Moonview City was a bustling metropolis located in the central-northwestern part of the continent.
Compared to most places in the world, this city was far better—it was protected by powerful Superpowered Individuals.
Monsters rarely ever suddenly charged into the city, and most residents living here didn’t have to worry about losing their lives to beasts.
But this world was ultimately still a city of Superpowered Individuals.
Those weak, powerless people could only become the lowest rung of the city.
Still, even being at the bottom meant Non-powered Individuals were at least treated as people.
But Zuo Ge completely disagreed with that approach.
In this world filled with danger, it was only because of the existence of Superpowered Individuals that ordinary people had a place to catch their breath.
So in his eyes, Non-powered Individuals didn’t deserve equal survival rights with Superpowered Individuals, let alone occupy resources in Moonview City.
Allowing those Non-powered Individuals to live was already an immense act of mercy.
They should have unhesitatingly devoted their labor to contribute to the entire city.
Instead, they enjoyed rights close to those of Superpowered Individuals, yet still demanded more.
How utterly ridiculous!
Thinking of this, Zuo Ge couldn’t help but feel anger surge within him.
He was a noble Superpowered Individual, yet a powerless civilian girl had rejected his confession of love!
How absurd!
Who did she think she was?
She had rejected the love of a Superpowered Individual!
And in the end, that bitch had even reported him to the city’s Oversight Squad.
Those team members were all Superpowered Individuals themselves, yet they sided with a civilian girl!
Such a system was preposterous.
That was why he had joined the Dark Crow—an organization founded to overthrow Moonview City’s current rules and establish an order absolutely controlled by Superpowered Individuals.
If such an order could be successfully established, then he could do whatever he wanted to those Non-powered Individuals—anything at all—with only one price for resistance: death.
What a beautiful world that would be.
Zuo Ge couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Recently, the higher-ups had issued orders for a major operation targeting The Academy.
He had been with the Dark Crow for several years, and only recently had he been promoted from the lowest rank of Soldier to the more advanced Knight.
And now Zuo Ge was carrying out a defensive mission.
Inside this warehouse was an object extremely important to the organization.
The organization had even arranged two Knights and ten Soldiers to guard it.
Although he didn’t know what the object was, based on his feeling, with such a tight defense, not even a fly could sneak in silently.
So Zuo Ge decided to slip away.
It wasn’t like they would miss him—he was in a hurry to go play cards.
Last time he’d lost a huge sum.
This time, he was determined to win.
Zuo Ge curled his lip and swept a dismissive glance over his subordinates, each busy with their own duties in the warehouse, his eyes already burning with eagerness for the gambling table.
“You all keep a sharp eye out. I’m stepping out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
Without even really listening to his subordinates’ responses, he confidently headed toward the casino.
Just as Zuo Ge walked a short distance away, he spotted someone.
Gray hair draped behind her back, tied only at the ends with a ribbon, bright eyes, cheap clothes, a cloth bag filled with vegetables in her hand—she was probably a civilian girl on her way home after grocery shopping.
Such a high-quality face, yet so young.
That’s just unfair.
There were still girls like this?
Zuo Ge froze.
He was reminded of the civilian girl who had rejected him—the same clean features around the brows and eyes.
The more she looked defenseless like this, the more the malice in his heart churned wildly.
Back then he was still too young.
He could have used his Superpower to force her to submit, but instead he let her go, which ended up getting him arrested by the Oversight Squad.
Over the years, Zuo Ge had committed countless evil deeds—murder, arson—and had long understood the truth that power was everything.
So without any pretense, he swaggered toward the gray-haired girl, deliberately making his footsteps heavy and loud.
The gray-haired girl looked up, meeting Zuo Ge’s eyes, which were filled with aggression and desire.
Yet those blue eyes showed not a trace of timidity or fear.
But Zuo Ge, impatient, overlooked this detail, subconsciously assuming this civilian girl had been frozen in fright.
“What do you want?”
The girl’s tone trembled slightly.
Zuo Ge bared a cruel smile.
“What do I want?”
