Way of the Devil

Panda Novel

Iron Tower recognized Lu Sheng at first glance. A puzzled look flashed across his face, which was swiftly replaced by anxiety.

However, he did not even have the time to speak when the bespectacled boy beside him hurriedly asked, “Have you guys seen a young girl in a gray wind coat?”

Lu Sheng nodded. “Yeah. She went on the elevator.”

“Sh*t! Let’s go!” The boy pulled on Iron Tower, and they dashed for the stairs.

“That’s enough, Ishtan. What can you do even if you catch up to her?” Iron Tower pulled the bespectacled boy back, and asked loudly, “We have no proof that she’s the one who did it! The academy won’t even entertain us!”

“Of course, I know that! But…” Ishtan’s eyes were red as he held his own head. He seemed to be in extreme anger.

“She’s from the Iron Screen! Even if we catch up to her, we might not be a match for her if it comes down to a fight!” Iron Tower tried to persuade him.

“But Nali is dead!” Ishtan could not refrain from shouting.

Iron Tower was immediately silenced.

Lu Sheng ignored the ongoing drama between the pair. He led Esha toward the elevator, and pushed the elevator’s button. The elevator stopped at lower first floor, and swiftly ascended back to the first floor.

The doors slowly slid open, and Lu Sheng led Esha into it. During the holidays, the dormitory was practically deserted. It was already a notable feat to bump into three individuals as they just did.

Lu Sheng brought Esha back to his room. Then, he sent a message to his counterpart off campus with the communication tools in his room.

There were no classes in the academy during the holidays. Lu Sheng and Esha rested for a while in his room. They sipped on some tea and waited for nightfall. That was when they officially started their plan.

“Wait for me here.” Lu Sheng caressed Esha’s long hair. In a soft voice, he said, “I have something to attend to outside. I’ll be back soon, don’t go anywhere. This is the academy, it’s much safer here compared to the outside.”

Esha nodded. “I’ll stay here. I won’t go anywhere.”

Lu Sheng liked this obedient girl very much. Her selfless love for Jorin reminded him somewhat of the simple relationship he’d once had with Chen Yunxi.

After making sure that Esha was settled in, Lu Sheng left the dormitory on his own.

Under the cover of night, he swiftly came to the experiment building next to the dormitory. He located a spacious meeting room on the third floor.

“Click.”

Lu Sheng opened the door of the meeting room and took a seat. Then, he took out a messenger the size of a matchbox from his trousers’ pocket.

He pressed on a button, and a bulb on the messenger flickered with red light.

He tossed the messenger onto the long glass table. Then, he reclined in the leather seat and waited silently.

Time ticked by. Soon enough, the door of the meeting room was pushed open. A huge bald man with a green tattoo of some unknown symbol on his face walked into the meeting room with his back hunched.

“Mondo, is everything taken care of?” Lu Sheng suddenly asked.

The big man glanced at Lu Sheng before using his rough voice to answer. “There’s 76 in total. Four General Armors. I’ve removed their skin. Now I have more materials for lanterns back home. Would you like to see it?”

“Keep it. I’m not interested in that,” Lu Sheng replied casually.

“Alright.”

Mondo took a seat as well. He closed his eyes and rested.

Soon enough, another man came in. Half of this man’s face was charred, making him resemble some ghoul. Gray throwing knives were tied to his body. He walked into the meeting room slowly.

“It’s you! Half-face?!”

The instant he saw him, Mondo had goosebumps all over his body. He nearly leapt from his chair.

“Long time no see, Mondo. After such a long time, is this how you treat your old friend? You’re such a disappointment…” Half-face spoke in a hoarse voice. He fixed his gaze on the big and tall Mondo.

“You… You ate my little brother, and now you dare to show your face before me?!” Mondo swiftly grabbed the hilt of his blade behind him. The vessels on his face popped.

“Your little brother was always in the way. Haven’t I done you a favor? You should be thanking me. Although, his flesh wasn’t tasty in the least,” Half-face teased him.

Mondo’s facial features contorted with rage as he glared at Half-face. In a ruthless voice, he said, “When everything’s done, I’ll break your limbs, skin you and hang you on the highest point in the land!”

Half-face was indifferent.

While the two of them were facing off, another person slowly walked in behind Half-face.

“Young man, it’s not a good habit to block the doorway while others might want to go in or out.” The newcomer had a calm and old voice. He sounded like an ordinary old professor who had come out for a walk in his free time.

However, the instant Half-face heard the voice, his eyes narrowed. He quickly walked into the meeting room to give way. Then, he turned back to look.

A slightly stern-looking white-haired old man stood at the door. However, what struck the others as odd was that the old man’s head and body seemed to be in a certain state of disharmony and awkwardness.

It seemed as if this body was not his at all. Half-face had also confirmed this fact from the delicate texture of the body’s skin.

“Kyler Fahn… I didn’t expect you to be here…” He did his best to subdue the crippling fear he felt in his heart. He hastily made way so that he would not block his way.

“I’ve just recently switched to this body, it’s still rough around the edges. It belonged to a lively young man I accidentally ran into on the way here. I couldn’t help myself. I apologize for this appearance of mine,” said the old man slowly.

