2: Spectating the Hunt

The Criminal Regiment’s branch in Region N hid in the deepest of the slums of Yolo City. They established a gambling house to conceal their temporary base. Most of their customers were people from the slums.

The CR’s trick the hopeless customers into getting into debt with them. Eventually, when one had nothing to pay, they would hire him or her into doing something for them. 

That was how their roots had taken. 

Custard, the temporary leader, has been enjoying the position of the leader. In a few days, their leader would be promoted to be a Rank 3 Commander. If that happened, he would successfully gain the title he has longed for. 

The same as the normal days, he was sitting there with his legs wide open. He leaned on the chair as he filled himself with ecstasy. His eyes fixed on the girls who were grinding and dancing with a bunny suit in front of him. 

“Fourth, bring me some expensive wine from the cellar and bathe these four ladies with it.” Custard pervertedly laughed and licked his lips with his black tongue. He gestured to the member who was stiffly standing beside him.

Fourth didn’t move as if he was petrified. 

“Are you listening to me, Fourth?” Custard angrily roared. 

The girls in front of him flinched but continued. Seventh who was on the other side of Custard has a similar fate to Fourth. 

Custard frowned when he realized something unusual. He stopped laughing and approached Fourth. 

Before his hand could reach Fourth, the man suddenly moved and apprehended  Custard. Seventh also moved and warned the ladies to keep quiet. However, they were a step too late.

“F*ck traitor!” Custard cursed loudly. 

He aggressively wiggled and freed himself. He was such a big man. The man called Fourth has short limbs, not good for apprehending a fat man such as Custard. 

They thought the temporary leader would ask Seventh first. Usually, he would call Seventh for everything. There was an error in the analysis. 

The plan to silently apprehend the leader failed. 

Nonetheless, Fourth nimbly fought back. His attacks may not be filled with powerful impact, but at least he could land hits on Custard’s body six times as his attack. 

Seventh led the four ladies into hiding. They were normal people from the slums that were forced into debt. One was a minor, making Seventh frowned. 

Outside the room from where they were, the Special Squad was notified of the failure. They immediately barged into the enemy’s den and started fighting. 

It looked chaotic but fair. They could only use knives, hands, and feet in fighting. The rest depends on the techniques on how they could fight back. 

As for firearms, their use was prohibited 40 years ago. It could only be used again in the next 10 years. 

When almost all of the Special Squad members entered, a man got out of his Audi. He asked General Vanuatu to see how they were going to end the reign of the CR based in Region N. That was his sole purpose for going to this city.

He climbed onto the roof of his Audi and leisurely watched the killings. One needed to kill to suppress the enemy unless they had magic that could bind the enemies until they couldn’t move anymore. 

“We’ll wrap everything in 10 minutes, Sir.” The squad vice-captain nearby reported the events to someone from his intercom.

The man on the roof perked his ears. “General!”

[Brat! I told you to stay where you are. I can’t protect you if something happens to you!] The other person on the other end of the call burst in anger. 

His nephew loves to see him fight but didn’t want to learn how to fight. General has been warning the brat not to go in the places where missions undergo. However, the brat always found a way to join and spectate the fight. 

“I’m right outside.”

After he answered, the person who owned the intercom gestured to the man to shut his mouth. He grabbed the intercom and whispered, “I’ll turn this off for a while, General. I’ll be reporting at once later.” Then, he ended it.

He shifted his attention three o’clock from where he was facing. 

The man also turned his head and found a lady wearing bright pajamas with a carrot design. Her eyes have no ripple of emotions. She was calmly watching the CR’s base as if she could see everything inside. 

The squad member tensed. It felt like the lady was there standing a few seconds after they barged into the base. Meaning she had been spectating the events there almost at the beginning. 

Her bright eyes twinkled as the moon illuminated her bright amber pupils. It looked like it was glinting sharply as the cold wind blew. 

The vice-captain of the Special Squad set his guard on. He slowly approached the lady and asked patiently, “What could be the beautiful girl doing here in the middle of this cold midnight? Little girls like you should be sleeping right at this time.”

The lady bobbed her head. “I was about to sleep, but you are so noisy here,” she frankly replied. 

His body tensed. How come the lady heard it? The thunderous firearms were prohibited to use so all of their actions must only be heard within a ten perimeter radius. 

If that’s true, she must have come inside the CR’s base. Their list didn’t include a lady in her teens though. She must be the CR’s hidden card!

“Oi, brother. Stop accusing me in your mind. If you don’t wrap up what you are doing here immediately, I will keep on watching you.”

“Who are you?” Instead of feeling relaxed with her soothing voice, the vice-captain only felt a sense of crisis. That person knew what was running through his mind.

“A local in the slums.” The lady slightly tilted her head to the side. Confused why he needed to know about her. She could feel the tensed muscles on his body and his suspicions. 

The vice-captain didn’t believe what she said. “Put your hands up,” he ordered nervously. 

He had been a vice-captain for five years, but it was his first time meeting someone who appeared similar to an assassin. 

The lady slightly rubbed her philtrum. “It’s up to you. I’m just here to see why you are so noisy.” She stepped back and merged into the night. 

The darkness veiled her presence. The lady didn’t leave; she was enjoying the baffled expression of the vice-captain.

“You don’t really need to be on guard against her,” A lazy voice commented as soon as the lady disappeared.

The vice-captain turned his head to look at him. This guy only went with them to see how they would catch the Criminal Regiment based from Region N. He had no right to interfere or influence the ideas as a deadweight. 

Hearing the lazy boss, the vice-captain frowned. What does he know? But he could only express his displeasure inwardly. 

“We don’t know who our enemies are now that an additional character entered the scene.”

The lazy young man chortled but didn’t explain.

Having two spectators in their work, the vice-captain also took part in apprehending the CR members. He left the General’s nephew since he wanted him to learn how dangerous their work was. 

When everything seemed to be wrapped up, the lady also disappeared. 

The man who was lazily watching the show veered his tantalizing, golden eyes at where the lady left. 

She may have excellent concealment skills, but for someone with almost the same background as hers, nothing would be concealed. 

--

“Hey, little lady!” 

“Little lady!”

“Savage lady!”

A boy around 15 years of age was knocking on a large, rusty old gate. He wore silver-rimmed eyeglasses and an expensive silver watch. Yet, his right hand was full of books about mechanics and electronics. 

He had been calling this “little lady” for more than 10 minutes. He believed she should hear him as that little lady has peculiarly amazing senses. She should have long noticed his arrival. 

Did she plan to play tricks on him? He was confused as the little lady was savagely frank. If she offended someone, she would listen to their heartbeat and ask why they were feeling that way. 

The fact that she hasn’t killed someone with her mouth was fortunate enough.

Or maybe there was, who knows? Dead people can’t speak after all. 

A young man was running towards the gate. His hair was a bit disheveled and he was topless. He has a well-built body despite not being that tall. He was still squinting his eyes; he just woke up. 

“Quinn?” The young man blinked his bleary eyes. He didn’t waste any second to open up the gate. 

“Oh, boy! Hahaha!” Quinn, the boy in his 15s, laughed like an old man. He was taller than the young man, so he easily put his left hand on his shoulders. “Where’s Alek?”

The boy awkwardly shrugged off Quinn’s hand. He couldn’t understand why he insisted on calling him “boy” when he was obviously older than him. 

“Old man Quinn.” A woman wearing carrot-designed pajamas answered them from behind. She has a black backpack hanging on her shoulders. Her amber eyes looked as tranquil as still water. 

“Why are you looking for me?”