Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

I've already let it go by not bothering him, but he actually dared to turn around and pick a fight with me!

The thought of that pretty boy brought a flood of old and new grudges to Satomi Sho, making it impossible for him to swallow his anger.

Ever since that pretty boy first appeared, he hasn't had a single good thing happen to him.

And those two bitches too!

I don't think I saw Izayoi Yuki today, but Hoshino Mai was there the whole time. There's no mistake, judging from her expression, she was definitely having a great time watching me make a fool of myself!

Okay, very good! So everyone's laughing at me like this, right?

I'll make sure you never laugh again!

"Big, big brother!"

Looking at Satomi Sho's suddenly stopped figure, his low mood becoming increasingly obvious, the underling following behind spoke timidly.

Where do we go next? What are we going to do there?

"What for? To get revenge, of course!"

Satomi Sho's voice was low and deep, no longer revealing the intense emotions that had been present in his earlier shouting.

He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

"Hey?"

"Kno, is the condition you mentioned last time still valid? I've thought it through, and I agree!"

"Is that so? Heh, congratulations on making the right choice, Mr. Satomi. It'll be a pleasure working with you then. I'll give you the power you need."

A burst of laughter came from the other end of the phone, a dark revelation that couldn't be exposed to the light of day...

This agreement has been reached.

……

Public Security Bureau.

The Duel Major Crimes Division's dedicated conference room.

"Trainee Duel Guard: Izayoi Yuki Reports for Duel!"

“Very good, come in, Inspector Izayoi! Our meeting is about to begin.”

"Yes!"

With a knock, the main door to the conference room opened, and a girl with long, snow-white hair entered after receiving permission from Ushio Takeshi.

Now, Izayoi Yuki has changed out of Kiyosumi's schoolgirl uniform and is wearing a smart and fitted uniform, like an ice lotus blooming bravely in the cold wind.

With a touch of childishness still lingering on her pretty and delicate face, she stands out and has a strong presence in another sense among the Serious Crimes Unit officers whose average age is over 25—she simultaneously serves as the group's darling, the ace, and the policewoman who attracts fresh blood to join the team.

In the past, when they encountered Izayoi Yuki, many police officers who had watched her grow up would greet her with a smile and say a few words, but no one was in the mood for that now.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was solemn; it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's face was filled with solemnity, like soldiers about to go into battle.

That description isn't actually wrong.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's get straight to the main topic of today's meeting."

The head of the Major Crimes Division, Bing, and the person in charge of this meeting, Tsuyoshi Ushio, stepped to the front.

He braced his hands on the edge of the table, his gaze sweeping over the elite officers before him, and said in a deep voice, "You should all be aware of the heinous crimes that have occurred in the city these past few days. Since the incident last month, another piece of trash has emerged this month, challenging the law and the authority of the Public Security Bureau, and like last month's criminal, he is a Dark Duelist."

"We don't yet know if he has any connection with the previous criminal, but this criminal is even more brazen and unscrupulous than the last one. New victims appear every day, and his crimes are heinous. But thanks to this, we have finally caught him red-handed!"

With a "smack," Ushio Tsuyoshi slammed his palm hard on the screen behind him.

The screen flickered, displaying a map of Dawn City. Many locations were marked—the crime scenes related to the dark duels of the past few days.

The time of each incident was different, there was no specific connection between the victims, and the location of the incidents seemed to be chosen randomly.

This type of random crime is arguably the most troublesome, but with the increase in data volume, it is still possible to find a tiny clue.

More importantly, with the development of the times, surveillance cameras are now installed in most public areas and shops throughout the city.

Even if each dark duel causes the surveillance to malfunction, by expanding the scope and time of surveillance, using the computing power of supercomputers for extreme analysis, and supplementing it with manual investigation, irrelevant personnel can be screened out to the greatest extent possible, and a list of suspects can be collected.

The rest is to find out the background of each person on the list, further eliminate suspicions, and continue to narrow down the scope—the Dark Duelist is too special, and since he deliberately hides his identity, this is the only way to find out his secrets.

Even with such measures, it's difficult to make a direct arrest and prosecution without evidence; most of the time, they can only catch the perpetrator in the act. The situation often escalates into a gunfight reminiscent of a police drama.

Fortunately, they still have an ace up their sleeve this time.

"This is the list of suspects. The data file has been distributed to the group share. These people have appeared multiple times in the area near the crime scene and are either duelists with a strong 'Feel' or whose strength has improved rapidly during this period. There is a high possibility that they are potential dark duelists."

After the explanation, the screen changed, showing several photos of different people, including Caucasians and Asians, each with a different temperament.

Ushio Takeshi said, “Next, I will arrange the teams into groups. Until the suspicion is confirmed to be cleared, each group member will cooperate and be responsible for keeping an eye on one of the suspects. Once it is discovered that the suspect is the real criminal, you are allowed to immediately take action to stop him from committing the crime. Ladies and gentlemen, the safety of the citizens rests on our shoulders. Please do your best!”

"Yes!"