He reached out, his tone flirtatious and venomous.
“Seeing you reminds me of something very disobedient. I’m in a bad mood today, so I’ll take it out on you.”
He was no longer the small fry who used to worry about the Oversight Squad, about his status and face.
Now he was a noble Superpowered Individual, someone who could decide life and death for Non-powered Individuals at will.
What rules?
What order?
What Oversight Squad?
In the face of absolute power, it was all bullshit.
He snapped his fingers, and arcs of electricity burst from his fingertips.
“This is my Superpower—Electric Discharge. Don’t even think about running, or I can easily fry you into charcoal.”
Then Zuo Ge extinguished the lightning and continued.
“Of course, if you obey me, I might let you live.”
The girl lowered her eyes, set down her cloth bag, and then nodded as if in humiliation.
Seeing her like this, Zuo Ge grinned maliciously and reached out a hand toward the gray-haired girl.
But in that very instant—
The gray-haired girl’s lowered eyelashes snapped up, her gaze sharp as a blade.
She kicked Zuo Ge to the ground.
Then the two knives hidden in her sleeves were flung out, striking Zuo Ge’s outstretched hands with pinpoint accuracy, pinning them to the ground and rendering him immobile.
Zuo Ge couldn’t suppress his screams of agony.
Then You Xue stepped forward, pressing a knife against his throat.
Zuo Ge’s hair stood on end from the pain, his voice trembling.
He stared at the girl he had just dismissed as weak, now holding his life in her hands in an instant.
“W-who are you?”
Zuo Ge looked into those icy eyes, his voice quivering.
“I’m with the Dark Crow! Kill me, and the organization won’t let you go!”
Zuo Ge roared, but the girl’s knife pressed deeper into his neck.
With a sharp sting, the blade cut through his skin, and blood trickled down.
Zuo Ge was terrified out of his wits.
His arrogant loudness vanished, and he babbled frantically for mercy.
“D-don’t kill me! I was wrong! I shouldn’t have messed with you! I’ll give you all my money!”
In truth, Zuo Ge understood that so-called Soldiers and Knights were nothing but expendable tools for the organization to achieve its goals.
Only by being promoted one more level to Chariot could one truly be valued by the organization.
Seeing this, You Xue’s blade stopped advancing—not out of pity, of course, but because she needed intelligence on the defenders.
“If you tell me your defensive deployment—how many people besides you, and what their respective Superpowers are— I’ll spare your life.”
The searing pain of the knives piercing his hands continued to spread, and the blade at his neck constantly reminded him that this girl had no mercy at all.
If he didn’t tell the truth, he would be dead in the next second.
“I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
Zuo Ge’s voice was choked with tears, driven solely by survival instinct.
Then Zuo Ge clearly laid out the number of defenders in the stronghold and their abilities.
“You’re not hiding anything, are you?”
You Xue’s blade pressed deeper.
“Absolutely nothing! I swear to heaven!”
Zuo Ge’s body trembled even more violently.
Seeing him like this, You Xue withdrew her blade.
“Then according to our agreement, I’ll let you live.”
She took a few steps back.
But Zuo Ge suddenly lunged, ignoring the agonizing pain of the knives still in his hands, his face twisted with madness.
“Bitch! You dare toy with me!”
Zuo Ge roared, arcs of electricity crackling in his palms again, fiercer than before.
But before the arcs could fully form, the knives embedded in his palms grew scorching hot.
“What’s going on?”
He let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Then the heat surged more violently, and the energy contained within the knives exploded, like two bombs detonating from Zuo Ge’s palms.
In that instant, Zuo Ge understood—this woman had never intended to let him live.
The small explosion instantly consumed Zuo Ge.
Charred flesh and skin splattered in all directions with the shockwave, leaving tiny scorch marks.
You Xue sneered inwardly.
She wasn’t one of those sincerely kind protagonists from novels.
She wouldn’t make any saintly moves.
As for heroes, Su Li was more suited to that role.
All You Xue needed to do was pave a path with no thorns.
To let Su Li protect many important people—and those people did not include her.