Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

"Is...is this Mr. Roy?"

"Sona! Didn't we agree on this last night? What's with that expression? What's with that silly grin? Don't embarrass us!"

"But Little Grey, this is Mr. Roy, the famous Eternal Knight! Remember his last match? We finally managed to buy regular seats from scalpers. I bet that match was the pinnacle of knightly competition! Right, Evona? Hmm? Evona?"

Wearing a strangely shaped helmet that only covered one ear and whose defensive function was unknown, the red-haired Zalak Squirrel Flametail Sona curiously looked in the direction where another member of her Red Pine Knights had just stood, only to find that the knight codenamed Wild Mane had already silently snuck up to Roy and Blood Knight while she and Gray Hair Knight were arguing.

Evona looked Roy up and down. This aggressive gaze from a little fan was so intense, as if she wanted to dig out everything about him, that Roy was really overwhelmed and almost immediately activated [Water Moon] to let his divergent thinking help relieve the pressure.

Fortunately, he held back. He remembered the strange and eccentric personalities that had sprung up from the [Water Moon] module. If he were to utter some sharp and critical comments in front of these little fans of the Red Pine Knights, or spout off things like "I'm going to kill them all," Roy couldn't imagine how badly his reputation would plummet.

"Fine, you ran away!"

A moment later, Wildmane, who had tried to do something, was pulled back by Sona, who had realized what was happening. Only then were the three little ones truly gathered together, and they formally introduced themselves to Roy:

"Greetings, Pegasus Knight! I am Sona, Commander of the Red Pine Knights and Flametail Knight! These two are members of our order. She is Greyhair Knight Grenati Kaliska, and she is Wildmane Knight Evora Krukovska!"

Flametail pointed to her two companions beside her. Although Roy already knew their names and codenames, he still nodded seriously:

“I was surprised when the Blood Knight mentioned you to me. Although I co-advocated the concept of Infected Knights with him and pushed for many bills that would allow Infected to take to the arena, you are the first knightly order I have ever seen composed of Infected. We all know that this is not easy.”

Roy remarked from the bottom of his heart,

"On my first night back in Kazimierz, I saw a fan standing on the street wearing the same armor as the Blood Knight, calling for the protection of the Infected Knights' right to participate in the competition. And only half a year had passed since I left Kazimierz."

"But anyway, congratulations. I'm so glad to see you safe and sound."

He reached out and handed Flame Tail a gift he had carefully prepared.

A replica of the Kiss of Kheshig.

It wasn't that Roy was unwilling to give the original Kiss of Kheshig to Sona; it's just that the sword had already been used as material for a meteor shower during the Battle of White Wave River by Roy in the form of "Stella!". He hadn't had a chance to tell the Nightmare descendant who had given him the Kiss of Kheshig at the Mad Martin Tavern about this. All he had left was this replica.

Although it is a replica, this sword is in no way inferior to the original in terms of craftsmanship and quality, and may even be superior. Its biggest difference from the original is perhaps that it has never been used by a true Kheshig who served the Nightmare Khan.

Sona accepted Roy's scimitar with some surprise. She had never imagined that she would receive any gifts other than an autograph and a photo during this meeting. At this moment, she truly realized that Roy did not regard them as just three of his millions of fans, but as equals, as he said, admirable Infected Knights.

"Sona—"

Evora could no longer contain her excitement and was about to leap forward to snatch the scimitar from Sona's hand.

"Show me quickly!"

Fortunately, the Gray Knight remained calm. He looked at Roy, nodded gratefully, and then got straight to the point:

"Mr. Heng Knight, the Blood Knight told me that you came to us to investigate the situation of Plot Zero?"

Roy confirmed, “Yes. The demolition of Plot Zero has already had a public hearing in the National Assembly, which I believe you have heard about. The best way to stop Plot Zero from being demolished and abandoned is to first remove the criminals from Plot Zero. For this purpose, I need some people familiar with the situation of Plot Zero as guides to help me contact the infected community on Plot Zero.”

“We’ll help!” Sona excitedly raised her hand, looking at Roy as if he were a hero. “We’re familiar with many infected communities in Plot Zero, and we can contact them for help anytime if it’s useful!”

