Chapter 40.4: Hunter, Which Side Are You On?
“What? You found nothing?”
Three hours after they started their operation, the contracted killers they had dispatched returned empty-handed.
In a private room at the bar where they had gathered, they began reporting their results.
Since none of them wanted to reveal their real names, they all referred to each other by codenames.
However, out of six people, not one had succeeded in bringing back An Keling or Juncheng An. They hadn’t even caught sight of them.
“Tch, such useless guys… I went to the trouble of finding some helpers, risking exposure, but all I got were these good-for-nothings.”
“You were told the movement patterns of both targets, right? The places they frequent and the times are all clearly listed. Did you search thoroughly? How could you not even see a single target?”
“We wanted to ask you the same thing! Four Eyes, you aren’t fooling us, are you!”
“Yeah! Is the information you gave us completely wrong! Baseball Cap and I searched everywhere! But we found absolutely nothing!”
These good-for-nothings all looked at me with dissatisfaction, suspecting the information I provided was incorrect.
As expected, this is the best I can get from people hired externally.
“Impossible. I’ve been observing the prey’s movement patterns for a long time. The locations listed are places both targets frequent. For instance, this Beishan Park is a place the targets are sure to pass through.”
“But the fact is, they weren’t there! We searched that park you mentioned too, and we still found nothing!”
“Could they have gone on a trip?”
“Are you stupid? School isn’t out yet. What trip?”
“Maybe they got sick, which is a good reason to take time off.”
“If that were the case, I would have received some news. They wouldn’t have suddenly decided to go on a trip, and if they were sick, they certainly wouldn’t have kept it completely secret without a single word leaking out.”
I had also anticipated potential issues during the capture, such as the plan going awry or the targets escaping. However, not being able to find them from the very beginning was truly unexpected.
Could it be… I’ve been counter-reconnoitered?
Did he already know I would make a move today, so he suddenly went into hiding?
If those Black and Whites were helping him, it’s very possible he found out before we even made our move.
“Tch, if that’s the case, we might never be able to capture the brother and sister.”
I need to change my approach… for example, setting a trap and waiting for them to walk into it, but that’s not easy either.
This will require a long-term plan… Damn it!
*Hoo*, calm down. I never expected to succeed on the first try. Don’t let this failure affect my thinking.
In any case, the information gathered so far has become useless. If I can’t capture both targets at once, I’ll find a way to separate them and capture them individually…
“I, I found him!”
Just as I was lost in thought, a sudden shout broke the silence.
I frowned and looked at the speaker. He was a large, timid fatty who was only brought in because he was skilled at driving various vehicles.
“What?! At this time, you fatso, what kind of joke are you playing!”
“It, it’s true! Look! The target is below! …Below?”
The others and I walked to the window and looked down at the bar’s main floor.
It was Juncheng An.
He was sitting on a stool at the very back of the bar, drinking a glass of brandy.
When did he get there?
Did he know our rendezvous point and come here deliberately?
But he came alone… He shouldn’t be doing something so foolish.
This means he came prepared. There might be others hidden nearby, perhaps those ominous Black and Whites… Even one of them would be too much for these good-for-nothings.
But there are quite a few people in the bar now. If a violent incident were to occur, it would cause considerable chaos. If I could abduct him in the confusion…
I rested my palm on the glass, not impulsively rushing down despite his appearance.
This was his trap, luring us in by using himself as bait, intending to annihilate us in one go.
“Oh oh! It really is him! That guy is one of the targets, Juncheng An! What a coincidence!”
“What are you waiting for! Let’s go catch him!”
“Mine, mine, mine!”
While Hood and Baseball Cap were talking, Long Hair rushed out first, muttering to himself.
“Damn it, don’t let him get there first!”
Baseball Cap and Hood followed closely behind and rushed down.
Are these guys brainless? Rushing out without thinking…
Fortunately, there are still some astute individuals. Beard also noticed something off and said with a frown.
“Hey, wait. Don’t you guys find it strange? A high school student showing up in a bar?”
Transgender, however, looked at him with a mocking expression and said, spreading his hands.
“What’s strange about that? You’re out of touch, Beard. Today’s high schoolers are quite wild. Forget bars…”
“Ah, I’m going too.” Even drug addicts exist. The more liberal, the more decadent… Heh heh. But looking at this kid, he’s so young and tender. Let’s go together. Wait for me! Don’t leave me behind!”
