15 The Hunter and the Hunted
"Sh*t! I shouldn't have accepted this mission," Jacob cursed under his breath. He was the leader of the mercenary group "Viper", and right now, he and his men were running for their lives. "That f*cking bastard didn't say that Lazarus was involved in this operation!"
When their client gave them the mission, they thought that it was going to be an easy job. All they needed to do was kidnap one of the two daughters of the Maxwell Family and deliver her to a certain location. Of course, if they were able to capture both girls, their reward would be doubled.
The monetary reward was enticing enough for Jacob to immediately accept the mission. Everything was going smoothly at first. They managed to find a suitable hideout and easily subdued the couple and the workers of the farmhouse.
They locked-up the men inside the barn house and the women were taken as their playthings to help pass the time. The plan was to observe the manor for two more days before making their move. Although they discovered that the security of the estate was tight, they thought that they could brute force their way in. Afterall, they were a mercenary group that specialize in abduction missions.
Never in his wildest dreams did Jacob think that his group would have a confrontation with one of the dreaded elite squads of the mercenary world, Lazarus. How did he know? He was able to take a good look at one of the people who exchanged gunshots with them inside the farm house. It was a man wearing a Batman costume.
Only one person would dare to wear this silly costume in the battlefield. Jacob knew that it was none other than Batman, the second in command of the mercenary guild Lazarus. The mercenaries and the big shots of the underworld didn't dare to look down on this cosplaying reaper of death. They knew that whenever this man appeared, a one-sided massacre was about to take place.
Jacob regretted his decision for the umpteenth time. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret. Right now, the only thing on his mind was to survive this ordeal. He vowed that if he managed to get out of this situation alive, he would take revenge on the client that sent him and his men to a suicide mission.
"AH!" the man beside Jacob cried out in surprise. His hand was holding on to his chest and his eyes were filled with despair. Blood seeped out of his hand and the group knew that he had been shot.
"A sniper! Take cover!" Jacob ordered while he rolled to the side and used a tree as a cover. His men scrambled to find hiding spots of their own.
They watched helplessly as their comrade dropped down on his knees and slammed face first on the ground. Jacob bit his lip in frustration, as he gripped the cold handle of his gun. The one who just died was someone he had known for two years. Although he was burning in rage, he held it back in. During a dangerous situation what he needed was a calm head.
This was supposed to be a training mission for the new recruits. Jacob and his five-man team was there to show them the ropes on how the mercenary guild operated.
Out of the fifteen people from Viper, only four of them remained. In this game of the 'Hunter and the Hunted' they were without a doubt the prey. Jacob knew what their ending would be if he couldn't think of a way to get out of this mess.
'Should we surrender?' This thought crossed Jacob's mind. If the other group were willing to let them go, he was prepared to compensate them for sparing their lives. The Viper Mercenary Group was quite wealthy. They completed several high profile missions and they have millions on their Swiss Bank Accounts.
Jacob knew that all this money would amount to nothing if he died. In order to enjoy his wealth, he needed to keep living! Since he made his resolve, he immediately signaled his men to stay in their position before stepping out of his hiding place.
"I am Jacob, the leader of Viper. I would like to negotiate our terms of surrender!" Jacob shouted with all his might. If the other side wanted to kill him, then there was nothing he could do. The only choice their group had was dying now or dying later. Since he was going to die anyway, he was willing to take a gamble.
"I would like to talk to the person in charge!" Jacob raised both of his hands in surrender. "I want to settle this dispute peacefully!"
-----
Heinz, who was in the command center, heard Jacob's shout and smiled. At first, he was not planning to let anyone leave alive. However, the ex-leader of this mercenary group, Old Chen, was an old acquaintance of his.
"Hoh? So this is the new leader of Viper? Not bad." Heinz pondered for a bit. The previous head of Viper Mercenary Group was a good friend of his. There was even a time when they both participated in the same mission. Since this was the case, he would give his friend some face and turn a blind eye just this once.
A sinister smile slowly formed on Hein's face as he considered his next move. "Letting them go would make Old Chen indebted to me. This is a good thing. I'm sure that the old fart will cough up blood when he hears this news. Hah! I'll make sure that the Vipers return this favor in the future."
"Freya, tell Batman to accept their surrender."
"Yes, Sir."
