Chapter 60: Locke Warning (I)

After some time, the Desolate Troop leader was the only figure left standing in the clearing.

He remained completely frozen, unable to move even a single finger. His body trembled violently, shaking like a fragile twig caught in the middle of a storm. The color had completely drained from his face, leaving it as pale as paper.

Only a few minutes ago, he had stood surrounded by more than a dozen hunters, his confidence soaring. With so many people backing him, he hadn’t even considered Bitter Rain worth taking seriously.

But now...

Those same hunters had scattered in every direction.

The confidence that had filled his chest had completely collapsed.

The reality finally settled into his mind.

It was over.

"Hisss..."

Locke drew in a deep breath.

Even though the confrontation had ended, his heart was still pounding violently. What had just happened had shaken him to his core.

Once his thoughts finally settled, Locke took several heavy steps forward.

His gaze landed on the Desolate Troop leader.

A cold killing intent slowly surfaced within his eyes.

Only Locke knew how desperately he wanted to kill this man.

For years, the image of his fallen lover had remained buried deep within his heart. The hatred he carried toward the Desolate Troop had never disappeared. It had simply been suppressed beneath the weight of reality.

And now, the person responsible was standing directly in front of him.

Yet even in his wildest imagination, Locke had never expected their reunion to happen like this.

The man who had once seemed so powerful was now standing before him like a frightened animal, unable to move.

Locke’s fingers slowly tightened.

Meanwhile, Jackson paid little attention to what was happening behind him.

His attention remained focused on the surrounding forest.

He continuously scanned the trees, listening carefully for the slightest movement.

The Desolate Troop hunters had fled.

But that didn’t mean they were gone for good.

They could return with reinforcements.

Or another powerful monster could be attracted by the commotion.

Jackson wasn’t interested in finding out which possibility would happen first.

Several minutes passed.

Nothing happened.

No footsteps.

No approaching hunters.

No powerful aura.

Only after confirming that nobody was returning did Jackson finally release the breath he had unconsciously been holding.

His plan had worked.

He had managed to scare them away without even lifting a finger.

A faint smile appeared beneath his mask.

That was closer than I’d like.

To tell the truth, Jackson hadn’t been completely confident that his plan would succeed.

There had simply been too many factors working in his favor.

Tian Shen had died from a single attack.

The others already knew about Bitter Rain’s reputation.

His ability remained a complete mystery to them.

And, most importantly, Jackson had deliberately acted as though he possessed absolute confidence.

If even one part of the plan had gone wrong, the situation could have turned completely different.

If the Desolate Troop hunters had realized that his spiritual force was limited, or if they had decided to attack together before he could establish his psychological advantage, Jackson would have been the one feeling nervous.

He quietly shook his head.

There was no point dwelling on it now.

Jackson turned toward Alchemist Dawn.

"Let’s not linger around for too long."

His voice was calm, as though everything that had just happened had been nothing more than a minor interruption.

Alchemist Dawn finally snapped out of his dazed state.

He looked at Jackson for a moment before nodding.

"You’re right."

The group quickly began preparing to leave.

Behind them, Locke remained standing before the Desolate Troop leader, his cold gaze never leaving the man.

For the first time in years, his enemy was finally within reach.

Minutes later, with Jackson leading the way, the group finally made it out of the inner forest.

The towering ancient trees gradually became less dense, and the oppressive atmosphere that had surrounded them throughout their journey slowly faded. After another stretch of travel, the familiar structures of the city finally appeared in the distance.

They had made it back safely.

Strangely, neither Alchemist Dawn nor Locke mentioned the Nine Essence Flower during the journey.

They simply remained silent, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts.

It wasn’t until they returned to Sector Sixty-Seven that Alchemist Dawn finally broke the silence.

"Bitter Rain, you take the Nine Essence Flower."

He looked directly at Jackson, his expression unusually sincere.

"Without you, forget about taking the flower. We wouldn’t have been able to leave that place alive."

There was no exaggeration in his words.

Alchemist Dawn genuinely believed it.

Without Jackson, Tian Shen alone would have been enough to put their group in a difficult situation. Add the Desolate Troop hunters and the conflict that followed, and the chances of everyone escaping alive would have been extremely slim.

Thinking back on everything that had happened, Alchemist Dawn couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed.

He had been too arrogant.

Too confident in his own abilities.

He had already become a Rank One alchemist at the age of eighteen. His future was filled with countless opportunities, and as long as he continued progressing, he could eventually reach heights most people could only dream of.

Yet for the sake of a single Nine Essence Flower, he had willingly placed his life in danger.

Today had given him a painful lesson.

From now on, he would never undertake such a reckless mission again.

If he needed some rare material, he would simply hire other hunters.

As long as the price was high enough, Alchemist Dawn was confident that there would always be someone willing to take the risk in his place.

After saying what he needed to say, Alchemist Dawn didn’t linger.

He gave Jackson a final nod before turning around and leaving.

Soon, only Jackson and Locke’s group remained.

Locke stood there for a while without saying anything.

He looked as though he wanted to speak, yet something kept holding him back.

Jackson naturally noticed his hesitation.