"You're Zhang Lie?!" In the end, Chu Xun couldn't resist asking the question right then and there, shocking Chu Feng and Yun Bing.

"That's right. Is there a problem?" Zhang Lie admitted to his identity with a smile on his face.

Her gobsmacked expression immediately caught the attention of the hunters around her. "In that case, y-you..."

"What's the matter, Chu Xun?" Chu Feng asked in concern. He then glanced at Zhang Lie. He might have had to show some respect to that mysterious hunter, but Zhang Lie didn't afford the same respect from him. After all, Zhang Lie had long been at the bottom of the gene leaderboard, and it would be trivially easy for the Chu clan to crush him.

"He, he's—" Chu Xun wanted to expose Zhang Lie's identity, but the more urgent she was, the more tongue-tied she became.

"That's right, I'm Zhang Lie. It looks like all of you must be in a hurry, if you've already found this place. Please, come in." Zhang Lie welcomed them into the suite, his voice lowering into the smooth baritone that he used as the mysterious hunter, but neither Yun Bing nor Chu Feng noticed anything amiss at first.

As they walked into the living room and processed the unusually familiar voice, however, they felt as though something was off, but couldn't pinpoint precisely what. 

Chu Feng noticed a black cloak draped over a chair, the exact one that the mysterious hunter wore. He immediately pointed to it and exclaimed in shock, "Where's that mysterious fellow?"

Chu Feng felt as though he were disconnected from reality. All the clues were there, but his mind refused to process them. The same was true of Yun Bing and Yun Meng, who had suddenly realized why they found Zhang Lie's voice so familiar.

Why did Zhang Lie sound like the mysterious hunter? Why did Chu Xun behave so strangely when she saw Zhang Lie? Why did she seem to act so familiarly around him?

There was only one reasonable conclusion, but it certainly didn't seem reasonable at all: the mysterious hunter had to be Zhang Lie!

But how could this be? Zhang Lie was a weakling, and the mysterious hunter was stronger than even them! Could it be true?

"Yes, yes, I'm him and he's me. You understand what I'm saying, don't you?" Zhang Lie confirmed the doubts in their mind, but they were all shocked speechless by his words.

He was Zhang Lie? Zhang Lie was him?

A pregnant silence filled the room. The more the hunters thought about it, the less they were able to accept this supposed reality. 

After all, believing that Zhang Lie and the mysterious hunter were one and the same meant that they also had to accept the fact that Zhang Lie was the one who had stolen the superior-grade venombane scorpion from under their nose. It also meant that they had to accept the fact that they had all been dancing on Zhang Lie's palms that night.

"Are you really the mysterious hunter who sold us information about the foundational breakthrough?" Yun Bing asked for confirmation.

"Indeed!" Zhang Lie smiled again, responding in the affirmative.

Yun Bing very much wanted to tear that smile off his face but her formal upbringing wouldn't allow that. In the end, she barely suppressed that thought and gave herself a small, mirthless chuckle.

"To think that I, the top hunter on the gene leaderboard, would be manipulated by you, who were once at the very bottom… Laughable, how very laughable. Why reveal your identity now? Are you deliberately trying to humiliate us?"

Yun Bing's mind was a mess of complicated emotion, and Chu Feng felt much the same way.   "Are you certain you can pay the price for this deception?" he added.

Zhang Lie seemed unperturbed by the accusations thrown his way. "Let me emphasize that I've never had any intention of playing around with either of you. Do you feel like you've been toyed with? 

"Blame your conceit, your overwhelming self-esteem, your condescension of those beneath you. You asked me if I was willing to accept the consequences of my deception. Of course I am. Would I have appeared in front of you like this otherwise?"

Zhang Lie's frankness was something they, who had been pandered to all their lives, had little experience with.

Yun Bing and Chu Feng couldn't help but think of the Qin, Wang, and Li clans. The last two clans that had gone against Zhang Lie had suffered devastating losses as a result, and the anger stewing in their minds was instantly snuffed out by an icy breeze.

This "king of the dumps", who had been mocked by just about every hunter in the Blacksteel settlement, suddenly seemed to have become a mysterious entity of overwhelming strength. His words were logical: given that he was revealing his identity to them now, he was certainly prepared for any retribution on their part, and not only themselves as hunters, but also their clan.

One thought snaked through Yun Bing and Chu Feng's minds: Zhang Lie was a dangerous fellow indeed. Regardless of whether or not the acquisition of the white-grub cores would be successful, they were sure to warn their clans to stay well away from this frightening hunter.

Of course, just because they thought that way didn't mean that their siblings would, too.

Chu Xun and Yun Meng were both shocked by the sudden revelation, but unlike their older siblings, they were fascinated by Zhang Lie's secret persona and fearless attitude.

"How cool!" Yun Meng murmured subconsciously, giving Yun Bing and Chu Feng both a start.

Before Yun Bing could correct her thinking, beside her, Chu Xun piped up with stars in her eyes, "Just one hunter alone, bringing down the Qin, Wang, and Li clans... amazing!"

"From today onwards, you're my idol, Zhang Lie!"

"I'm going to be your top fan!"

Yun Bing and Chu Feng were speechless at their siblings' attitudes.

What sort of situation was this? They barely avoided becoming enemies, but their younger siblings were siding with the opposition? What were they to do?

"Don't be ridiculous," Zhang Lie chided Yun Meng and Chu Xun gently, then turned to their older counterparts. "As for the two of you, are you ready to negotiate now? You've come looking for me because of my stockpile of white-grub cores, haven't you? I'll let you in on a secret: I have another breakthrough that I'm prepared to share with the two of you if the price is right."

Chu Feng and Yun Bing gaped. Another discovery like the breakthrough in the foundational framework? They had to acquire the information at all costs!

Chu Feng certainly couldn't resist the temptation. He had no choice but to humbly apologize to Zhang Lie. "In front of you, I truly have no right to be prideful. But don't worry, I promise this won't happen again. Now, can you tell us about this new breakthrough you have?"