Chapter 570 Chance
As he stood on the mountaintop, Jonathan stared coolly at the bronze mirror in his hands. For some reason, it had stopped transmitting messages ever since he posed as Irving to question Sofus.
Ten minutes later, however, words finally appeared in the mirror again: None of my business. Despite the lack of a name, Jonathan knew with just one glance that it was Sofus replying.
J: Fine. But can you at least tell me what’s going on in Summerbank Abyss? Before we came in, you clearly said there wouldn’t be any dangers.
Upon seeing the words, Jonathan curled his lips into a half smile. Ah, somebody’s pretending to be me to ask these questions. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s most likely Irving. Then again, given the unique features of the mirror, who can know for sure?
Just then, lines of words showed up in the mirror again: I invited all of you to help track down my mentor, so why would I bring harm to anyone? In all honesty, Summerbank Abyss was originally a highly guarded secret of the Phoebus Sect. I’m sure you’ve all realized by now that even though the place is fraught with peril, it’s also brimming with spiritual energy.
You’ve faced many attacks from the demon beasts lurking in the abyss, but as the saying goes, the higher the risk, the higher the reward. Trust me when I say Summerbank Abyss has its fair share of magical plants. I’ve only been training for four years, yet I’ve already gone from being a mere mortal to being a Grandmaster.
That was only possible because I found a unique spiritual herb here. Of course, everyone’s free to search for the treasures hidden in this place. As for the man in black, I have no idea who he is, but rest assured that I’ll take action accordingly if I see him. Similarly, if any of you see my mentor in Summerbank Abyss, please inform me. After all, I’ve already paid everyone, so I hope you’ll put in the work and effort.
With that, the mirror fell silent. Jonathan’s frown deepened as he stared at it. Judging by how earnest the messages sounded, he was sure that Sofus had been the one replying.
However, if the latter wasn’t the man in black, then who could it be?
On the bright side, the message also revealed a lot of important information about Summerbank Abyss, including the fact that it contained some of the most magical plants in the world.
Who would’ve imagined that those plants could boost an ordinary person to the advanced phase of the Grandmaster Realm in a short span of four years? Not only would people like Lauryn want to get their hands on it, but even someone in the God Realm like Jonathan would also get tempted by it.
Unsurprisingly, that irresistible temptation had given Lauryn and the others a change of heart. Ever since the man in black showed up, they had more or less decided to beat a hasty retreat.
After all, even though they had taken Sofus’ money and promised to find his mentor, there was no way they’d risk their lives for it.
However, things were different now. If there were a secret plant that could help produce a Grandmaster in just four years, taking it out of Summerbank Abyss would undoubtedly shock the entire martial arts world.
Even if they ate the plant at their current Grandmaster cultivation level, they might very well be able to achieve a breakthrough into the God Realm!
Cultivation had always been an act that defied the laws of nature, so any breakthrough, regardless of its magnitude, would never fail to excite the cultivators.
Now that there was an advancement opportunity within their reach, why would anyone in their right mind give up on it?
Jonathan, too, was no exception as he broke into a smile.
Previously, when he was battling Garrison of the Osborne family, the recoil of the bell had wounded his meridians and energy field. Therefore, what he needed most was spiritual energy to replenish and restore.
Now that he had somehow found his way into Summerbank Abyss, he felt as though it was fate that had led him there. After putting the bronze mirror away, Jonathan looked around for a while and finally decided to go in the opposite direction that Lauryn had taken.
The further he ventured into the dense forest, the more he could feel the spiritual energy changing in the air.
Although Sofus did say that there are magical plants that can boost one’s cultivation, the problem is I can’t identify more than half of the vegetation here! If I were to try them one by one, there’s a high chance I’d die from poisoning before I can even find the right plant. Instead of taking that risk, I might as well find a spot with high spiritual energy to restore and cultivate my golden core.
Having felt the ripples of spiritual energy in the air, Jonathan went full speed ahead. However, not even he had realized that the place he was going to was the core region of spiritual energy.
Meanwhile, back in the Serious Crime Unit in Summerbank, Leslie was holding a cup of coffee as twenty tired-looking police officers gathered around her.
At that moment, all eyes were on the big screen in front of them, where the video of Maverick’s hospital interrogation had been played four times.
Despite that, everyone still found the latter’s testimony incredibly baffling. As soon as the video ended, a gray-haired, middle-aged man stood up with a cigarette in his mouth.
“Hey, Bryce, you’re the expert at reading micro-expressions. Do you think this guy is telling the truth?” he asked. Upon hearing that, the man named Bryce let out a deep sigh before placing his stack of notes on the table.
“Although the suspect’s description of Ryan Leiter is wildly fantastical, based on my experience, I can confidently say that Maverick Carlson’s testimony is true.”
The next second, a heavy silence befell the office.
Jasper stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, his expression cold and indifferent.
“We’ve handled countless criminals and suspects, some of whom were martial artists too. Thankfully, they were only physically fitter and faster than the average person and were never much of a problem for us. Ryan Leiter, however, has far exceeded our expectations,” he said. “If everything that Maverick said is true, it’s highly possible that the two hundred missing people have become Ryan’s victims.
Who knows what else might happen if we don’t quickly bring someone like him to justice? I’ll report to the higher-ups immediately and apply for an arrest warrant. As for you guys, I want you to tap into your informants and track down Ryan’s whereabouts as soon as possible!”
“Yes, Sir!” the police officers replied in unison. Soon, everyone filed out of the room, leaving Leslie to stare blankly at the paused interrogation video on the screen.
The past few days had felt like an incredible fantasy to her. She had first learned about martial artists in the records before witnessing the scene at Triplex Manifesta on Summerbank Mountain. Later, she met Jonathan by chance and only managed to arrest Maverick with his help.
Even now, she still couldn’t forget how powerful Jonathan’s leaps were and how he had captured Maverick with just a few flicks of his finger. Everything was so bizarre!
If Ryan Leiter is as powerful as Jonathan Goldstein, it’ll be difficult for us regular police to capture him. But if we can’t effectively control him, we can only claim the moral high ground by admonishing him. What good would that be?
Right there and then, Leslie suddenly recalled the incident at Mirage Plaza and felt a shift in her beliefs.
Jonathan’s solution back then was violent, but it also proved to be the most direct and effective. Perhaps that’s the only way to tackle martial artists like Ryan Leiter.
