Chapter 129: Distrust?

Picking up the call, Kai greeted the man on the other end. "How have you been, Mister Adam?"

"Hunter Kai," Adam replied. "I apologize for not being there when you arrived at the Association."

Kai hummed casually. "Nothing to worry about. Your junior took good care of me." Well, the man hadn’t been outright rude, so Kai had no complaints.

"Is that so? I’m glad to hear it. I also heard that your conversation with the Chairman went well."

Kai poured himself a glass of water before taking a sip. "I was actually surprised that he never asked me anything about the Monarch."

"Oh... I see. Well, if you don’t mind, I could certainly use some insight from you on that matter."

Kai chuckled softly as he finished his water and set the glass aside. "Of course. You’ve done so much for us, even going as far as arranging this house. The least I can do is help you with something like this."

He understood just how important his account of the battle against the Monarch was. After all, the Monarch itself had come to regard Kai as a threat. He was the very reason the Void had been unable to expand its territory and unleash even a fraction of the destruction it had initially promised.

Whatever the Association knew about that battle, Kai’s firsthand experience was bound to be invaluable.

"Hunter Kai," Adam continued, "the Chairman informed me that you might need access to the Association’s training grounds soon, along with some raid permits. Is that correct?"

Kai raised an eyebrow in surprise. "He mentioned that? Hmm. Truthfully, I’m curious about the training facilities. I’ve heard quite a few stories about how the Technical Department can customize training modules according to each hunter’s abilities."

"You’ve heard correctly, and there’s considerably more to discover. Shall I arrange a visit for you tomorrow?"

Kai leaned against the wall, crossing his free arm over his chest as he considered the offer. "I’m a little hesitant about exposing my skills to other people, Mister Adam."

There was a brief pause before Adam responded.

"You have nothing to worry about regarding your privacy. The person who has given me the authority to support you holds the utmost command on every department of the association."

Kai couldn’t help but feel as though he had somehow acquired a top-tier connection to a big boss, someone whose authority the rest of the world could scarcely challenge.

And, truthfully, that wasn’t far from reality. The Chairman of the Association was precisely that kind of person.

Kai shook his head slightly, amused by the thought. In any case, if Adam was confident that his privacy would be protected, there was little reason to turn down the opportunity.

"Since you’re saying that, I’ll visit the training centre tomorrow."

There was no harm in familiarizing himself with the Association’s facilities. After all, Kai had a feeling that he would find himself getting involved with them more and more as time went on. It was better to understand how things worked before he found himself in the middle of something he couldn’t easily walk away from.

After a brief pause, he decided to ask about something that had been bothering him for a while.

"Mister Adam, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, Hunter Kai. What is it?"

Kai stepped out of his room and headed toward the main hall, his footsteps unhurried as he spoke. "It’s a good thing, but I still find it a little strange. When I was in the hospital, there was a whole crowd of reporters gathered outside. Yet, there hasn’t been a single mention of me on the internet. Not even a rumor."

He was fortunate, genuinely so, that his name and face had remained out of the media’s reach. Considering how hectic his life could become, keeping a low profile was undoubtedly the better option.

Still, he clearly remembered the crowd gathered outside the hospital. It had been precisely why he had followed Adam’s advice, taken the fire exit, and made his way to this house instead.

There was a brief pause on the other end before Adam answered.

"It’s because, although the cameras never captured your face, they did manage to capture your car. That’s how the reporters traced you to the hospital. However, our Surveillance Department took care of the matter and eliminated every trace connecting you to the rented vehicle."

Kai hummed thoughtfully, nodding to himself as the explanation settled his doubts.

"Is that so? Thank you for always looking out for me, Mister Adam."

....

On the other end of the call, Adam disconnected and let out a long breath before leaning back in his chair. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, his expression turning contemplative.

"He’s perceptive," Adam muttered.

He had assumed the incident had unfolded in such a rush that Kai would have forgotten the finer details. Apparently, he had underestimated the young hunter’s ability to notice things that didn’t quite add up.

The truth was that Adam had lied about the rental car and the supposed trail the media had followed. In reality, the reporters had never caught so much as a glimpse of Kai in the first place.

However, Adam had been instructed to keep Kai within his sight, at least for the time being. Given how easily other officers could approach the young hunter, Adam had decided it would be better to relocate him somewhere he could keep a closer eye on him.

And so, he had arranged the entire media spectacle, creating a sense of urgency before advising Kai to take shelter at his house until things settled down.

"Thankfully, he believed my story."

Adam rubbed his forehead, feeling a faint twinge of guilt. He disliked lying to people with whom he hoped to build a good relationship. However, a little fabrication here and there seemed acceptable when the circumstances demanded it.

Besides, it wasn’t as though he had put Kai in any danger. If anything, he had provided the young hunter with a safe place to stay while keeping unwanted attention away from him.

With another long sigh, Adam rose from his chair and turned his attention to the preparations for the following day.

The training grounds needed to be ready.

After all, he was about to find out just how much Kai had grown in such a short period.