Chapter 189 Loyalty Is Only for The Dog
[In a corner restaurant in New York City. A few days before Klaus visited Vincent in prison.]
The girl in the gray hoodie refused to sit, despite Klaus politely inviting her to do so. Her narrowed eyes emitted suspicion and fear as she looked at him.
On the other hand, Sheila was slightly taken aback. She hadn't sensed anyone approaching them at all. Suddenly, the hooded girl was right next to her when Klaus greeted her. It was as if she were a ghost. At the same time, she was curious about who this girl really was. As far as she remembered, she and her boss were waiting for a hitman named Zee. There's no way this girl was the one they were waiting for, she thought.
"Why are you standing? Come on, have a seat," Klaus said gently.
Seeing the girl still reluctant to sit, Sheila tapped the chair beside her. "Come on, don't be afraid. We're not bad people," she tried to be friendly, smiling. However, the hooded girl showed a disgusted expression.
"Eugh, don't act all sweet. Your face makes me want to puke, old hag," Zee retorted sarcastically.
Naturally, Sheila was seething. "What did you say, kid? Do you want to die, huh?" she said, a bit irritated.
"Don't be rude like that, Sheila. She's the guest we've been waiting for," Klaus said.
Naturally, Sheila was surprised. "It can't be."
Zee ignored Sheila and sat nonchalantly next to her. Despite the woman next to her being angry, Zee was more wary of the man in front of her. She couldn't help but stare at Klaus with a deep gaze.
However, Klaus simply smiled, giving off a casual and relaxed impression.
Raising his hand, he called over a female server who handed him a menu.
"Do you want to order something? Don't worry, it's on me," Klaus said.
Zee shook her head. "No, thank you. Why don't you just tell me why you brought me here? Your underlings can't wait to finish me off."
Suddenly, Sheila shivered. The atmosphere was filled with a murderous aura.
Several men in leather jackets could be seen giving Zee sharp glares. Intense hatred emanated from their eyes. Among them, a tomboyish woman with a scar on her eyebrow and a green-haired man stood out the most.
In this restaurant, Klaus didn't come alone with his secretary. Izzy and Dax, along with their henchmen, surrounded the place. Their purpose for coming here was Zee. They still harbored a grudge over the death of their former boss, Roach.
The reason they could remain calm even with the person who killed their boss in front of them was Klaus.
For the past three days, Klaus had used Izzy's services to track down Zee's whereabouts. Of course, he armed them with powerful artificial arcana to capture her. Especially with [Radiant Light] – an artificial arcana Klaus had given Izzy as a reward for attacking Richard during the campaign – they could neutralize Zee's dark powers.
Klaus promised to hand Zee over to them once their business was done. And if they brought this girl to him alive, Klaus would give them all their artificial arcana.
"Alright then. I thought I'd treat you to your last enjoyable lunch before your demise," Klaus said.
Zee clenched her fists. A hint of fear briefly crossed her face. Sheila, who heard it, was also surprised. She didn't expect Klaus to say that to this young girl.
"Boss... did I hear that correctly?" Sheila asked to confirm. Pity was painted in her face as her eyes turned towards Zee. If she looked closely, Zee had bruises on her face under her gray hood. It seemed like she had been beaten badly before coming here.
Klaus nodded. "Don't be fooled by her appearance, Sheila. This mischievous girl is a hitman. She's killed many people. One of your friends, Roach."
After learning this fact, Sheila was truly shocked. Her body instinctively moved away from the girl in the gray hood.
"So, now you're scared of me. Pathetic," Zee said, snorting.
Sheila clenched her fists as she looked at Zee. She wasn't scared of her but angry, knowing the person sitting at the same table with her. However, for some reason, she couldn't vent or hate her.
"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Zee asked.
Klaus sipped his coffee. Then he said, "You seem to be out of the loop. But I no longer work for Vincent."
Klaus nodded as he pursed his lips. "A bit unexpected, but it's good news. You can tell me everything you know about Vincent."
