Mason, who obtained the formula for the super serum, was excited. He wanted to rely on his ability to spend money to pave the way for his future personal manufacturing industry.

However, things didn't go as planned.

Before Mason could show off his skills, a slender figure suddenly appeared behind him in the bustling trading area and reached out to stop Mason's restless heart.

"Mr. Hunter has been waiting for you all day, Mason Cooper! You rude guy! Drop everything and go to his office immediately!"

"Ah, it's like a death sentence. I can't even relax and go to a market. "

Mason complained and handed the completed serum formula in his hand back to the blond young man in front of him. He smiled and pushed up the glasses on his nose, saying to the group of brothers in front of him, "Then I can only learn the essence of alchemy from you next time, little brother Alphonse and the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' Edward."

After speaking, he left with the mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared behind him, leaving the two brothers looking at each other.

"Alphonse! Did you tell him our real names?"

The short blond young man immediately turned around and glared at his armored brother. The latter, who had a mighty posture, waved his hands in panic and explained, "No, I didn't say anything, brother. I have always claimed that you are the 'Necromancer' and I am your cursed knight to scare people away.

I don't know who that person is... but he might really be an alchemist, not like those self-proclaimed witch doctors."

"Is that so?"

The young man named Edward turned his head and looked at the counter, where a business card was placed. He picked it up and looked at it, saying, "K Team? Mason Cooper? Huh, what an annoying guy. Alphonse, let's close up and go back to study this unicorn blood. I think I can make a lot of interesting things with it."

On the other side, after instructing Zack and Bucket not to buy things recklessly, Mason followed the messenger of Mr. Hunter and left the second-floor hall of Star Castle.

"I haven't seen you before. Are you a member of Mr. Hunter's team?"

As they walked into a very high-tech elevator that went straight to the top floor of the castle, Mason looked at the sister in front of him, who was wearing a robe that covered her body. He asked in confusion, "And I didn't receive any message from Mr. Hunter that he was waiting for me. Otherwise, why would he let such an important person wait for so long?"

"I have no obligation to answer any of your questions, Mason."

The voice of the young lady sounded very young and indifferent. "And does Mr. Hunter need to say such things himself? As the captain of the reserve direct team, shouldn't your first task after arriving at Star Castle be to visit your superior proactively? Don't you understand such basic social etiquette?"

"I understand."

Leaning against the constantly ascending elevator, Mason said in a gentle tone, "I'm just afraid that my meaningless visit will disturb Mr. Hunter's important work. When we last met, he told me to seize every opportunity to improve the strength of the K Team to cope with the exploration mission. As a new team captain who just joined the organization a month ago, I don't want to embarrass my superior in my first mission appearance."

"You've just heard too much nonsense."

The young lady standing in front of Mason said in a cold tone, "And you're resisting this fate. That's all."

"Can you read minds?"

Mason raised an eyebrow and said, "Otherwise, why did you say what I was thinking? You know that this behavior is annoying, right?"

"Hmph, I'm only responsible to Mr. Hunter, Mr. Mason."

The lady did not deny Mason's guess. She said, "But don't worry, mind reading is prohibited within the Star Castle. As for your thoughts... they can be seen without mind reading."

"So, are those terrifying encounters of Mr. Hunter's direct team that people told me about false?"

Mason adjusted his hat and released a magic called "Brain Closure" to prevent his thoughts from being read. The young man said, "My team members drank for an hour in the Star Tavern and heard about what Mr. Hunter has done in the past few years. The inexplicable annihilation of 13 teams. Over 40 A-level personnel and nearly 200 C-level personnel died in a foreign land. The other two great mentors each have at least ten direct teams under their command, while our Mr. Hunter only has two teams left that haven't been destroyed by her. Including my K Team and her own team, there are only four left. It's an exaggeration to call her a lonely person. Miss, are these spine-chilling rumors false? If you were me, wouldn't you resist when you heard these rumors?"

"They are all true."The young lady with her back to Mason shrugged and answered without any concealment, "Mr. Hunter is handling the most troublesome, severe, and deadly issues related to the exploration affairs of the Star Group. It is his duty as the exploration grand mentor. In order to complete this task, he needs the most fearless and courageous pioneers to accompany him in dangerous places. The high casualty rate is just superficial, Mason Cooper. You need to see the deeper meaning. If you are not defeated, you will become stronger. Those things that cannot kill you will only make you more powerful... That's all."

At this point, the messenger of Mr. Hunter laughed and said meaningfully, "Or do you think you are a natural weakling who only wants to be a useless person waiting to die?"

