Chapter 6: Dragged Into a Huge Mess

Candace Scurr had always been the vain type. Back in college, she had picked Ethan Letherdale as her boyfriend for one simple reason: he was handsome. Taking him out made her look good in front of her classmates. They had not broken up after graduation, partly because he was good in bed, partly because he was easy to control, and probably because she had not lined up her next option yet. And once she latched onto Kyle Luet, she would have dumped Ethan sooner or later anyway, even if he had never caught them in the act. "Filthy bitch." After putting it all together, Ethan could not stop himself from cursing again. He wanted to call Candace back right then and there, drag her home, and make her pay for it. Payback could wait. The real problem was money. Getting Candace to return what she owed was basically impossible. She did not have a cent. He could only wait for payday. Aside from his base salary, the commission from the Scarlett Luet deal he had signed alone came to five hundred thousand. When his days off ended, Ethan went back to work like usual. He handled his routine tasks while silently counting down the days until his paycheck hit. "Ethan, come to my office." Payday finally arrived. Ethan was waiting for the bank text when Jason Zorn suddenly summoned him. What was it this time? "Not bad, kid." Jason Zorn motioned for him to sit, a sleazy grin spreading across his face. "Customer follow-up came back. Scarlett Luet thinks highly of you." Then he chuckled, eyes narrowing with crude amusement. "They say thirty is a wolf, forty is a tiger, and fifty can suck the dirt right off the ground. And you? You tamed that dry field in just a few moves. Impressive." "I just did my job," Ethan said flatly. "If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work." He could not be bothered to trade words with Jason and started to stand. "Young people are always in such a hurry." Jason's face hardened. He gestured sharply. "Sit." He fished half a pack of cigarettes out of a drawer and offered one. Ethan ignored it. Jason only laughed under his breath, took one for himself, and lit it. He took a few drags, then crushed what was left, more than half the cigarette, into the ashtray before speaking again. "I've got something for you to handle." "If it's work-related, I'll do my best." "Not really work-related," Jason said, voice turning solemn. "But if you do this right, it'll be worth more than signing a hundred deals." He glanced around warily before leaning in. "Next, you're going to keep Scarlett Luet sweet. Then you're going to find out everything about her and report it to me." "Everything about her?" Ethan frowned. A faint chill crept up his spine. "What exactly do you mean?" "Her cultivation, her health," Jason said, lowering his voice even further. "Most importantly, the next time she leaves the city. When, where, who she brings, what Equipment she carries. I want it all. The more detail, the better." He smiled as if he were offering a gift. "Get it done, and I'll make you a supervisor." "You want me to…" Ethan's brow furrowed deeper, his expression tightening. If this were about selling Potion, all he needed was her preferences, then he could cater to them. But Jason wanted intel on her next trip out of the city. That had almost nothing to do with Potion sales. It sounded more like someone was planning to move against Scarlett Luet. With that information, whoever was behind this could set up an ambush tailored to her. Scarlett Luet was in danger. The thought hit Ethan like a punch, draining the color from his face. "I'm not doing it." Scarlett had treated him well. How could he repay kindness with betrayal? More than that, this was dangerous. Scheming against a Seven Star Warrior… if it got exposed, even if Scarlett did not kill him herself, the law would still bury him in prison for the rest of his life. "Not doing it?" Jason let out a soft, amused scoff, sweeping Ethan with a cold look. "You really are fresh out of school. You still think things like 'honor' and 'morality' mean something. They're worthless. Money and power are what count. Fine. Do it, and besides making you a supervisor, I'll give you one million as a bonus." "I said I'm not doing it." Ethan's voice turned hard. The higher the price, the more important the job. And the more important the job, the bigger the risk. "Damn it!" Jason's face sank, his gaze turning vicious. "You think I'm negotiating with you? Idiot. You already know about this. Whether you do it or not isn't up to you anymore. You either handle it, or you wait to die." "…" Ethan fell silent. A million-dollar bonus and a guaranteed promotion to supervisor were not things Jason could promise on his own. Anyone with half a brain knew Jason did not have the power to go after Scarlett Luet. Which meant someone else stood behind him. A Meridian Opening Martial Artist. A Star Core Warrior. A Warrior was a terrifying existence far beyond ordinary Martial Artist. Scarlett Luet was a Seven Star Warrior. Anyone daring to target her had to be at least on her level. A mid-to-high High-level Warrior using Jason like a dog suddenly made perfect sense. Jason was right about one thing. If Ethan refused, he would become an enemy. And then they would silence him. To someone like that, killing Ethan would be no harder than crushing an ant. A bone-deep cold rose from the pit of his stomach, spreading through his limbs. "…Fine." After a brief pause, Ethan nodded. If he did not agree, he would die. He had no choice. At least Scarlett was injured. She probably would not leave the city anytime soon. And in any case, a Martial Artist's schedule for going out of the city was confidential. It was not something you could just casually dig up. Meaning even if he agreed, he still had some time. He would say yes to stay alive. As for what he did afterward… he would figure it out. "That's more like it." Jason's smile returned, then his face darkened again. "Remember, don't try anything. If you play games and pretend to cooperate while doing nothing, you'll die ugly." "Understood," Ethan said. He stood and walked out. Once he left the office, he drew in a deep breath. His heart still hammered with panic. Somehow, he had been dragged into a massive mess. Ding! A text alert sounded. His salary had arrived. But Ethan could not bring himself to feel excited. He placed an order for the materials he had already left sitting in his online cart. A few days later, all the Potion materials arrived. Ethan took leave from Jason Zorn, using "deepening my relationship with Scarlett Luet" as his excuse. He shut the doors and windows tight, drew the curtains, and laid out the equipment he had already washed and air-dried. Then he began refining the Potion. Crush. Filter. Purify… Following the formula, Ethan worked with painstaking care, step by step. Just as he had expected, the process was not complicated, and it did not require any advanced technique. What made this formula different was not only the unexpected choice of a few materials, but the crucial details: the order each solution was added, the dosage, and the settling time. "It's done!" After more than eight hours, Ethan ended up with twenty-eight tubes of blood-red Potion. But unlike ordinary Blood-Energy Strengthening Potion, these twenty-eight tubes held a deep, heavy red that shimmered with faint specks of starlight. One glance was enough to tell they were anything but ordinary. "Hah…" Ethan inhaled slowly, then let it out. In the bathroom, he lifted a syringe of Potion and aimed it at his arm.