BXBX NOVEL Chapter 63: Chapter 63:Undercover [2]
"Any suspicious activity in the area recently?"
While Raven didn't leave the headquarters much anymore, as he had already hired people to sell the healing scrolls, it was possible that he knew something.
Ignoring my question, Raven continued to stare silently at the television, which was currently displaying an advertisement, like a zombie.
Reading my thoughts, Astrid grabbed the remote and turned off the television; however, Raven continued to stare into the blank screen, which was just reflecting himself now.
Sighing, I pushed Raven down on the couch, forcing him to lie down and close his eyes before heading to Zeng.
Trying my best not to knock off his fedora, I shook his chair a bit before he finally opened his eyes.
"You're coming with us today."
It had been 4 days since we started investigating the slums, yet we didn't even have a single bit of information. Astrid and I were tired, and the festival was tomorrow, so we needed all the help we could get.
An extra pair of hands and eyes would be nice for investigating.
Tapping his fedora with his right hand, Zeng simply smiled and took a bite of the cold toast that was on the table.
"Anything but that painting."
Before reconvening with Astrid, who had put back on the television, I pulled Zeng aside for a moment.
"If I tap you, follow me and be ready to fight, no questions asked."
"Just so you know, I'll have to reveal my horns to fight."
"That's fine."
After putting a blanket over the sleeping Raven, who was shivering because the windows were open, I walked up to Astrid with Zeng behind me.
Just like that, the three of us exited the warehouse, leaving Raven slumped down on the couch.
A third-rate villain, a main cast member, and a random ass djinn... just what kinda team were we?
Turning to the djinn, who was a former villain organization member, I asked.
"Hey, Zeng, hypothetically, if you were a djinn, where would you put your hideout?"
Stopping mid-strut, Zeng turned to me confused.
"What do you mean if..... OH, WAIT, I see what you're doing, boss..! Haha! IF I were a djinn, I would hide it in plain sight, somewhere so obvious that no one would think to look there."
Proud of himself for catching onto my obvious hint to conceal his djinn identity, Zen grinned while once again tapping the top of his fedora like a businessman.
"...where do you find these guys, Ren."
Pointing to Zeng, I replied.
"I found that one in a painting, and Raven... raven was an interesting one."
Looking me dead in the eyes, Astrid asked
"... in a painting? That's really the best thing you could come up with?"
"Well, I found you in a NightClub, so I wouldn't be talking if I were you."
For the next two hours, the three of us walked around, occasionally stopping to question people and shop owners, but yet again, this yielded no information, as we were right back where we started.
There was one hint, though.
Waiting outside the original cake shop for Astrid, who was once again questioning the owner, I looked into windows and examined the reflection before finding two shady figures in the nearby alleyway simply staring at us.
Tapping Zeng on the shoulder, I immediately activated the dash's usage period before using it a split second later.
Appearing in the alley with Zeng only a few feet behind me, I manifested my two midnight black daggers while taking out my standard ones.
Throwing my standard daggers like shurikens at the stalkers, who had noticed my presence, I blocked off their exit route for a second, preventing them from leaving.
Then, a second later, Zeng appeared on the other side of the alleyway, his bright red horns glistening in the sun.
Now cornered by Zeng and me, the masked stalkers abandoned all pretenses of escaping and stood still.
In the hands of one of the stalkers, a sword manifested, exactly like how my Corruption of The Night worked. The blood-red sword in his hands perfectly matched the color of Zeng's horns, and similar to a katana, the sword was thin yet fatally sharp.
The other simply pulled out a standard broadsword and slung it around his shoulder, like he was expecting that he would not need to participate in the battle.
Even as a villain, someone who is naturally very cautious and distrusts everyone, the broadsword stalker still had so much confidence in his teammate...
Not wasting any more time, I sprinted toward the biggest threat in the battle while Zeng went for the broad-sworded individual.
Swinging my corrupted daggers at the air, I sent an elemental slash right at the stalker, but he met the slash right on, instantly mitigating it with his blood-red sword.
Continuing my charge, I thrust my right dagger right at his stomach; however, he sidestepped to the right, avoiding the attack, and at the same time, he swung his sword right at me.
Ready for his counterattack, I tapped my right eye, instantly slowing my perception of time and allowing me to avoid the sword as it whizzed right past me narrowly.
With time still slowed and my mana almost drained, I stepped back and sent another elemental slash right at his barely moving figure.
