Chapter 40: The Return Journey, Suspicions

"Which one is it? This one? Or this one?" 

Lu Chen's gaze shifted, his fingers hesitating between the card on the left and the one on the right. Yet his opponent remained unfazed, his poker face impeccable.

In the end, Lu Chen resigned himself to luck, drawing a card and revealing the Joker. He deflated immediately.

"Looks like it's another loss for you, junior brother," Lutisia chuckled from the sidelines, while Chu Zihang calmly collected the cards and began reshuffling.

They were currently on their way back from the mission, and to pass the time, Lu Chen, Chu Zihang, Susie, Milanra, and Lutisia were playing a game of Joker Draw. As for Lancelot, he was still recovering in the local hospital due to severe injuries sustained during the mission, and would be transferred back to the academy once his condition stabilized.

Joker Draw was a simple game - players took turns drawing cards, and pairs could be discarded. The player left with the Joker at the end was the loser.

Unfortunately for Lu Chen, he hadn't won a single round since they started playing.

Chu Zihang was a natural with his poker face, while the girls, especially Lutisia, were intensely focused, showing no signs of weakness. Lu Chen's luck seemed to be consistently poor, always ending up with a lousy hand, while Milanra frequently managed to discard most of her cards, leaving Lu Chen feeling frustrated.

"Ding—"

Each of their pads lit up simultaneously, and Lu Chen glanced at his, relieved to see that the academy had handled the aftermath of their mission efficiently.

The report detailed the cause of the fire at Red Mountain Park as accidental due to dry conditions and a careless smoker. Additionally, the deaths of the five wealthy young men and Melissa were attributed to a burglary gone wrong, with the culprit already apprehended.

Though initially surprised by the parents' seemingly nonchalant reaction to their children's disappearance, Lu Chen later learned that the teenagers had a history of delinquency and had gone missing for weeks at a time before. Still, the parents were understandably skeptical of the police's hasty conclusion, prompting the academy's intervention and counseling for the families.

Switching screens, Lu Chen scrolled through the profiles of the deceased teenagers and the details of the incident before closing his pad screen with a scoff.

"Quite the game they played," he chuckled.

The others understood exactly what Lu Chen was referring to.

"Western countries sure are liberal," Chu Zihang remarked casually, eliciting disapproving glares from the two women across from him.

"Who says that? True ladies are very self-respecting!" Lutisia retorted, finding the details of the incident too scandalous for someone of her aristocratic upbringing. Milanra shared her sentiments, closing her pad halfway through, unable to bear the sordid details any longer.

However, Susie quietly nodded in agreement with Chu Zihang's observation.

"Once we return to school, junior brother, it seems you'll be taking over soon," Lutisia changed the subject, attempting to steer the conversation away from the uncomfortable topic.

"Inherit the throne? Why does that sound like becoming an emperor?" 

Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh bitterly. However, after this mission, he did indeed move closer to the position of Lionheart Club President. His first mission was already at the AA level, and he managed to turn the tide. It was said that even the Executive Officer, Philimon, praised him highly in the mission report, going so far as to suggest that they shouldn't limit themselves to Lu Chen just being a freshman and hold back such an extraordinary talent. It was clear they wanted him to become more active in the Executive Department.

Of course, Lu Chen didn't mind. Compared to sitting in lectures at the academy, going after some high-risk hybrid breeds was much more interesting.

"Actually, there are still quite a few doubts and inconsistencies in this mission," Lutisia furrowed her brows.

"What's wrong?" Milanra asked, puzzled.

"For example, I'm not sure if it was because of Abel's awakened bloodline, but he actually looked quite decent. However, I don't believe he could have charmed beautiful girls into going to their residences in such a short time," Lutisia continued.

"Also, in some places, like the alleyways or Red Mountain Park at night, what kind of charm would make those girls follow a guy they just met that day to such obviously unsafe places?"

At this point, Lu Chen interjected, "Sister, you went there too, and you took him with you."

Lutisia rolled her eyes charmingly, "Your sister went there for the mission. Can you compare that? Don't interrupt me, I haven't finished yet."

Lu Chen shrugged, gesturing for his senior sister to continue.

"Think about it carefully. Those victimized girls were all incredibly beautiful, with countless suitors who were all seasoned players in the dating scene. Could they really be won over by a mere puppy in just one day? Of course, Abel was a big bad wolf disguised as a puppy."

Lutisia's words were thought-provoking, and Milanra raised her hand to speak, "What Sister said does make sense. Could Abel have some special means as a hybrid breed to bewitch those girls?"

Susie shook her head, "Abel's linguistic ability is Bronze Throne, and it's known that no one besides pure-blooded dragons can have two linguistic abilities. Even if he underwent deep dragonization, he couldn't achieve this."

"Drugs?" Chu Zihang raised his hand, but was met with several odd looks.

However, Chu Zihang maintained his poker face, making everyone believe he was merely presenting this viewpoint from an academic perspective.

"The forensic examiners from the Executive Department previously examined the bodies of the victims and found no traces of drugs," Lutisia ruled out this possibility.

"Sister, are you suggesting... that there were other people helping Abel in this matter?" Lu Chen looked up, his words shocking the others.

"I don't know, but there are indeed many inconsistencies in this series of events. That's also why I didn't suspect Abel much. If there were others behind him... then perhaps..." Lutisia didn't finish her sentence, but the others understood her meaning.

This matter might be very complicated, far beyond the level of AA, and even Abel's bloodline awakening had some issues.

A seemingly ordinary boy, awakening his bloodline in a fit of rage, then being able to undergo deep dragonization during the battle with the Executive Department – thinking about it now, it wasn't normal at all.

"If his bloodline is so outstanding yet unstable, his life before the age of seventeen should have already revealed something. Abel's current situation seems like... there was some external force pushing him," Chu Zihang also fell into deep thought. Initially, he had accepted the idea of bloodline awakening due to stimulation because he was the best example of it.

But upon reflection, before his bloodline awakening, his physical fitness was already extraordinary, just like Lu Chen's experience. It was only afterward that there was a significant improvement.

"So, junior brother, you should have left him alive," Lutisia joked.

"Blame it on me," Lu Chen shrugged helplessly, thinking, If I didn't kill him, he would've eaten you.

"Anyway, I've already written it into the report. Let the Executive Department worry about it. Our mission was just to hunt down Slaughter. The mission is over, and the aftermath is none of our concern," Lutisia stretched lazily, her beautiful curves undulating as she gazed out the window at the floating clouds.