What do we Win?

The loud engines of airplanes ran in the background as a young man arrived with a single bag of luggage. His expressive green eyes shone differently as he fiddled with his phone to dial a number. He waited for a few seconds before he smiled and started walking to the bay where the man should be waiting.

"Uncle, I'm already here at the airport. Are you waiting…? Ah, you can't go? Okay, I'll just get a taxicab." After a few more seconds and hanging up, the young man sighed and looked around. "The taxi bay should be this way."

Shortly after falling in line, he got on a cab and politely requested to be taken to somewhere in Back Bay. However, the cabbie seemed to be eyeing the young man differently. Even if he was not wearing any jewelry, the designer clothes he had on and that ten-thousand-dollar aviators on his face screamed of his status. Such a very rich client.

His phone then rang, and the young master didn't hesitate to take his phone out of his pocket. He received a call from his auntie and seemed to be reminding him since he traveled on his own. The phone was not on its loudspeaker, but the silence had made it echo all over the car.

"New to Boston?" The cab driver chuckled as he asked after the young master pocketed his phone.

"Yes. It's hard to be deployed all over the world just because of work." The young man smiled politely and then looked out as he took in the sights of the city.

The cabbie dropped off the young man in front of the apartment along the street with a lot of red residences. The young man fished for his phone from his pocket to check the address, but he didn't think that a thief would dare snatch his phone. He quickly stepped back and evaded the hand that clawed towards his phone.

"Hey! What are you—?" The young man was stunned. Just to evade the phone thief, he had to let go of his luggage. Now, his luggage was snatched by another man who came from another direction. "Hey, if you want money, take my wallet instead!"

No, his luggage was way more valuable. If he only knew what they were planning to do, he would have let them have the phone. He could get it replaced at any time… his uniform and saint tech, not as easily and readily.

The two thieves then exchanged eye contact. They ran to an alley, and the young man continued to yell as he chased them. Whatever was in his bag, it should be more valuable than a few bills. Else, he wouldn't be chasing them like this.

It's just that at a certain cross-section, a car went to slam against the running young man. Like a rag doll flicked by a hand, the young man was thrown away and into the driveway of a certain parking space.

Noah's eyes widened as a person was sent rolling towards him. Rosanna was also shocked and frightened because the man was bleeding from his lips. The witch then eyed at a spot and saw the thieves and a taxicab driver looking in their direction. Without further ado, he sent his hellhounds to chase the thieves who laughed at the other person's misery.

The witch went to attend to the collapsed man and tried to test if he was still responding. However, despite Noah's efforts, the young man only stared at him for a while… murmuring one word before he passed out.

"Hellhound…"

Noah was shocked… and then recovered. It was only a year after all. He was only surprised to be recognized despite the huge change in his appearance. The witch then waited for the EMT to respond to the accident. He gave his testimony while one of them checked on the young man. In the end, the young man was taken away.

Rosanna whimpered and held onto Noah as he went to pet her. "Noah, that man… he's…"

"You don't have to bother with him anymore." Noah then got on the big bike and drove to a place.

When he got there, his hellhounds had recovered the luggage. The bodies all seemed to be cleaned up as well. Even the taxicab was wrecked like it got into an accident. Rosanna didn't understand what was happening, but Noah asked Caliga to take the luggage to his unit while every other was advised to be on a look-out.

"Funny that they're also fast on their feet." Noah laughed out as he shook his head. Even if he was supposed to be frustrated, the look in his eyes seemed to be amused instead.

The child held onto Noah as he drove to another place. It didn't even take them full ten minutes before reaching a big building. It looked like an office, but there were no apparent signs of what the building was for. Noah walked Rosanna inside, and he got to the reception.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" The receptionist eyed at Noah and seemed to have a vague, strange feeling about this man.

"I was told to give this when I came here." Noah handed her a letter with the seal of SCC. The receptionist's hand shook and as if it didn't want to receive the letter. Since he saw the terror in her eyes, he just dropped the letter on her desk.

"Oh, my, I didn't know you'd be here today…" Her voice cracked as she hurriedly opened the letter of recommendation and only glanced at the paper. It was supposed to show the details of the person recommended, but she only saw a blank paper.

However, she didn't question it.

She only avoided his gaze and got to her feet. She was about to tell him to follow her, but her eyes locked onto the child holding his other hand. The receptionist inevitably met Noah's passive gaze.

"Sir, the child… is she lost?"

"No, she's with me. Can you watch over her later?" He only said so, but Rosanna knew that Mediis was the one watching over her again.

"Y-Yes, sir." The receptionist was actually happy. It meant that the child was not part of the shady deal. "Please follow me."

The three figures walked across the hall and into the elevator. Then, they arrived in front of a conference room. However, Noah grabbed the woman's arm and pulled her to the side along with Rosanna. Before they knew it, a blast came from inside. It was like a shotgun was fired point-blank.

Noah glared at the door and felt as the hold of the two girls on him tightened. Even the receptionist—who was scared of him—was hugging him in terror.

Laughter came from inside, and a kick resulted in the door being blasted from the hinges. A brute with a riot gun peeked from the collapsed doorway. "Oh, I was wondering why there was no blood."

"You want to see blood?" Noah responded in a very cold tone.

"Ahahaha! Come inside, the manager is expecting you!" The man continued to laugh as he retreated.

"Wait for me in the lobby." Noah only scoffed as he let Rosanna down from his hold.

The girl only nodded, and the receptionist ran with the girl to get to the elevator. Noah then walked inside the conference room and saw seven more people who looked like they only live to kill. He then eyed at the man in the host's chair.

The old man smiled at him. "Sleepydog, please take a sit."

"Only when you let me make him bleed." Noah kept his deathly glare at the huge man who fired at the door. However, the man only chuckled as he bit his thumb and squeezed it in front of him so Noah could see the blood drip from the bite marks.

After this, most people in the table also laughed darkly.

Noah only kept a good look at the people he might feed to his dogs later. He then sat down and gave a glare at the manager. However, the manager seemed to be made of a steelier spine compared to their curator.

"Now that everyone is here, I would like to relay the president's words." He then morphed his calm demeanor into one that could kill people with his eyes. He glared at the people around the table. "Find Bomberman and kill him. Dispose of everyone who would do otherwise."

One man then asked, "What do we get in exchange? We all know that Bomberman is an international terrorist that could make a nation explode. What do we win?"

The manager shook his head. "Nothing in particular. Our president could arrange for anything to be rewarded to you. This is a rather high-level mercenary work. The reward had no ceiling."

"Even if we ask for his daughter and his wife?" Another man asked, and some of them laughed in response.

"The president has no daughter or wife to offer," the manager answered like it was not an insulting joke.

The other mercenaries then looked at Noah, and one kicked his chair. "What about the glorious Sleepydog? What do you want in return?"

"I would ask him for permission to get rid of all of you, but I doubt Bomberman wouldn't be able to do it." Noah scoffed as he made sure to earn the ire of everyone else in the room. If they want to kill him then and there, they would surely fail. "I don't seek any material reward. I will only accept cooperation in the future. Is that okay with your president?"

"Ah, yes, of course." The manager chuckled. "He had already expected that answer from you."