Chapter 97: An Unexpected Hostage

Ethan knew what it meant. The numbers displayed above people’s heads represented their reputation. Positive numbers came from good deeds and contributions, while negative numbers were gained through crimes, destruction, and other harmful actions.

But seeing a negative reputation above two hundred thousand was another matter entirely.

That man had probably killed a frightening number of people.

Victor had noticed the number too. His face changed as he stared at it, and the impatience he had shown earlier was completely gone.

"Two hundred thousand..." he muttered. "Just how many people has that bastard killed?"

Ethan didn’t answer. He had seen far higher negative reputations in his previous life. He still remembered one of the Nine Abyssal Kings, whose reputation had already reached several million. Compared to that, -217579 wasn’t the highest number he had ever seen.

But that didn’t make the masked man any less dangerous. A person didn’t need millions of negative reputation to become a threat.

And this man was standing right in front of them.

"We’re leaving," Ethan said. "Now."

Victor turned towards him, but before he could respond, several people rushed onto the platform from the other side. They wore different uniforms from the station personnel and were carrying weapons. There were six of them, and all six were at the Seventh Order.

The moment they saw the masked man, they spread out and surrounded him, making sure to block the nearby paths.

"Surround him! Don’t let him escape!"

The masked man stopped. He looked at the six people around him, then glanced at the paths behind them looking for a way out.

One of the men stepped forward, pointing his weapon at him.

"You scum from the Underworld! You actually dared to assassinate a member of the Imperial Royal Family? Do you think you can get away with this?"

The masked man didn’t answer.

"You’ve caused enough trouble already. Do you have any idea what will happen when the Empire gets hold of you?"

"You’re making a lot of noise," the masked man replied. "If you want to catch me, then come and do it."

"Then stop standing there and fight!"

The six men moved almost at the same time. Two approached from the front while the others moved in from both sides. They were all at the Seventh Order, just like the masked man, but none of them seemed willing to take him lightly.

The masked man raised his hand, and strange symbols appeared above the heads of six of them. The dark red symbols looked similar to the ones Ethan had seen on the station personnel before they died.

"Watch out! He’s using curses!"

One of the men tried to attack, but his movement suddenly slowed. His weapon moved so slowly that the masked man easily stepped aside. Another man tried to move around and block his escape, but his legs had become so heavy that he could hardly keep up.

The masked immediately rushed towards the opening between two of the men.

"Stop him!"

Their leader tried to move after him, but the curse was already affecting his body. The others were having the same problem. They were still powerful Seventh Order professionals, but their movements had become slow and awkward. It was difficult for them to attack together when they couldn’t even move properly.

The masked man slipped through the gap and continued running. He looked around, searching for another way out, but the station personnel were already moving to block several paths. The other skyships were also surrounded.

Then his eyes landed on the Academy Skyship.

Ethan noticed it immediately.

*Oh, come on. Don’t tell me he’s coming here.*

"Victor, get inside!" Ethan shouted.

Victor didn’t need to be told twice. He had already seen where the masked man was heading, and his face had gone pale.

"Move! Hurry up!"

He turned and ran towards the entrance. Ethan followed right behind him, but Victor was much more concerned about getting inside than waiting for anyone else.

The door slammed shut just as Ethan reached the entrance.

He stopped in surprise and grabbed the handle, but Victor had already pulled it closed from the other side.

"Open the door!" Ethan shouted, banging against it.

Inside, Victor stepped away from the entrance, still breathing heavily. He hadn’t even looked back to check whether Ethan had made it in.

"What are you doing?" Lydia asked, getting up from her seat. Kael and Gareth also turned towards the entrance, confused by the noise.

Adrian was the first to notice what was happening outside.

"Behind you, Ethan!"

His voice was loud enough to make everyone turn towards the entrance. Adrian had already noticed the masked man approaching Ethan.

Ethan turned around, but the man was already too close.

A hand shot forward and grabbed him by the neck.

"Urgh!"

Ethan’s feet left the ground. The man’s grip was so strong that he couldn’t even pull his hand away. He was held up as easily as someone would hold a chicken before slaughtering it.

The masked man turned around, keeping Ethan between himself and the people chasing him.

By then, the six Seventh Order fighters had recovered enough to move normally. The strange symbols above their heads had disappeared, and they were rushing towards the skyship again.

"Stop right there!" one of them shouted.

The masked man tightened his grip around Ethan’s neck.

"Stay back! If anyone follows me, I’ll snap his neck!"

The six men immediately slowed down. Their weapons were still raised, but none of them seemed willing to make another move.

"Put him down!" their leader shouted. "He’s not involved in this!"

"Then you should have thought about that before chasing me here," the masked man replied. "Take another step and I’ll snap his neck."

Inside the skyship, Lydia covered her mouth as she saw Ethan being held outside. Gareth moved towards the entrance, but Kael quickly caught his arm.

"Don’t rush out. You’ll only give him another target."

Victor stared at Ethan through the entrance. His expression changed when he realised what had happened.

"I... I didn’t mean to," he muttered.

Adrian stood facing the entrance, his expression serious.

"He’s using Ethan as a hostage," he said. "If anyone moves carelessly, he’ll kill him."