YM778.TV Chapter 89: A New Enemy?
The young man lay sprawled on the ground, nursing his face, while the older man calmly resumed his place at the chessboard, carrying on as if nothing had transpired. The familiar sounds of his chair creaking and the gentle clink of chess pieces being moved returned, starkly contrasting the recent emotional outburst.
"Explain what went down," the older man demanded, his voice carrying a solemn and ominous weight. His eyes blazed with an icy intensity, twin embers casting an unsettling glow.
After a brief pause, the young man fought to rise, his face crimson and pulsing with pain. He shot the old man a heated glare, a blend of anger, agony, and bewilderment written across his features.
Struggling, the young man grunted, pulling himself up with evident difficulty. His face was stained with blood.
The young man coughed, attempting to steady his voice. "There\'s been a break-in at the C5 chamber," he started, his words tinged with both distress and haste. "And, um, We believe... It looks like everything inside has been stolen."
"You believe?" The older man arched a doubtful eyebrow, his eyes narrowing. "You\'re not sure who\'s behind this?"
"No, sir," the young man admitted, his voice laced with exasperation, his head hanging low. "The security cams outside the chamber were messed with. The last image they caught before going dark was a blurry white shadow."
The old man\'s fingers continued their rhythmic dance on the chessboard, a reflection of his racing thoughts. He pondered the dilemma, his lips forming a contemplative line.
"Keep talking," he prodded, his patience wearing thin.
The young man paused briefly, then pressed on, "Inside the chamber, there ain\'t no regular surveillance cams. We roll with thermal imaging. And from those thermals, we\'ve identified two intruders – a man and a woman. Oddly enough, they were accompanied by a small animal, most likely a rabbit."
The old man\'s gaze bore a hint of intrigue. "A rabbit, you say?" He seemed to be turning over the implications of this peculiar tidbit in his mind.
The young man nodded. "Yes, sir. But what\'s really mind-boggling is that there\'s no trace of a break-in. It\'s like they just sauntered on in."
"And it isn\'t just the chambers; it\'s the whole cave as well. No signs of a forced entry anywhere," he added.
The old man kept his focus on the young man, his gaze unwavering. He spoke with a low, calculating edge, "So, let me get this straight. They\'ve infiltrated my most secure chamber without setting off any alarms or leaving any trace of a break-in?"
The young man\'s nerves tightened, his anxiety mounting. "Y-yes, sir, that\'s about the size of it."
The old man leaned back in his creaky chair, the gears in his mind grinding as he processed the information.
"It\'s conceivable that…" the young man paused, selecting his words with care, "that..."
"It is possible," he began, his voice measured and fraught with menace, "That one of my own has betrayed me... Hehehe... Turned Judas."
The young man\'s complexion lost its color, and he took a brief pause before mustering the courage to proceed. "Yes, sir," he conceded, "That\'s one of the lines we\'re pursuing."
"It is a plausible scenario. The breach was too clean, too precise. The thief, or thieves, knew exactly what they were doing," he concluded, the ominous weight of his words settling in the room.
The old man\'s jaw tightened, and he gazed out the window, lost in contemplation. The room\'s feeble illumination cast eerie silhouettes over his furrowed visage, "This is a family affair, and if we\'ve got a rat among us, it\'s going to be ugly," he mumbled, the words more for his own ears than the young man\'s.
The young man shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of the situation bearing down on him, "What\'s our next move, sir?" he inquired, his voice a mere murmur.
The old man turned his piercing gaze back to the young man. "You start by isolating the chamber\'s logs and security protocols. Find out if anyone tampered with the system recently. And check for any unusual activities among the staff. I want background checks on all of them."
The young man gave a firm nod, relieved to have a plan in motion, "Consider it done, sir."
"No one steps foot in that chamber without me knowing, and only a handful should have their mitts on the security gear." The old man continued to bark orders.
The young man affirmed, his determination unwavering even with the handkerchief dyed in blood, still mopping his his face. "I\'ll round up the squad, sir, and we\'ll dig up the dirt. Whoever is behind this won\'t be slipping through the cracks."
The old man\'s gaze bored into him one final time. "You best make sure of it, boy," he cautioned, his voice resolute.
Then, a silence draped over the room like a shroud. The young man held his tongue, unwilling to break the old man\'s thoughts.
With that parting remark, the old man retreated to his chessboard, picking up the game where it had left off, as if the breach had not rattled his universe. The young man remained in the old man\'s presence, his voice held in check.
The old man finally spoke without taking his eyes off the chessboard, "You plan to park your boots on my noggin indefinitely, sonny?
"Aren\'t you supposed to head to the Chamber and figure out exactly what\'s been stolen?"
