Evan Yang and Tanner Shaw were already prepared in the room, ready to strike at the butler at any moment. Still, it was mainly up to Evan—Tanner's strength simply wasn't enough.
After a while, Cyril Shaw walked in, followed by the butler. When the butler saw both Evan Yang and Tanner Shaw present, he frowned.
He was curious—Cyril had called him over for instructions, but there were others present. For a moment, he didn't know what was going on.
Just then, Evan Yang struck. The butler was shocked and tried to escape, but Cyril blocked the exit. This made it easy for Evan to get behind him and, without hesitation, seal off his spiritual power points, making him unable to circulate his energy or use any strength.
"Patriarch, what's going on?" The butler realized he couldn't use his spiritual power and asked in shock.
Tanner Shaw and Cyril Shaw didn't know that Evan Yang had already acted on the butler. Seeing the butler's reaction, Cyril snorted coldly, "You know exactly what you've done."
It was the first time the butler had seen Cyril Shaw lose his temper at him; normally, he was treated as a friend. Today was a stark contrast, making it easy for the butler to realize something had gone wrong. Sure enough, when Tanner played back the recorded conversation, the butler was shocked. "You eavesdropped!"
"If you have nothing to hide, what are you afraid of?" Tanner Shaw snorted coldly.
At this point, with no spiritual power available, the butler began to feel real fear. He wanted to explain, but there were no excuses left.
"Speak. Why do you want me dead?" Evan Yang asked him.
The butler knew the game was up—there was no point in denying it further. He snorted coldly, "Never thought you two would run into someone like him."
"What do you mean by that?" Cyril Shaw pressed, now that the butler had finally admitted it.
"What do I mean? Isn't it obvious? If he hadn't suddenly appeared, your son would be dead already. And you—you wouldn't be running for Star Lord anymore." The butler sneered.
The butler wasn't wrong. If not for Evan Yang's appearance, Tanner Shaw would have died twice over by now. But it was exactly Evan's arrival that saved him. Tanner, however, was confused—he'd never had any real conflict with the butler, so why was he saying this? He immediately asked, "I've always treated you decently. Why do you curse me like this?"
"Honestly, I always knew a day like this would come. So even if I die, I won't tell you." The butler, seeing Tanner's question, knew he couldn't resist, but he could still choose silence.
And so the butler fell silent, leaving Cyril Shaw and Tanner Shaw furious and ready to teach him a lesson. But in the end, they still couldn't pry open his mouth.
"You must have another clone, right?" Evan Yang smiled, seeing the butler so unafraid of death.
"You guessed right. Otherwise, why would I dare come to the Shaw Family alone?" The butler sneered.
That made Cyril Shaw and Tanner Shaw even angrier. Cyril hadn't expected that the man who once saved him would turn out to be a ticking time bomb hidden in his own house.
"Tell me, were you sent by another family?" Evan Yang realized it wasn't his own actions that brought the butler's revenge, but that he'd disrupted the man's plans and become an obstacle to be cleared.
The butler stiffened when Evan Yang pressed him, then forced a smile. "I'm not telling you."
"You don't have to. I already know who sent you," Evan Yang said with a smile.
Evan's smile seemed to see right through the butler, making the man stare at him in shock.
"Don't look at me like that. First I'll deal with you, then your clone, and then the family backing you." Evan sneered, and knocked him unconscious again.
Evan Yang stored the butler inside his tower, along with the two assassins.
Cyril Shaw and Tanner Shaw were both shocked to see Evan use a treasure to store the butler—anyone with such an artifact was bound to have a powerful background.
Only when Evan Yang asked, "What's wrong with you two?" did they snap out of it.
"Nothing, we're just curious—do you really know who sent him?" Cyril Shaw asked, coming back to himself. Tanner Shaw also returned to his senses, and now both looked at Evan with new respect.
Evan Yang laughed. "I made it up."
"What?" Cyril Shaw and Tanner Shaw exclaimed in shock.
Seeing the two still confused, Evan Yang explained, "Just now, I confirmed he has a clone. When I said I knew who sent him, I was deliberately misleading him."
"What's the point of that? Is his clone going to come back and kill us?" Cyril Shaw asked suspiciously.
Tanner Shaw also looked at Evan Yang, confused.
