Chapter 5: Black Gold, Section 10

Though the two of them exchanged sharp words from start to finish, Black Hair’s plans never changed. Any talk of compromise or solutions was complete nonsense. From the beginning, Black Hair never believed that someone accustomed to oppression from a high position and possessing immense power could resolve issues through negotiation. Allowing his own fate and those of others to be controlled by them was never an option for him. After countless plans and considerations, it all boiled down to one sentence:
To shoot the enemy, shoot their horse first; to capture the thief…
Capture the king first!!!
Black Hair wasn’t lying. As an improved version of Swallow Thunder, the Lightning Speed currently acting on him had achieved a 274% boost. The direct result was that he turned into a black line invisible to the naked eye. With each step he took, tremendous force caused the ground to shake violently. His extreme speed created intense friction between the air and his body, filling the air with a burnt smell.
A distance of 130 meters—at such speed, it was truly just an instant. Black Hair was even more convinced that even if a solid metal fortress suddenly appeared in front of Karei, it couldn’t stop his transformed left hand in the slightest!!
But what he hadn’t anticipated was Karei’s mindset.
That middle-aged man, whom he had always considered formidable, turned out to be far more cautious than he imagined.
“Bang!!”
With a deep thud, Black Hair felt as though he had collided with a thick net. His high-speed momentum instantly slowed to a crawl, and the massive kinetic energy in his body vanished in an instant. His target was right in front of him, yet he couldn’t take another step forward. The sense of failure left him so distressed he almost vomited blood. At the same time, immense pressure seemed to emerge from every corner of the space, pressing down on his body. If not for his intense focus, Black Hair could have even heard the cracking of his bones.
“Surprised, Black Hair?” Standing there with his hands behind his back, Karei didn’t move at all. He watched Black Hair, who could no longer advance, with a cruel smile on his face.
“Do you really think Black Gold, who controls 23% of the Belin black market, wouldn’t know what you bought yesterday? Swallow Thunder, Lightning Speed—these outdated gadgets are completely unnecessary here.”

After a pause, Kare tried to calm his agitated breathing, his face turning slightly red before the blush vanished instantly.
“Did you notice that golden line beneath your feet? That’s the negative element field.”
Negative element field?
The black-haired man’s pupils constricted sharply as information about such a device flashed through his mind. It was something utterly impossible to buy on the arms market—a remarkable technological achievement of human magic civilization. It possessed the ability to collect and control negative elements in the surrounding space. Under its influence, the user could manipulate air density, pressure, gravity, and various elemental substances within a certain area to their advantage. In other words, it allowed one to become a god-like being.
This was undoubtedly terrifying. Theoretically, if the device’s range was large enough, it could even easily create a blizzard. It was a miraculous device that allowed one to simulate nature at will. If not for its enormous size, difficulty of installation, high precision requirements, rare materials, and limited range, humans could even become true gods with such a device.
“Surprised?” Kare chuckled softly, taking slow steps forward until he stood in front of the black-haired man. His well-maintained right hand gently and steadily rested on the man’s outstretched fist.
“For someone as dangerous as you, no precaution is too much. I’m glad my caution saved my life once again. Mr. Blackhair, perhaps now we can really sit down and talk properly. Or maybe you’re interested in a position as my assistant?”
Kare’s voice was gentle, yet undeniably highly persuasive. Having held high positions for a long time, he knew exactly which tactics worked best for different people. Although there wasn’t much information about the black-haired man, he believed that power and money were usually the most effective tools.
At that moment, Blood-Pupil also stopped in his tracks, eyes wide as he stared in disbelief at the black-haired man, completely trapped by gravity. He was utterly stunned, unable to pay attention to those massive magic mechs that were rapidly forming a circle to enclose him and Sulei entirely.

The change was too sudden—from verbal clashes at the beginning to Black Hair suddenly launching an attack. Blood Pupil even thought he would win right away. But in just an instant, the situation turned so desperate that he really couldn’t think of any way to get them out of this predicament.

Yet that Karei was utterly foolish. Did he really think Black Hair was the kind of person who could be bought with power? Blood Pupil thought maliciously, gripping his large-caliber pistol even tighter.

At that moment, Black Hair finally spoke up.

“I can give up if you want. Just give Sulei an explanation.”

What? Karei’s eyes widened in shock; he couldn’t believe what he heard.

What a joke! Was this young man with black hair really someone who had lost his mind? He clearly knew that under these circumstances, killing them would be as easy as squishing an ant—without even lifting a finger, just with a thought. Yet he still dared to make such outrageous claims. What did that mean?

His mind raced, and the smile on Karei’s face finally faded. After studying Black Hair for a moment longer, he sighed deeply.

“It seems I underestimated you, Black Hair. Though we’ve only been together for a short time, you’re still the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. Or rather, you don’t care about your own life at all. But have you thought about your companions?”

“Your companions will lose their lives because of your stubbornness. Under my mecha’s protection, they’ll turn into piles of rotting flesh. Tomorrow, maybe some stray dog will go wild over such a feast. Is this what you want?”

Karei’s voice grew colder, but his heart was filled with triumph. Because he saw that Black Hair’s previously indifferent gaze finally changed—becoming confused, strange, and filled with something… completely indescribable.

For some reason, Karei suddenly felt as if something had been unlocked within him. Without any reason, a bone-chilling chill enveloped him entirely…