Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 184: Encountering Cedric

Chapter 184: Encountering Cedric

Hearing Alice mention Cedric, Nora grew even more curious about this mysterious figure. If she held him in such high regard, he was certainly no ordinary person.

"When do we depart?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her.

Instead of answering immediately, she retrieved the mask she had worn earlier and placed it back over her face. Her voice was solemn as she declared,

"Right now."

Nora nodded seriously. He understood that the upcoming mission would be anything but easy.

.....

The two of them moved swiftly, racing against time. The task had been assigned to Alice since the suspect was relatively close to her location.

As they neared the crime scene, the crowd became increasingly visible. Numerous police vehicles had surrounded the bank, sealing off every possible escape route for Cedric.

Taking in the grand scene before him, Nora hesitated for a moment before asking,

"Do you think all these people can actually stop Cedric?"

Alice shook her head immediately and replied,

"If this were Cedric in his prime, these people wouldn’t stand a chance at capturing him. At my level, light firearms barely cause any real harm."

Nora was visibly shaken by her words. He had not anticipated that she possessed such overwhelming strength.

She had long surpassed the realm of ordinary humans and was steadily advancing toward an even greater plane of power.

Firearms—lethal threats to mankind—were, in her eyes, nothing more than minor inconveniences, mere playthings.

His mind still reeling, he caught on to something in her words and asked in surprise,

"Then does that mean numbers still play a role in capturing a target?"

"Of course," she affirmed. "But only if he fights me seriously, pushing himself to his very limit."

Nora nodded in understanding, yet something still felt off. A question surfaced in his mind, and he voiced it without hesitation,

"The President is nearby, isn’t he? With his strength, wouldn’t capturing Cedric be a trivial matter?"

His doubt was not unwarranted. Magnus’s sheer power was enough to completely overwhelm Cedric.

In fact, not just Cedric—there wasn’t a single human alive today who could match Magnus in one-on-one combat.

Noting the skepticism in Nora’s tone, Alice offered an explanation:

"It’s because of his personality."

"Personality? Are you saying he’s actually harmless? That sounds ridiculous."

Nora frowned at the explanation. How could something as trivial as personality be a deciding factor?

Was it really possible for a criminal to roam free just because he had a slightly better disposition? That sounded absurd.

Alice shook her head and corrected him,

"No, he’s not entirely harmless. His existence is troublesome because he acts on a whim, disregarding the law completely. He’s a bad precedent—one that too many people might be tempted to follow."

That only deepened Nora’s confusion. If Cedric was truly a dangerous individual, why hadn’t they captured him already?

"Then why? If he’s so dangerous, why haven’t they taken him in?"

Alice let out a sigh, a hint of helplessness in her tone as she explained,

"Because, for now, the benefits of keeping him around outweigh the risks of eliminating him. Imprisoning him is pointless—once he breaks through to the next level, no ordinary prison will be able to hold him. Worse, doing so would only make him resent humanity even more. His talent is on par with mine and the President’s. He is an irreplaceable force in humanity’s arsenal—we can’t afford to lose him."

Nora finally understood the predicament the Hero Association faced.

For now, Cedric’s existence was more of an asset than a liability—at least temporarily.

"I see... This really is a complicated situation. Should I be extra cautious around him?"

Alice’s voice turned sharp as she warned,

"If you don’t want to end up in the hospital again, then yes. Be very careful."

Nora nodded seriously. He knew she wasn’t joking.

Before long, they arrived at the crime scene.

Standing before them was a towering man who immediately drew the attention of the entire crowd.

His muscular physique resembled a sculpted bronze statue, his short golden hair neatly trimmed.

His steel-gray eyes were piercing and resolute, giving him the appearance of a man as unyielding as iron itself.

Surrounding him were hostages, tightly bound by steel wires. The way they were restrained was so precise that it was clear to everyone—the bindings were a product of his ability.

Contrary to his imposing appearance, his voice rang out with a cheerful tone:

"Oi, oi, oi, an old friend! Long time no see!"

The moment he spoke, both the hostages and the police instinctively turned toward the direction he was looking. Their eyes fell upon two masked figures—one clad in black, the other in red.

A wave of relief washed over the officers.

"Thank goodness, the heroes are here!"

"This makes our job a lot less dangerous."

"Please, help us subdue the criminal as soon as possible!"

The air buzzed with murmurs—some of relief, others urging them to act quickly.

To both the police and the hostages, the arrival of these two masked figures was an undeniable beacon of hope.

At that moment, Alice spoke up.

"As expected, you just can’t sit still, can you? Why do you insist on playing the villain?"

Cedric chuckled, his easygoing demeanor radiating an undeniable sense of freedom.

"Hahaha, don’t go slapping labels on me so carelessly, Alice. I’m not some ’villain.’ I’m just a free man—I do whatever I feel like doing."

Knowing full well he wouldn’t harm the hostages, Alice continued indulging his nonsense.

"So... robbing a bank is just something you ’felt like doing’ today?"

Cedric heaved an exaggerated sigh, feigning helplessness.

"Sigh... What can I say? The electricity bill, water bill, rent—all ridiculously high this month. If I don’t rob a bank, how else am I supposed to afford it?"

At his words, the expressions of everyone present darkened.

Are you serious? Do you actually expect anyone to believe that?

Even Alice, despite being familiar with his antics, found herself scowling behind her mask.

"So what, you’re just itching for a beating, is that it?"

Meanwhile, Nora had begun to get a general sense of Cedric’s personality.

This guy’s pretty interesting... but his definition of ’freedom’ really doesn’t fit in this society.