Zee chuckled. "I'm not an idiot. What's in it for me to give you information if I know you're going to kill me?"
"I could ask Izzy to kill you quickly, painlessly, perhaps," Klaus replied.
"That's a dumb idea. I'd rather keep my mouth shut. You won't be able to kill me if you really want the information in my head," Zee said as she tapped her temple with her index finger.
"You think so?"
Naturally, Zee furrowed her brow.
"The woman sitting next to you is Sheila," Klaus said. "Besides being a reliable secretary, she possesses a talent called [Memory Absorption]. Just by touching your skin, she can absorb all your memories, information, knowledge, and experiences."
"Bullshit," Zee muttered through her teeth.
"Do I look like someone who's lying?"
Zee gritted her teeth. She didn't see any signs of bluffing on his face. "Then why didn't you just tell her to extract my thoughts, instead of asking me to say it?"
Klaus smirked. "Sometimes, I like to decide someone's fate."
"What a psycho," Zee muttered.
At the same time, Sheila swallowed hard. She knew her boss was different from most people. But it was the first time she had seen his dark side.
"So, what is it? Do you want to spill the information, or shall my friend extract it from you?"
Zee lowered her head. Regardless of which choice she made, death was the end result. In that moment, life flashed before her eyes. She remembered how many lives she had taken. For the first time in her life, she contemplated what death meant.
"I should escape," she thought.
Her eyes darted in various directions, calculating how many enemies were on guard. Even though she was surrounded, this place was a restaurant. The customers provided enough cover for her to slip away. Using [Dark Force], she could vanish into the shadows in an instant.
However, there was one problem – Klaus.
She might be able to elude Izzy and her henchmen, but Klaus was different. Since she had received a pardon from Klaus that night, she didn't want to cross paths with him again. That's why she had quit working for Vincent. The fear of him was deeply ingrained in her mind.
But Zee still wanted to stay alive.
Clasping her hands, she mustered the courage to escape from them.
"Alright, I'll tell you everything," Zee replied. "What do you want to know about Vincent?"
Klaus smiled. "Good." Pouting his lips, he was thinking about what question he wanted to ask. But at that moment, the escape route formed in Zee's mind.
As he was in deep thought, the hooded girl suddenly slammed the table.
Bam!
The table split in two. Sheila was startled, as were the customers. In that brief moment, Zee transformed her body into darkness and disappeared into the shadows.
"Damn it! She's escaped! Go after her!" Izzy shouted.
As soon as the order left her mouth, Dax and dozens of leather-clad men stood up from their seats. They quickly dispersed in various directions, blocking the exits. Of course, their actions caused panic among the customers. A server attempted to stop them, but after realizing these people were awakeners, he abandoned his intention.
Sheila bit her lip. "Boss, what do we do?"
However, Klaus remained seated calmly. "Don't worry, your friends can handle this. I didn't bring them here without reason. Besides, they're the ones who drag that girl here."
Sheila furrowed her brow.
Amidst the panic, suddenly Izzy raised her hand. The golden bracelet on her wrist glowed brightly, filling the entire restaurant with blinding golden light. As the customers shielded their eyes from the glare, the screams of the girl echoed in the air.
"Kya!!!"
Zee was seen lying on the floor, groaning in pain.
"There she is!" Dax shouted as he spotted her.
Seeing dozens of leather-clad men coming for her, Zee quickly stood up and jumped out of the window nearby. Customers screamed as the glass shattered and shards scattered. Izzy and her henchmen quickly pursued them.
After escaping from the restaurant, Zee turned into the alleyway and ran as fast as she could.
"Damn it! If only they didn't have those stupid arcanas, I would have finished them off."
Amidst her escape, a woman with iron gauntlets landed in front of her, striking the ground and causing chunks of concrete to scatter. Luckily, Zee managed to evade the lethal blow, but the impact was tremendous. Her body was thrown several meters.
"Damn it," she cursed.
As Zee tried to get up, she found herself surrounded.
