Chapter 271

Chapter 271

"A hundred Gold Sala for you kids to bury these balls in different places around the island." The middle-aged man kicked the cloth bag with his foot, stating the task in a tone that brooked no argument. "Under the stone slabs at the dock, by the arena fence, under the streetlights on Commercial Street, and at the base of the outer wall of Blackstone Prison. Bury two at each spot. Finish before dark. Leave no traces, and don't tell anyone—not the night watchmen or the guards!"

The sum of a hundred Gold Sala stunned the children; they had never seen so much money. But looking at the black orbs that emanated a chilling aura, none dared to covet them. Ali quietly nudged Xiao Ya's arm, his eyes full of confusion—what kind of person would spend so much money to have a bunch of street children bury these strange orbs? What were these orbs, anyway?

"Anyone who dares to slack off, leak information, or lose a single ball won't get another bite to eat!" The middle-aged man swept his fierce gaze over the children, then kicked the basket of potatoes again. "When you're done, everyone gets two potatoes. Anyone who does well gets an extra piece of bread. Now, come get your balls, hurry!"

The children didn't dare hesitate. One by one, they stepped forward, each taking two black orbs and carefully tucking them into their clothes. The chilling aura of the orbs penetrated through their garments, making them shiver involuntarily.

After getting his balls, Ali clutched them tightly in his hand. Suddenly, the image of Evan flashed through his mind—that gentleman not only gave them gold coins and pastries but also warned them to avoid dangerous guards. He was the only one who had shown them kindness.

These orbs looked suspicious. Buried in different places on the island, they might cause danger. That gentleman was still on Commercial Street—would he be affected?

A pang of unease stirred in Ali's heart. He secretly exchanged glances with Xiao Ya, and they saw the same hesitation and worry in each other's eyes. They knew how brutal the middle-aged man was; the consequences of betrayal would be unimaginable. But remembering Evan's kindness, they couldn't bear to see him walk into potential danger.

The middle-aged man leaned against the wall, arms crossed, dozing off and occasionally snoring, clearly drunk. He left only two slightly older children to watch over the others, to prevent anyone from escaping. Holding the black orbs, the children filed out of the abandoned house and scattered toward the locations the man had specified. Ali and Xiao Ya deliberately lingered behind. When the others were far away, they ducked into a nearby alley.

"Xiao Ya, those balls are not right. They might be dangerous," Ali whispered urgently. "That kind gentleman is still out there. If we bury them on Commercial Street, he might get hurt. Should we... go and tell him?"

Xiao Ya bit her lip, her eyes full of inner conflict. "But if Scarface (the middle-aged man) finds out, we'll die!"

They fell silent. The orbs in their arms continued to radiate a chilling aura, as if urging them to complete the task quickly.

Ali looked at the Silver Keren in his hand and remembered Evan's gentle tone. He gritted his teeth. "That gentleman helped us. We can't just let him die. We'll sneak a warning to him, then bury the balls quickly, so Scarface doesn't find out."

Xiao Ya hesitated for a moment, then nodded. The two carefully ran toward Commercial Street. The black orbs in their arms and the warning they had to deliver to Evan became the heaviest burden at this moment.

Meanwhile, on Commercial Street, Evan was following Cruz toward the black market shop.

The Blood-eyed Raven circled high above, letting out a sudden low cry. Its red eyes stared intently in the direction of the alley, as if detecting something unusual.

Evan stopped and looked in the direction the Raven indicated. He saw two thin figures running swiftly toward him—the same Ali and Xiao Ya he had helped earlier.

Following the direction the Blood-eyed Raven indicated, Evan saw Ali and Xiao Ya crouched behind the corner of a wall not far away. Only their small, sallow faces peeked out as they glanced anxiously in his direction, their eyes filled with fear and urgency. Their small hands clutched the hems of their clothes tightly, as if something were weighing on them. The bustling crowd and noisy voices masked their presence; without the Raven's warning, it would have been hard to notice these two tiny figures.

Evan gestured for Cruz and the Maid Doll to stay where they were while he walked over slowly, softening his steps and keeping his tone gentle, afraid to startle them. "It's you two. What's wrong? Do you need more help?"

He deliberately spoke more slowly, a slight smile on his face, trying to dispel the fear in the children's eyes.

Ali and Xiao Ya exchanged glances, both seeing the struggle in each other's eyes. They bit their lips, and when no one was looking, quickly scurried over to Evan. In a voice so low it was almost a whisper, they spoke in hurried breaths: "Sir, you need to leave Prison Island! Something bad is going to happen. Leave as soon as you can!"

Their tone was filled with genuine concern, but they dared not say another word. Their eyes kept scanning the surroundings, as if wary of the middle-aged man's informants.

