Chapter 225: Deprivation

"Smith, I need a reasonable explanation!"

Thomas was brimming with confidence. A-class? Platinum? They were nothing but trash. Smith, on the other hand, had lost all his arrogance. Instead, he demanded with a hint of grievance in his voice, "Thomas, you guys deceived me first!"

Thomas was completely clueless. He wondered when the hell he had ever deceived Smith.

Smith continued, "Weren’t you only E-class? You and him, you’re both A-class! Good lord, you two A-class big shots actually hid your true strength! You two A-class guys tricked me and made a fool out of me!"

Thomas and Laine remained bewildered. They wondered if they were A-class and if Level Five meant A-class. If they were also A-class, they were on the same level as Smith. So, with the two of them teaming up against him, it was naturally a one-sided beatdown.

Lin Jian couldn’t understand their conversation, but he did notice Smith’s aggrieved expression. He suddenly interrupted, "Alright, Thomas. Bring him to me!" Sitting down, Lin Jian casually crossed his legs.

Hearing this, Thomas and Laine immediately closed in on Smith.

Smith instantly became alert, shooting a few glances at Lin Jian. He didn’t understand the Chinese Lin Jian had spoken, but why were Thomas and Laine approaching him right after?

Thomas said, "My boss wants to speak with you. You’d better not resist, or I can’t guarantee you’ll leave here alive!"

"That young man, that Chinese guy, is actually Thomas’s boss?" Smith thought in shock. "Does that mean he’s the mastermind behind the Black Glove? Our intelligence department has no idea about this."

Thomas chuckled. "My boss won’t hurt you, but if you dare to resist, Laine and I will finish you off."

"Alright." Smith gestured for his two assistants to let go of him. Shrugging, he walked up to Lin Jian and bowed. "It’s an honor to meet you!"

Lin Jian extended his hand, gesturing for Smith to do the same. Assuming Lin Jian wanted to shake hands, Smith gladly reached out. Their hands quickly clasped together.

The Dao Tree sensed the special energy within Smith’s body, but it didn’t absorb or extract it.

Lin Jian was surprised. This was exactly like what had happened with Fenni and Emily—he could sense the energy, but he couldn’t extract it. "Why could I extract it from Laine and Thomas? What’s the difference?" he wondered.

Lin Jian didn’t let go. He maintained the handshake with Smith while pondering the differences. Meanwhile, Smith began to panic. He tried to pull his hand away, but the other party had an iron grip on him, making it impossible to break free. As he struggled, a look of annoyance surfaced on Smith’s face.

Seeing Smith’s annoyance, Lin Jian had a sudden flash of inspiration. He seemed to have figured something out. "Thomas, tell him I’m going to kill him!"

Although Thomas didn’t understand the intention, he naturally had to follow his boss’s orders, so he immediately translated the threat.

The moment it was translated, Smith’s expression changed. He swiftly raised a leg to kick while aiming a strike at Lin Jian’s temple with his free hand. Lin Jian neither dodged nor moved. However, just as Smith’s attack was about to land, he suddenly began to convulse violently because Lin Jian hadn’t loosened his grip for a single moment. Smith’s eyes rolled back during the intense spasms before he collapsed to the ground.

"I get it!" Lin Jian finally understood.

The Dao Tree wouldn’t extract another person’s Superpower for no reason. The prerequisite was that the Superpower User had to harbor hostility toward Lin Jian! If there was no hostility, it couldn’t be extracted. This actually made a lot of sense.

Smith’s two assistants exchanged nervous glances. They wanted to check on him, but they didn’t dare approach because Laine was repeatedly baring his teeth at them. That crazy, artificial smile made them shudder. Everyone in the Black Glove was just too bizarre.

Lin Jian crouched down and placed a hand on Smith’s wrist. Soon, a green leaf appeared. When Thomas and Laine saw this green leaf, their eyes gleamed with greed. That had to be Smith’s Superpower Leaf! Considering Smith himself was an A-class, what level would the leaf he produced be?

Lin Jian turned and walked out, instructing as he left, "Lock them up for now. We’ll deal with this when I get back."

"Yes, Mr. Lin."

After leaving, Lin Jian immediately called Dachun to ask where he and Sha Shun were. The two of them were also part of the search party for Ye Ziqiu, aimlessly wandering the streets. Upon receiving Lin Jian’s call, they rushed back to the bar.

Outside the bar, Dachun and Sha Shun got into Lin Jian’s car.

"Keep this leaf in your mouth," Lin Jian said, handing the leaf to Dachun.

Dachun was confused, but Sha Shun’s eyes lit up. It was Lin Jian’s Magic Leaf!