaid.
The white-haired youth and Aichi had already become something like companions. Having them investigate the bombing together was an excellent choice.
Su Xiao and Kingsley were the ones sitting on opposite sides of the chessboard. Su Xiao wouldn't smash the pieces first, and neither would Kingsley. For now, letting the two pawns gradually approach the Mermaid was the best option for both sides.
If things really escalated to a full-scale conflict between "The Organization" and "The Eclipse Organization," everyone—the Southern Alliance, the Containment Institution, the Financial Department, or the Eclipse Organization's Monastery and Merchant Alliance—would step in to stop it. If two big shots like Su Xiao and Kingsley clashed head-on, everyone else would be dumbfounded.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao knew the competition for the Mermaid would be interesting. He and Kingsley stood on opposite sides, their respective subordinates behind them, while the white-haired youth and Aichi were at the very center of the incident.
Since Kingsley was using the World Child's characteristics to try capturing the Mermaid, Su Xiao wouldn't be stingy either. He planned to deliver the little boy's blood to Aichi through a "coincidental" method.
Whether it was the white-haired youth or Aichi, both believed they were lone wolves. Neither knew who stood in the shadows behind them.
The current problem was that the white-haired youth had already connected with the Thorn Flower News Agency bombing, but Aichi hadn't yet gotten involved.
Su Xiao took out Aichi's file. It was dozens of pages thick, containing all of Aichi's secrets—even where and when he first got intimate with his girlfriend. This was the terrifying power of "Ears."
Su Xiao quickly locked onto a name: Sia Soya. She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, 27 years old, who managed the Soya Grand Hotel in Garman City. Not long ago, Aichi had saved her from being assaulted by several peripheral members of "Iron Ring." Those members had since disappeared, becoming fertilizer for the suburban flora.
After being saved by Aichi, Sia Soya had expressed her gratitude substantially, giving him 4 million Tower Pounds. For Sia Soya, this was neither too little nor too much.
Sia Soya was the entry point Su Xiao wanted. Based on Aichi's personality, it was impossible for him not to be attracted to this mature beauty. But the kid deeply loved his girlfriend, so at most he would be tempted, not act on it.
Sia Soya had been saved by Aichi, so their relationship was special. If Sia Soya encountered trouble, Aichi wouldn't ignore it. For example, if Sia Soya's father held shares in the Thorn Flower News Agency and was implicated after the bombing.
Of course, this situation didn't actually exist. But given Su Xiao's current status, if he said it existed, it could exist. Sia Soya's father was a wealthy merchant, and all wealthy merchants in Garman City had to deal with Ms. Xiulin from the Containment Organization. Getting him to cooperate was simple, especially since wealthy merchants were usually good at acting.
Su Xiao picked up the telephone receiver and dialed the operator. The operator connected the call to a three-story mansion.
"May I ask who this is?"
A calm middle-aged male voice came through the phone.
"Containment Institution, Deputy Legion Commander of The Organization, Kukulin Bai Ye."
"Hahahaha, cough, hello, I am Dean Victor."
Click. The phone was hung up.
In the mansion's living room, Oliver, wearing a silk robe, shook his head with a smile. He swirled the red wine glass in his hand. With the increasing popularity of dial telephones, more and more strange calls were coming in.
As a wealthy merchant in Garman City, Oliver naturally knew who the Deputy Legion Commander of "The Organization," Kukulin Bai Ye, was. Would such a big shot call a small fry like him in the middle of the night? Absolutely ridiculous.
"What a nuisance."
Oliver was feeling drowsy. He wanted to go to sleep.
Knock, knock.
The sound of tapping on the window came. A figure in a white coat and hood stood outside the window.
"Mr. Oliver, answer the phone. Our Legion Commander has business with you. Oh, by the way, this is my identification. Mr. Oliver, should I address you as Dean Victor?"
The man outside the window smiled. The wealthy merchant Oliver was completely stunned. At that moment, the phone rang again. Oliver's body trembled. He hesitated for a moment before picking up the receiver. A voice came through.
"Should I call you Dean Victor?"
"No, no, no. I'm just Oliver. You flatter me. I just woke up, my mind isn't working yet, so... haha."
"There's something I need you to do."
The calm voice on the phone made Oliver break out in a cold sweat.
"Please, go ahead."
"One of your legs will be broken, and you'll have extensive soft tissue damage to your face. In return, you'll get a share of the import and export of daily necessities in Garman City from now on. Starting now..."
Oliver listened intently. When the voice finished, the fat on his face trembled. His heart was both excited and worried.
"Mr. Oliver, let's begin."
