After a brief conversation, Leo had a rough understanding of Chad.
Chad was one year younger than Leo and an orphan. He grew up in an orphanage and discovered his unusual ability at the age of ten – he could release air currents that could cut small trees in half.
Soon after, WONDER noticed his special ability and took him out of the orphanage to train him until he finished college while also helping him develop his powers.
For orphan Chad, WONDER is his home.
Chad’s life experience greatly touched Leo because when he was five years old, his parents also left him for unknown reasons.
If it weren’t for his grandmother, Leo’s life would have been incredibly dark.
“By the way, Leo, you don’t have to mind what Cale said to you earlier. That guy comes from a martial arts family and is also an esper, so his inherent pride is ingrained in him.”
“Also, it seems like he has a liking for Fire Rose. He only gets jealous and targets you when he sees you and Fire Rose together.”
With Chad’s explanation, Leo finally understood why Cale had that attitude towards him when they first met.
Chad continued jokingly, “Leo, whether it’s Fire Rose or Juliet, they are both top-notch beauties. If you have any ideas, you better act fast.”
Leo grinned, neither confirming nor denying.
“Hey, look… a wild boar!” Chad exclaimed excitedly, as if he had discovered a new continent, pointing to a nearby spot.
“It seems like we’ll have some wild game to eat tonight.” Chad suddenly sprang up from the ground and charged towards the wild boar.
The wild boar, which was already an adult, didn’t run away when it saw someone approaching. Instead, it assumed an attacking posture.
Chad swiftly approached, and when he was about four to five meters away from the wild boar, he flicked his right hand, sending a wind blade directly into the boar’s head.
The boar’s head was pierced, and before it could let out a miserable cry, it collapsed to the ground.
After killing the boar, Chad dragged it over to Leo and asked, “Leo, can you do a barbecue?”
Leo nodded and said, “Leave it to me.”
Taking out Purple Radiance, Leo began to gut and skin the boar.
Meanwhile, Chad wasted no time and started setting up the grill and campfire.
After half an hour, the boar on the grill had turned golden brown and released a tantalizing aroma.
“So fragrant! I’ll go find some dry branches.” Abel, who had been resting, suddenly emerged from his tent, looking at the roasted boar on the fire with a gluttonous expression.
Thunder Dragon and Barrow also came out of their tents and followed the scent to the campfire. Their expressions mirrored Abel’s.
Even the arrogant Cale showed up, but when he saw that Leo was the one roasting the boar, he snorted coldly and turned back to his tent.
Chad, who had come back with firewood, shouted towards the tents where Fire Rose and Juliet were, “Fire Rose, Juliet, come and eat the barbecue!”
Fire Rose and Juliet walked over together.
When Fire Rose saw the enticing boar on the grill, her eyes lit up. “Leo, I didn’t expect you to have this skill.”
Leo smiled faintly, used his knife to remove the boar’s hind leg, divided it into eight portions, and shared it with everyone.
At that moment, everyone gathered around the campfire and began to enjoy the delicious meal.
…
The headquarters of the Koken family in Orientia
The night was peaceful, cherry blossoms danced in the air. Maniwa sat quietly in front of the house, gazing at a mountain in the night.
“Maniwa, have something to eat. There’s no need to torment yourself like this.” Kuki, an Earth Ninja, knelt in front of Maniwa and placed a sushi in front of her.
“Lord Yonamine, four Human Ninja predecessors and eight Upper Ninja fell in Atraria, responsible for the Langstel operation. Eitoku and Shuko also died in Atraria. It’s all my incompetence. Please punish me, Grandfather!” Maniwa bowed with self-blame and shame.
“It’s not your fault, it’s my oversight. I underestimated the Yin-Yang Masters of Atraria,” Kuki’s tone turned slightly solemn.
Maniwa raised her gaze and asked, “Grandfather, what should we do next?”
Kuki pondered for a moment and replied, “For now, we should wait and not make any moves until the two Heaven Ninja come out of seclusion.”
Maniwa couldn’t help but be moved by this. She was well aware of the existence of the two Heaven Ninja in the clan.
The two Heaven Ninja had been in seclusion for nearly five years. Once they emerged, dealing with one Leo wouldn’t be a problem, let alone ten.
“Maniwa, during this time, you should go to Atraria and closely monitor the movements of that Yin-Yang Master.”
“Yes!” Maniwa respectfully replied.
…
The following morning, as the sun rose and pierced through the clouds, the sunlight bathed the vast rainforest above.
At this moment, Thunder Dragon, Leo, Fire Rose, and the rest of the group of seven had already entered the Evergreen Rainforest.
Abel and his bodyguard, Iron Tower, stayed behind at the camp and did not accompany them.
In the tropical rainforest, abundant rainfall and ample sunlight led to an extraordinary proliferation of plants.
Tall trees reaching dozens of meters high covered the upper layer, followed by smaller trees, vines, shrubs, and bushes.
With abundant plant resources, the variety of animal species was naturally diverse, including venomous snakes and insects. However, there were relatively few venomous creatures in the outer periphery.
The group of seven moved quickly, and in less than an hour, they arrived at the second village.
The village was not large, with only about a hundred households. The houses were constructed with sturdy wood and blended seamlessly into the rainforest.
Upon entering the village, one could clearly sense that there was no sign of life in this village.
Not far ahead, four young men’s bodies appeared.
The four bodies wore simple ethnic clothing, tightly gripping long spears in their hands, and had machetes hanging from their waists.
From their attire, it was evident that these four young men, who had already died, were the guards of the village.
The four bodies were intact, with no wounds on them, and their eyes were pitch black.
Thunder Dragon crouched down and inspected them, then turned to Juliet and asked, “Juliet, did these four people die from being cursed?”
“No,” Juliet firmly shook her head.
Leo released his spiritual awareness and scanned the four bodies on the ground.
The information that came back from his spiritual awareness confirmed Leo’s speculation on the plane. These four people had indeed had their souls extracted.
“Leo, do you now know how these people died?” Fire Rose noticed the expression on Leo’s face and asked.
Leo replied, “Their cause of death was having their souls extracted by someone.”
These words caused everyone’s expressions to change.