28 Delivery Gone Wrong

"It's a bar."

"No, it's a brothel." 

"The same thing." 

"A bar is a bar, brothel is a brothel." 

"What… An amazing and descriptive explanation." 

"Thank you, I aim to be different."

A chuckle and a raised eyebrow. 

"A bar and a brothel are two different things," Zeke insisted. 

Jian Yu lifted an eyebrow. "Wow, Sir Roderick. I wouldn't have guessed."

"Don't patronize me, I am going to be a prosecutor sooner or later, I need to know stuff like this." 

Jian Yu hummed and gestured for Zeke to continue. 

"You see, for example; someone asked for a bottle of beer with a specific name of a foreplay, if it's a bar, the waiter or waitress will definitely kick you out, but if it's a brothel, they will bring you to the destination room," Zeke explained proudly. 

"So… You are suggesting we asked that question?" 

"Well, that depends if you want to or not," Zeke shrugged. 

Clicking his tongue, Jian Yu rolled his eyes at Zeke. "I am here to pick up Lord Zero's stuff, not to play." 

"That's too bad, I really want to play with you," Zeke pouted. "And… they are closed too." 

He pointed out at the 'close' sign hanging on the door. 

"Let's go from the backdoor." 

They found the back door open. A man was unboxing bottles of assorted liquors under the dimly lit room. He looked up when Zeke rapped the door frame. 

Jian Yu quickly analyzed the man. An alpha, around his forties. 

"Can I help you, Sir?" He asked, glancing briefly at Jian Yu, then to Zeke. 

He had a slight frown on his face when he scrutinized Zeke. Jian Yu watched his facial expression vary; from frowning to confusion to shock and now to wary. 

"I would like to pick up a package," Jian Yu cut into his face-changing performance. "Under the order of Malakhi Zero."

The man's eyes widened. He sucked in a breath as he whipped his head towards Zeke's direction before frowning at Jian Yu. 

"Do you have the sign?"

Jian Yu blinked. Lord Zero didn't mention anything about a sign at all. 

"I was just given this piece of note with the bar--"

"Brothel," Zeke whispered, earning a side glare from Jian Yu. 

--"brothel's address," Jian Yu corrected himself and handed the man a piece of paper with the address on it. 

The man snatched the paper out of Jian Yu's hand and eyed him without expression and Jian Yu began to squirm under his gaze. 

"I am afraid… You have to come back another time, young man," The man said in a low voice as his hands slid under the apron he wore. 

He dragged his eyes away from Jian Yu and landed on Zeke. 

Zeke narrowed his eyes. This man had been eyeing at him warily, they flickered back and forth between him and Jian Yu before settling on him with a warning glare. 

As if sensing something was not right, Zeke moved and placed himself indirectly in front of Jian Yu. 

The man had slid his hands into his aprons and Zeke stiffened. When they came back up, he knew they wouldn't be empty. 

"Unless you have turned sides and betrayed Lord Zero!" 

True enough, the man pulled out a handgun from underneath, pointing it at Jian Yu's head. 

Jian Yu froze at the sight of the gun. He was just here to pick up some stuff, why did it end up with a gun on show? 

"W-- Wait…! I was just here to pick up Lord Zero's package," Jian Yu stuttered out, he held his hand up in surrender. 

'Yes, explain properly, maybe there is a misunderstanding.' 

"Shameless, still trying to act innocent?!" The man jutted the gun in his direction, jabbing at Jian Yu as he spoke. 

This time Zeke had stood in front of Jian Yu, blocking him from the man and shielding him from the gun. 

"Calm down, old man. Please put the gun away and talk like a normal person, yeah?" 

Zeke used the tip of his index finger to push the gun away. 

"So, hand over the package and we shall leave this place in peace," Zeke said calmly. 

"And have you Rodericks know what it is inside?!" The man growled. 

"Oh? You know who I am?" 

"Who wouldn't? That black hair of yours, only the Rodericks have those features, you roaches and your disgusting ways…!" The man spat out, tone dripping with disgust. 

Okay, Zeke was actually quite surprised. 

If an underling like him even knew about Rodericks and even learned about them, wouldn't that mean that Lord Zero had his precautions?

Spreading information about the Rodericks, so everyone in them could be alert? 

Zeke scoffed. 

Not bad. 

"What are you laughing about? You think this is funny?!" The man pointed the gun in front of Zeke's face. 

He pulled his thumb down, clicking the safety off and Zeke gulped nervously. He tensed his legs, muscle tightening, ready to strike or to protect. 

Not only Zeke, but Jian Yu also. 

When Zeke stood in front of him, he had blocked his entire view with his huge body. He had no clue what they were discussing. 

What thing? What was in that package? Why was it so important? 

Judging from the man's tone, he also seemed to loathe the Rodericks by how he addressed Malakhi Zero as Lord and Rodericks as something so disgusting. 

"I will kill you rats! Don't even think about going out alive!" The man shouted and waved the gun between Zeke and Jian Yu. "Useless betas, they don't even have loyalty left in them--" 

Before he could sneer even more, Zeke cut him off. 

"You talk too much for someone who is holding a gun." 

Zeke had moved. Using the split moment where the man was distracted by being cut off, he sent a roundhouse kick towards the man. 

He aimed at the outstretched hand and sent the gun flying. The gun had skittered a few meters away. 

The man yelped and cursed as his wrist snapped in an uncomfortable angle. 

While he was nursing his wrist, Zeke wasted no time in whipping around and delivering another kick to his face. 

The man flew away and crashed onto the boxes of assorted liquor. The woods splintered under his body weight and the bottles of liquor broke, sending glass and spilling the liquid everywhere. 

Jian Yu, clueless of whatever the conflict was, quickly reached for the gun and disassembled it to avoid any accidents. 

"Seriously, what the hell is his problem?" Zeke huffed out. 

He adjusted his clothes that had ruffled due to the wide moves. "Disgracing Betas like that…" 

Jian Yu rolled his eyes at Zeke. "Why are you the one getting sensitive, huh?" 

He chuckled as he listened to Zeke continue complaining. To be honest, he was quite used to being it. Being a Beta was just like that. 

And the strange thing about it was that it somehow didn't even really bother him. 

He wondered-- 

Something bright just flashed his eyes. He saw a quick motion behind Zeke and something caught the light as it moved very fast. 

"Watch out!"