As I sat in the room for the past three hours, I couldn't help but contemplate whether to spare Saira's life or not.
Despite her talents, her loyalty to a notorious criminal like Cillian made me question her moral code. However, if I let her live, she could prove to be a valuable asset to Ruby and her cause, given her abilities as a half-devil.
But there was another matter weighing on my mind - the protagonist, Sun-Jung. While the world may favour him and his actions, I couldn't shake off my suspicion about his system. For now,
I put that concern aside and focused on the task at hand. If I helped Saira, she would undoubtedly feel indebted to me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to cash in on that favour.
I was snapped out of my daze by the sound of a walkie-talkie at my waist, which didn't belong to me. I had obtained it by knocking out a guard, taking his ID, and locking him in the rarely-visited storage room in the backyard of the stadium.
"Attention all guards. Take your positions and prepare to escort the subject to the designated location. Maintain a close formation. Let's make sure our VIP is safe and secure. Over."
"Copy that, Captain, Unit 4 taking the position, ready for escort. Over.", I replied as I stood up from the chair in front of the dressing, teleporting Saira into my domain, as I walked towards the exit of the room.
The same woman, who handed me the water bottles stepped inside the room as I was about to approach the handle of the door and she startled herself. Stepping back she looked up at me to meet my gaze and asked as she looked at my id,
"Oh, I didn't know someone was here, weren't you supposed to be at deck ready to guide starlets in their vehicle".
'Now that's suspicious, how does she know am in the unit responsible for escorting them and why was she entering the room when she clearly knew no one was here?', I thought.
"I apologise for startling you ma'am, but I was instructed to look after their belongings, but since you are here, I think am free to do my job", I said.
Sure, here's the text broken into paragraphs:
"Ah, no it's fine," she said.
"Very well then, may I?" I said, indicating for her to make way.
"Yeah sure," she said as she moved back and I exited, making my way backstage.
I couldn't help but wonder how things worked in this industry. Usually, don't performers get some time to rest and change back into casual clothes before leaving the venue? The fact that they were rushed out of the stadium immediately after the show felt dubious. I should play along, let's see what happens.
'Just don't spoil my mood by being a rich motherfucker who wants to forcefully bed them', I caught up with the rest of the team and suppressed my presence, that way no one would notice that a person amongst them is not one of their own.
Unit 4 was the division responsible for escorting Starlets so I could clearly hear the conversation occurring in front of me. A person wearing a black and white suit, black hair and a small moustache, he looked like a butler, was having a conversation with Starlets who have now taken off their wigs and makeup, and now I could identify them.
Nia, Cleo, Skye and Gia are their pseudonyms. I never bothered to know their real names, but many of their fans do, so that's not a mystery.
Nia has long pink hair with sapphire blue eyes and a gymnastic physique. Cleo is the type who says, 'don't give a damn' and has blue shoulder-length hair.
Syke was the short one, with black hair and two long ponytails, and silver eyes, while Gia was the nerd type, with purple hairs which were a little duller than mine and dark purple eyes.
Observing them more closely, they were exhausted and looked like they needed rest. Despite their small stature, they've been putting on a grand performance for their fans, wearing a mask of false enthusiasm and energy. It was evident that their exhaustion was starting to take a toll on them.
The one leading the conversation at the moment was Nia, who sternly stated, "I have repeatedly informed you that matters of this nature should be directed to my manager, rather than approaching me immediately after a performance."
"I beg your pardon, miss. However, this matter seemed rather pressing, and I feared that the master may become displeased if not addressed immediately," replied the butler, in an apologetic tone.
'Oh, Great!' I thought to myself,
'An opportunity to observe and understand the mindset of these young masters, especially their dimwitted entourage. I have always yearned to uncover the workings of these ancillary characters, and it seems as though my wish has been granted. If anyone grants them that is, though the beings above are all assholes'.
Nia's voice was laced with a fit of simmering anger as she spoke, "What would he do if he lost his temper? We are here to entertain the general public and gain renown, not akin to strippers whom you could summon to your party just to impress business partners. Now, leave."
Their displeasure was palpable as all of them turned around and fixed a brief but firm glare on the butler. Then, the guards encircled the Starlets and escorted them towards the cars stationed behind the stadium, five 1992 Acura Vigors, all in black. While I was clueless about their usual arrangements, I followed them, lagging behind the last car.
As the guards settled the Starlets into the middle two cars with Nia and Gia in one and Cleo and Skye in the other, I found a spot next to a fellow guard in the last car. Soon, all the vehicles set off on their way.
It didn't take long before the young master's plot was set in motion. Three massive trucks were barrelling towards our convoy at an alarming pace, yet nobody had taken notice of them, as they were still three kilometres away.
Interrupting the tense silence, I spoke up, hoping to shift the focus away from the incoming danger. "Excuse me, I was wondering," I started, directing my question to the fellow guard beside me.
He turned towards me, looking sceptical, "What is it?"
"Do any of you have families?", The question was met with cynical laughter.
"You must be out of your mind," my companion replied, his tone biting. "None of us have families or relatives. We were all raised by Trinity Security."
As the guard spoke, he suddenly pulled out a gun and pressed it against my temple, his expression fierce. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing.
"I simply wished to ascertain if you gentlemen have families to whom I might offer compensation, in the event of any unfortunate circumstances", I explained.
"What are you trying to sa-" , Before he could finish his sentence, the deafening sound of screeching tires filled the air as three massive cargo trucks careened into our vehicles from the side. In an instant, chaos erupted. I teleported onto the roof of one of the trucks to escape the destruction and watch the scenario unfold.
The doors of the trucks flung open and two brawny figures emerged from each vehicle, each wielding a handgun enhanced with an aura capable of slaying even an A-ranked warrior from long range.
They strode past the wreckage of the destroyed cars, thick smoke billowing from them and some even bursting into flames. Meanwhile, the trucks encircled the cars in which the Starlets were seated, leaving them trapped. As the assailants advanced towards their target vehicle, they ruthlessly dispatched all the guards with a swift shot to the head and eliminated the driver of the Starlets' car.
With brutal force, they yanked open the car doors and forcibly extracted the four members, who despite their attempts to fight back, were no match for the assailants' prowess.
"Let go of me! What did you do to our bodies ?" cried Skye as she struggled against their grip, referring to her inability to use aura but the captors remained silent and unyielding.
Subduing their captives with restraints and duct tape, the kidnappers ushered them towards the empty cargo containers in the back of the truck, without uttering a single word.
With their mission accomplished, the trucks revved up their engines and resumed their journey as I watched everything sitting on the top of the truck.
'Oh sure, these guys are just so smooth - they totally trashed everything, kidnapped celebrities and continued their journey like it was just another day at the office.' I thought to myself with heavy sarcasm, 'I like that'.