Of all the female characters in his life, Fyren feared Sabrina most—but the one who irritated him beyond measure was undoubtedly Zoey.
This damned girl had gone radio silent lately. By the normal plot trajectory, she should be working a case with Otto, growing infatuated, and eventually tangled in a messy relationship—shameless, brazen, with no sense of decorum! But here she was, clearly still single.
Fyren thought:
[That brat. Every time I cross paths with her, trouble follows. She probably thinks I'm stirring up shit again and wants to pin the blame on me.]
[I finally took a vacation, went into the mountains, and ended up neck-deep in problems. What did I do to deserve this?]
[But she'll wind up in Otto's harem eventually, so best not to provoke her.]
Forcing a smile, he said, "Officer Zoey, it's been ages. You've… I mean, you look more beautiful than ever."
Zoey fixed him with a cold stare. Could he really be innocent?
"Yes, I suppose I have," she coughed. How am I any different from him?
"Fyren, your heroics this time deserve praise, don't they?"
He chuckled awkwardly. "Standing up to injustice has always been my creed! Upholding the weak, aiding those in need, giving back to society—these are my principles. As for honesty, lawfulness, saving lives… I live by them. I help old ladies cross the street three or four times a week, even six or seven during holidays…"
"Enough." Zoey frowned. "Hakan only has external injuries. He'll be ready to give a statement soon. Let's see if you can still stay calm then."
"I'm calm as can be," Fyren said. "I've got nothing to hide. Hahaha! Some people think wearing a badge makes them judge-rich-people experts, but being scum has nothing to do with wealth. Don't you agree, Officer Zoey?"
"Indeed," she sneered. "A rich man who plays hero is a rare breed. I hope that's your true nature. You know, some people are masters of pretension. Pretend long enough, and you start believing your own lies."
"But pretenses crumble. When I get evidence…" She leaned closer. "Even big shots end up in handcuffs."
Fyren laughed heartily. "Farewell, Officer Zoey."
"Farewell, Fyren."
Meanwhile, the branch Helmsman coughed and answered a video call.
"Miss Sabrina, how did you get my video account?"
Sabrina's face paled slightly as she snapped, "The Young Lord gave it to me before his seclusion. He said to contact you directly if needed."
"Hmm. What do you need?"
Sabrina knitted her brows. "You don't know?"
"Know what?"
Sabrina's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Your subordinates—Gold King and that Tactician—have defected to Fyren's side."
"Impossible! Oh my god, ouch..." Overcome with emotion, the Helmsman felt his hemorrhoids flare up again. He gritted his teeth. "Gold King and the Tactician are utterly loyal to me, second only to myself in the branch. There's no reason for them to betray me!"
"Is that so?" Sabrina said. "I witnessed it firsthand. They were with Fyren's men, chumming around like old friends."
"You saw this with your own eyes?"
Sabrina shot him a glare. "Clear as day!"
"How?"
"From less than two hundred meters away. I saw four of them: Fyren's secretary Chloe, his lackey Zaring, and those two! The four of them were arm-in-arm, laughing and chatting. Helmsman, do you doubt me?"
"That makes no sense! They extorted fifty billion from Fyren yesterday and reported their next plan to me. They said they'd extort more funds to aid the Young Lord's affairs!"
"Did they give you the fifty billion?"
"Why would they? I told them to wait until the Young Lord emerges and give it directly to him!"
Just then, another video call request popped up. Seeing the names Gold King and Tactician, the Helmsman accepted immediately.
The Tactician spoke gravely. "Helmsman—Gold King has betrayed us! Stay alert!"
Gold King roared, "Liar! I think you're the one plotting treason!"
The Helmsman's head spun. "You… Bloody hell, one at a time! Tactician, you first!"
The Tactician seethed, "Gold King is in bed with Fyren. Our operation failed repeatedly because he colluded with Fyren, sabotaging my plans at every turn!"
Gold King howled, "Tactician, I'll fuck your ancestors! You're slandering me! You're the one selling us out, then pinning it on me! If I see you again, I'll crush you in one blow!"
Sabrina was thoroughly confused. Aren't they both traitors? Why are they calling to accuse each other?
The Helmsman's mind reeled. "I'll say it again—one at a time! Tactician, you claim Gold King is a traitor. Where's your evidence?"
The Tactician asked, "Helmsman, how many basic recovery potions did you give us before we set out?"
"One."
"Only one?"
"You're my Tactician—why would I lie? Besides, even if I wanted two, we don't have them! The branch only has one, granted by the central lodge as a contingency. Why?"
The Tactician clasped his fists in a salute. "That single basic recovery potion was consumed by Gold King himself! There's no denying it. At the time, he was riddled with bullets, and from his pulse, I could tell he'd taken the potion. Otherwise, he would have died!"
