The Devil’s Cage

“Thank you, that will be $203.”

Kieran paid for the meal under the waiter’s astonished gaze before walking out.

The waiter had seen many big eaters before, but one that ate like Kieran?

He was the first.

It seemed as if he placed all his passion into eating and did not care about any other thing.

From the start to the end, the waiter didn’t notice Kieran having any intention of paying for the young lady.

Not gentleman enough?

In the heart of a stingy ghost, men and women were equal.

There was no such thing as ‘treating’ in his dictionary.

Even among those on Kieran’s friend list, only Lawless and Starbeck deserved to be treated by him, and as for others?

Stop overthinking, others were non-existent.

Dak Dak Dak Dak!

Hurried footsteps came chasing after Kieran.

Mier still had a smile on her face when she caught up to him. She wasn’t unhappy or dissatisfied with Kieran’s stingy move, quite the opposite, as she thought it was very normal.

After all, he was a Monster Hunter.

The lone ranger that shuttled through darkness, a hero that protected humanity!

It was Mier’s dream since young to become to become a hero like that.

So she learned the style of the Monster Hunters through rumours, learning those quirks that seemed strange and inconceivable to other commoners.

In the eyes of the higher authority of Eiders City, Mier was a mad woman.

In the eyes of the civilians of Eiders City, Miers was a girl that behaved like a man with a huge appetite.

However, despite her quirks, her beautiful looks and voluptuous figure won her a lot of pursuers. She was never lacking in men trying to date her.

As a matter of fact, the numbers were overwhelming.

Judging by looks was a custom in any world.

Being a good looking person was like being born with superpowers, they would always get extra and special treatment among peers and equals.

However, ever since Mier threw three of her pursuers that chattered endlessly into a river, the situation greatly changed for the better. Still, it didn’t mean that Mier wasn’t the center of attention.

Whenever Mier showed herself in public, people would lay their eyes on her and also pay attention to the people around her.

Mier knew it perfectly well, so when she saw Kieran raise a puzzled brow, she spoke.

“My men got some news. Follow me.” Mier then quickly strode towards an alleyway.

Kieran, too, followed up quickly.

He didn’t mind achieving his target with a more effective way to save his efforts.

Inside the alleyway, a man in casual clothing who was standing straight out of habit was waiting for Mier. When he saw Mier, he immediately went up to her.

“Consultant, we’ve run checks on the person you seek. It should be Smith,” the man reported as he sized up Kieran. When he saw [Extreme Night] hanging at Kieran’s waist, his gaze quickly turned alarmed.

He only didn’t say anything because Mier was around.

“Anything else? Mier asked.

“He went missing! The day after the fire rescue mission, Smith handed in his resignation letter. That is all we have on Smith for now.”

The man then passed Mier a paper bag.

Mier waved at the man and quickly turned around, leaving the alleyway, but as he walked past Kieran, he gave Kieran a gaze of warning.

Kieran didn’t even care, his eyes were locked on the paper bag.

Kieran wasn’t surprised about Smith being missing.

After participating in such an event, if this Smith still worked his day job like normal, Kieran would have to reconsider the role this Smith played in all this.

“Let’s pay a visit to his house? Or…”

Mier gave Kieran the paper bag without even looking inside.

Similarly, Mier had prepared for Smith’s disappearance as well.

Of course, she had the confidence to relocate him, whether alive or dead.

Kieran didn’t reply immediately. He took out the files in the paper bag and looked at the pictures in the documents.

In the pictures, there was an expressionless pale young man, seeming to be a quiet person. The details describing Smith were very simple.

He worked in the fire station for five years, never making any mistakes nor performing any meritorious deeds, an invisible man to be exact.

He never participated in any gatherings or events, and no friends ever appeared in his social circle.

This Smith was like a natural-born autistic.

Or perhaps he was hiding something, thus his autistic behaviour.

“Let’s go to his house,” Kieran said.

“I’ll lead. I know a shortcut.”

Mier took a glance at the address on the documents and leapt over the wall at the end of the alleyway.

Kieran followed without being too concerned. Just like Mier said, it was a shortcut.

Two minutes later, Mier halted her steps in front of an apartment. She didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of going in. Instead, she walked towards the ladder beside the apartment and went up from there.

704. Smith’s room number.

With the key inside the paper bag, Mier was about to open the door, but before she could, Kieran grabbed her by the back of her collar, and she was suddenly dragged aside by an irresistible force.

Then—

Bang!

Dozens of tiny pellets were blasted out and 704’s door was blasted into a beehive, the pellets landing against the opposite wall without signs of slowing down.

Debris flew, and Mier, who was dragged aside, counterattacked.

A silver revolver was drawn and its trigger was pulled repeatedly.

Bang, Bang, Bang!

The bullets from the revolver entered through the holes of the door and struck precisely into the attacker behind the door.

“Ugh!”

After a painful groan, the attacker retaliated.

Bang!

Another scattered shot. This shot blasted the door of 704 into bits, thus allowing Mier to have a good look at the attacker behind the door.

Pale faced and white haired, the man’s bloodshot eyes were embedded deep into his eye sockets and there was an obvious gun wound on his body but he didn’t seem to feel the pain, instead showing a vicious grin to Mier.

In reply, Mier fired another shot.

Bang!

The attacker with the malicious grin had his head blasted off just like that.

Mier blew the smoke off her gun. She turned around, hoping to see Kieran’s gaze of admiration.

But to her disappointment, not only did she not see the gaze of admiration she was hoping for, but she couldn’t see Kieran at all.

…

A man that shared a resemblance with the attacker in room 704 was climbing up the apartment walls nimbly like an agile monkey.

Two breaths later, the man reached the top of the apartment, which was the seventh floor.

But when he reached the rooftop, his body trembled for a moment because the person that he didn’t want to see appeared before his eyes.

However, he still bowed out of manners.

“My lord.”