Mad Dog carefully analyzed Navier's movements from afar. His sharp gaze sent chills down Navier's spine, who was stood outside a sausage stand waiting for his order to be ready.
"Now," Mad Dog whispered to Black Dog and Jackal. The three stealthily approached the unsuspecting boy from behind.
"Navier," Mad Dog whispered.
"Huh?" Navier turned around in confusion, but before he could see who was behind him, a hand snaked over his mouth and dragged him into a nearby alley.
Navier thrashed wildly, attempting to shake off his perpetrator's grip. But Mad Dog had an iron grip over him.
"What are you doing? Hold down his legs!"
The familiar voice sent chills down Navier's spine. Was it possibly… As mean as they were, Navier was sure Mad Dog, Black Dog, and Jackal wouldn't do something as extreme as this.
When the lady operating the sausage stand looked up, she frowned. Where had Navier gone? She glanced at her surroundings, but everything was quiet.
She shook her head. Maybe she had imagined things.
"Mmph!" Navier big Mad Dog's hand, mustering up all the force he could. "What are you doing?" was what Navier attempted to say, but his words were muffled by Mad Dog.
Mad Dog groaned as he immediately recoiled his hand. Blood oozed out of his palm and trickled down his wrist, staining his long-sleeved shirt.
"What the hell?" Mad Dog hissed. "Annoying." His hand slammed down in Navier's face, and he grinned as Navier's body went limp in his grip.
"Ugh…" Navier groaned. His vision blurred before black spots appeared, turning everything black.
"Shit, he bit me." Mad Dog held his bleeding hand. "Slip the letter under the door," he directed Black Dog.
Black Dog silently nodded his head and approached the Navier and Joan's hostel. He looked around before bending down and slipping a letter under the plastic flaps.
'Rem Oaks' was written on it in big, bold letters. There was no way she wouldn't eventually see it.
Black Dog gave a thumbs up to Mad Dog and Jackal, signaling his success.
***
"What's taking him so long?" Joan frowned. Slowly, she descended from her top bunk and made her way to the sausage stand Navier was supposed to be at.
But when she got there, Navier was nowhere to be found. Joan frowned.
Today was the weekend. Where could he have gone?
"Excuse me?" Joan asked.
The sausage lady looked up from her grill. "Yes, sweetie?" She smiled kindly as she wiped her hands on her apron. "How can I help you?"
"Have you seen Navier?"
The lady frowned and shook her head. "He came for sausages, but he disappeared before he picked them up."
Joan knit her eyebrows. Just where was he? "Thanks."
As she pushed open the hostel's plastic door flaps, a pristine, white letter laying on the ground caught her eye. How had she noticed it on her way out?
'Rem Oaks' was written in black on the front.
Joan picked up the letter and opened it as she returned to her room.
'Rem, Navier is at XXX. Come alone. Or things won't end well for Navier.'
Joan narrowed her eyes as she flipped the letter over multiple times to see if it was signed. Was this supposed to be a ransom note?
In all honesty, there was very little incentive for Joan to go. As much as she enjoyed Navier's endless flattering, he attracted all sorts of trouble.
"Joan~" PK sang, and Joan internally groaned.
[Mini-Mission 5: Save Navier]
[Reward: 1000 dollars]
Joan's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She rubbed her eyes to see if she saw things right. Was that… 1000 dollars? Excitement flooded Joan's bloodstream, and an ecstatic grin spread across her face.
She supposed that settled it. It was time to head to XXX.
***
XXX was a dingy, abandoned factory from the early 2020s. Its brown and cracked windows signaled years of neglect and vandalism.
Joan's shoes relished in the crunch of weeds below her feet as she walked across the gravel road that had been infiltrated by all sorts of plants.
With her palm, she gently pushed open the hinges of the front door. To no surprise, Navier sat knocked out in the middle of the gray, empty room.
His head hung limply, and he was bound to the chair with tape and rope. However, it appeared he was alone.
Did whoever who did this think Joan was a moron?
With her superhuman sense, she could easily pinpoint each and every person hiding behind a pillar. A total of seven people were scattered throughout the room, waiting for Joan to make the first move.
Joan struggled to stifle her laughter. This was too easy. Seven people were no problem for her, especially in a wide, open space like this, especially since the seven were so far apart. It'd be easy to pick them off one by one.
Instead of going for Navier like they expected her to, she walked to her left, approaching the nearest boy hiding behind a pillar.
Her gentle footsteps connected soundlessly with the ground as she approached. Joan peered around the pillar to greet a shocked face staring back at her.
"Peek-a-boo!" she whispered. Before he could make a sound, she slammed her forearm against the side of his neck. As his eyes rolled back into his eyes, Joan knew she had accurately pinpointed his vagus nerve.
His body teetered, but before the boy collapsed at alerted the others, Joan caught his body and laid him gently on the ground. And as she did so, she took the time to examine his face.
As she pried through her memories, she realized that this boy was a freshman at M High School. She had only seen him once or twice, but the heated gazes he sent her made Joan notice him.
Joan looked up from his body. One down, six more to go.
If they were all this week, she'd have no trouble taking all of them down.
Silently, Joan stealthily slipped to her next target. Whoever was responsible for this would be sure to regret their impulsiveness once they encountered her.