The Helmsman started. "But... why was he still shot? If it was a matter of life and death, wouldn't anyone take it?"
"Helmsman, that basic recovery potion was fed to him by Fyren! Fyren saved his life—otherwise, he would have been gunned down by Hakan."
"Why bring up Hakan again? What the hell are you two talking about!?"
Gold King interjected sharply, "Why didn't you tell Helmsman who gave Fyren the basic recovery potion? Who returned the fifty billion to Fyren!?"
The Helmsman's eyes bulged. "You gave Fyren the basic recovery potion and fifty billion in cash!?"
The Tactician stammered, "The situation was critical. I misjudged—thought we were ambushed, so—"
"Ambushed my ass!" Gold King roared. "You're the one who said all that! You kept babbling about danger, saying we were being watched, that the hotel was crawling with experts. You even said if we didn't give Fyren the money, he'd kill us. Wasn't that you?"
"Fyren would kill you!?" The Helmsman was losing his mind. "Since when does he have that power!?"
Gold King said, "The Tactician deceived me, claiming Fyren isn't alone. He's part of a Mighty Syndicate—bigger, more secretive, and deadlier than ours. Fyren's just their frontman, and they'd surrounded the hotel. He said if we didn't pay up, we were all dead! That's what you said, right? After Fyren took the money and chatted, you forced me to give him the basic healing potion too!"
The Tactician snapped, "I just misread the situation! Sherry said Herbert taught the Young Lord secret techniques: Hadoken and Ta Tsu Ma Ki Sen Puu Kya Ku! I heard someone shouting those three moves at the door and thought enemies were taunting us!"
"Enough! I saw it clear—it was a video game console! A goddamn video game console! You two tricked me with a freaking video game!"
Sabrina frowned. "Speak clearly—are you saying Sherry deceived you?"
"Sherry's an idiot!" Gold King seethed. "She's mentally unstable—definitely cracked!"
The Helmsman's expression turned icy. "Tactician, did you truly... give the money and potion to Fyren?"
"Yes!" The Tactician admitted frankly. "There was a gamble involved. But in the mountains, Gold King was beaten half to death by Hakan, and Fyren saved him! Why would Fyren save his enemy? And the basic healing potion is priceless—Fyren gave it to him without a second thought. Before I arrived, Fyren had already fled. Why? They have no history—do you believe that?"
The Helmsman wheeled on Gold King. "Gold—what's the truth?"
"How the hell should I know!?" Gold King barked. "He... I have nothing to do with him! He kidnapped my sworn brother, and I went after him to kill him—everyone knows that! Helmsman, you of all people! I've always pushed to take him out, but the Tactician kept blocking me! Yes—he stopped me from killing Fyren! Said taking his life was useless—we needed his money first. And what happened? He gave the money to Fyren again!"
The Helmsman's brain felt ready to explode. His head throbbed painfully, on the verge of exploding.
The Tactician interjected, "Yes, I did return the money, but it was a mistake! A mistake! And you? Later, when I could have killed Fyren's lackeys, why did you stop me? Why attack me!?"
Gold King roared, "Fyren saved my life! I was lying on the ground, half-dead, with a dozen thugs pointing guns at me. I'd given up, thought I'd die at the hands of trash! But Fyren saved me—and he saved you too later! Are we supposed to attack our benefactor's men? Is that our code? If I let you kill Fyren's people, I'd be no better than a beast!"
The Helmsman said, "What are you saying? Fyren is your benefactor? And you, Tactician—did Fyren save you too?"
"Huh?" The Tactician stammered. "Well... Gold King, you bastard—didn't we swear to take this to the grave?"
Gold King bellowed, "Your secret! You call me a traitor, then expect me to keep your secret?"
The Tactician said, "Think clearly—we both agreed never to speak of it. If this gets out, the underworld will mock us for eternity. We'll be Northlandia's most disgraceful duo!"
"But you forced me to!"
"When did I force you?"
"You called me a traitor!"
"Because you are! Dare you deny it!?"
"Then what about you? I say you are!"
The Helmsman snapped, "Shut up! Explain that incident—now!"
"Which incident?" Gold King asked.
"The shameful one where both of you were saved by Fyren! Speak!" The Helmsman sensed this held the key to unmasking the traitor.
"Um..." Gold King faltered. "Actually... there's nothing to it."
The Helmsman's eyes narrowed. "Tactician—your turn."
"Well... uh... see..." The Tactician stammered too. "There's really nothing to tell."
Sabrina sneered, "Helmsman, they're playing you. No matter whom you believe, the other stays as a spy. I saw it—both are traitors!"
Gold King and the Tactician shouted in unison, "You bitch! Cunning whore!"
The Helmsman slammed the table, roaring, "Explain that incident now! Or I'll deploy all Black-Clad Guards, issue a permanent kill order, and have you torn to pieces!"