The subordinate beside the man chimed in, "That was this year''s underground


    fighting champion. He didn''t evenst a minute against that thing. It''s getting more ferocious."


    The man shook his head. "No, the food is just too weak. If I threw Tarquin in there, the fish would be the one to die."


    The subordinate immediately agreed. "Of course, he''s no match for Mr. Bradford."


    The man sighed wistfully. "Sooner orter, I''m going to catch Tarquin, throw him in there, and let you all witness what real excitement looks like."


    With that, he turned and left the room, stepping outside. The vast, endless ocean stretched out before him. He settled into a rattan lounge chair to bask in the sun, facing the sea. His subordinate stood at a respectful distance behind him, not daring to approach.


    A few cats, ying on the sand, saw him sit down and padded over with delicate steps, leaping onto hisp to be petted. The man was affectionate with them, stroking their fur gently and scratching them behind the ears.


    On a small table next to his chair sat a cup of the same green tea Tarquin often drank. The man sipped his tea while ying with the cats. His hands were long and fair, clearly the hands of a wealthy man who had never known a day of hardbor. The watch on his wrist was a vintage, limited-edition Vacheron timepiece, identical to the one Tarquin always wore. Only two existed in the world, custom-made. Tarquin had one, and he had the other.


    “What''s the situation in Border City?"


    Standing several meters behind him, the subordinate reported, "Our tail says that because Lowell was injured, Mr. Bradford went to the mountain vige today. He stayed at the clinic while Lowell was on an IV drip, and they left as soon as it was done."


    "Our tail was watching them the entire time and didn''t see anything out of the ordinary. It really seems like Mr. Bradford just went to consult with Sutton."


    The man let out a coldugh, his hand slowly running over the cat''s fur as it sat in hisp. His voice was calm and unhurried. “Impossible. I know Tarquin. He wouldn''t go to Border City for no reason. With his abilities, dealing with the Punikun Family would be child''s y; he wouldn''t need to put in this much effort. This trip to Border City wasn''t for Sutton."


    The subordinate asked cautiously, "Do you suspect Mr. Bradford is looking for the 8th generation?"


    The man neither confirmed nor denied it, simply letting out a long breath. "Tarquin''s motives have always been difficult to guess."


    "I''ll tell our informant to keep a closer watch, then," the subordinate said.


    The man''s voice remained cid. "Our informant is no match for Tarquin. Trying to get anything on him is like trying to catch smoke in your hands. Tell him to forget about Tarquin himself. Have him quietly grab the people Tarqum has been in contact with and interrogate them."


    “Understood,” the subordinate nodded. “I''ll ry the message.”


    In Border City, Tarquin and Lowell went straight back to their residence, not to Sutton''s house. The moment they were inside, Lowell locked the door and ripped open the bup sack.


    Inside was indeed a freshly butcheredmb, skinned and cleaned. Lowell reached into themb''s belly and, as expected, pulled out a ck stic bag.


    He quickly opened it. Inside was a thick winter jacket. Unfolding the jacket, he found another, cleaner stic bag towell wiped his hands, opened the finalyer and revealed a ck box.


    It was a small, rectangr box, about the size of a standard tissue box—a miniature safe.


    “Tarquin!” Lowell eximed, his voice filled with excitement.


    Tarquin stared at the box, his brow furrowed. It had abination lock and was made of a rare, durable material, brute force would be


    1''


    useless against it was high-tech for its time, even by today''s O standards.


    Tarquin picked it up for a closer look. On the back was a small note with two lines of text. Tarquin recognized Elizabeth''s handwriting instantly:


    【There is no gold or silver inside, but its contents are extremely dangerous.


    You have only five attempts to enter the password. On the fifth wrong entry, the box


    will self-destruct. To anyone who finds this by mistake, do not attempt to open it blindly.)