Not waiting for the outcome, I dispersed my two black daggers and conjured my slender curve bow and glossy-black arrow.
Surprised by my sudden movement and the elemental slash barreling towards him, the stalker didn't have time to raise his sword, so he stepped to the right.
*WHIZZ*
Like clockwork, the arrow pierced right through his body, going even further before hitting and even partly puncturing the brick wall.
Turning to Zeng, who held the unconscious body of the other stalker in his hands, I gestured for him to put it down before heading to the blood-red sword that was somehow still shining.
It felt like I was drawn to it...
My body naturally started to move towards it until, finally, my hand was about a centimeter away from the hilt of the sword.
Like a magnet to metal, I couldn't stop my hand as it drew closer and closer until my fingers wrapped around the hilt of the sword.
Picking up the blood-red sword, I held it in my hands, but every second I held it, more and more fatigue flooded into my body, causing me to drop the pitch-black arrow in my hands.
Even though I knew it was dangerous, I just couldn't put it down. My fingers were glued to the hilt of the sword, no matter how hard I forced them to let it go.
Just then, I felt a slight decrease in the force connecting my fingers to the hilt of the sword, so I immediately yanked my hand away, causing me to fall back onto the floor.
Looking upwards, I saw Zeng holding the blood-red sword while staring at me with a concerned face.
Feeling the fatigue disappear, I immediately grabbed my standard daggers off the ground and stood up while staring at Zeng.
"How do you feel?"
"b-boss, I saw you falling while holding the sword, so I-i j-just wanted to h-"
"That's not important; tell me how you feel."
"I feel completely normal, why were y-"
"Are you sure?"
Hearing the seriousness in my tone, Zeng didn't dare joke around as he responded.
"Yes."
"Put down the sword."
Not wanting to take any chances, I watched Zeng carefully place the crimson-red sword onto the ground before backing away slowly.
Walking towards the sword, I dispersed the bow and arrow, which were slightly damaged, resulting in a loss of corruption, before manifesting a pure black duffel bag.
Nodding to Zeng, I watched him pick up the sword and carefully place it in the duffel bag. Zipping up the duffel bag, I ensured that there were no side effects before slinging the bag around my shoulders and walking back towards the cake shop.
Following me with the unconscious stalker in his hands, Zeng asked.
"What was all of that boss? I didn't know you could shoot a bow and arrow; also that duffel bag, where did it come from? I mean, the color on it is just so perfect. Can you tell me where you bo-"
Raising my hand, I silenced Zeng and put his fedora back on him before gesturing to Astrid, who was awkwardly standing in front of the cake shop.
With Astrid following us back into the alley, I explained.
"Found some people following us; there was on to us on the first day we visited as well."
"...you didn't say anything yesterday, did you?"
"couldn't, they could have heard."
"What about in the headquarters?"
Shrugging my shoulders, I responded.
"You never know when they're listening."
As Zeng forcefully woke up the stalker, who stared at his dead teammate for a second before glancing back at us, Astrid immediately interrogated him.
"Why were you following us?"
"... y-you s-shouldn't have done this."
Holding a dagger to his legs, I prompted.
"Tell us."
A smirk appeared on his face as he replied.
"No matter what happens to me, it's too late for you guys."
Even though he wasn't saying anything, I was using my eyes to examine his body meticulously, and his eyes were doing all the talking I needed.
He desperately tried to avoid looking at the cake shop, and every time the bell on the shop's doors rang, his facial expression tightened as if he were waiting for something.
Dispersing the duffel bag, revealing the blood-red sword to Astrid, I handed it to Zeng and said.
"Take him and the sword back to headquarters... you know where to put them."
Tightening his face at my explicit mention of the painting, he nodded his head before sprinting away from us and towards the abandoned building.
Turning to the confused and distraught Astrid, I continued.
"The cake shop. They were following us because we kept investigating it, and the guy kept subtly glancing at it. It's also in plain sight, and the shop is awfully well built for something from the slums. "
"...is that really enough to go off of?"
"They only followed us on the first day, and today, coincidentally, the 2 days we visited the cake shop."
"I guess, but can't that b-"
"Well, we don't have anything else, and the festival starts tomorrow."
"I guess so..."
After I internally thanked Astrid for basically ignoring the blood-red sword so I wouldn't have to make up something, the two of us entered the cake shop.