How could she not help? Plot Zero was her current home, and the infected living there were her family. Since the demolition of Plot Zero was announced, many infected had tried to resist, but neither the Supervisory Council nor the Business Federation were powerful entities they, a group of disorganized infected, could directly oppose. Now, with Roy's help, they undoubtedly had hope!

As for whether the infected can trust Roy, is there even a question? Who would doubt a Pegasus Knight who implemented the infected knight competition system, is a close friend of the infected knight leader Blood Knight, doesn't covet fame or fortune, is powerful, and is willing to help them?

He is an idol of all of Kazimierz, a legend in a living fairy tale, and no one doubts the righteousness of what he is doing!

"Thank you." Roy hadn't expected the conversation to end so easily. "As for the reward..."

"As for compensation, I hope you can play one more match with us."

Sona spoke earnestly before Roy could.

These words startled even the Blood Knight beside Roy, who quickly spoke up:

"We'll have to ask Roy for his opinion."

He knew Roy's personality and understood the immense uproar that would ensue if Roy announced a rematch, given his current influence. Moreover, even combined, the three members of the Red Pine Knights were slightly weaker than Roy. In the Blood Knight's view, Sona's challenge to Roy was somewhat unnecessary.

“I’m fine with anything.” But Roy nodded and smiled.

"It's a deal!" Sona exclaimed excitedly. "How about we choose Plot Zero as the location?"

Roy paused for a moment, then suddenly understood what Sona meant.

This child doesn't seem as innocent as he appears.

She was worried that if I couldn't stop Plot Zero from being demolished, at least I could use the competition I had with them on Plot Zero to raise some money to help the infected people have a way out.

She's not very old or tall, but she worries like a mother.

Thinking of this, Roy couldn't help but agree with a touch of affection, "Okay, whatever you say. I'll hold a press conference to announce this and try to attract more investors."

Sona scratched her head sheepishly, realizing her little scheme had been seen through.

Volume 1: Chapter 249 Human Trafficking

Grand Knights' Territory, Kavaleria, Plot Zero.

This was Roy's first time personally setting foot in this area. In the past, whether it was meeting with De Caiopolis or various surveillance and assassination missions, he would only linger on the edge of this area. It wasn't because there was anything there that made him wary; it was simply that there was nothing of value there.

It's simply because it has no value. It's the same reason the Business Council and the Supervisory Committee gave for tacitly approving the demolition of Plot Zero.

There are no operating businesses in this area, and even if there are, they no longer pay taxes to the National Assembly and are controlled by the Business Federation. Most of the residents don't create much social value, and many are even likely to cause social instability and are disliked by the Oversight Council. Even within the Unarmored Alliance, at Roy's position in the Azure Gold, no one would want to stay in such a place.

This area was just that unpopular. Its reality was no different from what Roy had imagined, and perhaps even worse.

The entire street resembled a remote city street from Roy's previous life in the 1940s or 50s. Abandoned shops stood with their doors and windows tightly shut, their signs swaying helplessly in the wind, offering no real concealment of the mostly collapsed walls behind them. A thick layer of dust covered the concrete pavement, and simply stepping on it seemed to stir up clouds of dust. As if the marks of time had etched deep scars into the road, a faint, damp smell filled the air—a mixture of rain and stone, carrying a sense of antiquity and solemnity.

Block Zero may have once been the most glorious district in the Great Knights' Territory, but now, the bustling crowds are gone, and only the occasional sound of the wind passes through the empty streets and through the dilapidated shop windows, as if whispering stories of the past.

Sona moved through the ruins, her movements as practiced as a squirrel long accustomed to this steel jungle. Occasionally, she would speak, recounting the history and anecdotes of a building to Roy, or pause to gaze at a ruin, lost in brief reminiscence. Roy didn't interrupt her, simply listening, silently following her stories to learn about the city's history, unmentioned in the main narrative.

Finally, in front of a three-story building that resembled a shopping mall, Sona stopped and reminded Roy:

"There's an infected settlement just ahead. Mr. Heng, would you like to do some disguise?"

Infected individuals often treat outsiders with hostility; their physical illness and the long-term oppression and discrimination they face make xenophobia an inevitable consequence. However, Sona's suggestion that Roy disguise himself was primarily due to Roy's popularity.