The man in the windbreaker leaped into the room, holding a wooden stick shaped like a baseball bat. Soon, wails of agony echoed from the mansion.
Oliver leaned tremblingly on the sofa, his body aching terribly, but his heart was so happy it could almost leap out. That was the daily necessities business—seemingly ordinary, but strictly regulated in import and export. He was about to get a piece of it.
"Help~"
Oliver called out weakly. It was time to show his acting skills.
Early the next morning, Aichi walked down the street. His head ached. Last night, he had drunk enough alcohol to kill an ordinary person several times over, but he had made a good friend. Though they had only met once, he felt an inexplicable sense of having met too late.
Aichi stopped in front of the main entrance of the Soya Grand Hotel. He was now a man of means, but he hadn't immediately quit his job. He was worried that any suspicious behavior on his part would draw attention, and someone would take away the Devourer that gave him power.
With the Devourer, Aichi had struck hard against the wicked. He no longer cowered. Every night, he struck out with full force, returning to sleep in the early hours. He no longer worked night shifts; his nights were busy.
Entering the Soya Grand Hotel, Aichi noticed the hotel was eerily quiet. Only Ms. Sia Soya sat there, her face pale.
"Ms. Soya, what's wrong?"
Aichi quickly approached. Sia Soya looked up, her eyes vacant.
"Is that you, Aichi? Leave this place. The Soya Grand Hotel will close at noon."
"What's going on?"
Aichi sensed something unusual.
"Don't ask anymore. My family... is finished. Everything is over. A few years ago, why did Father have to invest in that newspaper?"
Sia Soya wasn't putting on an act. The situation she knew was exactly that. Her family's business was implicated, her father was injured, and the entire family would decline and eventually be swallowed up.
"Ms. Soya, if there's anything I can do to help, please tell me."
"Thank you, Aichi, but... it's fine. You're a good person."
"Is that so."
Aichi lowered his eyes. This feeling of not being trusted made his heart heavy.
Things had developed to this point. It was time for the hero to save the damsel. The script had long been arranged. The first batch of actors was about to take the stage.
Bang! The hotel's main door was kicked open. Several burly men with fierce expressions strode in, all grinning maliciously.
"Which one of you is Sia Soya?"
Among these menacing brutes, the bald-headed leader spoke, his gaze vicious.
Seeing these people, Sia Soya hugged her shoulders, her body beginning to tremble slightly.
"Ms. Soya, it's alright. If there's anything, you can tell me."
Aichi placed his hand on Sia Soya's shoulder. She looked up at him, as if seeing this person for the first time.
Showing off in front of this woman who had once been unattainable—and doing it casually—made Aichi feel incredibly satisfied. He struggled to maintain his composure.
"Really... can I?"
"You can."
"Then..."
Sia Soya began to explain. After listening, Aichi lowered his head slightly.
Things had developed to this point. Aichi was now basically drawn into the Thorn Flower News Agency bombing case. By noon at the latest, he would coincidentally meet the white-haired youth.
The burly men stepped forward. One of them wore a pair of silver metal gloves on his hands. The fingertips of these gloves were sharp claws. One look and you could tell these gloves were extraordinary.
Of course they were extraordinary. This item was forged from metal fragments left behind by an S-class dangerous object after its death. It was called [Slaughter].
Did a small-time thug have the right to use [Slaughter]? Moreover, [Slaughter] had a special characteristic—its size would adjust according to the wearer's hand size, and the gears inside could rotate both forward and backward.
What was even more interesting was that Aichi's hands were normally not very large, allowing him to wear [Slaughter]. But when he entered his combat form through the Devourer, his body and hands would enlarge, perfectly matching [Slaughter]'s size-adjustable feature.
Tap! Tap!
The thug wearing [Slaughter] tapped his right fist against his left palm. He had no idea that he was a small monster sent in, a small monster that would "drop" [Slaughter] after being defeated.
A few minutes later, Aichi wiped the blood from his face. Several burly men lay on the ground around him, groaning in pain.
Just as Aichi was about to walk toward Sia Soya, he noticed the metal gloves on one of the enemies' hands. He felt these items were extraordinary.
Aichi pulled the two [Slaughter] gloves off the thug's hands and put them on. With a click, sharp claws extended from the fingertips.
"This weapon is mine now. Lucky me."
Aichi's mind moved, and the metal claws on the [Slaughter] gloves retracted. This made Aichi like the weapon even more. It was practically tailor-made for him.
Across the street from the hotel, a homeless man stood up. As he brushed past a worker-dressed man, he whispered, "Send word to the great one. The Devourer, Aichi, has obtained [Slaughter]. He will participate in the investigation of the Thorn Flower News Agency bombing."