8 The Underbelly of New York

A black jet landed in a private air base near the JFK International Airport on a private runway reserved only for VIPs. Perhaps only billionaires and a handful of government officials at the top could use that runway.

As the jet came to a stop, its door opened and a young lady in her late teens, wearing black leather pants, a black tee shirt, and a black leather jacket stepped out. She also had black hair, but her eyes were crimson.

Her appearance and body language, coupled with the noble and charming aura that she naturally emanated, could send any man into a daze the moment they gazed at her. She was the epitome of beauty. At the very least, not even top models could hold a candle to her.

She walked toward a luxurious sedan car that seemed to be awaiting her arrival. The chauffeur, a good-looking, middle-aged man with the same hair and eye colors as the lady, got out of the car and respectfully bowed in her direction. "Welcome to New York, young miss."

The young woman simply nodded at the man and got inside the car. After the chauffeur got back into the car, he looked at the breathtaking beauty through the rearview mirror and asked with the utmost respect, "Young miss, where to?"

"The Cosmopolitan," the lady replied as she looked out the window, lost in thought. The chauffeur nodded and drove out of the airport. Throughout the entire journey, he didn't strike up a conversation with her; a small servant like him didn't dare to.

After all, the young lady was of a far higher status than him, and the chauffeur knew better than to act friendly with someone of her stature. Moreover, the lady wasn't alone. People like her never were. Thus, he simply minded his own business and silently drove.

Meanwhile, the young lady stared at the Manhattan skyline in the distance in a daze and thought, 'The family's already given me permission to conduct the ritual. I wonder where he is….'

The image of a brown-haired boy flashed in her mind as her fists involuntarily clenched. She exhaled a heavy breath, her eyes glowing with resolve, 'It must be done. No matter what!'

Within thirty minutes, the car reached its destination, which was a few blocks away from Central Park. After the chauffeur stopped the car by the sidewalk, he opened the door for the young lady, who walked straight toward a tall skyscraper.

The building was more than fifty stories tall. A small fleet of stairs led to the entrance, and right above it was a sign that displayed its name: Cosmopolitan.

In front of the entrance, four men dressed in suits were standing guard. When they saw the young lady approaching, they simply glanced at her and neither stopped nor greeted her.

For a young lady of such stature to not even be greeted by the building's guards spoke volumes about the kind of place it was. The lady didn't mind at all, but just entered the building and headed toward the reception desk.

When the receptionist saw her enter, she stood up from her chair and politely greeted, "Good evening, miss. Here are the keys to your suite. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

The red-eyed youth looked at the receptionist and nodded. "I need the services of the club's network."

"Very well," the receptionist smiled, "who or what are you looking for?"

The young lady gave her a name, which the receptionist jotted down, then looked at her and replied, "All information regarding him will be delivered to your room shortly. Is there anything else?"

The young lady shook her head and turned to leave. The receptionist stared at her departing back and smiled professionally. "Please enjoy your stay."

After taking the elevator all the way to the forty-sixth floor, the red-eyed young lady walked out and entered her designated suite. She shut the door, then walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window and waited as she stared at the towering city skyline.

Within ten minutes, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she instructed without looking back. A middle-aged man wearing a tuxedo and a red bow tie entered the suite and walked toward her.

He respectfully handed her the stack of documents he was carrying. "Here's the information you requested, miss."

The young lady replied, "Set it on the table there."

"Very well." The man nodded and put the documents on the table. He then looked back at the lady and respectfully asked, "Will there be anything else?"

"Leave," the girl replied.

After the man had left, she turned around and picked up the documents from the table. She went through them one by one. Every possible bit of information related to her target, whether it be private or public, was included in the documents.

She paced around the room as she flipped through the pages and diligently read everything. But soon enough, her eyebrows furrowed as she reached the last page.

"The information isn't up to date?" She frowned. She believed that an organization such as the Cosmopolitan would never make a mistake. Thus, she went over the documents one more time, hoping to find something she might have missed in her first reading.

A few minutes later, the frown on her face deepened as she mumbled, "The data only goes up to a certain date. Just what happened that day?"

She thought for a long time, but couldn't find any reason for the discrepancy. In the end, she couldn't help but shake her head and sigh. She tossed the documents aside, stared at the scenery outside the window, and muttered, "Shadow."

The next moment, ripples began forming on the surface of the young lady's shadow before an incorporeal figure jumped out of it. Soon, the figure turned corporeal and bowed toward the young girl, "At your service, young lady."

The figure was dressed in black. She, too, was a black-haired, red-eyed beauty, but she looked more mature.

"Find out everything you can about him. Especially all the information in the last six months," the youth replied without turning back.

"It shall be done," the lady replied and dissipated into a shadow the next moment, then disappeared from the room entirely.

Meanwhile, the youth stared at the skyline outside, lost in thought. She had a conflicting expression on her face as if she was trying to make a very difficult decision. She mumbled, "Should I hire someone from the club to do it? Or…."

About half an hour later, the shadow returned and relayed all the information she had gathered. The young lady heaved a sigh of relief as she thought, 'Looks like I might not have to do it myself. The Buccantis will probably do it for me.'