"Did you notice? When I said he was sent by another family, he looked at me with a hint of fear. What does that mean? It means he really is a plant from another family, secretly hidden in your Shaw Family. So his clone will definitely report this to the family backing him. Plus, the families aren't allowed to harm each other directly or indirectly. If that family finds out I claimed to know who sent him, guess what they'll do?" Evan Yang smiled.
Evan's words made Cyril Shaw and Tanner Shaw realize: if it's really another family, once they find out, they'll try to erase Evan—and wipe out anything related to the butler. That means lots of movement, giving the Shaw Family a chance to catch some clues.
"I never expected you had tricks like this, Brother Evan." Tanner Shaw was delighted after hearing Evan's analysis.
"I'll have people quietly investigate anyone in the city who's been unusually close to the butler," Cyril Shaw said, following up.
Evan Yang wasn't arrogant after hearing them, but said, "If we want them to expose themselves, we have to use me as bait."
"You're really going to risk it?" Tanner Shaw exclaimed, shocked by Evan's plan.
"The butler's clone definitely knows we've figured out their origin. So the Shaw Family should make a big show—let all the other families know we've caught an internal spy, but don't reveal the details. I'll wander the city, see what I can find." Evan Yang said.
"What if his clone gets the assassins to kill you?" Tanner Shaw was uneasy, especially after overhearing the butler's conversation with the killer organization.
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"That's definitely a problem, but can I hide forever? If I don't take risks, it's hard to get any results." Evan Yang had no other way—he was ready for whatever came.
Cyril Shaw and Tanner Shaw were still worried. Cyril tried to assign someone to accompany Evan, but Evan insisted on acting alone—he was used to working solo.
So in the end, Evan Yang went out alone, while Tanner Shaw stayed home to stabilize his injuries. News of the Shaw Family's internal traitor spread quickly through the city, and they announced they knew which family was behind it—even threatening to report it to the Old Man of Northridge.
Evan Yang, staying at an inn, heard the news released by the Shaw Family and quietly laughed to himself. "As expected, they're fast."
Meanwhile, on a mountain just outside the city, a few people stood together.
If Evan Yang were here, he'd recognize them: Kade Santos, the butler, and the tall, scar-faced man.
The butler complained, "Young master, it's failed."
"What happened? Didn't you say you'd already arranged for the Black Hand Syndicate killers to deal with him?" Kade Santos asked, confused.
"What did the Black Hand Syndicate say?" Kade Santos's anger toward Evan Yang grew even stronger.
"Fine, no matter the cost, he must die! I refuse to believe he can survive a third Black Hand Syndicate attempt!" Kade Santos snorted. He knew the Syndicate had an unwritten rule: three strikes, and if they fail all three, they waive their fee and continue hunting the target for free.
So regardless, Kade Santos was convinced Evan Yang was doomed. As for the butler's exposure, he felt it was a pity, and said helplessly, "Return to the Santos Family. They need you."
"What about the Shaw Family?" The butler hesitated to leave, feeling reluctant after so many years—he'd always hoped to see the Shaw Family fall one day.
"Don't worry about the Shaw Family for now. Your priority is to lay low. As long as they can't catch your clone, they have no excuse to target us. Even if they report it to the Old Man of Northridge, so what!" Kade Santos said seriously.
The butler found the reasoning sound and prepared to leave. Before departing, Kade Santos said, "Keep contacting the Black Hand Syndicate. Make sure to kill that beggar as soon as possible, so he doesn't block me again."
"Yes." The butler replied respectfully, then flashed away.
"Useless fool," Kade Santos snorted once the butler was gone.
"Young master, let me handle it. That way you can save the expense," the tall, scar-faced man said.
"You? Forget it. I just got word—the Shaw Family is spreading rumors about an internal traitor and investigating closely. If people see you attacking the Shaw Family's ally, they'll suspect us." Kade Santos knew his subordinate could handle Evan, but at this critical moment, he didn't want to expose his own people, so he stopped him.
"If that kid dies, it'll be a real shame," the scar-faced man muttered.
"You always have that temperament—whenever you see a promising genius, you want to challenge him." Hearing this, Kade Santos could only sigh.
"What now?" the scar-faced man asked.
"Let's head into the city. Things will be lively there, and if we're absent for too long, it'll look suspicious." After thinking a moment, Kade Santos replied.
Then the two disappeared from the mountaintop.