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Chapter 868: Hunting for Shade (25)

Smoke billowed into the night sky, forming a dark cloud that could be seen from miles away.

The fire illuminated the surrounding ruins, casting long, ominous shadows across the debris- strewn ground and showing the faces of Shade\'s gang members trying to rescue him, only to be blocked by Laria\'s men.

It was a scene of chaos.

Despite the inferno, a figure emerged from the burning building at a calm pace.

Unhurried, the person walked through the main entrance, which was now a gaping maw framed by fire.

The flames seemed to part ways for him.

As he stepped into the cool night air, the firelight danced across his features, revealing a composed expression that betrayed no sign of panic or distress.

This figure moved with an eerie serenity, as if the inferno consuming the town hall was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

It was Erik. Immediately, he spotted June keeping Shade pinned to the ground with his foot. The man was struggling to break free, but there was nothing he could do to escape the clone. Erik walked toward them. There was a chilling glint in his eyes.

"Well, well, well... I came out of that situation pretty easily, am I right? Matter of fact, the only one who fled it is you," Erik said to shade.

"You will pay for this, Erik Romano. The Blackguards will not stay idle!"

Erik laughed. "The Blackguards already tried to kill me in the past. What difference will it make?"

"HA! You feel confident in your abilities, uh? And you think that just because you escaped them two times, you are the big deal?!"

"I\'m not so arrogant to think I\'m that much stronger than them. But I can assure you they can\'t kill me. Did you forget I found even you? To have the skill to find people, or things, means also being able to avoid being found."

Shade\'s reaction, though hidden behind the mask, was palpable in the slight tilt of his head and the stiffening of his posture.

The confidence in his voice didn\'t waver, yet there was a perceptible shift in his demeanor-a momentary silence that spoke volumes. Even through the mask, it was clear the remark had struck a chord.

He stood still for a moment, as if weighing his next words, the subtle movements of his shoulders betraying a deep breath taken in response.

"You may have a point. But do not mistake evasion and invincibility. There are many ways to trap a man, regardless of how elusive he may be."

"Like I did with you?" Erik grinned.

"Taunt as much as you want. You may have been lucky this time, but things won\'t stay like this for long, anyway. I doubt you will be lucky then."

"What do you mean by that? Are you implying something\'s about to change?"

The masked figure before him, Shade, paused, his posture unchanged yet emanating a sense of calculated contemplation.

"Change," he said, the word hanging in the air like a prelude to an unseen storm.

"Change is the only constant, isn\'t it? And in our line of work, anticipating change keeps us ahead of the curve."

Shade was not merely speaking in generalities; there was a specific implication to his statement. Erik kicked Shade in the stomach.

"Don\'t be vague, you idiot!"

"Agh! Agh! Hahahaha. What, are you mad?"

Erik didn\'t listen to him and asked again.

"What changes are you talking about that should concern me, or anyone else for that matter?" Shade\'s response was slow, deliberate. "Let\'s just say they got their hands on something that\'s going to bring in a lot of noise. And where you stand when the dust settles... well, that remains to be seen."

The ambiguity of Shade\'s statement did little to quell Erik\'s curiosity, but pressing further would yield no more clarity.

Shade was a master at controlling information, revealing only what he wished to be known. Those words didn\'t scare him. Erik was no fool and wasn\'t easily intimidated.

Erik already had his suspicions on the why this meeting had to be held, but also knew Shade would not talk, and that\'s why the young man was reading his mind. Though a playful smirk played on his lips.

With a quick move, Erik took off Shade\'s mask. He already found out who the man was back in the town hall and thanks to his Instability brain crystal power.

"Nice to meet you, Norman Hais," Erik said. "You look like Martin. Has someone told you that?"

Underneath the mask, Norman Hais\'s face was revealed, bearing a striking resemblance to someone Erik knew all too well, Martin Hais, the private investigator that almost arrested him back in New Alexandria.

Not that he needed to connect the dots, since he was reading the man\'s mind but, Norman Hais, N.H, Shade. Everything was pretty clear.

His features were sharp, with angular cheekbones that complemented his firm jawline.

His eyes, a deep shade of green, were the most telling trait, mirroring those of Martin in a way that was uncanny.

The resemblance didn\'t stop there; even the set of his mouth and the way his brows furrowed in irritation at being unmasked reminded Erik of Martin.

Norman\'s skin was slightly tanned, suggesting he spent time outdoors, and his hair, a dark shade similar to Martin\'s, was cut short, adding to the overall similarity between the two

men.

However, there were also differences. Shade was wealthy, while Martin wasn\'t, and that meant the private investigator\'s appearance was well kept.

Shade didn\'t have a beard, he wasn\'t overly hairy, he likely even cut his eyebrows.

Martin, instead, looked like a vagabond.

"So, tell me, did the Blackguards complete Doran\'s research?"

He knew that already, but Erik wanted to see the face of the man in front of him, who was slightly shocked to hear those words. But the criminal lord quickly regained his composure.

"If you know about that, then you know that escaping the Blackguards won\'t be easy

anymore."

"I doubt they can do better than I can. After all, why would they desperately try to capture me? It\'s clear Doran\'s research is no better than what I can do."