"Yes, sir... I mean, no, sir... I\'m gonna dive into it right away," the young man fumbled over his words, overwhelmed by nerves. He promptly exited the room, leaving the old man to his contemplation.
As the door sealed shut, the old man set down the chess piece he\'d been holding and directed his gaze at the now-closed door through which the young man had departed.
"Who would be audacious enough to filch from me?"
"Could that conniving wench be stirring up trouble?"
"Or is it someone else?"
"Who\'d be audacious enough to filch from me?"
"Could that conniving wench be stirring up trouble?"
"Or perhaps there\'s another player in this game?"
The old man slipped back into his private reverie, his thoughts consumed by the enigma before him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Emerging from the cave and standing on the ledge, with the soft glow of the setting sun casting a serene aura over the surroundings, a palpable tension hung in the air between Rick and Evelina.
Rick broke the silence with a casual tone. "Seems like this is where our paths diverge."
Evelina appeared somewhat startled. "You\'re just gonna ditch me here? Alone in this wild jungle?" She arched an inquisitive brow, her astonishment evident at Rick\'s choice.
Rick chuckled, giving her a playful nudge, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your horses there. No need to guilt-trip me, alright? I\'ve provided the service for what you paid for."
Evelina\'s bewilderment was clear, and she probed Rick\'s change in attitude, "Why are you so hung up on money? You\'re all gallant and gentlemanly one moment and then a miserly, penny-pinching cheapskate the next. You\'re a real puzzle, you know."
"Money seems to be all that matters to you," Evelina remarked.
"Money makes the world go round, darling. It\'s the one language everyone speaks," Rick retorted, a sardonic grin on his face.
"Can\'t you be a bit more accommodating?" Evelina implored, hoping for some compassion.
"Well, babe, the only thing that\'s truly accommodating in this world is money," Rick grinned, flashing a crooked smile, "Only thing that matters is the moolah, darling."
A touch let down by Rick\'s nonchalance, Evelina let out a sigh. "Alright, then. How much to take me back to my hotel?"
But Rick wasn\'t inclined to lend a helping hand. "I ain\'t throwing any offers, sugar. How \'bout you serve up something sweet and tempting. Something hard to resist? But this time, with a bit of trust?" He proposed, a playful edge in his tone.
Evelina was caught off guard by Rick\'s response, uncertain about her next move. The frown on her face widened as she looked at Rick\'s grinning face.
"Alright," Evelina relented, agreeing to his conditions, "If you\'re so thirsty for money, I\'ll make it rain money."
"What do you say to double the initial deal for bringing me here?" Evelina proposed.
Rick raised his eyebrows in astonishment. He hadn\'t anticipated such a generous counteroffer, "Double? You\'re quite the tough negotiator, aren\'t you?"
Evelina wore a smug smile, "I believe in tipping for good service."
Rick let out a chuckle. "I must\'ve hit the jackpot. Caught me a rich girl."
But then he shifted gears. "You know what? Now that I\'ve heard your proposition, I think I\'ve lost all interest in money," Rick abruptly changed his tune.
"What are you getting at?" Evelina was once more puzzled by Rick\'s abrupt shift in demeanor.
Rick took a step closer to Evelina, their bodies now mere inches apart, the tension between them palpable. "I reckon our connection had turned into a mere business transaction," he mused, their breaths nearly mingling.
"I want us to get even more connected," Rick whispered to Evelina as he gently placed his hand on her cheek, savoring the warmth of her soft skin, "Quid pro quo? I am not looking for that kind of arrangement with you."
"Doesn\'t it seem like we ought to aim higher?"
"Something more personal, maybe?"
"Hmm," Evelina let out a soft, involuntary moan as she sensed Rick\'s touch, the tingling sensation inside her becoming increasingly difficult to contain.
Rick smiled as he observed Evelina snuggling deeper into his palms, her eyes shut, seemingly lost in his touch. He leaned in, drawing nearer, his lips inching toward hers, yearning to savor the sensation of those soft, inviting lips once more.
Rick didn\'t rush; he approached with deliberate, unhurried intent, as his mouth drawing nearer to Evelina\'s, ready to engage in a fervent, lingering kiss.
But just as lips were a mere inches apart from Evelina\'s just about to taste her lips, Evelina opened her eyes, a teasing smirk on her lips.
"You know what, upon further reflection... I think I\'d rather keep our relationship strictly professional," she declared, leaving Rick hanging and withdrawing from him.
"What?" Rick exclaimed, taken aback by the sudden change in her stance.
[Girl - 1 ; Loser Master - 0]
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[A/N: And this is the last chapter of the month, hope you are enjoying the story so far. Do let me know your suggestions in the comments, and support my story.]