It all started when Lukas woke up that morning... "The meeting will be held at 2pm; are you sure you want to come there?" Lukas asked the person on the other side of the phone.
"I am coming, whether you like it or not," Tencent replied, his voice loud enough to cause a ring in Lukas’s ears.
But the ring, instead of stinging his ears, sounded like music.
’That’s right, bring yourself to your death,’ Lukas thought.
"See you there then," Tencent said once again before hanging up.
Lukas just stared at the phone, his eyes gleaming with joy before he dropped it.
He walked into the bathroom and took his bath, coming out fresher than ever.
He put on his black suit and black shoes, then knotted his tie.
Throughout these actions, a smile remained on Lukas’s face, as though that was his default appearance.
He tapped a button, then stepped out.
Soon, he was at the reception, still smiling as he waved at the receptionists.
Then he collected the car keys from the valet who had brought the car.
"I should probably celebrate this in advance," Lukas muttered to himself as he drove off.
He already had a place in mind. A restaurant located in the far east of Astria.
He had found it while he was on a tour a few days ago.
Checking the screen on his phone, he still had close to two hours before the deal began.
And as someone who was only going to watch Tencent get killed, there was no need to reach there on time.
"I would start going around 3 pm."
Time passed in a blur as Lukas toured Astria. At least, all the notable places. He did not care about the cost.
"Sure enough, being rich is good, but spending without care is better," Lukas yelled inside his car.
Thankfully, the soundproof windows were wound up. If not, the people outside were probably going to look at Lukas like he was a madman.
"I would continue this later, I need to get to Tencent now."
Lukas was already driving towards the place of the deal.
It was a shabby warehouse located near the border of the city.
This was probably why it was easy to hide the operations there.
After all, people rarely visit the border due to its proximity to a wild Voidborn nest.
"I don’t need to fear that since they were smart enough to hide the warehouse from danger."
Lukas sped through the city till the houses began to thin out.
Weeds had taken over the area, although it was not that huge a disaster like covering buildings.
Lukas parked his car in a worn-down garage, then stepped out.
"It shouldn’t be too far from here," he muttered beneath his breath.
He walked slowly through the overgrown grasses of the city.
There were no traces of rodents, let alone humans in the area.
"They sure chose the best place for their operation."
He stopped just a few paces away from the warehouse.
’I don’t know if anyone in there is capable of sensing me,’ he mused, shaking the thoughts in his mind. ’Obviously, why would an awakened above Apostle rank be unable to sense people close to them?’
In fact, reaching this place was proof enough that Lukas was treading a thin line.
Looking around, he saw a building. Tall enough to hide him from sight, and open enough to let him see whatever was going on in the warehouse.
Even though he was not there yet, he could already hear the loud noises.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a text. ’I always wanted to do that,’ he said with a smile.
Lukas turned back, about to walk towards the building.
"Hey."
The voice sounded like a hammer had hit his mind, collapsing any ability to form thoughts.
He stood rooted in place, heart hammering hard against his ribcage.
Then, everything snapped back into place. He did not know how much time had passed, or what had happened after that.
But by the time he regained a sense of himself, he was kneeling inside the warehouse.
Over twenty guards stood behind him, each one holding a different weapon.
Their eyes flashed with pure killing intent. As if they were ready to unleash hell on Lukas at any moment.
But none of them feared Lukas as much as the people who stood in front of him.
He gulped loudly, his throat bulging from the action.
’Why? Why aren’t they fighting each other?’ Lukas thought as he stared at them.
They were none other than Tencent and someone else.
He was sure that person was not the leader of the White Tiger Gang. She was only at the Apostle rank.
"Fuck!" Tencent said, laughing loudly as he pointed at Lukas. "Do you know how much I enjoyed playing this game with you?"
Lukas frowned as he heard this. His mind was already formulating plans to escape.
But there was nothing.
He could not do anything at this point.
There was only one question that hammered in his mind.
"How did you know?" He asked.
Tencent’s laugh only grew wider. "Do you even know the second partner in this deal?"
Lukas’s pupils dilated. There was no need for Tencent to say more from that point.
’I acted without knowing the full details,’ he thought.
"How did you get the information?" The lady asked directly, not bothering to join in Lukas’s and Tencent’s game.
’I can’t die now, can I?’
"Why are you smiling?" Tencent asked, his brows arcing as he stared at Lukas.
"Nothing," Lukas said, shaking his head slowly. But the smile still clung to his face.
"Carmen, what’s wrong with him?"
Carmen, the girl from White Tiger shrugged. "Just kill him if he does not want to speak."
Tencent frowned, but did not ponder it. "Your journey ends here, boy," he yelled, his fist exploding with golden lightning as he punched Lukas’s head.
But another voice seemed to swallow even Tencent’s yell.
"Hey, trickster bastard, what the hell have you done?"
The enraged voice came from his front.