The time limit I have is only seventy-two hours. That means just about three days. But why is it different this time? Why does this quest have a time limit, and what will happen if I don't complete everything within three days? Theo fell silent, staring at the system screen in front of him.
"Now, let me show you the CCTV footage." Abby led Theo and Alessio to the CCTV room to display the recordings they wanted to see. Once there, Abby promptly showed them the footage.
From the recording, Theo and Alessio could see several masked individuals entering the orphanage by breaking windows, as Abby had described. They also witnessed these individuals causing destruction and kidnapping sleeping children from their rooms. The events of that night concluded after some of the children screamed for help, and local residents arrived to assist.
"As you can see, the events unfolded like that," Abby stated at the end of the CCTV recording. Alessio and Theo remained silent, nodding in response to Abby's statement. Alessio redirected his attention to the monitor screen, reexamining the figures of the men in the footage.
"Do you recognize any of them? Maybe there's someone you know among them," Theo said to Alessio. The man beside him shook his head.
"No, none, except for this one." Alessio pointed to one of the men in the recording. There was one man whose body characteristics felt familiar to him.
"Wait, why do you say that? Do you know who they are?" Abby looked at Theo and Alessio alternately.
"Theo suspects that perhaps the attackers are enemies trying to bring down Zayn."
"His enemies? But why would they attack this place?"
"That's because by attacking this place, Zayn's health condition could deteriorate immediately. That's why they attacked here," explained Theo.
"Oh my, that's terrible. What if this continues? What if this place keeps getting attacked?" Abby appeared increasingly anxious.
"That won't happen as long as we're here. We'll protect this place and ensure all the children are safe," reassured Alessio, attempting to calm her.
"By the way, I just want to make sure of one thing. You don't have any issues or enemies, right?" Theo asked Abby. She immediately shook her head in response to Theo's question.
"No, I don't have any enemies at all."
"Alright, that means it can be reasonably assumed that the perpetrator might indeed be one of Zayn's enemies trying to worsen his health," muttered Theo.
"Didn't I tell you that Abby couldn't possibly have enemies?" Alessio whispered.
"I was just making sure," replied Theo.
"By the way, for the time being, we might stay here to protect this place. We'll keep watch and continue investigating who tried to attack this place," said Alessio.
"In that case, I'll prepare rooms for both of you to sleep."
"Alright, we also intend to contact Zayn about this first." Theo and Alessio stepped out of the CCTV room. Theo immediately led Alessio for a private conversation.
"You said you recognize one of the people in the footage? Then who is he? Is he one of Zayn's enemies?"
"Actually, I'm not quite sure if it's really him or not because the person I'm thinking of should be in jail. But if it turns out to be him, then that means he's out of prison."
"Who?"
"Him..."
*
Creak!
The door opened, and Zayn's attention immediately shifted towards the sound. There stood Elio, carrying a tray with his medication and a glass of water. "It's late, boss. Wouldn't it be better for you to get some sleep?"
"I can't stop thinking about the problems I'm facing, Elio. What if Alessio and Theo fail to find the kidnapped children?"
"You don't need to worry, boss. I believe Alessio and Theo can find them. It's better for you to focus on your health. You need plenty of rest to recover quickly."
"They can find them, right?"
"Of course, boss. Now, it's better for you to take your medicine and get some sleep." Elio handed the glass to Zayn along with the medication prescribed by the doctor. Once Zayn took them, Elio helped him get ready for bed. He pulled the blanket to cover Zayn's body, letting him rest.
"Elio, thank you for taking care of me all this time. I truly appreciate having you around to care for me." Zayn smiled warmly.
"It's my duty, boss. Good night, and sleep well."
"Yeah." Zayn closed his eyes slowly and fell asleep, meanwhile, Elio got up and left Zayn after putting the drinks he had brought on the table. Zayn had a habit of waking up and drinking in the middle of the night, so Elio always provided a glass of water just in case Zayn woke up at night. Elio just didn't want Zayn to go out and fetch his own water from the kitchen. Last time, Zayn had fainted while trying to get some water in the middle of the night.
*
As the night grew deeper, an eerie silence enveloped the surroundings, with no sound breaking through. Zayn was sound asleep in his bed, while his subordinates remained vigilant to ensure their boss's safety.
However, it seemed they were caught off guard that night. A dark figure emerged from behind the curtains that covered the balcony door of his house. The figure moved suspiciously, then opened the balcony door of his room using a special tool that could unlock it without creating any noise. Once the door was open, the intruder stepped into Zayn's room and approached the sleeping man.
The figure was dressed entirely in black, and their face was concealed with a mask to prevent anyone from recognizing them.
He paused for a moment, ensuring that Zayn was truly asleep. Once confident that Zayn was in a deep slumber, he retrieved a small bottle from his attire. He gazed at the bottle in his hand, a sinister smile etched beneath the mask covering his face.
Your condition worsened upon hearing about the attack on the orphanage. Now, I want to see how you fare after ingesting the poison I've placed in your drink. The man opened the small bottle in his hand and poured its contents into a glass of water beside Zayn's bed.
He had just poured an odorless and tasteless poison, especially given its appearance, strikingly similar to regular water. No one would be able to tell the difference between the poison and plain water because they look so similar.
Upon finishing, the man fell silent, gazing at the still-sleeping Zayn in his bed. "After this, you'll sleep forever, Zayn. Once you're gone, all their valuable assets and secrets will fall into my hands!"
