Chapter 296: Lin Canyang's Ambition

"Boss, two baskets of steamed buns, a bowl of wontons."

Wearing a wig and sunglasses, Lin Canyang sat leisurely in a hole-in-the-wall diner and waved to the owner.

The owner, sweating over the busy stoves, called back an enthusiastic acknowledgment.

Before long, two steaming baskets of buns were placed in front of him. The dough was as white as milk, dotted with tiny pores from the yeast and the steam. Wisps of savory aroma drifted from them, stirring his appetite.

Ignoring the heat, he grabbed a bun and took a massive bite. The fluffy dough and juicy meat filling instantly exploded in his mouth.

A look of pure bliss washed over Lin Canyang's face. An onlooker might have thought he was dining on the rarest delicacies.

But to a man who had been locked up by the Federal Pharmaceutical Company for years, kept alive on nothing but daily IV drips of nutrient fluid, a simple steamed bun was a rare delicacy.

Some time had passed since Su Mu had rescued him. Lin Canyang had eaten many meals since then, yet every bite of real food still brought him profound enjoyment.

He devoured the buns greedily. Holding one wasn't enough; he grabbed a bun in each hand and took alternating bites.

The diner had other patrons, but no one paid any attention to his strange behavior. They were all too busy discussing a massive piece of news.

"Did you hear the news? The one about Her Majesty King Chi getting toyed with by Pride."

"Old news. I even went out of my way to buy today's newspaper, but there wasn't a single word about it."

"Of course not. Why would the Chiyan Empire's newspapers report something so disgraceful?"

"If you ask me, trying to cover it up just makes it worse. It's already spread all over the Blood Moon Empire. The papers there are plastered with it. All the major empires know by now. What's the point of hiding it?"

"Do you guys think Pride, the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, is really that strong? Stronger than King Chi?"

Lin Canyang froze mid-chew.

He had caught a few keywords: Seven Deadly Sins! Pride!

What is going on? he thought. Did the Leader lead the Seven Deadly Sins in some massive operation again? How does everyone know about it, yet I—a member of the Seven Deadly Sins—haven't heard a peep?

He quickly leaned over and struck up a conversation with the neighboring table.

A few minutes later, Lin Canyang was utterly numb. He stumbled back to his seat in a daze and tried to pick up a bun to keep eating, but his jaw hung completely slack. The news was just too earth-shattering.

Pride, the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, had broken into Prison 749, slaughtered hundreds of Royal Family elites, heavily wounded King Chi, rescued the Revolutionary Army's leader, Specter, and left unhindered. Wherever they passed, not a single person dared to stand in their way.

"What kind of organization... did I actually join!?"

Plop!

The bun in his mouth slipped and fell to the floor.

Snapping out of his daze, he hurriedly picked it up, furiously brushed the dirt off with his hand, and shoved it back into his mouth.

As he chewed the slightly gritty dough, he suddenly found that the buns no longer tasted as good.

I'm a member of the Seven Deadly Sins! he thought. Sure, maybe not a full-fledged official member, but I at least hold the Third Seat! I'm a Gold tier powerhouse! How could the organization pull off something so massive that the whole world knows about it, yet I'm the last one to find out?

A long while later, Lin Canyang finished his meal and returned to his temporary rental apartment. He didn't even remember the walk back; his mind was completely consumed by the news.

Ordinary people didn't grasp the true weight of that event, but as a Gold powerhouse himself, how could he not?

That was King Chi! A Gold King!

Gold powerhouses were undeniably rare, but across the Seven Great Empires and the various major hidden factions, there were still easily eight hundred to a thousand of them in total.

But there were only seven Gold Kings!

These seven supreme rulers respectively governed the Seven Great Empires. What did that mean?

It meant those seven people stood at the absolute pinnacle of the world!

Yet now, one of those supreme monarchs had actually been severely wounded by the head of his own organization...

Lin Canyang hardly dared to think about it. He used to resent the fact that a Gold powerhouse like him wasn't even considered a full member. Now, he felt nothing but sheer relief. Earning the Third Seat had been an absolute stroke of luck!

His chest burned with newfound fervor. A fire sparked in his eyes—a fire called ambition.

He was going to climb the ranks! He would become the Second Seat, then the Chief Seat... and eventually, a true, full-fledged member of the Seven Deadly Sins!

With the terrifying strength of Leader Pride, it was only a matter of time before the Seven Deadly Sins stood at the summit of the world. They might even forge a brand-new empire! When that day came, as a founding veteran, he would undoubtedly hold a seat of power. He would never have to hide in the shadows again, living in fear of the Federal Pharmaceutical Company hunting him down.

His ambition burned brightly for a few minutes before he suddenly deflated. He grabbed a liquor bottle from the table and took a swig.

Thud!

He slammed the bottle heavily onto the table.

"Ah, the Leader couldn't have forgotten about me, could he? It's been so long. I've fully recovered from my injuries. I can participate in the organization's operations now."

Lin Canyang felt a pang of sorrow. He was desperate for progress. He didn't want to be a reserve member anymore, didn't want to spend every day hiding in the shadows.

He reached out to grab the bottle for another long pull, but the moment his fingers brushed the glass, he yanked his hand back as if he had been electrocuted.

His pupils shrank to pinpricks as he stared dead at the space beneath the bottle. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and a chill of horror swept through him.

"This is... a letter?! When did this get here?"

He stared in shock at the black envelope pinned beneath the liquor bottle. He was absolutely certain that when he took that swig just seconds ago, the letter had not been there.

That meant someone had blatantly slipped a letter right under his nose—right in front of his face—without him noticing a thing.

If that person hadn't just been delivering a letter, but had launched a sneak attack instead...

Lin Canyang took a deep breath to force himself calm. His palm instantly turned a searing crimson, and wisps of dark, baleful aura seeped out from beneath his skin.

He extended his hand, picked up the black envelope from the table, and flipped it over. His grim expression instantly melted into a look of delight.

Pressed onto the flap of the black envelope was a dazzling dash of gold—sealing wax.

The meticulously mixed golden wax exuded an air of regal majesty. Pressed into the seal were small, elegant characters: Seven Deadly Sins!

Trembling with excitement, Lin Canyang tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

The calligraphy was masterful. The horizontal strokes were slender yet powerful, like threads of spun silk, while the vertical strokes flowed with a sharp, unyielding grace, like a golden blade drawn from its sheath. Every single character was an exquisite work of art.

He didn't know much about calligraphy, but even he could tell the writing was magnificent. Still, he had no time to appreciate the penmanship. His entire focus was glued to the content.

Current Mission: Arrive in the Blood Moon Empire within three days. Rendezvous with the other members of the organization to participate in the upcoming operation.

Operation Codename: Blood Moon's Requiem.

Mission Reward: Promotion to Chief Seat.

Signed: Pride.

Lin Canyang's body trembled slightly. Promotion to Chief Seat!?

My time has finally come! As long as I complete this mission, the Chief Seat is mine! I'll be one step closer to becoming a full member!

After a moment of excitement, he calmed down and began to think.

If I can be promoted to the Chief Seat, doesn't that mean the current Chief is dead? Or maybe an official member died, so the Chief and the Second Seat moved up to take their place?

Could it be...

His mind flashed back to the news he had just heard—Pride toying with King Chi!

"It seems the last operation resulted in casualties within the organization, leaving some seats vacant. The Leader's strength is immense, capable of severely wounding King Chi, but the official members are definitely weaker. Casualties are unavoidable. However, thanks to the deaths of my seniors, I finally have a chance to rise to the top!"