Chapter 73: Zhao Zheng's Life, Two Million is Enough!

Chapter 73: Zhao Zheng's Life, Two Million is Enough!

After lunch, Zhao Zheng returned to his apartment to rest. As he slept, news about him and Song Haitang's second SSS-rank task evaluation spread rapidly.

In the Federation, it was already past 3 a.m.

The luxurious Smith Mansion was still brightly lit. This was the rule of Mr. Ethan Smith! As long as he hadn't slept, no one in the mansion was allowed to sleep either. Ethan was still awake at this late hour because he had just experienced the pain of losing a daughter and couldn't fall asleep.

With his current Mental Attribute, even if he stayed awake all night, it wouldn't affect him in the slightest.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The sound of knocking echoed.

"Enter!"

A voice of authority came from the study.

A black butler quietly entered and reported in a low voice, "Sir, I just received a message. The two newcomers from the East, Song and Zhao, have once again achieved an SSS-rank task evaluation in the Second Spirit Realm."

Upon hearing this news, Ethan instantly looked up, staring intently at his butler.

At that moment, an aura of terror emanated from Ethan, causing all the metal in the study to tremble.

The black butler's face turned pale, and he kept his head down, not daring to move a muscle or even glance at Ethan.

"This is fantastic!" Ethan's voice was laced with suppressed rage. "I believe their achievement is also partly due to Daria's efforts."

The butler dared not respond to this statement.

After a moment, Ethan seemed to regain his composure.

"Two consecutive SSS-rank task evaluations? It's both enviable and unbelievable... Gather their information immediately."

The black butler appeared to be well-prepared, as he promptly presented a file, saying, "I've prepared it for you. This is the latest information about those two newcomers, obtained from the CIA."

Seeing the butler's preparedness, Ethan's expression softened slightly.

He took the file from the butler and began to read it immediately.

The contents of the file naturally included the profiles of Song Haitang and Zhao Zheng.

Ethan scanned the file but found nothing out of the ordinary.

He calmly thought for a moment before speaking, "Since the birth of the Holy Land, there have been at least a hundred naturally-occurring Devil Fruit abilities, right?"

"Yes, sir," replied the butler. "According to statistics, there have been 136 appearances of natural Devil Fruits. However, most of them have perished, and only a few have made it to the end."

Ethan continued, "Among the over a hundred natural Devil Fruit ability users, many possess talents more destructive than the Burn Burn Fruit, such as the Lava Fruit and Thunder Fruit. Even they struggle to achieve an S-rank task evaluation, so how can a Burn Burn Fruit user achieve an SSS-rank task evaluation twice in a row?"

"Could Song truly be an unprecedented genius?"

Ethan's gaze fell on Song Haitang's profile as he spoke.

On the profile, there was also an assessment from the Intelligence Bureau...

Huge Potential!

Threat Level: X!

He stared intently at the photo on the profile, glancing at it a few times before turning to the next page.

The next page was naturally Zhao Zheng's profile.

The Intelligence Bureau had also provided an assessment:

Limited Potential!

Threat Level: General!

Seeing this, Ethan smiled and looked at Zhao Zheng's "Talent" section.

"Kryptonian Heritage?" He was a bit surprised that this young man had the infamous 'waste' talent.

"How can a Kryptonian heritage user walk alongside a Burn Burn Fruit ability user?"

The one who became Song's only teammate?"

"Sir, this Burn Burn Fruit originally belonged to..."

The butler recited the information of the two, concluding, "Their story has gained significant traction online, and its authenticity is highly credible."

Ethan nodded.

Although the butler provided a reasonable explanation, he still felt it wasn't that simple.

He carefully examined Zhao Zheng's profile again but found nothing unusual.

(Many people have experienced sunbathing, so Zhao Zheng's behavior isn't abnormal.)



All the information seemed perfectly reasonable.

Ethan furrowed his brows.

Then, he remembered something: "Regarding the Kryptonian Heritage, I recall there was one in South Korea as well?"

It wasn't that Ethan had an exceptional memory.

Rather, the Kryptonian Heritage holder in South Korea had gained quite a reputation.

In the 6th book of the 9th volume, it was clearly stated!

This person had proven through their actions that the Kryptonian Heritage was a useless talent.

There were no additional abilities!

Training couldn't enhance attributes either! With the cooperation of the South Korean government, they had tried every method—fire, electric shocks, poisoning... They had done it all, even pushing him to the brink of death to activate his potential, but to no avail.

After attempting this for over a decade, they had no choice but to give up.

(Sunbathing machines only appeared in the past two years!)



"Yes, sir," the black butler said. "Your memory is excellent."

Ethan ignored the butler's small flattery and asked, "Is that person still alive?"

The black butler was well-prepared and immediately replied, "He's still alive, but he's already in his eighties, and his days of meeting God are probably near... No! With his behavior, the chances of him going to hell are much higher."

It seemed that the South Korean man had done many disgusting things unknown to ordinary people, leading the black butler to give such an evaluation.

Ethan didn't pay much attention and merely said, "As long as he's alive, bring him here immediately. Also, send someone to keep an eye on Zhao. Have the old man follow his daily routine."

"Sir, what you're asking for might be impossible to achieve..."

Seeing that Ethan was about to get angry, the black butler quickly added, "About a month ago, the Kryptonian Heritage holder in South Korea suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and was admitted to the intensive care unit. He's currently in a coma, and whether he'll wake up is still uncertain."

Upon hearing this, Ethan's brows furrowed.

The old man in South Korea was indeed in no condition to cooperate with his experiments.

He had no choice but to abandon this idea.

"Go to the dark web and post an anonymous bounty!" Ethan clenched his teeth. "I want them to accompany Daria to her grave!"

"Yes, sir."

The black butler noted it down and then asked, "How much bounty money should we offer?"

Ethan thought for a moment and said, "For Song, one hundred million dollars! For Zhao... two million dollars!"

His money didn't come from thin air.

Offering one hundred million dollars for Song Haitang was because her life was worth that much!

As for Zhao Zheng's two million...

Alright!

Although it might sound offensive, two million dollars for the life of a Kryptonian Heritage holder with limited potential was more than enough.

"Sir, there's one more thing."

The black butler informed him, "The CIA hopes you can cooperate with them and put on a show."

"Oh? Explain."

...

Some big shots said the previous chapter was too cliche... Modified!

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(End of Chapter)

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