Marvel's master of cosmic magic

Chapter 520

No one had sensed anyone approaching this close.

That alone was terrifying.

If Biyou Village had detected their presence before the operation began, the entire plan would’ve collapsed instantly. That was why Evan Clarke had gone rigid when the knock came.

He’d expected an enemy.

Or at least a scout.

Instead, he opened the door and found Rowan Mercer standing there like he owned the place.

Rowan wasn’t supposed to be in Beijing.

So why was he here?

And why hadn’t the Company’s surveillance teams reported anything?

Evan’s head filled with questions.

"I’m here specifically to see you," Rowan said calmly.

Evan’s eyes flickered. He remembered what Evan Ward and Calvin Greene had told him before.

He forced a grin.

"Rowan, man, I already told you. I really don’t have that thing. Everybody knows that."

Rowan’s lips curved faintly.

"I already know Fiona Barlow’s real origin. We can trade."

Evan’s pupils shrank.

He turned to Fiona, who was still stuffing rags into a bottle of fuel.

"Hey, pause that for a second. Come outside with me."

Then he looked back at the others.

"Xiao—no, scratch that. Same plan as before. You guys keep working through it. I’ve got something urgent to handle."

Evan pulled Fiona and Rowan toward the nearby trees.

"Rowan, let’s talk somewhere quiet."

From a distance, Lucas Sterling watched them leave, his interest clearly piqued.

"Should we report this to the Company?" he asked.

Martin Gray hesitated.

Black Tactician said nothing.

Finally, Samuel Drake spoke.

"Have Er Zhuang notify HQ. And don’t provoke Rowan Mercer. He’s not someone we can afford to test. The Company itself hasn’t even figured out how to deal with him yet."

His gaze lingered on Lucas Sterling.

Samuel was the only one here besides Evan Clarke who truly understood how dangerous Rowan was.

Years ago, during the siege at Mount Longhu, he had seen Rowan erase an entire elite force with fire.

Later, he had personally witnessed Rowan wipe out the Hale family when they tried to steal the Heavenly Talisman.

The crater from that night still haunted him.

"These temporary agents together wouldn’t survive a single serious strike from him," Samuel said flatly.

"In the Company’s internal threat index, Rowan ranks above even Nathaniel Hale."

Nathaniel Hale was powerful.

But he didn’t exterminate entire bloodlines when he got irritated.

Rowan did.

"Relax, Samuel," Lucas Sterling said, flicking his blond hair and winking. "You think I’m suicidal?"

He wasn’t stupid.

He might be curious, but he wasn’t reckless.

Anyone who could learn techniques from half the mystic world without triggering a global manhunt clearly knew how to stay alive.

In the trees.

Evan Clarke bowed slightly, his tone instantly deferential.

"Rowan, Rowan. You said you know Fiona’s origin. What exactly does that mean?"

Rowan folded his arms.

"You know what I can do. If I decide you possess something, then you do. I could take what I want straight from your mind."

He paused.

"But I don’t like forcing things. I prefer clean trades."

He continued calmly.

"I recently met Victor Shaw. He’s the one who created one of the forbidden techniques. From him, I learned Fiona’s real history."

Evan’s breath hitched.

"If you give me your core technique, I’ll tell you everything. And I guarantee I won’t expose the fact that you have it."

"Rowan, I believe you," Evan said quickly. "I really do. And I wasn’t lying to you either. I don’t actually know how to use that technique."

He tapped his chest.

"It’s inside me. My grandfather had Fiona pass it to me."

"If you can extract it, you’re welcome to it."

His voice softened.

"If it means keeping us alive and helping Fiona understand who she really is, I’d give it to anyone."

He wasn’t sentimental about legacy or secrecy.

He just wanted the two of them to survive.

Rowan nodded.

"That works."

He waved a hand.

"I’ll get it directly from your body."

Then, without ceremony, he told them everything.

The ancient pact.

The group of outlaws.

The eight forbidden techniques.

And Fiona’s true origin.

Rowan flicked his fingers.

A pile of old belongings appeared on the ground.

"These belonged to her father. There’s also a portrait in there."

Fiona picked it up.

The woman in the painting looked exactly like her.

"...So I really did have a family," she whispered. "So my father was... Vincent Barlow."

Evan stood frozen.

Everything finally made sense.

Why his grandfather had refused to return to Mount Longhu.

Why Fiona didn’t age.

Why nothing about her ever felt normal.

Rowan placed a hand on Evan’s head.

His psychic field sank into Evan’s body.

He began reconstructing the hidden technique embedded in Evan’s energy flow.

Before, this would’ve been impossible.

But now he had the ancient inheritance.

And the core method from Mount Longhu.

Decoding the technique was only a matter of observation.

...

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