Evan's heart sank. He was about to ask, "What's going on?" but before he could finish, Ali seemed to hear something. He tugged Xiao Ya's arm, and their expressions changed in an instant. Without a moment's hesitation, they turned and ran deeper into the alley. Their small figures wove through the crowded streets and soon disappeared into a narrow lane.

Evan did not chase after them. He knew the children must have had pressing reasons to keep silent; pressing them further would only cause more panic and might even expose them.

He looked up and gave a silent command to the Blood-eyed Raven in the sky: Follow them, stay hidden, don't be discovered.

The Blood-eyed Raven let out a very soft call in response, circled once, and then flew off after the children's disappearing figures. Its red eyes locked onto the two tiny forms from high above.

"Sir, should I send someone to investigate?" Cruz quickly stepped up beside Evan and asked in a low, serious tone.

He sensed that this was no trivial matter. The children's warning was not baseless.

Evan shook his head, his gaze fixed on the Raven's transmissions. "No need. The Raven is following them. Let's see what they're up to first."

A moment later, the Blood-eyed Raven's perception sent back information—the two children had run to the back street of a restaurant, where discarded ingredients and trash bins piled up, making the place smell foul and rarely visited.

Ali and Xiao Ya looked around cautiously. Confirming no one was watching, they pulled out the two black orbs, quickly dug shallow pits near the trash bins, buried the orbs, and covered the spots with dirt and debris. After checking repeatedly to ensure no traces remained, they hurried away to complete the remaining tasks.

Evan pressed his lips together and tapped his storage ring.

A gray mouse doll quietly landed on the ground, scurried along the wall, nimbly weaving through obstacles, and entered the back street of the restaurant. This mouse doll was specially modified by him, skilled at covert reconnaissance and digging, perfect for handling such secretive scenes.

With its sharp claws, it quickly dug up the two black orbs, picked them up in its mouth, and returned along the same path to Evan, placing the orbs in his palm.

Evan picked up one of the orbs. The moment his fingertips touched it, he felt a familiar chilling supernatural fluctuation, clearer than before.

He concentrated, channeling his spirituality through his fingertips, letting it seep into the orb. After a moment, his face darkened, and his entire demeanor turned grave. Cruz, standing beside him, noticed the change and quickly asked, "Sir, what is it? Are these things dangerous?"

"Not dangerous—it's a big problem." Evan's voice carried a chill. He placed the black orb on his palm and said solemnly, "This is a supernatural bomb. And a special kind—it doesn't rely on an open flame to detonate. Instead, it absorbs surrounding supernatural fluctuations to trigger. Its power is immense; it could level half of Commercial Street. What's more troublesome is that its detonation threshold is extremely low. Even a Sequence 9 supernatural could set it off."

Cruz's face changed, his eyes sharpening instantly. "A supernatural bomb? Who would plant something like this on Prison Island? Trying to create chaos and take the chance to stage a jailbreak?"

The core of Prison Island was Blackstone Prison. If a massive explosion occurred on the island, it would inevitably cause chaos. The guards would be too occupied to respond, making it the perfect time for a jailbreak.

Evan didn't speak. He lightly rubbed the surface of the black orb with his fingertips, a cold glint in his eyes.

He could guess that this wasn't a single bomb. If all these bombs were detonated simultaneously, the entire Prison Island would be consumed by flames, with countless casualties.

Evan put the black orb into his storage ring and had the mouse doll return to the back street, fill the hole back in, and erase all traces of digging. "Don't alert them yet. Keep the Raven following them to find out how many bombs they're to bury and where that middle-aged man who hired them is hiding."

He knew that intervening rashly to stop the children would only expose himself and might spook the mastermind into detonating the bombs prematurely.

For now, the safest course was to understand the enemy's layout, determine the total number and placement of the bombs, and then figure out how to handle it. Besides, the Night Watchmen were currently busy with the unusual activity at Blackstone Prison and might not believe his words. Better to rely on himself to handle the situation.

"Also, instruct the Maid Doll to keep watch for any supernatural fluctuations nearby. If she detects similar chilling auras, she's to alert us immediately." Evan added in a tone that left no room for argument. "We'll go to the black market shop first, pretend to continue searching for materials, and secretly have the Raven map out the bomb placements. Once we have a clear picture, we'll make our move."

Cruz responded solemnly, "Understood, sir."

The Blood-eyed Raven continued tracking Ali and Xiao Ya from above, while the mouse doll lurked in the shadows, ready. Evan and his group seemingly continued walking toward the black market shop at a leisurely pace, but every step was cautious. The lingering chill in his palm reminded Evan that a crisis capable of destroying the entire Prison Island was brewing quietly—and he was the only one who knew about it.