“Ah! Wait, the disloyal ones all went downstairs. Even that fat guy glanced at me timidly before following them.
These guys…
They didn’t fail to notice the strangeness, or did they just underestimate Juncheng An?
I see. Juncheng An isn’t just an ordinary high school student as he appears on the surface. That’s why my guard is up to the maximum.
But those who haven’t dealt with him before are different.
No matter how strong he is, he can’t do much more than an adult to a child. That’s why they’re so casual.
It’s just a facade he’s deliberately created…
Is this what they call…
Heh, heh, heh. I moved the sofa to the window and, like him drinking downstairs, poured myself a glass of tequila and took a sip.
Just then, I felt a vibration from my pocket. My phone was ringing.
“At this time, a call from number 5. Although I didn’t want to answer a call from an unknown source, I ended up answering it by some strange compulsion.”
“Is someone looking for me?”
“Yo, aren’t you…?”
The moment I heard that voice, I shot up and stared intently downstairs.
He’s also on the phone.
He has his hands behind his back.
This guy…
“I’m here. Did you send those people to search for my sister and me near my home?”
“That’s right. What do you mean? Did you dial the wrong number?”
“I don’t understand. Never mind. Anyway, I’m right downstairs. If you have something, come to me.”
“Are you still pretending? You seem to be having a lot of fun playing the ghost. I want to join in.”
“But looking at you…”
“Don’t become the ghost on our side… Make sure I don’t catch you… or you’ll die a terrible death.”
“But this time it’s our turn…”
The call was cut off.
He casually put the phone back in his pocket, downed the glass of brandy in one gulp, then turned around and looked directly at me.
I saw him… What is he looking at? My head? Is he looking at my death omen?
No, that’s not right. A surge of anger that couldn’t be dispelled welled up in my chest. I slammed the glass against the table, gritted my teeth, and shouted.
Suddenly, a muffled growl. “Juncheng An! There are many people. Even if he’s strong, it will cause chaos then.”
“It’s fine. I’ll use the venue as bait. I just need to hide in the crowd and approach stealthily… In this regard, I have a lot of ‘experience’.”
Those idiots… After finishing the brandy, he slammed the glass on the floor, coarsely wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and walked out of the private room with a dark expression.
I grabbed that glass of tequila and said, “I will kill you… I will turn you into a corpse with my own hands!”
“I will definitely kill you…” Seeing that those idiots hadn’t gone down yet, I hid behind a corner and quietly observed the situation.
“Going downstairs… there are so many people. He won’t run away, will he!”
“Tch, how could the person…”
“Found him! You guys push through the crowd, block the passage alone, and take off the hood!”
A little girl with crimson eyes… …
White hair… I… How could this be! How could such a thing happen! This… this little girl is a ‘kindred spirit’!”
My heart pounded fiercely, no less than his, perhaps even more so. How many had she killed…
The killing intent emanating from her wasn’t human. A killer… no, a killer demon?
A monster. That little girl… “Hee hee, little girl, don’t block our way, uncle. We might drag you into an alley! Hee hee hee!”
“What? Hood, approaching that monster so recklessly…”
“Foolish enough to die…”
“First. She unzipped her jacket and pulled out a dagger from her chest.”
“A white-haired little girl.” A dagger? Are you playing dress-up? This kind of thing is too dangerous. Leave it to your big brother.”
“Ha? Beard stared intently at the white-haired little girl and widened his eyes in disbelief.
“What are you so surprised about? It’s just a school kid. So what if she has a knife?”
“You don’t need to approach her! She, she is…”
“Stop it! Transgender tried to stop the fool, but it was too late.”
Beard extended his hand… Anyway, the dagger was already embedded in Hood’s neck. Blood spurted from the artery, splashing onto the wall, like a bloody art. Hood’s eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
And that “girl” declared, as if passing judgment, in her eyes, they were already dead.
She’s like the Grim Reaper, the “trump card” daring to enter the dragon’s den.
She is Juncheng An’s ultimate trump card that transformed the hunter into the hunted.
It allowed him to…
“Indeed, excellent. I couldn’t help but think…”
“So excellent that I’ve encountered a monstrous being? Have I summoned…”
