Chapter 33 - Actually, I Have a Cheat Too

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Black Eyelashes

 

 

"Since you're now useless, give me one good reason not to dispose of you." Daniel's smile turned sinister, and in the dim light, it seemed as though dark wings stretched out behind him, radiating a foreboding aura.

 

Ge Yan wasn't so easily rattled; he'd already branded Daniel as ruthless, just like Rex, from what he'd seen on the main street. Thinking quickly, he replied, "Isn't Captain Locke your real enemy here?"

 

"Wrong. It's Black Wolf, and you yourself said you're a member of that group." Though Locke was primarily to blame, one man alone couldn't erase Daniel's hatred. After all, the one who died was his cherished son, Alvar, so full of life and innocence at only thirteen. Thinking of it now, Daniel's face twisted with a chilling darkness.

 

Ge Yan could consider himself lucky it was Daniel who had come; if it had been Tangler or Daniel's wife, they'd never have had this much patience. Half the Black Wolf team would likely be dead by now.

 

"No, no," Ge Yan hastily distanced himself. "I'm hardly a member of Black Wolf. I only tagged along with Carlos to gain experience. Once we're back in the capital, I certainly won't be joining them again."

 

"So Carlos is the one Locke's looking for?" Daniel's interest shifted unexpectedly, though his ability to latch onto key points was keen.

 

Ge Yan blinked, thrown off by the change of topic, but answered, "Yes, him and two others."

 

"Are they dead?" Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly.

 

Since news of Alvar's death had already reached the Alice Mercenary Group, it made sense they'd heard Captain Locke was searching for Carlos and the others. Unsure why this suddenly mattered to Daniel, Ge Yan didn't see much harm in answering truthfully.

 

"Captain, this Carlos is the young master of the Strych family," one of Daniel's men chimed in, his eyes lighting up as he connected the dots. "If he dies, the Strych family will be furious, and with Black Wolf responsible for his safety, Locke can't avoid the blame."

 

"You're not wrong," Daniel's voice dropped to a sinister tone, his expression becoming eerily cold. "But that's still not enough."

 

Hearing this, Ge Yan felt a spark of hope. In some twisted way, they might be aligned in their interests. Perhaps he could take advantage of this.

 

"Our little friend here seems to have some ideas," Daniel said with amusement, his voice snapping Ge Yan back to the room, where he found himself the center of attention. After a moment, he began cautiously, "It's nothing much, but surely you've heard the recent rumors about the Sacred Beast. Captain Locke planned to capture it to offset his losses, but the mission failed."

 

"So?" Daniel prompted, unimpressed.

 

Ge Yan noted their skepticism and added, "Someone mentioned to me that if Captain Locke were to return to the capital now, things wouldn't look good for him. If you're planning revenge, this might be the angle to exploit."

 

"Go on," Daniel gestured, as if waiting to hear more.

 

What's more to say? Ge Yan thought, a hint of panic rising. Still, he couldn't risk upsetting Daniel, so he pushed forward. "Locke's desire to capture the Sacred Beast came from assuming Carlos and the others were already dead. He put his focus on the beast rather than finding them, so if we spread word blaming him for their deaths due to negligence…"

 

"You're clearly not with Black Wolf. If Locke heard you talk like this, he'd probably kill you himself." Daniel looked at Ge Yan with a sly smile, clearly amused by him.

 

"I'm really not." Ge Yan forced an awkward laugh. Not by choice, he thought bitterly.

 

"Be honest with me. Do you have something against him?" Daniel asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

 

Ge Yan's gaze shifted before his lashes lowered slightly. "Not a major one. But I'll admit I don't care much for Black Wolf. I'm not like Carlos; he's a noble, and to people like them, I'm just a tagalong…" He trailed off, leaving enough unsaid to let their imaginations wander.

 

The crowd exchanged understanding glances, some of them even showing disdain for the Black Wolf mercenaries. In Alice, such treatment was unthinkable. There, as long as you put in the effort, even if you weren't the strongest, you still earned some respect.

 

Daniel studied Ge Yan's face intently, then suddenly blurted, "Your lashes… they're black."

 

Everyone else: "..."

 

Ge Yan's heart skipped a beat. Oh no—did they figure it out?

 

Even Daniel's men were taken aback by his strange comment. After a pause, they glanced at Ge Yan's eyes, one of them exclaiming, "They really are black! I've never seen anything like that before—how strange."

 

One by one, they chimed in, their focus completely sidetracked by Daniel's remark.

 

Great, Ge Yan thought to himself. If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have lowered my lashes. How often do I even do that? Now I'm paranoid! I swear, next time I see Rex, I'll have him take me to dye these lashes. Hopefully, they have hair dye in this world.

 

Luckily, Daniel's remark was just that—an offhand comment, and the others soon moved on. Although Daniel's team wouldn't simply believe him on his word, they did provide Ge Yan with a private room this time.

 

The bed was warm, the sheets soft, and he didn't have to sleep on the floor. Feeling relatively safe, Ge Yan slept deeply that first night—until a certain someone finally found him. However, they were…less than pleased.

 

Jolted awake, Ge Yan fell out of bed with a crash, the pain instantly snapping him to his senses. Just as he was about to cry out, he was startled by the dark figure looming beside the bed. His voice caught in his throat, mind racing. Is someone here to kill me? Rob me? But I have no money… Maybe… something even worse?

 

Rex's eyebrows knit tightly together as he observed the myriad expressions flitting across Ge Yan's face. "Seems you're quite comfortable here, ready to stay for good."

 

Ge Yan's heart surged with relief at the familiar voice. Tears pricked his eyes as he managed to stammer, "Nonsense! I don't want to be here even a second longer." He realized only then that he could speak again.

 

"How did you find me?" Ge Yan asked.

 

Rex didn't answer. His gaze swept the room before he muttered, "Does Alice always treat its captives this way?"

 

Ge Yan was used to Rex's bluntness, and with a hint of pride, he answered, "Of course not. Who do you think I am? I got all this just with my silver tongue…"

 

"What exactly did you say?" Rex interrupted, his gaze piercing even in the dark.

 

Ge Yan, too happy to notice, relayed the conversation from earlier in the day. "They seem half-convinced by what I told them. Anyway, I don't want to stay here any longer, so now that you're here, shall we leave?"

 

"No." Rex immediately had another plan in mind after hearing him. He wouldn't leave anything to chance, not with people who posed a threat. The Carlos incident was almost wrapped up, but there were still some loose ends with Locke and Marvin. Originally, he planned to wait, but the opportunity had come sooner than expected.

 

"No?" Ge Yan repeated, perplexed.

 

Rex looked at him with calculated intent. "You can't leave yet. I have another plan and need you as a pawn."

 

Ge Yan sighed internally. Did he really have to call me a pawn to my face?

 

Rex explained his plan to Ge Yan, and the two conspired for nearly an hour before Rex quietly left the way he had come. Ge Yan waved half-heartedly at his departing figure, wishing he could simply say, Take me away with you.

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