As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 249 The Challenger's Purpose
"The people at Aurora Life Sciences probably still want to improve 'Silver Moon Meteor' and re-release it at a later date."

Kelly Gracey seemed to know a lot about the inside story: "This company rose to prominence by exploring the Echoes of the Second Age, and its most famous card series in the past was the Martial Arts Cards, which sealed the remnants of the magnetic field powerhouses."

"This is their first foray into the realm of the Fourth Era, the realm of the Strange Machine Civilization. They are ambitious and have adopted the method of 'official overclocking' in an attempt to make the bronze card exert the power of the silver card. As a result, it is full of loopholes, which is not surprising."

"I think the higher-ups at Aurora Life were prepared for the problems with 'Silver Moon Meteor,' otherwise they wouldn't have released such an important card in a border city. It was to minimize the impact should things go wrong."

"Now that the problem has been exposed, they might as well cooperate with Jean-Jacques and use the high-intensity battles in the underground arena to conduct practical tests and fix the card's problem—I think that's very possible."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan couldn't help but interject, "So that means this underground arena might not have a lot of money, but it's very likely to contain evidence of the Golden Iris Entertainment Center's collaboration with the gambling companies in the core area, as well as evidence of helping the Zhen Dan Life Group test problematic cards?"

"It's very possible."

Upon hearing this, Long Jianhuan's spirits lifted. "This evidence may not be able to deal much damage to the gambling companies in the core area or the Aurora Life Group, but for Jean-Jacques, he will absolutely not allow any information to be leaked. Otherwise, they will doubt his strength, and if they terminate their cooperation with him, he will be left with nothing!"

"Speaking of which, Brother Gao, have you ever met Carlos before?"

Xu Yan thought for a moment and then asked, "Weren't you in the wilderness area recently, helping Captain Long deal with the Swamp Gang? You shouldn't have had any close contact with Carlos, and he was wearing a mask. How can you be sure that it was him?"

“I can smell his scent.”

Gao Ce grinned, revealing sharp canines. As his nose twitched, even his appearance seemed to distort. "Ever since my near-death experience, I've acquired a very unique ability. Captain Long took me to the Shattered Star Club, and I can recognize the aura of all the senior coaches and key players."

Xu Yan was slightly stunned.

It is speculated that Gao Ce is also a patient with Spirit Erosion Syndrome.

It is very likely that it was possessed by the remnant soul of a canine creature with a keen sense of smell, such as a "rotten wild dog," but to a relatively mild degree.

He nodded and didn't press the matter further.

"Of course, we don't have conclusive evidence."

Kelly Gracie said, "However, if this masked spirit master is indeed 'Golden Boy' Carlos, that would be very interesting, because according to what we heard in the underground arena, this guy is not Jean-Jacques' subordinate, but a challenger who came to us on his own initiative."

"Challenger?"

Xu Yan was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

“These underground arenas often don’t have a very formal competition format. In many cases, to increase excitement and unpredictability, they accept challenges from the live audience.”

Kelly Gracey explained, "Especially for vicious Old Ones or insane End-Stage Patients of Spirit Corruption, the organizers often offer high bounties, allowing anyone to take on the challenge. As the saying goes, 'Where there's a great reward, there are bound to be brave men.' While Old Ones and End-Stage Patients are indeed terrifying, there are always some who have lost everything and want to try their luck before committing suicide. Sometimes, to reel in bigger fish, the organizers will inject their killing machines with excessive amounts of inhibitors, allowing challengers to win a few rounds and instantly turn their fortunes around, becoming legends talked about by the locals."

"Especially given Dawn City's recent economic woes, many high-level Spirit Masters have faced unemployment or even bankruptcy, and there are even more challengers in the underground arena. Even if they are torn apart by ancient monsters, the pain will only last for a few seconds, which is better than enduring an incredibly long period of torment in poverty."

"However, this guy is clearly different from other gamblers and losers."

"In his first match on stage, he tore apart a terminally ill patient with Spirit Erosion."

"In the second match, he defeated a champion who had won seven out of seven matches—a man said to be Jean-Jacques’s confidant, a loyal and ruthless henchman."

"After that, he got in touch with the people of the Aurora Life Group and became the holder of the 'Silver Moon Meteor'. Although this powerful card had many problems, it was indeed ever-changing and extremely sharp, which made him even more powerful."

"So far, he has achieved five consecutive victories in this underground arena. It is said that even Jean-Jacques is very optimistic about him and is trying to recruit him to the main arena of the Golden Iris Entertainment Center to participate in a higher-level spirit battle."

"However, based on our observations, and the Security Bureau's character profile, if this guy really is 'Golden Boy' Carlos, we highly suspect that his goal is not as simple as becoming a member of Jean-Jacques's elite team."

"The once glorious, confident, and proud young man was betrayed by the boss he had followed for seven or eight years."

“We believe that after this ordeal, Carlos will never trust any boss again, or rather, he will never put his fate in the hands of anyone other than himself.”

Ryūken understood what the female war correspondent meant.

"You mean, 'Golden Boy' Carlos's goal might be the same as ours—to take action against Jean-Jacques's businesses?"

"Yes."

Kelly Gracey said, "Don't forget that Carlos's father committed suicide by taking medication the day after the lawsuit against Shattered Star Club. Although Sheikh Kratt is largely responsible for this, Carlos's huge bets at the Golden Iris Entertainment Center casino, which resulted in him losing everything, were the final straw that broke the camel's back."

"Given Carlos's personality, it's impossible for him not to harbor deep resentment towards Jean-Jacques. Even if the latter is optimistic about his abilities and willing to wipe out all his gambling debts, or even guarantee him a fortune, his father cannot be brought back to life, and the shame he has suffered can never be washed away."

"In conclusion, 'Golden Boy' Carlos most likely drew inspiration from Chu Zhifeng and his colleagues who robbed the underground casino. The so-called challenge was neither for money nor to gain Jean-Jacques' favor, but to acquire information and authority, and ultimately pull off a big heist!"

"Without further ado."

Long Jianhuan made a decisive decision, "I'll go to the underground arena with Xu Yan right now to see if this challenger is really 'Golden Boy' Carlos, and what he's up to!"

(End of this chapter)