The Duel Guards of the Major Crimes Unit responded loudly, their imposing manner suggesting that if the Dark Duelist were to appear before them now, they would be immediately swarmed and torn to pieces.

Taking a sip of tea to moisten his slightly thirsty throat, Ushio Tsuyoshi then turned to Izayoi Yuki, who was intently listening to the meeting, and said, "Officer Izayoi, you'll be in my group from now on. You might need to ask the school for leave for the next few days."

In formal settings, Takeshi Ushio didn't use the girl's nickname, but instead used her formal title. Of course, his personal motive of arranging her in his group so he could better take care of her was irrelevant.

The others didn't have any objections; they would have done the same if they were in Ushio Takeshi's position.

Over the years, many new and old faces have come and gone in the Duel Major Crimes Division, but many people have still received care and kindness from Izayoi Hoshi.

"Yes, Commander Ushio."

Izayoi Yuki was clearly used to Ushio Takeshi's team formation arrangement.

She nodded without objecting, and then said, "However, if possible, could I keep an eye on this person?"

"Who?"

"It's the one on the far left."

Izayoi Yuki raised her hand and pointed. At the tip of her finger was a smiling man who looked quite refined and approachable with his glasses on.

I had already heard of the bespectacled man's name before.

Chapter 73: It's black when you cut it open.

The sun sets in the west, and the moon rises above the treetops.

As night falls, the bustling and lively city of Chenguang is just as vibrant as during the day.

On a main road illuminated by streetlights on both sides, a sports car with an exterior that resembles the "Secret Spy Gear - Big Red Sports Car" but with a black paint job is waiting at a traffic light.

The car owner was wearing headphones connected to a mobile phone, and judging from the screen, he was clearly making a call.

"Am I right? You can gain tremendous power. With this power, you can quickly achieve the revenge you desire. And as long as you provide that guy with enough soul currency, you can gain even more benefits. Given time, it's not impossible for you to become the strongest duelist in the Eastern League. Your father will definitely be impressed by your growth, and no one will dare to underestimate you anymore—you can use your strength to slap those people in the face."

The person inside the car spoke with a slight upturn at the corners of their mouth, their encouraging tone like that of a teacher. Considering their job, this might indeed be true.

But probably no normal teacher would say something like that.

"However, you should still remember our deal, right?"

According to the terms of the deal, you need to pay me 15 duelist souls who have mastered at least one summoning technique as a reward, and that boy's soul also belongs to me... Of course, you can torture him as much as you want before you give it to me, just don't break it.

Oh, and the deck too. I need his deck too… I don't need the whole deck, you can take all the cards like "Dark Magician Girl," but let me see them first. There are some cards I'm personally quite interested in… Hahaha, what are you talking about? I am a teacher, that's true. And of course, a teacher should care for their students, but he's not my student, is he?”

As if he had heard a funny joke, the man suddenly laughed. After laughing, he continued, "That's settled then. You can spend some time getting used to your power first, and then... wait. You're going now? Well, with your current power, you might even succeed if you start the Dark Duel. Well then, I wish you all the best."

After saying that, the man hung up the phone.

Just then, the traffic light turned green. He stepped on the gas and casually cruised the road, searching for a suitable prey.

Once that pampered young master matures, he will no longer need to show his face in public.

With that boy's soul, and at most 10 more duelist souls that meet the requirements, I can go even further... Hmm?

The man suddenly exclaimed in surprise, looked up at the rearview mirror, and saw a plain-looking car following him nonchalantly.

This in itself wasn't a problem, but the man's intuition told him there was something wrong with the car.

Recalling his experiences during the day, he immediately understood.

"Heh, so you've been targeted after all."

With a light laugh, the man calmly turned the steering wheel and veered into a quiet street. The plain sedan behind him hesitated for only a moment before following without hesitation.

Soon, the two cars drove into a square one after the other.

Compared to the vibrant, sleepless city of Chenguang, the square here feels somewhat isolated. Apart from the lights, it's practically deserted and quiet.

But this quietness is just right for both sides.

"Come out."

After parking and turning off the engine, the man got out of the car and said to the people in the plain sedan, "You've been following me for so long, it's time to let me see what kind of people you are."

The car door was pushed open. Two people stepped out.

The first person the man recognized was the head of the Duel and Major Crimes Division of the Public Security Bureau; his name seemed to be Ushio Takeshi.

He had been invited to appear on some crime-related programs, and due to the needs of his current position, he had done some research on it.

As for the second person, the man was even more familiar with him.

"Izayoi-kun?"

The man chuckled, "So it was you who was following me, the ace of the Public Security Bureau and the head of the Duel Major Crimes Division... Looks like I really am highly regarded."

Her long, snow-white hair was tied into a ponytail behind her, and her well-fitting police uniform gave her a capable and dignified air. Standing in front of the man was none other than Izayoi Yuki, whom he had met once before at Kiyosumi High School.

At this point, the man's identity becomes obvious.

"Teacher Kno."

Izayoi Yuki stared intently at the bespectacled man opposite her.

"So you really are that dark duelist who's been committing crimes like crazy lately?"

"Would you believe me if I said I wasn't you, Izayoi-kun?"