NOVPUBWith a swift motion, a silver flash streaked through the air.
In one clean strike, Daniel beheaded the ’little girl’.
A passerby, happening to witness the scene, immediately drew his sidearm.
"No, no, no, you murderous freak! Hands up and don’t move!" the stranger demanded.
Daniel cast him a sidelong glance, calmly retorting, "Are you certain that what I killed was human?"
The passerby hesitated, shifting his gaze to the ’little girl’.
To his horror, instead of a girl’s body, all that lay strewn on the ground was decaying flesh!
His face paled instantly, resembling an eggplant hit by frost.
Without another word, he dropped his gun and scrambled away in fear.
Approaching the discarded firearm, Daniel picked it up and initiated a system retrieval.
Other than a few thousand StellarCoins, there were no other rewards.
Disgruntled, he pursed his lips and continued into his yard.
Upon entering his home, he found the living room brightly lit.
Yet, despite the illumination, he felt not an iota of warmth.
The looming thought of facing the unbeatable Siren Monster sent a shiver down his spine.
Like the last time, it began with a voice. "You’re back?" 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Then, the beguiling woman with long legs emerged from the shadows.
Daniel, choosing to ignore her, walked straight to the sofa and sat down, lost in thought.
Why did this creature need to make contact with him before initiating an attack?
Only when he noticed the faint outline of the Siren Monster did he realize: this entity, too, did not inherently belong to the human realm.
This realization was somewhat relieving for Daniel.
It was best not to provoke it without having the strength to counteract.
But then, where had the mummy gone?
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a pile of white bandages tucked away in a corner next to the television cabinet.
Streaks of dried black fluid, presumably blood, stained the cloths.
Could it be that the mummy encountered the Siren Monster and was consumed?
Perhaps that was the case.
Daniel had no desire to probe further. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa, seeking solace in brief respite.
Through his spiritual sense, he perceived the Siren Monster hadn’t left.
She sat beside him, her right hand cradling her face on the backrest of the sofa.
She looked the very picture of gentleness and beauty.
How wonderful it would be if she weren’t a monster.
With the power of a Level 3 Evolver and a hundredfold damage boost, he still couldn’t scratch her.
What was even more baffling was that the Behemoth Maw, too, failed to harm her.
What kind of creature was she?
Daniel felt a sense of frustration creeping in.
He had believed that with the acquisition of Behemoth Maw, he’d become invincible -- slaying Evolvers and devouring monsters.
Yet, upon encountering just one creature, his lofty dreams had been shattered.
Damn it!
At that moment, the phone rang.
It was Julia.
"Daniel, Martin wanted me to inform you: he’s received an invitation from Andrew."
"Andrew?"
"Rachel’s father. In three days, they’ll hold an engagement ceremony for Rachel and Samuel on the main street of Golden Shores. The wedding is set for ten days later."
A steely resolve flashed in Daniel’s eyes, his intent evident.
"Martin says I shouldn’t... beep beep beep..."
Julia hadn’t finished speaking when Daniel abruptly ended the call.
There was no need to hear the rest. Martin was likely cautioning against instigating conflicts with those in power.
Regardless of whether the Investigation Bureau truly feared them, there existed a hierarchical relationship.
Any confrontation would surely put Martin in an uncomfortable position between two fires.
Of course, Daniel held no fear.
Anyone standing between him and Rachel was his adversary.
Even if that meant Martin.
Yet, there was another reason Daniel ended the call.
Darkness had fallen.
Or rather, darkness had engulfed the villa.
Outside, it remained daytime.
But within the confines of the villa, it was as if shrouded by an immense black veil.
The windows showed nothing but obsidian darkness, bereft of even the faintest glimmer of light.
The entire room was enshrouded, as if submerged in ink-black waters.
From the shadows emerged the Clown.
"Honored Sir." He knelt with a deep reverence.
Daniel’s gaze remained impassive, his voice exuding an indifferent calm, "I recall instructing that none should seek me out without my command. It seems you’ve forgotten."
His calm tone bore no weight of force, but to the Clown, it resonated with the chilling terror of Satan incarnate.
An intangible, oppressive aura enveloped the space around him.
This wasn’t a suppression of raw power, but of the spirit.
Thud!
The Clown immediately fell to his knees, pleading, "Master, please, temper your anger. I remember every word you’ve said. But there’s urgent news I must relay, thus I dared to defy your edict and risked my life to come here."
"Speak."
"The son of your president, Samuel, whom we were assigned to assassinate, is holding his engagement ceremony in three days at the First Street Hotel."
"And his bride-to-be is one of your girlfriends, Rachel."
Daniel’s eyes turned cold as an icy abyss, "You’ve been investigating me?"
