The Genius Evolution Store

”So, how’s it going?” Arnie asked while walking toward his office.

Jennifer took out the document. ”This is the report so far. We haven’t been able to find anything from them.”

”I guess I should rough them up.” Arnie nodded.

”They’re demanding immunity and protection if you want their cooperation.”

”We don’t do that here. Your only option is to die. The only difference is how you’re going to die.” Arnie shook his head. ”Anyway, have you looked into the patients?”

”Sorry?”

”I need to take a look at the patients’ files again. Let’s go to your desk instead.”

”I... understand.” Jennifer nodded and brought him to her desk.

”Open the file for the patients. I need to find something.”

”What is it?”

”According to our informant, something has changed in the middle, which ended up evolving the poison. The timeline should be between these four people.”

”Hmm? Well, weren’t they just making a breakthrough in their research?”

”That’s what I think too, but I don’t want to dismiss it completely. According to that informant, the materials were changing.”

”...” Jennifer fell silent and tried to pull all the files. She hadn’t included the material supplier before, so she carefully checked the names. ”Hmm?”

”Did you notice something?”

”I am not exactly sure yet. Please take a look at this.” Jennifer showed the logbook. ”There are three different suppliers among the four of them. However, these four victims are not located that far from each other.

”Looking at the ruins near the area as well as calculating their elements, it’s clear that they only need poison from two laboratories, here and here.

”The laboratories will try to get the supplies from local suppliers. They don’t ask much, especially with such a large purchase.”

”So, there is one supplier that shouldn’t be in the picture?”

”Yes, sir.”

Arnie’s expression turned solemn. It was quite thin, but the suspicion was there. Auric wasn’t someone who would tell him useless information, so there might be something if he pursued this lead.

”I guess I have to take a look at this supplier...” Arnie looked at Jennifer and smiled wryly. ”You know what? How about we go together this time?”

Jennifer’s expression brightened. She had been dealing with so much paperwork lately, while Arnie traveled around.

That was why she felt happy that Arnie was planning to bring her along. ”I will get ready.”

”Take your time. We will head out in two hours. Buy the tickets and other things.” Arnie walked back to his room. ”I’m going to read the report first.”

...

While Arnie was pursuing a new lead, the organization had also found a new lead.

”So, what do we have?”

”Please take a look at this, sir.”

The mysterious man took a glance at the report and said, ”The evolution master that cured the poisoned victims. I know that already.”

”It’s said that this evolution master is planning to leave the city. Once this person is no longer in the Aheron family’s protection, we are thinking about sweeping in and capturing him.”

The mysterious man fell silent. ”Suit yourself. I don’t think it’s going to work. Rather, it’s better to focus on finding the identity of this person. Where is he going next? Where did he come from? Check the airline’s database.”

”We have been looking, but there is no data about this person. When he first met Axel Aheron at the airport, we had checked the airline’s database, but there were only 200 passengers. It was as if he were the 201st passenger.”

”In that case, investigate Axel Aheron. There might be a slip-up somewhere. Check where he has been traveling in the past two months.”

”Understood.”

The mysterious man narrowed his eyes. The adjudicators were onto him, and he still hadn’t been able to play a single correct move.

The adjudicators might be fast, but they shouldn’t be this fast. This evolution master might have played a crucial role in helping the adjudicators figure them out.

That was why he wanted to capture the evolution master first. No one knew what would happen after that.

...

Arnie, on the other hand, had arrived at the shop where the organization had bought the materials.

”So...” Arnie simply stood there, staring at him coldly.

Jennifer was already taking out a car battery.

”I don’t know anything.” The guy looked at Jennifer and panicked. He struggled, but his hands and feet were already tied to the chair.

”Well, I’m letting the newbie take care of you... I mean, letting a beautiful woman take care of you. If it were up to me, your body would have started melting already. Do you know how it feels for your body to melt? I have never seen a single person who has managed to stay silent when it reaches that point.”

The guy gulped. ”No, I seriously don’t know anything. I only sold those items to the buyer. It was a very large order, so I didn’t ask anything.”

”So...” Arnie raised his hand, and a big flame appeared on top of his finger.

The intense heat left the guy unable to think much. He hurriedly said, ”Okay, okay. There was one thing I didn’t tell you. There was one more material that they bought from me.”

Arnie didn’t have a change of expression, but he was quite surprised that Auric gave an incredible lead. ”And what is that?”

The guy took a few deep breaths. Seeing that he still wasn’t talking, Jennifer came closer.

The guy trembled and said, ”Okay, okay. I will speak. It’s Prolporil.”

”That’s a banned substance that can be used to weaken a person’s element.” Jennifer frowned. ”Even evolution masters didn’t dare to use that substance because it would also weaken their element, which made the evolution process unstable. Are they using it as the main substance to stop evolution?”

”No.” Arnie frowned. ”They might be using it to create the poison. They were weakening the elements so that they could fuse the two elements into one.”