“Looking at your young bodies, I can’t help thinking… What would I give for the heavens to grant me two more decades of life. And now, this opportunity is once again presented before me…”

As he spoke, he walked slowly into the meeting room. He appeared like a normal gentle old man.

However, both Half-face and Mondo were extremely on guard against this person.

“Welcome, Dr. Kyler. Your consummate neural surgical skills have expanded my horizons. As expected of the grandmaster of neurology in the federation’s history,” Lu Sheng spoke slowly from his seat.

The old man smiled. He bent his back slightly toward Lu Sheng in a bow. Then, he found a seat for himself.

“I’d like everyone to wait for a while. There are still others who aren’t here yet. This can be counted as our first actual meeting, so it’s crucial that everyone’s here before we begin.” Lu Sheng comforted the three of them with a smile.

*********************

Outside Platinum Academy’s main entrance.

A blonde Nightwalker with a sleepy face rubbed his eyes.

“He’s finally back! I didn’t expect him to be away from the academy for an entire month. I can’t even accomplish my mission.”

Ever since he had accepted the assassination mission, he’d been lying in wait nearby. He was waiting for an opportunity to kill Lu Sheng with a single hit without leaving any trace.

However, what he did not expect was for Lu Sheng to disappear before the final examinations. He had left the academy and completely disappeared.

To accomplish his mission, he had stationed himself outside the academy for the past month, just to wait for Lu Sheng to return.

Now, his sources told him that Lu Sheng was finally back.

“After finishing this mission, I’ll go back home and get married. Minnie has been waiting for me long enough.” The Nightwalker gripped his poison dart gun holstered behind his waist.

“Don’t let your guard down.” A thick voice sounded behind him. “The reward for this mission has been suddenly raised. This could mean that your target isn’t easily killed.”

Nightwalker shook his head, and lazily said, “Don’t worry, Teacher. His personality aside, he always had a fatal weakness.”

“Iron Screen’s Cain? Hehe.” A hint of scorn flashed across his eyes.

“Let’s go. Don’t let your guard down. I can keep you hidden for 10 minutes at most. I can’t do it any longer,” the thick voice stated simply.

“Understood.”

*****************

“Bam!”

The window suddenly shattered. A nimble figure suddenly charged into the building. The figure landed softly in the middle of the corridor and slowly stood up.

“This is the place.” After confirming his location, Nightwalker walked slowly to one of the dormitory rooms. The empty dormitory had granted him much convenience.

“Here comes another one.” Just when he was ready to make his move, a slightly coquettish voice reached his ears.

A chill crept up Nightwalker’s heart. He turned to look. Two figures clad in gray cloaks stood within the nearby shadow.

The symbol they bore on their bodies made it impossible for him to ignore them.

“The Iron Screen…”

“Assassins’ Guild?”

Both parties immediately recognized each other’s identity.

“Don’t forget about me.”

In another direction, a voluptuous middle-aged woman clad in a black leather wind coat walked up the stairs slowly. She spun a shining, sharp silver knife in her hand.

“Black Angel… Even you have come…” The hearts of the Iron Screen Members and Nightwalker went cold for a moment. The Black Angel was a secret organization independent of the Assassins’ Guild.

Their members were peak assassins of the Titled General Armor rank. In the Assassins’ Guild, they could be regarded as mentors.

“That’s not what you should be asking. The important question, who should claim the head of the target?” said the Black Angel woman in a deep voice.

“Who? The stronger one, that’s who.”

The Black Angel made a sudden move. She charged toward the room’s door.

With a flash of silver, the lock on the door was easily sliced open.

The other parties did not want to show weakness at this moment. Their bodies shone with the luster of their armor as they charged at the Black Angel at the same time.

“Hiss…”

In the dark dormitory, Janason’s immense body practically filled the entire room.

He was covered in a black ox-head armor as he squatted silently before the door.

When the lock was sliced open, the light from the corridor shone on his pitch-black armor.

Two blood-colored lines slowly shone on his helmet.

…

In the meeting room.

The individuals present were the most infamous and terrifying serial killers in the federation’s history. The total number of their victims numbered more than the academy’s student body.

The most important point was that those who were qualified for this meeting possessed Emperor Armors.

Soldier Armor, General Armor, and the Emperor Armor. As the highest-ranked object, every single Emperor Armor was practically unique, and could not be copied. The most important point was that the Emperor Armors had the ability to regenerate themselves.

Naturally, they did not merely rely on their Emperor Armors to run rampant in the federation for many years. Although, their armors were also a cut above the existing Emperor Armors.

“So, what’s the theme for this meeting? Can we have a clue or two?” Dr. Kyler asked slowly.

Lu Sheng smiled casually. “Simple. As it’s the first day of our organization’s official establishment, the academy under our feet will be the sacrifice for our declaration of our existence to the world.”

“You want to destroy the Platinum Academy?” Even Kyler was stunned by Lu Sheng’s audacity.

“No, my aim is the entire Platinum City,” Lu Sheng corrected. “By dawn, I want there to only be one sound in this city.”

He placed his hand softly on the table. He scanned the present individuals in the room with a sharp gaze.

“With the cooperation of the Seven Emperor Armors, we’ll usher in a new era, one that’s ours!

“Nobody can stop us, just like nobody can stop the sun from rising.”