Viper gave in, but given her nature, she would certainly seek revenge and try to reclaim Madripoor if she ever had the chance.
"Thank you for your cooperation, but you can't leave, Ms. Ophelia."
Hearing this, Viper's eyes turned cold. "Don't you want to speak with my leader?" she asked.
"You..."
Viper's expression grew exceptionally ugly, but seeing the woman's smiling face, she understood. Although the power gap between the two sides was unequal, her opponent's psychological tactics and words were better than her own.
"I think he should be here soon. Don't be so anxious, Ms. Ophelia."
Suddenly, not far away, a golden vortex appeared, drawing the attention of Viper and everyone else. A figure slowly stepped out of it. The woman who had been speaking and several of the other super-soldiers stood up and bowed, welcoming the arrival of their king.
"Well, it truly makes one feel a sense of ominous power. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Ophelia."
When Viper saw the man sitting directly across from her, her eyes were filled with shock. She "saw" something that ordinary people couldn't: a holy presence.
Meanwhile, at the Princess Bar in Madripoor...
This was an oasis in the slums of the lower city, a rare place of joy where countless poor people were willing to spend their hard-earned money.
At the bar, with its bright lights and liquor, a man with an eye mask sat drinking. He was wearing a red leather jacket and was extremely burly, with an almost animalistic aura about him. The loud music and multi-colored lights, combined with the beautiful girls in gorgeous outfits serving drinks to guests, and the various shouts and whistles from the crowd, made the place extremely lively and noisy.
But this hustle and bustle did not affect the man's drinking.
"Hey, tough guy, someone's waiting for you."
Just then, a graceful girl in a bunny costume walked up behind the man, leaned on his shoulder, and spoke softly.
The man turned his head and looked in the direction she pointed. At a booth at the edge of the bar, a man in a suit sat drinking on a sofa. He picked up his drink and walked over. "Thank you. I'd rather you said that to me in another environment."
"Ha, baby, I'm looking forward to it," the girl laughed, then turned to receive more guests.
The man walked to the booth and sat on the sofa opposite the man in the suit, tossing him a cigar. "O'Donnell."
"You haven't been here much lately, Patch," O'Donnell said loudly. He was wearing a suit, but his hairstyle and slightly messy demeanor made him look a little out of place, though he never cared. He took the cigar, bit off the end, lit it, and put it in his mouth.
"I've been busy with some things recently. I heard it hasn't been peaceful here this year." The man named Patch raised his glass and clinked it with O'Donnell's. He was not an ordinary person. As soon as he entered Madripoor, he smelled the scent of war and danger, a scent he had experienced before.
"Yeah... Your old friend isn't doing well these days."
"Viper?" Patch's eyes narrowed. As an "old friend," he knew the mysterious woman was not simple. He had even helped her fully take control of Madripoor. Such a dangerous woman having trouble was surprising.
"Is it about Madripoor?"
"Definitely. Beneath the calm surface, there are huge storms brewing. This storm has killed many so-called big shots in this country." O'Donnell sighed. Although he was not a simple person, he didn't have the ability to protect himself in a storm of this magnitude. If it weren't for the confidence his friend gave him, he would have considered running away.
"Do you know who did it?" Patch was silent for a moment, and a large cloud of smoke came from his cigar.
"I don't know. It's all very mysterious. I'd guess that even your old friend doesn't know who the opponent is."
"It seems this trouble is extraordinary."
The fact that neither the person involved, Viper, nor the local informant, O'Donnell, had any news surprised Patch.
"Why, don't you want to help?" O'Donnell joked.
"At the beginning, she and I were just making a deal. She helped me once, and I helped her once. Now I have nothing to do with her..." Patch said indifferently, but before he could finish speaking, his face suddenly changed. He stood up abruptly, his eyes wide as he looked in a certain direction.
Although in that direction, there were only other patrons and walls.
Seeing Patch's reaction, O'Donnell also stood up. He could tell that his friend, in that moment, was like a beast that had noticed a terrible enemy. The air was filled with a sense of alertness and a primal, beast-like aura.
O'Donnell didn't know why, but Patch had smelled it. His animal instinct had sensed a sudden, terrifying presence, so powerful that the hair on his body stood on end. His primal senses sent a warning signal through his brain, and he couldn't help but feel extremely afraid.
"Damn, who is it..."
Patch felt his back become soaked with sweat. With that instinctive fear, he had completely lost the courage to fight. If it weren't for his strong will, he would have turned and run away from the bar, from Madripoor, and from the unknown.
At the same time, in the huge and luxurious office on the top floor of the Viper Building, the handsome man sitting opposite Viper said, "Huh," and turned his head slightly to look diagonally to the left.
"That's a true wolf, with excellent and keen perception."
Just that one glance made a certain tough guy in the downtown Princess Bar feel an overwhelming, but invisible, pressure. He clenched his fists, and a pair of sharp steel claws gradually extended from his knuckles as a low growl escaped his throat.
(End of Chapter)
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