Chapter 198
Chapter 198
He'd always thrown his weight around, riding on Marcus's coattails, thinking he was hot stuff with his so-called worldly experience.
Never in a million years did he imagine that the 'nobody' he'd been taunting today was actually the legendary figure who unified the global mercenary world—the one no one dared cross—the Mercenary King!
Beside him, Lisa was trembling uncontrollably, her teeth chattering as she clamped both hands over her mouth. She didn't even dare breathe too loudly. All that remained in her eyes was pure terror and despair.
Seeing this, Thorin's fury exploded. He clenched his fists and roared, "Marcus, you traitor! Still running your mouth at a time like this? Looks like the beating we gave you on the way here wasn't nearly enough!"
Seething with rage, Thorin stepped forward, raising his hand to teach Marcus another lesson.
"Stop."
Kane lifted his hand slightly, blocking Thorin's movement.
He looked down at Marcus, who still refused to repent, his voice ice-cold and cutting to the bone. "I'm giving you one last chance. Come clean. Cooperate with me, and I'll let you live."
"But if you keep resisting, refuse to admit your mistakes—today will be your last day!"
Yet Marcus clung to a sliver of hope.
He believed his scheme was too well-hidden, that no one could produce hard evidence. He stubbornly refused to confess.
Stiffening his neck, he gritted his teeth. "I didn't do anything. I have nothing to say!"
Kane's expression turned utterly frigid. He waved his hand. "Thorin, show him the evidence."
"Yes, sir!"
Thorin immediately pulled out a portable recording device and hit play.
A clear voice echoed throughout the entire courtyard—unmistakably Marcus himself!
[Spread the word about me helping Howard with his underground lab. I guarantee you'll get a price you're happy with!]
When the recording ended, the courtyard fell deathly silent.
Marcus, who'd been clinging to false hope just moments ago, turned ashen. All the strength drained from his body, and he collapsed completely onto the ground.
The evidence was ironclad. Undeniable.
Kane bent down, his gaze locking onto Marcus with an authority that brooked no resistance. "Marcus, I'm going to ask you two final questions."
"First, why did you betray me and conspire with Howard against me?"
"Second, where have you taken Isabelle, Winnie, and the others?"
With his conspiracy fully exposed, Marcus dropped all pretense. Only greed and madness remained in his eyes.
"That's right—I betrayed you!"
"I had no choice! They offered me too much!"
He took a deep breath, his eyes burning with fervor. "If I help them successfully open the treasure, they'll give me twenty percent of the resources! Don't underestimate that twenty percent—it's enough to make me one of the top ten richest people in the world!"
"Not only that, they promised to give me the complete Enhanced Human cultivation technology!"
"Once I master the method for creating Enhanced Humans and mass-produce countless soldiers, I'll have power beyond measure—I'll dominate entire regions! When that happens, what will you be compared to me?"
Hearing his absurd, greedy delusions, Kane's lips curved into a cold, mocking smile. His eyes dripped with scorn. "Enhanced Humans? You actually think those half-baked monsters are strong?"
"Have you even seen these Enhanced Humans?"
Marcus froze slightly.
Kane turned his head and gave a calm order. "Thorin, pull up the surveillance footage from the last time we fought Enhanced Humans in the lab."
"Yes, sir!"
Thorin immediately pulled out his phone, opened the video, and held it in front of Marcus.
On the screen, Kane faced over a dozen half-finished Enhanced Humans alone—and utterly crushed them without breaking a sweat.
Finally, explosives blasted those half-finished Enhanced Humans into fragments.
Marcus stared at the screen, his pupils contracting sharply. Disbelief was written all over his face. He was completely stunned.
He'd always believed Enhanced Humans were an unstoppable forbidden weapon. He never imagined Kane could single-handedly dominate them with nothing but his bare hands!
And these Enhanced Humans couldn't even withstand explosives!
While Marcus reeled from shock, Kane raised his hand, drew his pistol, and without a moment's hesitation, aimed it directly at his own forehead and pulled the trigger!
Bang!
The sharp crack of gunfire exploded through the air!
The bullet struck Kane's forehead at high speed—but only sparked off his skin before ricocheting away and falling to the ground.
Kane stood perfectly still, without a scratch on him.
"That's impossible!"
Marcus was completely dumbfounded. He cried out in disbelief, "You're the real Enhanced Human! A hundred times more terrifying than those lab-grown monsters!"
Kane casually holstered his pistol, his tone indifferent. "Those so-called Enhanced Humans are just defective prototypes—riddled with flaws, limited in combat ability. They're nowhere near true, perfected superhumans."
His gaze locked onto Marcus again. "I'm asking you one last time. Where were my wife and child taken? What are they planning after going through all this trouble?"
Marcus swallowed his shock and didn't dare hide anything further. He confessed honestly, "Howard has been working closely with a mysterious organization from Serendia overseas. Their ultimate goal is to open the treasure of the Aetherian Empire!"
"Originally, they thought that just obtaining the legendary Coronation Sword would be enough to force the treasure open. But after investigation, they discovered the Coronation Sword alone wasn't sufficient!"
"The true condition for opening the treasure requires not only the Coronation Sword but also the bloodline of the Aetherian Empire!"
"That's why they deliberately held the auction—to draw out every faction coveting the Coronation Sword. Behind the scenes, they screened and tested everyone's bloodline, searching for descendants carrying Aetherian Empire blood!"
Marcus looked up at Kane, his tone complicated. "After testing, they confirmed you carry pure Aetherian Empire bloodline."
"That ancient treasure is hidden deep in the Atlantic Ocean on Monarch Isle! Your wife and daughter should be there too."
As soon as he finished speaking, Thorin's fury surged. He stepped forward, fist clenched, and roared, "You're still holding back information! Looks like we need to beat the truth out of you!"
Thorin moved to strike.
"Stop."
Kane raised his hand lightly, his expression calm and composed.
"No need to rush. They orchestrated such an elaborate scheme—they want me, they want the treasure. They'll contact me on their own. They won't rashly harm Isabelle."
The moment he finished speaking, Kane's phone suddenly rang urgently in his pocket.
Kane's eyes sharpened. He pulled out his phone and answered.
On the other end, a low, raspy male voice spoke—arrogant, dripping with the superiority of someone who held all the cards.
"Kane."
"Your wife and daughter are in my hands. They're safe—for now."
"If you don't want them dead, tomorrow, you come to Ironspire Island. Alone."
"Remember—only you. Bring even one extra person, and your wife and daughter both die!"
With that, the caller hung up immediately, giving Kane no chance to ask questions.