Chapter 908: Part 1: Ben’s realisation Chapter 908: Part 1: Ben’s realisation Lowell left the dimly lit chamber, his face hard and resolute after collecting the tampered storage rings.
His mind was already made up.
He would confront the heads of those powerful families, and they would pay dearly for their treachery.
His eyes flickered with a dangerous glint, and his fists clenched as he strode forward.
The lessons he intended to teach would be seared into the minds of those who had crossed him.
But for now, his priority was to uncover the true mastermind behind the tampering of the storage ring.
Who could have orchestrated such an intricate ploy?
His thoughts churned as he moved swiftly to the top floor of the grand Federation building.
The air seemed thick with tension, each step echoing his impatience.
Upon reaching the top floor, he made his way to the office, where the Head of the Federation worked diligently behind his desk, surrounded by piles of documents and glowing data screens.
Ben, the Federation Head, looked up as Lowell entered, his brows knitting together in concern.
It was not often that Lowell appeared with such a stormy expression.
“I expected you’d come to check on him,” Ben began, his voice carrying the weight of authority.
“What happened?
Wasn’t he satisfied?” Lowell didn’t respond immediately.
His silence, coupled with the cold fire in his eyes, spoke volumes.
Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out the tampered storage ring and set it down before Ben, the metallic clink echoing ominously in the quiet room.
“There’s something wrong with the pills provided by a certain family,” Lowell stated flatly, his voice laced with barely controlled anger.
Ben’s expression shifted sharply from concern to alarm.
His eyes narrowed as he reached for the ring, his fingers trembling slightly as he took it.
Without wasting a moment, he extended his mental power to scan the contents.
The usual treasures were there-common materials and rare items-but it was the pills he was after.
His mental power swept over the boxes of pills with precision and intent.
As soon as he inspected the first pill, his gut twisted.
The color-off, dulled, almost lifeless-reminded him of waste pills, the kind that were often discarded after failed concoctions.
His frown deepened as he continued to check the others.
One after another, each pill gave him the same unsettling feeling.
Unable to fully trust his mental scan, Ben took the pills out of the box, holding one between his fingers.
He brought it close to his face, inhaling the faint scent.
His expression darkened like a gathering storm.
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“Waste pills,” he muttered, his tone now icy, his eyes flickering with barely concealed fury.
But it wasn’t just waste pills.
Ben hurriedly sifted through the remaining pills.
Among them, he recognized something else-a rare body-strengthening pill, used by body-cultivating warriors to enhance their physical prowess.
A precious commodity, now tainted.
He set it down, dread settling in his chest.
His mind raced as he thought of combination pills.
He scanned the ring again, searching desperately for them.
But there were none.
Nothing.
Ben’s face grew even more grave.
The absence of combination pills wasn’t just negligence; it was a calculated attack.
These pills, when taken without the proper combination, were nothing but slow-acting poison.
The damage would be subtle at first, but over time it would cripple even the strongest warrior.
Lowell watched Ben intently, noting every change in his expression.
He didn’t need to say anything more.
The Federation Head had seen for himself how dire the situation was.
Ben finally exhaled, his gaze hard and cold.
He met Lowell’s eyes, and for a moment, there was a shared understanding between them.
Lowell didn’t need to speak his request aloud, but it was clear as day: permission to retaliate.
And Ben, his mind weighed down by the enormity of the betrayal, knew there was only one course of action left.
A few minutes later, Ben meticulously placed the pills back into their respective boxes, the weight of their significance heavy in his hands.
He slipped the boxes into the storage ring, sealing away the evidence of the treachery.
When he turned to face Lowell, his eyes gleamed with a complex mixture of frustration, disappointment, and something else-perhaps guilt.
“Lowell,” Ben began, his voice unusually soft, almost regretful.
“I apologize.
I never expected those families to exploit my leniency in such a way.
I’ve always strived to maintain balance, but it seems my kindness has given them room to take advantage.” Lowell blinked in surprise at the apology.
It wasn’t often that the Federation Head admitted fault.
Shaking his head slightly, Lowell replied firmly, “Head, there’s no need for you to apologize.
But you know as well as I do, these pills-they’re more than just flawed.
They’re a slow-acting poison, designed with intent to cripple, if not kill.
And they dared to design this against my student.” The anger in Lowell’s voice simmered beneath the surface, barely controlled.
His eyes burned with intensity as he continued, “If I don’t respond, they’ll think they can get away with it.
This will only embolden them to try again in the future, with someone else.” Ben sighed deeply, the weight of leadership pressing down on him.
He had long walked the fine line between keeping the peace and maintaining authority, especially in the delicate political climate they found themselves in.
With external threats looming, internal conflicts were the last thing he had wanted to stir up.
But now, it seems inevitable.
“They’ve crossed a line,” Ben murmured, his gaze distant for a moment as if reflecting on the years he had spent negotiating and appeasing the power-hungry families.
“I didn’t want conflict within the Federation, especially not now with the current situation.
But it seems that some have taken my reluctance for weakness.” He paused, thinking of Zack Lockwood, Lowell’s promising student.
The boy had an extraordinary chance of enrolling in Star University, a rare and prestigious opportunity.
The last thing Ben wanted was for anything to happen to Zack before that.
This plot, now revealed, was not just an attack on Lowell-it was an affront to the Federation itself, and to him personally.
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