The Devil’s Cage

Standing inside his villa, Cook held his phone, talking to the person on the other end with never before seen speed.

“I say everything! EVERYTHING! I want to see everything in my bank safety deposit box in an hour!”

His quick growls sounded furious, to the point that Cook’s flabby face was twitching. After he hung up the phone, he smashed the phone on the floor.

“Damn it!” he cursed.

There was no hiding and no need to hide.

Everyone in the room with Cook was his most trustworthy man.

Likewise, these men were smart enough to not ask for a snub, as they understood Cook’s character very well.

So, they watched quietly as Cook went to the room next door.

The room was initially prohibited, but now, the doors were opened by Cook, revealing the interior to everyone.

The men saw a complete, detailed map with every single house address and shops labeled on it. They were stunned before they were relieved.

Compared to the rumoured extravagant, secretive room, this informative room matched their boss’ method even more.

Their boss didn’t hide his ambitions in Eiders from them.

In fact, they had all been working towards a common goal before this, but now…

These men saw Cook standing in front of the map in silence; they knew how bad the current situation was.

Otherwise, their boss wouldn’t make such a move like taking everything from the bank safety deposit box. Other than running away, they couldn’t think of anything else.

The room was silent.

Almost half a minute later, Cook suddenly pulled the map off and tore it to shreds until the pieces were floating in the air. Cook went back to his sofa and sat down profoundly; the sofa made with real leather and wood instantly produced a teeth-numbing screech.

The men straightened their bodies. They knew the time had come.

“Some of you have been following me for as long as 25 years, the shortest being at ten years. If it’s possible… I had hoped that you all could follow me to my prime, to the peak of my ambitions. Imagine what that would have been like. But now, it’s all over! I was too impatient!”

Cook shook his head in regret. He paused for a while before continuing, “It’s my fault, all my fault. You all shouldn’t bear my wrongs, so… I’ll bear the consequences alone. You all can take the pensions that I prepared for you and leave Eiders as soon as possible—I can’t guarantee whether those bastards will hunt you down or not, but I know there will be some who will add salt to the wound. Go now.” Cook waved his hands and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the room, which was full of people just now, was empty.

Cook’s flabby face twitched a few times. He tried to show a self-mocking smile, but his smile was even uglier than his crying face.

“Do you need me to kill them?” the man in the shadows asked.

“Kill those who betray me. The others… No need.”

After those words, Cook slumped down on the sofa. His already fat body was drained of energy, as though he was a pile of rotten meat.

The man in the shadows looked at Cook at his weakest, the man’s heart thinking.

In the end, the man quietly vanished.

When Cook noticed the man in the shadow go off, he still didn’t move.

He continued slumping down the sofa until the man in the shadows came back for the third time in a more secretive form. Cook then slowly sat up on the couch properly.

His sitting posture was straighter, more energetic than before.

He slowly picked up the cigar on the tea table.

After becoming Cook, he had rarely cut and lit his own cigars; his loyal men usually prepared them.

But now…

He glanced around at the empty room again and shrugged helplessly.

Although he knew from the start that this plan would be challenging, to the point that he must risk his life, he still felt a little troubled when it actually happened.

Of course, the pain went away quickly. After all, he wasn’t the one dying.

Cook lit his cigar and held it to his mouth. He stood up and walked to the room next door again.

He then tapped on the wall lightly, and another secret room revealed itself.

The room not only held a tightly secure safety box, but there was also a passageway that led underground.

After taking out the contents of the safety box, Cook strode downwards.

“Failure? Ridiculous! The show is just beginning,” Cook gave a cold laugh in his heart.

20 minutes after Cook left, the man in the shadows once again returned to the room.

When he saw that the entrance to the secret room wasn’t close, he was surprised. Then, without further ado, the man quickly left the villa, and the moment he stepped out—

KABOOM!

A massive explosion blasted the entire villa to the sky.

Looking at the blazing flames and dancing tongues of fire, the man in the shadows squinted his eyes and intense killer intent shone.

He was played! He was played by that fat bastard!

The rage in his heart distorted his figure in the shadows, but a moment later, when the fire engine sirens sounded, everything returned to normal.

All that was left was a voice hidden in the shadows.

“Yes, my lord. Understood my lord.”

…

Wier was walking along the hospital corridor. He purposely slowed down so as not to disturb the other patients, but once he reached the top floor, Wier strode like the wind because he knew the top floor only housed a single patient.

And with the soundproof walls there, unless one fired a gun, any kind of noise would never disturb other patients.

At the end of the clean corridor, there were two neatly-dressed, expressionless Special Affairs Division members. Before Wier could approach them, one of them blocked Wier.

“Captain Wier. Please stop,” the man said in a cold and courteous manner.

“I need to see Mayor Syro Derl,” Wier stated the purpose of his visit.

“I am sorry, we didn’t receive your appointment,”

the man checked the visitor list and rejected Wier’s request.

“I am the captain of Special Operation Division, I have a right to see the mayor!” Wier emphasized.

Notwithstanding, the man shook his head without any reaction and smiled coldly. “I am one of the members of the Special Affairs Division, I also have the right to deny any request from the Special Operation Division.”

“Move! I don’t want to repeat myself!” Wier gripped his walking staff tightly.

“You can try.”

The man took a glance at Wier’s walking staff; he knew what was inside and because of that, the man showed contempt.

The contempt was nothing to Wier during normal times, but now, it was different!

He had too many unsolved questions and anger in his heart!

He needed an explanation! A reasonable explanation!

Huu!

Wier took a deep breath, ready to draw his sword.

But before he could, an electric buzz sounded from the loudspeaker on the wall, followed by a soft, kind voice.

“Is that Wier? Come in.”