Suburbs, a private club.
Orson got out of the car, and Lee led the way, unable to stop himself from scanning the surroundings.
This place used to be a summer resort, which Orson had heard about since he was a kid—it had quite a reputation locally. Later, the land was bought and transformed into a high-end private club where many influential figures would frequently gather for business talks. However, he wasn't sure whether this place was part of Radiant Shuttle's properties.
Outside of a mansion surrounded by water, several security guards stood by the entrance, exchanging glances with Lee. The four of them gave Orson a brief once-over and then stepped aside to let him pass.
"I'm afraid I can't go any further, brother," Lee said.
"Alright, thanks." Orson nodded, eyeing the four men, who were slender but exuded a sharp and dangerous energy—clearly veterans of the battlefield, even though they weren't built like typical security thugs.
Orson wasn't surprised; it made sense for K.D. to be accompanied by a few tough guys.
"Is this guy really a big shot in the gaming world? He's still making demands on us? K.D., are you joking?" A man with a sharp gaze and tiger-like features stood up and spoke.
"100 billion? For our Bruce Family, that's nothing. If he kneels and begs me, maybe I'll consider it. But I doubt he has the guts."
"Mr. Bruce." K.D. said awkwardly, holding a cup of tea, as he gestured for the man to approach him.
"The world has really changed. A professional gamer can actually walk into a place and become the center of attention. What a joke," James said, laughing loudly.
Orson briefly paused, a faint smile appearing on his face. It was clear James was deliberately trying to embarrass him. This wasn't a matter of not knowing Orson had arrived—it was because he had just shown up that James felt the need to make such a remark.
"James, can you shut up?" A cold voice suddenly rang out. Orson's eyes gleamed with a ferocious glint.
"Do I look like I care?" James mocked, his gaze sweeping over Orson. "You've been defeated by the Godslayer guild several times. You're the one who should be embarrassed."
"That's none of your business, idiot," Blank retorted coldly.
Orson smiled knowingly. It seemed like Blank had been left with a lot of free time lately, after being punished for using her character's special abilities and being banned from dungeons for a week.
Blank, dressed in a beige long dress, stood high on the mansion's edge, looking out at the scenery. Her long hair flowed gently in the wind, her figure graceful and delicate, with her pale skin giving off a cool and ethereal aura—she looked both cold and pure.
Orson smiled playfully, listening to the banter between the two. To his surprise, they were siblings. This Mr. Bruce must come from a family of fighters.
No wonder K.D. seemed hesitant to stop him earlier.
Inside the mansion, there were more people than Orson had expected. As soon as he stepped in, several pairs of eyes fixed on him. These people weren't ordinary by any means—their presence was intimidating, especially the middle-aged man sitting next to K.D.
The man radiated a sense of power, as though his very presence could devour anyone in his way. Sitting there, he resembled a fierce tiger.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Orson," Orson said confidently, showing no signs of hesitation. Even a tiger was nothing compared to the Heaven Demon he had once encountered.
When the group heard Orson introduce himself, confusion spread across their faces. Except for Blank, all of them turned their gaze to K.D.
"Cough, Leaderboards #1, the world's top sss-level player, Orgod. You should be more familiar with that name," K.D. introduced politely.
"He's the Triple Crown winner, Orgod? He looks so young," a woman, dressed like a noble, said in surprise. Her white neck was adorned with a strange purple tattoo.
"That's the Phoenix Tattoo! She's from the Ziegler Family," Orson thought, alarmed.
Before the hard mode started, most of the US fighter families kept a low profile. But the Ziegler Family was very active. They controlled multiple large guilds and had close cooperation with Usher.
The most distinguishing feature of the Ziegler Family was the phoenix tattoo on their necks. It was said that the strongest among them could possess immortality, akin to the rebirth of a phoenix.
However, when the apocalypse began, most of the Ziegler Family perished, leaving only a handful of survivors who controlled some trial sites. It seemed that the so-called "rebirth" was just a rumor spread because they had more resurrection items than others.
"I said it before—games are just games, and reality is reality. Looks like he's not all that after all," James scoffed, glancing at Orson with a raised eyebrow.
Orson ignored him and turned to Blank, giving her a playful nod. "So, you're here too?"
"Are you blind?" Blank responded coldly.
"He's your brother? What's your character's name in-game?" Orson asked with a smile.
Blank looked at him with disdain, her mouth curling into a slight smile. "LD ShadowBlade, just finished grinding some mobs in the newbie village."
"Interesting…" Orson's smile deepened.
James furrowed his brow. "So what? In a game where you can pay to get stronger, being #1 is only temporary."
"He used to play a warrior in the Nordic servers, he's not familiar with the US servers," Blank shrugged, looking somewhat helpless.
"Got it, I'll ask Bradley to go make friends with him," Orson said, his grin widening.
Despite James' taunts, he chose to ignore him—this was the best way to deal with a big mouth.
"A bit interesting. I've been friends with Usher since we were kids. Demon Emperor once drove for the Bruce Family. Are you sure you want to be friends with me?" James said, smirking as he caught Orson's hidden meaning.
"Ah, so Blank is close with Demon Emperor because of that connection," Orson thought.
When Blank heard James, her face twisted into a bitter smile.
K.D. and the others exchanged looks, unsure how to explain the current situation in the US region to James.
Orson had forced Usher to switch sides, and yesterday Demon Emperor had taken control of the Bone Dragon Stronghold, only to hand it over to the Godslayer guild for the low price of one copper coin.
The world channel had exploded with gossip, and some people even thought that Godslayer had secretly formed an alliance with Slaughter. But the truth was, Demon Emperor had paid to repair the damage to the stronghold before giving it up to Godslayer, not wanting to provide any excuses for someone to target him.
It was clear that James mentioning Usher and Demon Emperor was an attempt to intimidate Orson, but it only made the situation more absurd.
"This is the representative of the Ziegler Family, and this here is the financial manager of the Roberts Family..." K.D. introduced each person in turn. They were all representatives of powerful hidden US families, far beyond ordinary noble families.
"And this is Emma Bruce, better known as Blank," K.D. continued.
"Emma Bruce, so that's your name. Quite the name," Orson said with a smile.
Blank gritted her teeth, clearly upset. Orson's casual comment about her looks felt like another insult.
She was furious, reaching for the dagger she usually kept on her knee, only to find nothing there.