Me and My Cold CEO Wife

Chapter 1726 - 1715: Duke the Executioner

"I think you misunderstood. We are also Hunters.""You are Hunters?"

The man had a flicker of disbelief in his eyes.

If they were indeed Hunters, they wouldn't have acted as they did just now.

Hunters always work alone, and spying on them is considered a provocation.

"We really are Hunters, see for yourself."

With that, Alice showed the Hunter insignia in her hand.

"Bronze Hunter."

Upon seeing the dark green insignia, the man slightly relaxed his guarded expression.

"They must be descendants of some family, here at the Exorcism Association for training."

Thinking of this, the man felt more at ease.

If that's the case, their ignorance earlier makes sense.

Bronze Hunters are rookies new to the Association, unaware of some of the unwritten rules there.

"Why were you following me?"

Hearing this question, Ning Fan felt a wave of embarrassment in his heart; after all, he couldn't just say he got lost.

Fortunately, there was a naïve girl beside him who could resolve this embarrassment.

"We got lost and couldn't find the entrance to Ryan Town."

As she spoke, Alice cheerfully said, "Uncle, since you're a Hunter, could you please tell us?"

"Follow me then."

Leaving that line behind, the man put on his hat and continued onward.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Alice, happily pulling Ning Fan's hand, said, "Great, we finally won't get lost anymore."

When the three arrived at a place with ruins and broken walls, Alice said in confusion, "We've been here, right?"

Ning Fan nodded, "We have indeed been here."

The man pointed at one dilapidated wall and said, "Going through here leads to Ryan Town."

"Really?"

Ning Fan looked at Alice doubtfully.

It was this clueless girl who confidently assured them that the entrance to Ryan Town was a desolate desert, so they just glanced at it and left.

Alice said in bewilderment, "No way. Last time I was here, there was nothing."

"Could you have remembered wrong?"

The man solemnly said, "She's not wrong. The Association is planning to develop this area, so they built these stone piles."

"I knew it!"

Seeing Alice's proud expression, Ning Fan didn't know what to say.

"You should go in first."

"Uncle, what about you..."

Hearing Alice's question, Ning Fan quickly interrupted, "Thank you for what you did today. May I know your name?"

Although the man was willing to lead the way, he remained vigilant all along.

Not wanting to enter together was also because of this reason.

Alice's naive question was putting him in a difficult position.

"Duke!"

"Duke? I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before."

As Alice pondered, she suddenly exclaimed, "I remember, you're Executioner Duke!"

"Executioner doesn't seem to be a pleasant title, though it does match his style."

"In my impression, only one type of creature would use such a name."

A flash of murderous intent appeared in Duke's eyes as he said sharply, "You're Blood Clan."

Seemingly frightened by the killing intent, Alice couldn't help but hide behind Ning Fan.

Ning Fan calmly said, "Whether or not we're Blood Clan doesn't matter. What's important is we're both Hunters."

"Hmph!"

Duke snorted coldly, his previously emotionless face now filled with obvious disdain.

"The biggest mistake of the incompetent upper ranks of the Exorcism Association is allowing you evil Alien Clan to join in."

Hearing this, Alice, usually good-tempered, couldn't help but mock, "Aren't you Alien Clan as well?"

This remark seemed to hit Duke's sore spot, as the corners of his gloomy eyebrows twitched uncontrollably, his killing intent unable to be contained.

Just then, Duke's mind felt as if it had been struck hard, buzzing, and his murderous intent instantly vanished.

Ning Fan said calmly, "I don't care what vendetta you have with the Alien Clan. Since you've joined the Exorcism Association, you must follow their rules."

One of the principles of the Exorcism Association is strictly prohibiting Hunters from killing each other. Otherwise, you're hunted by the entire Association.

Duke snorted again, no longer paying attention to the two, pulled out a flask, leaned against the wall, and drank in large gulps. His eyes reflected a wistfulness, as if recalling unbearable past events.

"Let's go."

Noticing the disgust in Alice's eyes, Ning Fan was secretly surprised.

Alice, who's always friendly, never arguing, was acting very uncharacteristically today.

Ning Fan couldn't help but ask, "Alice, who exactly is this Duke? Or rather... what species is he?"

"Duke is half-human, half-Blood Clan."

"This..."

Seeing the surprise in Ning Fan's eyes, Alice spoke softly, "It's not like what you're thinking. Duke wasn't naturally born; he was an artificially conceived test-tube baby..."

Due to the initial embrace and difficulty of natural conception, the Blood Clan population has always been a big problem.

To solve this issue, the Blood Clan thought of artificial conception as a breakthrough.

Among the early test-tube babies, only Duke was a success.

After Duke was born, he wasn't brought into the Blood Clan but was secretly adopted by a human couple.

The Blood Clan always fantasized about welcoming this new member one day.

Yet, the foolproof plan met with a serious mishap.

Duke's adoptive parents, that human couple, accidentally died at the hands of the Blood Clan.

Strictly speaking, they died at the hands of a gang controlled by the Blood Clan.

During his quest for revenge for his adoptive parents, Duke learned about the Blood Clan and discovered his own origins.

By the time the Blood Clan reacted, it was too late.

Because of the death of his adoptive parents, Duke harbored extreme hatred towards the Blood Clan.

Especially after discovering some Blood Clan crimes, this hatred grew like wildfire.

Thus, Duke, bearing Blood Clan ancestry, chose to stand against them.

Due to his half-Blood Clan heritage, Duke's physical strength was exceptionally robust, his power, speed, reflexes, far beyond that of normal humans.

At the same time, influenced by his human lineage, Duke wasn't sensitive to light, silver, nor did he require blood food—common Blood Clan weaknesses.

By chance, Duke discovered the existence of the Exorcism Association and joined its ranks.

In the Blood Clan, where family ties are highly valued, Duke's actions were undoubtedly considered betrayal.

This was just one aspect; what truly made Alice detest him was this:

As an Exorcist, Duke only killed Blood Clan members and once vowed to one day eradicate them from the world.

After Alice's explanation, Ning Fan frowned, "If Duke harbors such hostility toward the Blood Clan, why did you let him live until now?"

Ning Fan had witnessed Duke's strength himself. While not precise, he gauged it to be between the Object-Manipulating Realm and the True Origin Realm.

With that level of strength, how could he withstand the Blood Clan's assault?

"Well..."

Feeling a bit awkward, Alice replied, "The Blood Clan members Duke killed were all scoundrels of the clan. Due to agreements with the Exorcism Association, we couldn't act in secret."