*
Theo rose from his position and sat with a troubled expression. For some reason, he couldn't sleep at all. The ongoing issues kept swirling in his mind. The attack on the orphanage left him questioning the identity of the perpetrator. Each time he pondered on it, Theo was reminded of his promise to Kate, urging him to protect Zayn.
I can't sleep at all, and I can't find any peace of mind thinking about this issue. Moreover, this damn timer keeps popping up since earlier! Theo shifted his attention to the system screen in front of him.
<59:09:40>
It had been thirteen hours since Theo started the quest he received, and during these thirteen hours, he hadn't found any clues. This made him uneasy, as it was the first time a quest he undertook had a three-day time limit.
"The annoying timer!" Theo grumbled with an irritated expression. Every time the numbers on the screen changed, he felt increasingly restless, pressured by the situation.
"This is only making it harder for me to sleep," he muttered quietly. Theo shifted his gaze to Alessio, who was sound asleep in another bed not far from him. It seemed that the exhaustion from driving all the way made Alessio sleep deeply.
"He said he would stay awake, but ended up sleeping like a baby." Theo got up from his bed and walked out. Putting on his gloves, he decided to stand guard outside, ensuring that no one would come to attack like the previous night. He also needed to check if there were any clues that could assist him or not.
Once in the front yard, Theo immediately tried to find something that could serve as a clue. However, his efforts were in vain as there were no traces left by the perpetrator. "It seems like he's a cunning criminal. There's not a single trace he left behind."
Theo sighed deeply, then shifted his attention to his phone. The clock showed it was already eleven at night, and Morgan, who was supposed to join them, still hadn't appeared at all. "It's late, and Morgan hasn't shown up at all. Could it be that he changed his mind? If he were here, at least I would have a companion for this investigation before my time runs out."
Theo pondered on finding a way out of his predicament when he realized something. Criminal news like this would usually quickly surface in the media, especially in Sciencetopia, a place where news could spread rapidly unless the area was outside the police zone. Inspired by this idea, Theo promptly opened the search app on his phone and looked for the latest news. As he suspected, the news had quickly spread everywhere. There were numerous articles from local media in Meadowside City covering the case.
"I knew it, the news is here." Theo smiled and began to read one of the articles. However, his attention was soon captivated by something else. There was an article related to the same topic he was reading, discussing a group of attackers who were involved in various criminal activities, including burglary and kidnapping.
"This..." Theo fell silent with wide eyes as he saw a photo displaying a screenshot from a CCTV recording. In the photo, he recognized several masked perpetrators, who were the same individuals that had attacked the orphanage.
The system detects a potential threat!> Theo looked up as the system screen appeared before him. At the same time, he noticed the shadow of someone emerging from behind. Realizing this, Theo swiftly dodged as the figure attempted to strike him. Turning around, Theo saw a person dressed in all black with a mask, the same attacker from yesterday's assault on the orphanage. He widened his eyes as he recognized the figure. "You!" "Well, darn. Looks like I've been caught," the figure muttered quietly. From the voice, Theo could tell it was a man. "Who are you? And why are you attacking this place?" "I have no obligation to tell you about who I am, but I have an obligation to kill you because you saw me!" The man ran towards Theo with his hand moving to take a knife from under his clothes. He immediately attacked Theo without warning. Luckily, Theo had the chance to dodge each of his attacks. "I misjudged you; thought you were just another regular opponent, but it seems you're quite skilled in martial arts. Well then, this is going to be interesting." The guy grinned behind his mask. I almost let my guard down. If I'm not careful, I could end up dead in his hands. The guy in front of him attacked Theo again, but this time, his movements were faster than Theo anticipated. Theo felt overwhelmed trying to face him. The enemy's martial arts skills are too high. Please be careful!> What? Theo's eyes widened as he saw the notification. This was the second time this notification appeared. The last time was when he was attacked by Dante for the second time. The man swung the knife in his hand towards Theo, but fortunately, Theo quickly refocused on the fight. He grabbed his opponent's wrist and delivered a series of rapid punches, causing the knife to fall to the ground. Seeing an opportunity, Theo ran toward him, picking up the knife in front of him. Now, an intense battle unfolded between Theo and his opponent. They fought fiercely, creating a tumultuous sound as they both fell in turn. Thud! Theo once again managed to make his opponent fall. But this time, Theo didn't give him any chance to counterattack. He instantly locked onto his opponent's movements, and aimed the knife in his hand at the man's neck. "Now, tell me, who are you? And what's your motive for these burglaries and kidnappings?!" "Hahaha... why are you so curious?" Instead of answering, the man burst into loud laughter. He turned, locking eyes with Theo, who was now staring at him with a serious expression. Sweat dripped from his forehead. "Speak, or you'll die tonight." "Unfortunately, I can't do that. Besides, if you kill me, won't you be the one at a loss since you won't get any answers?" "You—" Theo clenched the knife in his hand tightly; he was genuinely frustrated as the man seemed to be playing with him. The system detects a potential threat!> "It seems like it won't be me who dies tonight." Theo could sense a smirk behind the man's mask. From his gaze, Theo could see that he now cracked a smile while staring at him intensely. Simultaneously with the system he observed, Theo felt sure that something was amiss with the situation he was facing. The man's gaze and words seemed to signal something to him. Theo turned around to assess the situation. Stab! Theo suddenly fell silent with widened eyes. His breath caught, and his body seemed to freeze instantly as he saw another masked man standing behind him with a knife in hand. W-What happened? W-Why... ***