Chapter 31
"Meta… you are called Meta, right?" Mar asked. She heard it when the shop owner called Meta.
"No?" Smith replied, but Mar disregarded him.
"So, can we go somewhere else to talk?"
"Did I not say no?" Smith asked inwardly.
Well, he very much wanted to ask out loud but Mar's next action made him unable to.
Mar and the others entered the car. Furthermore, they are eying Smith like that of a beast.
"Shit! Those stares… why does it feel like I am being stared at by countless beasts?"
Smith felt like he was being stared at by ten thousand beasts and the moment that he says no, those beasts will pounce at him with full force and tear him into ten thousand pieces.
That's the worst. Hence, Smith could only reluctantly ride.
"So, shall we get going?" Mar asked as Smith got into the car. "Let's go, this woman is getting impatient."
Again, Mar did not forget to emphasize the word woman. And that makes the others annoyed especially Grizzly.
"Woman my ass," Grizzly retorted.
With that, the car started driving. But Smith did not know their destination.
"So, where are we going?"
"Somewhere… somewhere down the road," Mar answered.
"What kind of answer is that?" Smith asked. However, it is not Smith who only wants to ask that.
Little did they know that Mar is not kidding. Of course, Nate, the platoon leader, also knows that.
"Do you think I am kidding? We need you to help us patrol the city," Mar politely asked Smith.
"What? Me? A patrol?" of course, Smith would not agree to that. 'How dare these humans make me patrol!'
"But of course, I will do it since I am a good malware." Of course, Smith did not say the 'good malware' part loud.
With that, Smith and the others went on a road trip. Everybody is merry, except Smith.
"Fuck! Why am I doing all the job here? Is this not supposed to be your job?"
"Do you have complaints, Meta? Then, you should have not accepted the money."
"Fuck! That's only four Energy Units but I am using too much energy!"
Smith said that out loud, but the others did not listen to him, including Mar.
…
Meanwhile, Mad Hat Camile is in a certain penthouse. Along with her is Scarlet.
"Boss, Damion is first, then, Parker," Scarlet said in a low tone.
It is not clear what she meant, but Mad Hat Camile knows that she is worried about what might happen next and about Parker and Damion.
"We'll be fine. There are only a few people ahead of Damion. He will soon get healed. As for Parker, Smith did not cause a fatal injury to him. He just caused him to pass out."
Indeed, in the infirmary, the doctors found out that Parker did not have fatal injuries. It's just that he had passed out.
Of course, if his bleeding is not stopped in time, he could also die. Fortunately, the ladies did a good job.
All in all, Smith did not really intend to kill Parker, and everyone knows that. Rather, the doctors could tell. Not only them, but also the two ladies could also tell. The Armageddon could contend against the phantom cannons of the D-Link planes, but Parker did not die.
Human mass could not contend against a plasma beam from the phantom cannon.
"Miss Camile, your father wanted to talk to you."
A maid dressed in gorgeous maid attire which is rather revealing appeared and called to Camile.
Initially, the Midnight Hunters are detained by the military. But someone rather powerful picked Mad Hat Camile and Scarlet. Of course, temporarily, Parker cannot leave the hospital which is the same as saying that he will be the hostage to control Mad Hat Camile in case something untoward happened.
Meanwhile, it is Mad Hat Camile's father who came and picked them up from the military. Or rather, it was his men who came.
"Alright, I'll be there."
Mad Hat Camile stood and followed the maid towards a certain room.
Mad Hat Camile is not wearing an ordinary outfit. She is dressed in her formal clothes with all the accessories on.
Furthermore, those accessories are not cheap. They are all made of precious stones that could only be found on the future earth.
In fact, diamond is the cheapest while the most expensive is the star gem.
"Father, I am here."
After passing a few doors, Mad Hat Camile and the maid arrived at a rather luxurious office where there is an old man doing paperwork on his desk.
Well, it could not really be called paperwork since he is writing on his desk and the top of his desk is akin to the screen of a phone that we have.
In other words, it is a futuristic gadget.
"I heard you're entangled with trouble," the old man asked. However, he did not look at Mad Hat Camile.
Rather, he is so focused on his work atop his desk.
Meanwhile, Mad Hat Camile did not answer and stayed silent. But his mood is not gloomy.
If she were to be asked where he preferred to be, she would probably answer, "I'd rather be in the hospital checking on my confined friend rather than to be in this place."
Of course, even without asking, she is thinking of that. However, she will not say that our loud. Not just yet.
"What does this old man want from me?" she asked herself inwardly as she prepared herself for a set of questioning. Of course, she also did not forget to think of a way to leave her father's place, ASAP.
"This Smith… who is he?"
'As expected, he will ask about that. All my life, he had been controlling me. Living with him felt like living in a cage.' Mad Hat Camile took a deep breath before answering.
"A guy."
Hmmm, what an answer. However, that showcases Mad Hat Camile's attitude to the old man.
"And… why are you in the same mess as this guy?" this time, her father looked at her.
"He is part of my team?"
"Part of your team?" his father kept glaring at her. "Two years ago, you left home. You said you wanted to become a mercenary… and I agreed to that with a reminder that you should pick your team carefully…"
'I know where this is going.' Mad Hat Camile inwardly complained.
"… but now, you're in a big mess. And worse, you even involved our family name in this matter!"
Mad Hat Camile's father could no longer take it and stood as he stormed at the lady, Mad Hat Camile.
"What do you think will the others say? That I, Raphael O'Heron, the father of Camile O'Heron a.k.a Mad Hat Camile, is entangled with a traitor?"
Now that is unexpected. Or rather, Mad Hat Camile did not expect that Smith is branded as a traitor. 'Traitor? Is he not a businessman?"
Nevertheless, Mad Hat Camile did not really care that Smith is branded as a traitor.
'That can't be. He… he is very good to us. I don't care. He's good to us and…' Mad Hat Camile could not finish what she wants to say inwardly as her heart began to thump like a war drum.
"Ha! Everybody will think that I am a traitor."
If one could see Raphael O'Heron's expression, he is like a raging bull.
Puffs of steams seemed to be coming out of his nose.
Meanwhile, Mad Hat Camile's expression went cold. 'It turned out that he only cares about his reputation. Well… he never cared about me in the first place.'
Tears began falling on her cheeks.
She opened her mouth but no words came out of her…
… no words came out as she saw her father crying,
She could see tears atop the desk.
"I don't care what they say. Camile, my daughter, please… it pierces my heart to see you in the custody of the military. But I don't care. I will do my best… I will protect you at all cost."
For the first time in a while, Mad Hat Camile saw her father cry like this.
'When was it that father cried like this?' Camile asked herself.
The memory of the last time that her father cried like this is when her mother died. But that was ages ago.
Just like last time, her father also cried a river.
Nothing could stop his raging tears from the devastating whatever could be devastated.
But unlike last time, the flood caused by Mad Hat Camile's father is contrary to the last time… it is gentle.
"Camile, or rather, Mad Hat Camile, I have a little present for you."
Raphael wiped his tears and stood as he walked towards another door inside his office. And when he came back, he is holding a meter-wide black hat with a golden lace.
"This is for you, dear."
He said as he gives the hat to her.
"Go on do what you want, I will support you from the shadows."
Who would have thought that it will turn out like this?
The Raphael O'Heron who showed no care towards Mad Hat Camile had become gentle.
And at that moment, for the first time… 'Freedom."
'But why does it feel heavy?"
Indeed, that is freedom. It felt so nice, but in the depths of Mad Hat Camile's heart, it felt heavy.