"If possible, who wouldn't want to live an easy, happy, and worry-free life?"

Mason shrugged and responded calmly, not belonging to his age, "After all, 'ideals' are not necessary in most of life. You can certainly have this crazy idea of 'survival of the fittest,' but you cannot expect everyone to believe in the cruel law of the jungle like you."

"Ding"

The elevator door opened at this moment.

There was only one room on this floor, and its door was right in front of the elevator.

The young lady pushed open the door and led Mason inside. The office and bedroom suite that appeared in front of him looked very quaint and elegant, making Mason feel like he had entered the bedroom of a medieval noble.

There was almost no modern decoration here.

And Mr. Hunter was still dressed in the same outfit, covering his body with a mask. He... she was sitting behind a huge mahogany desk, flipping through something like maps.

"Mason Cooper has arrived, sir."

The cold young lady from earlier reported to the grand mentor in a very respectful tone, while Mason stood with his hands tied, wearing a serious expression of a worker summoned by the boss.

"Well, thank you, Anna."

Mr. Hunter said in a disguised deep and hoarse male voice, "Now go and rest. The Xex team has just completed a difficult task and may need a few days off."

"I and my team can leave at any time, sir."

The young lady straightened her back and said, "Time is running out, and we just want to share more of your burden."

"Your every arrival moves me."

Mr. Hunter laughed, sighed, and said in a prolonged tone, "Unlike some heartless people who not only fail to solve problems but also create problems for me."

This statement made Mason raise an eyebrow. How does this sound like a pot calling the kettle black?

Am I the heartless person they're talking about? It shouldn't be, right?

Didn't I just kill more than twenty bastards for you?

"Since you still have spare capacity, go assist in the emergency evacuation of the 'Silent Hill' world."

Mr. Hunter handed a map to the young lady in front of him and instructed, "Several spellcaster teams under the Warlock are in charge of the evacuation there. You will assist them in collecting resources and transferring personnel from that world.

As before, try to complete it as soon as possible, Anna. The supernatural world in that world has always been very unstable, and the constantly expanding disaster illusions are stimulating it. It is estimated that a global supernatural crisis will be triggered before the impact occurs.

If possible, bring as many 'special products' as you can.

The transfer gate will be ready in seven hours.

You can go there first to assess the situation of the personnel who need to be evacuated."

"Understood, Grand Mentor Hunter."

The mysterious Miss Anna accepted the mission.

She turned around briskly and, as she passed by Mason, whispered in a low voice, "Stop overthinking, Mason. If you want to be 'one of us,' please be more honest."

After speaking, she left quickly, leaving Mason alone facing the busy Mr. Hunter.

The door closed behind him with a low sound, and the whole office fell silent. Mr. Hunter continued to deal with the documents at hand, seemingly not intending to talk to Mason.

The young man patiently waited without speaking.

At this moment, he was thinking about the conversation between Mr. Hunter and Captain Anna just now. An emergency evacuation in a world? And it is codenamed 'Silent Hill'?

And it produces unique supernatural creatures. Combining these pieces of information, Mason immediately had a preliminary guess.

"What are you thinking?"

Mr. Hunter placed a map in his hand and suddenly asked.

Mason immediately answered softly, "I'm guessing if this 'evacuation' is a large-scale operation and if it is related to the 'impact' I heard from Judy, the logistics personnel of the Neverlife Squad a few hours ago."

"You will see it with your own eyes soon."

Mr. Hunter waved his hand, not dwelling on this question.She said directly, "By then, you will understand many things. But I didn't summon you here today to talk about these problems that we can't solve. It's about your job report, Mason. Your report made us realize that there are hidden secrets behind the casualties in your base world. To be precise, after discussing with two other senior mentors, we have confirmed that our organization has a traitor! A shameless and cunning person who betrayed his comrades for personal gain! He has always disguised himself very well. He even deceived me! But this time, someone must pay the price for these losses!"

She said this with emphasis.

Mason's heart suddenly jumped, and then he saw Mr. Hunter stand up, walk around the desk, and approach him. When she was five steps away, she casually waved her hand.

A blood-stained, ancient, and elegant battle knife appeared in her hand.

This scene made Mason's hair stand on end.

Support us at pawread.com .

Could his guess be wrong?

Is Mr. Hunter not "one of us"? Did she lure him here just to reveal this and make him leave the protection of the Justice League?

With this thought in mind, Mason raised his hands and said, "Wait, I can explain..."

"No need to explain!"