The Clown trembled violently, "No, no! I wasn’t spying on you, but rather showing concern for you! Rumor has it that Samuel is a sadistic fiend. The number of women he’s played with and killed... if not ten, then surely eight."
Daniel replied coldly, "She’s just a woman. You think I’d care about her life and death?"
Lying on the ground, the Clown responded with utmost trepidation, "Of course, but she remains yours. How can she be touched by another? If word got out, it would be a slight to your reputation. I’ve been pondering on how to discreetly retrieve Rachel for you."
Daniel nodded in feigned agreement, "Thoughtful of you."
A sliver of a smile finally appeared on the Clown’s face.
Yet, it froze almost instantly.
Daniel spoke, "Why think of any strategies? Just kill her."
"Master, that cannot be!"
Daniel’s face darkened, "Hmm? Are you defying my command?"
Sweat poured from the Clown’s forehead, "Master, you might not know, but Samuel has an alliance with Joker. They are waiting for this wedding to collaborate from the inside and out..."
Interrupting him, Daniel asked, "Collaborate on what?"
Though the Clown bore the same moniker, his face mask was black.
The Joker he spoke of wore a red Clown mask -- the ostensible leader of Rebirth Corporation.
Of course, he’s just the figurehead in the public eye.
Daniel’s words left the Clown puzzled. "Master, hasn’t the Joker discussed his plans with you?"
Daniel’s expression remained stoic as he scoffed, "Do you believe he’s worthy of conversing with me?"
A deeper shade of perplexity crossed the Clown’s countenance. "Of course, as you say. I just assumed your infiltration of the Investigation Bureau was related to this matter. But, Master, there’s something I’ve always wondered about. Everyone in the organization has a unique card suit and number. Joker is the red Clown and I am the black Clown. What is your card?"
Daniel’s brows furrowed and his demeanor darkened, "Are you questioning me now?"
The Clown attempted a reassuring smile, "That wasn’t my intention..."
Before he could finish, a cold grunt from Daniel cut him off, "It seems I need to re-establish my authority."
Whoosh!
A silver gleam aimed straight for the Clown’s throat.
A look of alarm flashed across the Clown’s face, but he reacted swiftly.
A swath of dark shadow materialized, shielding him.
The silk thread dagger disintegrated upon contact.
It didn’t surprise Daniel.
After all, the Clown was a level 4 Evolver. If he’d been defeated by a single move, that would have been the real shock.
In a swift motion, Daniel formed another dagger.
Channeling his power of a hundredfold damage into it, an icy luminescence coursed along the blade, magnifying its potency exponentially.
In the blink of an eye, the shadows shattered.
The Clown staggered back, continuously forming new shadows.
One after another, they fragmented only to be replaced.
Finally, the silk thread dagger fell to the ground, its power dissipating.
Clad in his shadow armor, the Clown stared coldly at Daniel.
That strike was powerful. But to him, it was just that - powerful, not terrifying.
And it was precisely because of this that the Clown’s trust in Daniel was irrevocably shattered.
Daniel’s true identity was thus revealed.
The image Daniel had previously crafted was one of enigmatic profundity.
The strength he exhibited now, however, did not align with that persona.
Clown’s anger surged.
"You’ve been deceiving me?!" he roared. "Who are you, truly?"
Recalling his earlier groveling and fawning, the disgrace of it all, he felt an acute sense of humiliation.
A dam of outrage and murderous intent threatened to burst from his eyes.
With fists clenched in fury, shadows around him swelled and surged, cascading towards Daniel like tidal waves.
From within this dark veil, bullets forged of shadows poured down like torrential rain, relentlessly aimed at Daniel.
Faced with such an onslaught, Daniel remained unperturbed.
With his left hand, he conjured a rift, and the Devouring Maw materialized instantly.
It was perfectly suited to counter such energy-based assaults.
Seeing his attack thwarted, a grim realization dawned on the Clown’s face.
"The Behemoth Maw! You’ve obtained it?!" he exclaimed.
But then he hesitated, "No, there’s no aura of chaos. This isn’t the Behemoth Maw."
Daniel, wearing a cold smirk, no longer bothered with pretense.
"So, the item you seek is the Behemoth Maw?" he queried. "How did you come to know of its acquisition?"
The Clown, eyes ablaze, retorted, "You truly aren’t one of us. Once you’re dead, I’ll enlighten you."
Moving with ghostly swiftness, he materialized in front of Daniel.
His fist, along with his arm, enveloped in shadow, lunged with full force.
Swoosh!
Countless silk threads erupted from Daniel, eerily contorting as they lunged at the Clown, who paled in sudden apprehension.