-----
Jacob strained his ears and waited for a reply. The surroundings were quiet and only the occasional hooting of an owl, and the hard breathing of his men broke the silence of the night. Jacob didn't dare to do anything stupid and stood in place. He only had one chance. He was not planning to waste it.
A minute passed, and then two. Jacob's erratic heartbeat slowly calmed down. He knew that the other party considered his offer. Why? Because the sniper who shot his men didn't do anything to him.
Suddenly, a man wearing a familiar costume appeared from the darkness. He was walking to them nonchalantly as if he was just taking a midnight stroll. Jacob exhaled deeply when he saw the man he wanted to see. It was none other than Batman, the second in command of Lazarus. His appearance meant that Odin gave them a way out.
"Tell me, what could you possibly exchange for your lives?" Batman asked. He crossed his hands over his chest and gave Jacob an appraising look. As one of the elites of the mercenary world, Batman was quite familiar with the Vipers. He knew that it was a middle-tier mercenary group with almost a hundred members. He was also aware of the strained relationship between Odin and Old Chen.
Since Odin decided to let this group go, then he would let them go. However, he would milk them dry first and obtain the information they need. He was a man that could see the bigger picture. As long as they got what they wanted, he didn't mind letting a few baby snakes go. Batman knew that this was an investment, and this investment would reward him in the future.
"We can give you money and information. If that's not enough, you can add additional requests."
"Very well. I accept your surrender."
Jacob also knew that their old man was an acquaintance of Odin. That was why he dared to announce the name of their mercenary group. He was hoping that the other side would let them go in behalf of their ex-leader. Although they were going to pay a hefty price, their lives were spared, and that was all that mattered
-----
"Is that so? What a small world," Arthur spoke heartily. Heinz told him that their mission was a success. Ciel's grandfather finally felt at ease. "Alright. I'll leave everything in your capable hands. I'll see you before lunch."
"Yes, Sir."
Arthur ended the call and turned his head to look at Elizabeth. He gave her a nod and the latter finally breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," Elizabeth said with gratitude. "I will not forget this favor."
"Don't be like this dear," Alice sat beside Elizabeth and patted her hand. "Claire and Chloe are like granddaughters to us. It's only normal to protect our granddaughters." Alice smiled amiably.
Elizabeth's tears welled up in her eyes. Although she was a strong woman, she was burdened by many responsibilities. She had to constantly think about their company, her daughters, and the people who had been harassing them through the years. Her stress and frustrations had built up. It finally reached the breaking point and her tears fell like a river.
She knew that the Summer and Belle families supported her from behind the scenes. Elizabeth was very thankful for that. Even Sebas, her current majordomo, was employed by the Belle Family to protect them.
"Since everything was settled, why don't we return to our rooms and get some sleep?" Andrea offered a handkerchief to Elizabeth. "I'm sure that the kids would find something wrong if all of us woke up late."
"Thank you." Elizabeth wiped her tears dry. Andrea was right. She needed to remain strong and act normal so her daughters would not get worried.
Everyone nodded their heads to Andrea's suggestion and left the study. Before Andrea returned to her room, she decided to visit Ciel's along the way. Although she didn't show it, she was also worried about her son.
While Ciel didn't show it on the surface, but Andrea knew that there was a side effect when his clairvoyance ability was triggered. After a few hours of receiving a vision, he would become lethargic. There was even a time when he slept for an entire day.
[A/N: For now, we would call Ciel's ability as clairvoyance.]
Andrea quietly entered her son's room. Her eyebrow rose when she noticed that there was a faint light coming from the bedroom. With unhurried steps, she carefully opened the door and took a peek. The corner of her lips rose and her eyes sparkled in delight.
Ciel was sleeping peacefully. His mouth was partially opened and drool was coming out from the side of his lips. The breathing of a deep sleeper reached Andrea's ears. She knew that her son wouldn't be waking up even if there was an earthquake.
On his left, Kate had her arm draped on Ciel's waist. There was a smile on her face and she was muttering a few words from time to time. She seemed to be dreaming of something. Andrea was already aware that her adoptive daughter liked to talk in her sleep.
On Ciel's right side was Chloe. Her small hand was resting on Ciel's chest. Her adorable face looked tranquil and her breathing was steady. Andrea fought the urge to come closer and kiss the three children. However, she didn't want to disturb their sleep. With no other choice, she left the room reluctantly.
There were still a lot of things to do in the morning. She would not let this small episode get in the way of Claire and Chloe's short vacation.