Mr. Hunter said in a cold tone, "Traitors must die! Especially at this moment of impending crisis and panic, there is no reason to explain such a heinous betrayal. Isn't that right, Mason Cooper?"

"I don't want to either. Some things are indeed out of helplessness."

Mason's hand gripped the flintlock pistol at his waist, and his hat began to accumulate magic power, preparing to release a random teleportation.

"We have identified who the traitor is and have enough evidence. Now I'm going to finish this."

Mr. Hunter held the knife and moved forward, standing one step away from Mason.

Her eyes under the mask scrutinized Mason's expression. She certainly noticed his intention to resist, but she didn't care.

The difference in strength between the two was like a tyrannosaurus fighting an insect.

After a full three seconds of silence, just as Mason was about to make up his mind to resist, he heard Mr. Hunter's tone suddenly change, and she said in a low voice, "That damn traitor is Sandstorm! The guy you let go with your own hands. Therefore, you are also responsible for this, Mason Cooper. You have caused trouble for me at this critical moment. So, you have to find a way to solve this mess!"

"Huh?"

Mason's mood at this moment was shocked beyond words.

Wait! Hold on, how did Sandstorm, who has always been loyal to the cause of the Star Alliance, become a traitor for no reason? Hey, did you guys make a mistake?

The real traitor is right in front of you!

Do you know that you are slandering an innocent person?

If you don't need those eyes, you can donate them to someone in need.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hunter appreciated Mason's "wonderful" expression changes. She caressed the blood-colored battle knife in her hand and said in a prolonged voice, "What? Do you have any objections to Sandstorm being the traitor? If he is not, then it means there is another traitor, right? Little Mason, you have always been a very wise and clever person. So please tell me, if Sandstorm is not the traitor, then who could it be? If I remember correctly, besides him, the only members left after that incident were..."

"Cough, I absolutely didn't mean that! Sir, I have no secrets myself, and Team K is absolutely loyal!"

Mason said seriously, "I was just shocked by this terrible truth. Who could have thought that such a loyal person would hide such cold and terrifying thoughts? I actually gave him a way out while being deceived. This is really not right. Maybe I am really too young because my untimely kindness has caused trouble for you at this critical moment. I sincerely apologize for this."

"As long as you know."

Mr. Hunter snorted and said, "Young people always do things carelessly, always leaving unnecessary loose ends for others to clean up after. Remember to handle things cleanly if there is a next time."

Mason lowered his head and accepted the criticism from his superior.

He smiled.

All the negative emotions in his heart disappeared in an instant.

He was completely sure that the woman disguised as Mr. Hunter in front of him was one of them.

A true insider.

Someone who can reverse right and wrong, distort the truth, and label a high-ranking member as a traitor with just a flick of her finger.

This meant that he finally had an absolute backing in the damn Star Alliance. With this relationship, couldn't he walk sideways?

"Recognizing your mistakes means there is still hope."

Mr. Hunter put away the chilling and intimidating battle knife, reached out and patted Mason's shoulder, and casually said, "Since you caused this trouble, you have to solve it yourself. Before the third impact occurs, I want to see this matter perfectly resolved. As for Sandstorm's head... you will retrieve it for me."

This advice made Mason raise an eyebrow.He didn't expect the big shot in front of him to make such a request, but Mason didn't hesitate and made the right choice.

He nodded. After all, Mr. Sandstorm and the Six-Headed Snake Squad are not good people. The world of the Next Life Squad was infected with the zombie virus by them. Miss Judy still grits her teeth when she mentions them.

If Mason can take down Sandstorm, not only can he fulfill Mr. Hunter's instructions, but he can also improve the Next Life Squad's favorability.

It's a win-win situation. However, the most important problem now is that Mason doesn't think he necessarily has the ability.

"He escaped back to his base world. He said he has already taken control there, and the resources of the whole world are at his disposal, even if his main team members have been exhausted. But he still has reserve members."

Mason spread his hands and said to Mr. Hunter, who picked up the file again, "The K Squad was just established a month ago, and I am still in the process of recruiting members. Let us go deep into a controlled base world to execute the traitor.

What I mean is... won't it seem a bit difficult for us?"

"Indeed, it's like sending you to your death."

The Grand Mentor of the Starry Sky Society nodded seriously.

She calmly picked up a map and said softly, "But you should have inquired about my style of doing things, Mason. Those gossipers would fabricate rumors saying that I intentionally sent you to your death for my own amusement. I want to clarify this."

She looked up at Mason and said seriously, "Those are not rumors, it is indeed the truth! So, you better behave properly, Reserve Old K."