NOVPUBChapter 53: Chapter 52 Shadows of Promise
Chapter 53 -52 Shadows of Promise
Ailuodi’s expression suddenly changed!
She didn’t know what the mask represented, but the word “Paradise” at the bottom right corner of the screen, along with the icon of VR glasses, immediately let her know who the caller was!
“What’s wrong? Who’s calling you?” Blan noticed her unusual demeanor.
“It’s nothing, just a notification of overdue water and electricity bills for the apartment.” Ailuodi turned off the screen and quickly walked through the storage room to the small cottage next door. After confirming that the call had not been disconnected, she reluctantly pressed the answer button, “Hello?”
“It’s me, Chao——”
“Demon, how did you get this number! And what’s with the contact photo, when did you secretly corrupt my phone?”
“Come on, you say I corrupt people, fair enough, but corrupting electronics, isn’t that a bit too much?” Chaoyang’s voice was higher than hers, “And it’s okay for you to track me, but not me to track you? You entered Paradise World through the channel I opened, naturally leaving traces with me. Isn’t it normal that I would look you up in turn?”
“You——” Ailuodi stiffened for a moment, “Our agreement should be limited to that world; don’t even think about interfering with my life here!”
“Life and freedom are above all else, right?” Chaoyang was dismissive, “Rest assured, I have no intention of letting the contract cross boundaries, but that doesn’t mean we have to sever contact on this side. This way I can conveniently notify you that the new round of Paradise games is about to begin——and it’s time for you to fulfill your obligations.”
“Now? But I still have many urgent matters to deal with …”
“Like Wayne James, that hot potato? Let me see… hmm, his situation is a bit dire, you didn’t even prepare food or drink for him, did you? That guy guarding him… even beat him up.”
Ailuodi’s heart sank suddenly.
The place where James was detained was in the basement of this warehouse, the entrance locked with chains. The only way the Demon could see inside was through the cameras.
Had not only her phone but the entire warehouse been completely conquered by the Demon?
This meant that all the members of Skeleton Hand were now exposed to the opponent’s surveillance!
“Yes, I can see.” Chaoyang directly pointed out the issue she feared, “You think Demons only deceive people’s hearts? It’s 3202, and Demons surf the internet too.”
No… it should be 2023 now…
Before Ailuodi could speak, Chaoyang continued, “Don’t be so nervous, I’m not interested in wiping out your organization. In fact, I’m here to help.”
“Help… help?”
“Yes, that Joe James… also known as the James you captured, I found a place where you can turn him in. Simply put, you will bring him to this address tomorrow at noon——” Chaoyang paused, waiting for the address to be sent, “then someone will take over. The method is simple, there will be a truck parked there, the back door unlocked. You put James inside, then receive the reward at the passenger seat, and the handover is considered complete.”
“Who will take over? I guess it won’t be those criminal accomplices of his, right?”
“Of course not, you should trust me more.” Seeing that she would not relent, Chaoyang had no choice but to reveal the truth, “Alright, Interpol is very interested in him, and much more so than the City L police. The little evidence of crime you hold against him is just the tip of the iceberg for him.”
“Why would you… care about this?” Ailuodi said incredulously.
“What, should I protect those criminals who have committed unforgivable crimes? Besides, this matter is to my advantage; giving it a little push doesn’t take much effort.”
“I knew you had an ulterior motive…” she snorted softly, “How much is the reward?”
“A hundred thousand British Pounds. I thought you wouldn’t care about money,” Chaoyang said, slightly surprised. In fact, it was only after overhearing the conversation between Zhang Zhiyuan and Gao Wei that he learned of the substantial bounties on Wayne James. Since it was Ailuodi who captured James, he simply used the reward from Britannia Island as a bargaining chip.
“I don’t need money, but the organization does. Without money, we can’t carry out operations,” she explained, “In fact, we were also planning to exchange James for the reward, only from his competitors. A hundred thousand is more than I expected… thank you.”
The last few words were spoken almost as quietly as a mosquito’s buzz.
“If you need money, I could just tell you James’s private account; it has roughly a few tens of millions in it…”
“And then let me be targeted by the police for this money of unknown origin, ending up with the power in your hands? Don’t dream of luring me with this, Demon!” Ailuodi’s tone turned cold again, “And how is that different from you giving me money?”
“Can’t we just send money?”
“Of course not!” she asserted adamantly, “If an organization cannot earn its funding through its own operations, then it will lose its independence. I will never allow Demons to control the Skeleton Hand…”
“Skeleton what?” Chaoyang deliberately asked.
Ailuodi’s face turned red, “Enough! Noon tomorrow, right? I’ll come myself. When does that Paradise game start again?”
“Let me calculate… considering the time difference, it should be the day after tomorrow at 8:30 in the morning,” Chaoyang didn’t continue to tease her, “You don’t have to be exactly on time, a little early or late doesn’t matter. I won’t send you the VR glasses, you should know how to get here.”
“The energy consumed… ”
“Will be replenished after the game settles, okay?” Chaoyang said exasperatedly.
The call was then cut off.
Ailuodi stepped out of the cabin to find everyone looking at her with concern.
She couldn’t help but sigh internally; her companions were no fools, and the lie about the power and water bill was clearly not fooling anyone, “Actually…”
“Wow, your face is so red,” Xi Er wrapped her arm around her, “Ailuodi, you don’t have a boyfriend, do you!?”
“Eh—” A chorus of teasing erupted from the group.
Now it was Ailuodi’s turn to be stunned, “Of—of course not, what are you talking about!”
“Then why are your cheeks red after the phone call?” Xi Er persisted.
“Little Ailuodi is all grown up, it’s understandable…”
“After all, she’s from the city of romance.”
Ailuodi felt her embarrassment fade swiftly, replaced by a calm indifference—the nerve of these people! She was too kind to them!
But she couldn’t understand why, when she could mention Skeleton Hand a hundred times without difficulty in front of these people, her tongue froze when she spoke to Demon.
Could it be that she had already been subjected to the Demon’s psychic assault without realizing it?
She shook her head, pushing that thought down. The enemy might still be monitoring every move of everyone in the warehouse through cameras; she couldn’t afford to show any weakness. “I have already made contact with Wayne James’s successor, who is with Interpol. Of course, we need to prepare at least two plans in case there are any issues during the handover,” she said.
Having explained the details of the transaction, Ailuodi added, “After this is done, I will close the doors and train for a while to recover more strength.”
Everyone was surprised to hear this.
“We have never seen you train before. How long will it take?”
“Is it like ninja training?”
“Idiot, Angel training is definitely focused on meditation!” the group jibed in unison.
“It could be very soon, or it might take several days,” Ailuodi replied slowly, since she herself was uncertain what Paradise World was really all about. Even though Chaoyang had said time was not an issue and that last time was just an accident, she couldn’t lower her guard. “Don’t worry, this is a necessary practice after awakening; once my power increases, Skeleton Hand will be able to do more.”
Even if she needed to draw strength from the Demon.
Even if the path ahead was incredibly rugged.
For the sake of fulfilling her wishes, she would not back down.