She was worried that if Roy showed up in person, he would quickly attract all the infected people in the neighborhood.

That would inevitably alert the criminals lurking in the neighborhood, which would defeat the purpose of Roy's trip.

Roy had obviously thought of this as well. He nodded, took out a blue mask from his pocket, and pulled up the hood of his clothes.

If the Blood Knight were here, he would definitely recognize that this is Roy's attire when he was on a mission as "Blue Gold".

After doing all this, Sona looked Roy up and down, then gave him a thumbs up and turned to continue walking forward.

But before she could take more than a few steps, Roy reached out and pressed down on her shoulder. She turned her head in confusion, only to find a hint of wariness in the eyes beneath the Knight's mask.

Roy "smelled" something unusual.

This stemmed from the marine ability granted by his "Last Knight" module, allowing him to sense the scent of blood over a vast area—an ability he suspected originated from sharks or other marine predators. Normally, he wouldn't activate this ability, as he had no interest in smelling an entire block of women on their period. But Block Zero was different; to prevent potential infected individuals from suddenly dying and turning into dust bombs, he activated the function beforehand.

If he wasn't mistaken, the smell of blood in the shopping mall ahead was unusually strong!

.........

"As you've all seen, this is the consequence of not choosing either option."

Taking a strip of cloth from the bounty hunter beside him, and gently wiping away the fresh, hot bloodstains from his longsword, the tall, Filin bounty hunter said in a coercive tone:

"Either you stay in Block Zero and wait to be torn up along with the land by the Business Federation and left to feed the wild beasts in the wilderness, or you come with me and I will take you to Colombia to work as my laborers for three years. The choice is yours."

He wiped the blade clean and tapped it on the wooden table beside him, making a thumping sound, like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of the infected in front of him.

There were more than twenty infected people gathered in front of him, the majority of the infected living in this shopping mall settlement. There should have been more than thirty of them, but the bounty hunter had come at the wrong time; some were not in the mall, and others were determined to resist. The bloodstains he had just wiped away belonged to those who resisted.

With these bloody examples before them, the remaining infected clearly lost their will to resist. This pleased the bounty hunter greatly.

Infected individuals can unleash Originium Arts without a staff, but not all infected individuals possess Originium Arts. Most of them lack the talent, simply enduring the torment of their illness without gaining those magical powers. Otherwise, it would be wishful thinking for a ten-person team of bounty hunters to control twenty sorcerers.

Under the relentless pressure of the bounty hunters, the first person to surrender quickly emerged. A woman who appeared young, but was emaciated and pale due to Oripathy that had gone untreated for a long time, crawled forward on her knees and asked tremblingly:

"Is it really only necessary to work as a laborer for three years?"

The bounty hunter immediately smiled and nodded in affirmation:

"Yes, you just need to work for me for three years."

But I didn't say that after you've worked for me for three years, you'll be free. If you're still alive by then, I'll either throw you to the pioneers or sell you to the lab.

He added in his mind.

The woman, of course, was unaware of this. Staying on Plot Zero meant certain death, and resistance also meant certain death. Going to Columbia, though far away, at least sounded like a chance to survive. She immediately nodded and said:

"Then I'll go with you!"

Once one person started, the others immediately followed suit and made their choices. Of the twenty-three infected individuals, only two chose to stay in Plot Zero, while the remaining twenty-one chose to go to Colombia.

I heard that country is relatively friendly towards infected people; at least they don't kill them on sight.

But the bounty hunter's farm couldn't support twenty-one people. His main purpose in this "robbery" was to complete the big deal assigned by his leader—a technology company in Colombia needed a large number of test subjects.

"We'll pick five of the more capable ones later, and send the rest to the boss to report back."

The Filin bounty hunter whispered instructions to his companion beside him, but received no response for a long time.

He turned around in surprise, only to find the bounty hunter staring at him with a tense expression.

"what happened to you?"

The Filin Hunter narrowed his eyes, instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his knife, and followed his companion's gaze toward the window.

The next second, a piece of broken glass flashed with golden light and instantly pierced through his skull.

Volume 1: Chapter 250 Was I too ruthless?