Chapter 362: Chapter 340: Controversy at the Competition (Part 1)

"Sir, your internal injuries are severe. It would be best not to use your Power right now."

The janitor glanced at Cassian Sherwood, took a small bottle from his pocket, and tossed it to him.

Cassian Sherwood caught it with one hand, cautiously examining the bottle and faintly smelling the medicinal aroma coming from within.

He set the bottle down and asked with a guarded expression, "What’s this for?"

The janitor put away his gun and replied with a smile, "Naturally, to lend the Sherwood Family a hand."

Cassian Sherwood’s expression remained unchanged as he sized him up.

’An ordinary face, wearing a mask. The way he just put away that gun was slick. He’s obviously been professionally trained.’

The janitor continued, "My Family Head is very grateful to the Sherwood Clan for escorting Mr. Grant home..."

"You’re from the Trent Family?" Cassian Sherwood asked, his expression calm.

The janitor nodded slightly.

"How will you help my clan?"

The janitor explained a plan in a low voice.

A moment later, Cassian Sherwood’s laughter echoed from within the room.

But soon, his laughter died abruptly. "Why should I trust you?"

The janitor took another bottle of medicine from his pocket. "This is a show of our sincerity."

"This is..."

"The phase three ’God’s Blessing’ drug. It develops potential up to 95%."

This time, Cassian Sherwood’s expression finally changed.

Initially, it was Matsumoto Pharmaceuticals in Niphoria that collaborated with IBG Corporation. To prevent the Sherwood Clan from opposing them like the Veridian Guardians, IBG proactively reached out to them, offering generous benefits in exchange for their cooperation.

At the time, the Family Head was Ronan Sherwood. He was staunchly opposed to this kind of drug development project and firmly refused to participate, citing the incident where Veridia’s Super Soldiers went out of control forty years ago.

But not long after, he died in a car crash. His daughter, Grace Sherwood, later became a "traitor" and fled the Sherwood Clan.

It wasn’t until recently that he learned Tate Sherwood was behind it all. By then, however, the Sherwood Clan’s collaboration with IBG was already so close that the ties could not be easily severed.

After learning in detail about the drug’s effects, he was indeed tempted. However, he didn’t want the Sherwood Clan to be beholden to IBG and Matsumoto Pharmaceuticals in the future. If they could bypass them, the Sherwood Clan could potentially reap the greatest benefits.

Previously, IBG’s laboratory in Niphoria had only reached the second phase of research, with the drug’s efficacy at 80%.

’To think the Trent Family’s lab has already reached the third phase.’

After a moment of silence, Cassian Sherwood countered, "How can I be sure this drug works?"

The janitor glanced at the bottle in his hand and said with a smile, "You can test it on the spot."

Afterward, Mr. Yuri called over a clansman who was scheduled to compete in the martial master tournament that afternoon and had him take the drug.

Unexpectedly, just before the competition began, the Strength of the clansman’s Power surged. Right there on the stage, he broke through three Levels in a row and won the Martial Master Level championship in one fell swoop.

This was an unprecedented event. To be safe, the organizing committee decided to take a blood sample from the Sherwood Clansman for testing.

Victor Trent watched coldly as the Warners went over to draw blood.

Half an hour later, the report showed no abnormal values. The organizing committee ruled that the Sherwood Clansman had experienced a normal breakthrough during the competition.

Immediately after, Victor Trent’s phone buzzed. He looked down and saw messages from the heads of the other Great Families.

Victor Trent let out a soft chuckle and looked up at Zane Lockwood and Emil Warner across from him.

His eyes were filled with triumph.

Zane Lockwood, his face grim, asked Emil Warner, "Was there really nothing abnormal?"

Emil Warner nodded gravely. "The values from the urine and blood tests were all within the normal range. I suspect it’s the ’God’s Blessing’ that the Trent Family is preparing to launch."

Zane Lockwood looked toward the area where the Sherwood Clan was seated, his eyes narrowing slightly.

***

Watching the competition from his hotel room, Cassian Sherwood burst into laughter and immediately told Mr. Yuri to contact Victor Trent’s people.