”Ah.” Jennifer remembered the basic elements. They were usually drawn in a hexagram. Starting from the top were fire, water, lightning, wind, earth, and plant elements in the clockwise direction.

In the previous version, they used two elements that were opposite to each other, such as fire and wind. They didn’t react as much as plant and wind or water and wind.

After all, the former was only separated by the earth element, while the latter only had a lightning element between them.

That was why they needed to weaken them first before they could fuse them with the barrier.

This might be the secret behind how they created the new generation of poison, Arnie thought.

Auric might have figured this out before voicing his suspicions.

This store might have been dealing with the banned drug all this time.

Arnie looked at the guy and asked, ”How did you get this substance?”

”I... Aahhhhh!” The guy screamed, feeling the electrocution.

”Speak,” Jennifer whispered coldly.

”Haa... Haa...” The guy panted heavily. ”I got it from a dealer called Jeremiah. I don’t know anything else. Please...”

”Well...” Arnie turned around as though he were done with the questioning. He gestured to Jennifer to go back with him.

The guy thought he was able to escape, but his body suddenly felt hot. ”Aaaahhhhh!”

He suddenly screamed for a while until he was reduced to nothing.

Arnie simply said, ”The banned drug is a problem, but this is a significant lead. I need you to look at the movement of this drug throughout the country. I will notify the police to apprehend this small-time dealer. Or do you want to reverse the roles?”

”May I get some action?”

”Of course.”

”In that case, I will try to capture this dealer.”

”However, this time, I need you to involve the official law enforcement. Don’t handle it alone.”

”May I know why, sir? I can catch the dealer myself.”

”You can, but I want to startle them so that I can catch their movements. It’s not like we’re planning to catch all of them and throw them into jail. I just want the ones that have a connection with the organization.”

”I understand.” Jennifer nodded.

...

With his mission accomplished, Auric simply continued treating the patient normally, not thinking about searching for interesting elements. Besides, he didn’t find another element he was interested in. There was one light element with a healing attribute, but he didn’t think it was more useful than his mother’s element.

Hence, he skipped everything else. As a result, time passed very quickly.

To his surprise, Lindwurm was actually spot-on.

After he helped Paul evolve, Auric returned to the Aheron family. Axel was trying to smooth things over with him as a ’friend.’

If Lindwurm didn’t say anything, he would think that Axel was just doing the natural thing to do.

However, he realized it wasn’t true.

Lindwurm might not reveal everything, but he never lied to him. That was why he could at least trust Lindwurm’s words.

Besides, there was no benefit for Lindwurm to trick him. It looked like he really needed to be more cautious with the people surrounding him.

Nevertheless, he kept everything in his mind. Even though he built a wall, he didn’t show it openly.

Seven days had passed since he opened his store. It was time for him to head to the capital city.

Before boarding the last flight, Auric extended his hand. ”Thank you for your hospitality for the past eight days. I enjoyed my stay here.”

”With pleasure. I hope we can meet again soon.” Axel smiled. ”By the way, how is your relationship with Ellia?”

”Hmm?” Auric frowned. ”Are you going to warn me again?”

”Not really. While it’s true that Ellia might be like a devil, she is a very capable person. Still, you need to be careful in the capital city. That’s where her family is, so there’s no telling what will happen to you there. Considering the relationship she has with her parents...”

Auric tilted his head. ”What?”

Axel came closer and whispered, ”They might be trying to marry her off against her will. My grandfather didn’t believe they could do that because Ellia had been expanding her business and becoming someone with a vital role in the family’s business. So, she had her say within the family.

”But it might not stop them from doing such a thing. It might make people want her even more. Her parents might actually use those people to eliminate you.”

”...” Auric frowned. As Lindwurm said, as he went up in rank, he really met all kinds of schemers.

If they wanted Ellia, it was only natural for them to remove the pests around her. He was probably the closest man around Ellia, so that made him a prime target.

However, he couldn’t abandon Ellia just yet. She was currently providing so many things to him.

Auric realized that this might also be how her family saw her.

Nevertheless, there was already a contract between them that made him her evolution master.

So, Auric had no choice but to go through with it.

”Well, I will just deal with them then.” Auric nodded. His head felt like it was about to explode. He remembered what Vera said about her and Ellia as the daughters of wealthy families.

Axel’s words had just confirmed that there would be more trouble coming his way once he stepped into the capital city.

’I guess it’s time to do that...’ Auric had made one social media account for his Sun Store. He hadn’t posted anything yet, but he might have to start using it soon to build up the Sun Store’s reputation even faster.

This way, he would have a card to play in case some people targeted him.

”Anyway, I have to board my plane now.” Auric took a step back. ”Take care of yourself.”

”Yep. Be careful on the way.” Axel waved his hand.

Auric walked away, not realizing that something else was happening in the airport.

In a corner of the lobby, there was a person lying on the ground. His throat had been slit, but the blood was contained carefully.

A mysterious man was observing Auric from afar before tapping his earpiece, reporting, ”All targets have been neutralized. Eagle has boarded the plane. Shadow 099, out.”