Chapter 325: Black Goat Fawn (3)

At this point, the men on both sides grew tense. They abandoned their vehicles, grabbed their guns, and slowly began to approach Han Su’s position.

Mr. Wei Ya was a tall, statuesque man with curly brown hair, dressed in a long black robe.

An assistant beside him carried a green briefcase. His eyes were deep-set and piercing.

When he appeared, the air around him seemed to subtly distort, confirming he was an expert from the Mysterious Circle.

Wei Lan had already sent over their detailed files.

Mr. Wei Ya was one of the three Independent Investigators of Giant Horn City. He was in charge of guarding the secret prison at Camel Ridge and was also responsible for some of Giant Horn City’s mystical affairs, including communication with the outside world. This meant he single-handedly performed the duties of both Li Moxi and Zhang Chiguo.

Of course, in this incident, he represented the will of Giant Horn City’s upper echelon.

Otherwise, while an Independent Investigator might be able to ignore those with noble status, the disparity in their positions would leave him powerless to confront them directly.

Count Alvarrez, on the other hand, was from the Western Continent. His public identity was that of a Mysticism scholar.

It was said he came here alone to solve a food crisis that had plagued the West for years. The Skinning Manor he established initially received considerable help from Giant Horn City, but the two sides had a falling out three years ago for unknown reasons.

Giant Horn City had since canceled all support for Skinning Manor—including funding, labor, and even its water supply. The files indicated that in recent years, their relationship had become like fire and water.

This whole Black Goat incident was bizarre from the start.

The fact that a small village near both Giant Horn City and Skinning Manor had been allowed to let the faith of the Black Goat spread, to the point that the entire village population had been warped, defied all logic and was enough to spark one’s imagination.

When they were close enough to see each other’s faces, both sides stopped.

Count Alvarrez of Skinning Manor had a classic Western Continent face, a meticulously trimmed beard, and wore a sharp, elegant Tuxedo.

His gaze shifted from Han Su to the Independent Investigator ascending the mountain from the opposite side. He took a slight breath, and his gentle voice echoed across the mountainside:

“Mr. Wei Ya, you know how much effort I’ve poured into this project. If you allow me to continue, I will remember this friendship. I know what a remarkable man like you pursues, and should the opportunity arise, I will do everything in my power to help you achieve your wish!”

“…”

His words were clearly laced with temptation, but the Independent Investigator from Giant Horn City simply smiled and replied, “Count, the same goes for you. We at Giant Horn City can tolerate certain experiments, but some things are red lines that cannot be crossed.”

“You’ve caused a huge disaster now. If you cooperate with our work in Giant Horn City, there might still be a chance to salvage the situation. That would be best for both of us.”

“But if you get too greedy, I’m afraid you won’t be able to explain yourself when the Circuit Knights arrive!”

“…”

Hearing this, the Count’s face immediately darkened. “Cooperate with your work? Or do you just want to covet my research?”

“If the Circuit Knights come, I may be summoned back to the Western Continent’s council for questioning. But you can forget about ever getting a noble title. In fact, quite the opposite—if you choose to be my friend, perhaps I could even write you a letter of recommendation.”

“…”

Mr. Wei Ya’s expression seemed somewhat regretful. It appeared the Count’s talk of recommendation letters and friendship had indeed struck a chord with him.

But with a low sigh, he ultimately shook his head and said, “I have no intention of making an enemy of you, Count. But I represent the interests of Giant Horn City. The moment you betrayed Giant Horn City’s investment, you and I could no longer be friends…”

At these words, the Count’s face turned extremely ugly. He let out a low, cold laugh. “Heh. In that case, someone of your lowly bloodline will never be worthy of crossing the threshold into nobility!”

With that, his gaze snapped to Han Su on the hilltop, and his voice once again became gentle. “Mercenary, bring the Black Goat to me, and I will guarantee you thirty Ancient Gold Coins.”

“Furthermore…”

He paused, raising his palm in a gesture of swearing an oath. “I guarantee you will be able to leave this place safely.”

Both sides had spotted Han Su from the very beginning. Once they saw that the other party had also arrived, they naturally understood his intentions.

Neither had spoken to Han Su at first, but as soon as one side started, the other immediately chimed in, “Queen Bee is a well-known team. Surely you know what happens when you betray a client? Your reputation will be ruined, and you might even attract sanctions from the Black Table, no?”

“I already promised you compensation. Now hurry up and bring the mission objective over!”

“…”

“…”

‘So, this goat is actually the product of some secret research?’

Han Su didn’t respond to either side. He was piecing together the general situation from the files Wei Lan had sent and the conversation between the two parties.

It seemed the Count’s research at Skinning Manor wasn’t legal, and Giant Horn City’s hands weren’t clean in the matter either. Now, the two sides had simply dropped all pretenses in their fight over the research’s results, and both were afraid of attracting the attention of the Circuit Knights.

He took a deep look at the Little Lamb Girl standing woodenly beside him and made his decision.

Now, both sides were waiting for his response. They didn’t dare to speak, but the tension was palpable as their gazes converged on him.

Han Su, however, remained motionless. But a mist began to drift around him, faintly obscuring his figure. Both sides could still see him, but not his movements. And then, he suddenly drew his gun and fired.