"Grand Elder, shouldn’t we wait a little longer? If there are side effects, the loss will outweigh the gain..."

Mr. Yuri felt a little uneasy. He had spoken with Grace Sherwood about the laboratory before.

Grace’s opinion of the laboratory was the same as her father’s; they were both strongly against it.

Cassian Sherwood thought for a moment. "Then we’ll wait two more days."

When Victor Trent learned that the Sherwood Clan wanted to wait two more days, he snorted in disdain.

In the lounge, the Sherwood Clansman who was enjoying the star treatment suddenly felt a stomachache. He clutched his abdomen and ran toward the restroom.

Just as he finished his business and stepped out of the restroom, he suddenly lost consciousness.

A figure hoisted his body over their shoulder and leaped out of the restroom window.

By the time the other clansmen noticed he was missing, an hour had passed.

Mr. Yuri, who was leading the group, immediately filed a report. The Martial Affairs Bureau quickly sealed off the entire venue.

Since the competition was still in progress, the Martial Affairs Bureau dispatched its agents in plain clothes to investigate and avoid causing a panic.

Upon hearing the news, Victor Trent’s face darkened. He turned to Zane Lockwood and said bluntly, "Master Lockwood, your family was in charge of security for this competition. Now that something like this has happened, don’t you think you owe the Sherwood Family an explanation?"

Zane Lockwood, refusing to be distracted, retorted sarcastically, "Master Trent, the Martial Affairs Bureau hasn’t even finished its investigation, and you’re already trying to pin the blame on the Lockwood Family. Aren’t you a little too eager?"

The two exchanged several verbal volleys, but neither could gain the upper hand. Instead, the atmosphere in the meeting room grew incredibly tense.

The members of the Trent and Lockwood families glared at each other, on the verge of coming to blows.

Victor Trent’s face was ashen with rage. ’I can’t believe the Lockwood Family would be so bold as to go after a Sherwood clansman just to sabotage our plan. Aren’t they afraid of starting an international incident?’

Meanwhile, Zane Lockwood was grinding his teeth in fury. ’To think that Victor Trent would play the victim like this just to bring down the Lockwood Family. It’s absolutely disgusting.’

***

On the rooftop of a high-rise building somewhere, Alvin Morgan looked at the man on the ground who was starting to wake up. "What did you eat before the competition?" he asked in a cold voice.

The man was so scared he tried to scream, but an immense pressure washed over him, and he could only hear the echo of his own scream in his mind.

He looked in terror toward a figure sitting cross-legged on the ground. He tried to scramble up and flee, but an invisible wall blocked his every escape route. It was as if he were trapped in an invisible cage.

"You’d better answer honestly, or you’ll never get out of here. Even if Cassian Sherwood himself were here, you wouldn’t be able to leave."

The words had barely faded when a figure shot to their feet and slammed a fist into a green silhouette.

The punch shattered Cassian Sherwood’s Power Domain. The new injury piled on top of his old ones, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"An invasion?" Dawn Miles asked, her hand clamped around his neck.

Blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Cassian Sherwood’s face went pale with shock. "It’s you?"

"You know me?"

Cassian Sherwood’s fists clenched. ’He never expected the person he’d ambushed to still be alive.’ Killing intent flared in his eyes.

Across from them, Alvin Morgan deduced the truth from Cassian’s question. His tone turned ice-cold as he said, "Aurora, don’t let him get away."

***

Suddenly, a massive roar from outside startled everyone in the meeting room. They shot to their feet and looked out the window.

Two figures, one in black and one in green, were apparently fighting in the sky. They gradually moved farther away, making them impossible to identify.

Victor Trent’s heart tightened. ’The green attire belongs to the Sherwood Clan. That means the one in black can only be a Guardian.’

Immediately after, a level-one alarm blared from outside, its shrill, piercing sound just like the one in Niphoria.

"What’s happening?" Arthur Whitlock immediately pulled out his phone to make a call.

Zane Lockwood looked at his phone and said in a cold voice, "A foreign Guardian has illegally entered the country."