Germain gazed at the charred hand reaching out from the sea of flames. With the smell of burning Leech and Worm fading, he looked at his Hunter Badge to check the latest stats update.
"Vitality: 28 → 30"
"Endurance: 20 → 21"
"Pressure: 62 → 65"
"Item: Creeping Leech Hidden Blade (newly added)"
"Are you done?"
At that moment, a sword poked through a hole in the ceiling. Behind the blade, a pair of big eyes, framed by black-rimmed glasses, surveyed the scene. Once satisfied that Germain's battle had ended, the person spoke again.
"Germain, need me to pull you up?"
Germain shook his head, replying, "No, I can jump up..."
But his response was cut short as Shizuku wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Not waiting for him to finish, she retracted her head and made her own decision.
Her question had been more of a formality.
She extended the "Blinky," with its large pink tongue hanging like a rope.
"Come on, grab hold. I'll pull you up."
Germain had no choice but to move underneath the dangling tongue, jumping slightly to catch it with his fingers. The texture was rough, with tiny barbs dotting its surface.
"Okay, pull me up," he said.
Shizuku used both hands, pulling like a seasoned angler reeling in a big catch. With a swift motion, she lifted Germain from the floor below to the upper level, where he had started—their original room.
Germain landed firmly, letting go of the "Blinky." He glanced around.
Owl lay on the floor, his head showing clear signs of heavy hammer blows. It was shattered to the point of no return.
"Shizuku, did another enemy break into your room?" Germain asked, wanting confirmation. "Did you take them out, or did they manage to escape?"
"You mean the guy with wings? He seemed odd. I was reading in the living room, and he just flew in, said hi..."
Germain raised his hand to interrupt. "Don't bother explaining. What happened?"
"He's dead." Shizuku adjusted her glasses as the "Blinky" vanished from her hand. "He wasn't very strong."
Germain nodded. From outside the room, the sounds of rushing footsteps grew louder, and voices yelled, "Put out the fire!" He pointed to the window.
"Let's get out of here," he said.
"Aren't you waiting for your friends?" Shizuku asked, confused.
"We need some peace and quiet. Too many people will be here soon." Germain pulled out his phone, quickly typed a text message, and sent it to Bisky. "The meeting place is changing again."
"Should we head to Saba City?" Shizuku asked, referring to their earlier move from Yorknew City to Saba City. It wouldn't be surprising if they had to move again.
"No need," Germain said, pointing to the owl's body. "Our message is clear enough. If they keep bothering us, they'll end up like these 'Shadow Beasts.'"
Shizuku rubbed her chin, nodding. "True. The Mafia will get the hint and know not to mess with us."
A minute later, a crowd of hotel staff and curious guests burst into Germain's room. When they looked around, all they found was an unrecognizable corpse. The balcony's floor-to-ceiling windows were wide open, and the sea breeze blew the curtains inward.
It was 8:00 p.m.
Djerba Port is the other port in Saba City, besides Dore Port. The water was pitch black in the night, with only the beams from the lighthouse casting light across the waves.
Germain sat at the stern of an old fishing boat he'd bought on a whim. He was munching on a box of stale crackers, tossing them into his mouth one by one.
He stared in the direction of the port, where fishermen, traders, sailors, and tourists had begun to leave. Some climbed into their boats to rest. It was eerily quiet, as if a funeral had taken place.
The commotion at the Le Port Hotel didn't seem to reach Djerba Port. Perhaps the people had grown numb to the violence that happened day and night in the city.
With only four dead, people just shrugged it off. "The city's getting more dangerous by the day. The police are useless," they'd say, then move on with their lives.
As Germain was finishing the last of the crackers, he noticed a familiar petite silhouette emerging from the shadows.
This time, she abandoned her signature double ponytails for a cute single one. Holding the burgundy princess skirt, she leaped lightly onto the fishing boat.
"You and your companion seem uninterested in settling this matter," Bisky remarked, hands on hips, a smile playing on his lips. "The news of six consecutive 'Shadow Beasts' deaths has spread like wildfire on the 'Dark Web'."
"If those brutes had any real power, I'd be dead in Yorknew City," Germain added, offering the last biscuit to Bisky.
"As assassins and bodyguards, misjudging your opponent's strength comes with a price," Germain continued, taking a small bite of biscuit. "I doubt they grasp that."
Accepting the biscuit, Bisky nibbled delicately, as if in front of a lady, before nodding in agreement. "Losing six out of ten 'Shadow Beasts' was a severe blow to the 'Ten Dons'. Despite losing face, they've withdrawn the bounty on you."
Leading Bisky to the boat's cabin, Germain had to stoop to enter, while Bisky strolled in effortlessly.
"If they persist, I wouldn't mind dealing with the remaining four 'Shadow Beasts'," Germain said, gesturing for Bisky to sit. "I'll go to the cockpit."
"I'm coming too," Bisky replied, following Germain.
"The chances of that are slim. They've likely learned their lesson," Germain said as Bisky finished her biscuit, discreetly wiping her mouth with a towel.
Raising her gaze, she spotted a woman at the helm. The young woman with short black hair and glasses must be the "companion" Germain mentioned.
Bisky couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy— for the person's youth, beauty, or figure, but that's it.
Patting the companion's shoulder, Germain exchanged a glance, seeing an innocence and confusion in her eyes, unusual for someone from Meteor City.
"Are you sure you know how to operate a fishing boat?" Germain asked for the second time, making sure he wouldn't regret handing it over to her.
"Of course," Shizuku replied without much emotion. "I've done it once before, and I just spent five minutes reading the 'Crew Manual'."
"Alright then," Germain said, seemingly reassured. "I'll leave it to you to navigate the ship into the open sea."
Shizuku pushed her slipping glasses back up and said, "No problem."
Listening to their conversation, Bisky felt a pang of doubt.
"I've done it once before," and "I just spent five minutes reading the 'Crew Manual'"—these phrases weren't exactly confidence-inspiring.
Were they really okay? One of them was brave enough to claim expertise, and the other was bold enough to believe it. If the boat capsized in the open sea, who would be able to rescue them in time?
She could imagine her reputation crumbling to dust if she drowned here. What would Chairman Netero think? Would he laugh at her for taking such a ridiculous risk?
Under Bisky's intense gaze, Shizuku clumsily fiddled with the buttons and steering wheel on the fishing boat.
********
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