Nate had regained control of his body and released Noel's soul control completely. Only Nate could hear Noel's voice, as Noel's soul was inside him.
As if not listening to Noel's voice, Nate released his grip on Dmitry's hand a little roughly.
Yuri squinted at the change in demeanor shown by the man named Nathaniel.
Through an unspoken gesture, Nate invited the two men to enter. While he stepped his feet closer to the apartment window trying to keep his distance from the two people who were just standing in front of the door.
"So what's the topic you guys want to ask about?" Nate asked flatly.
Yuri took a photo from his bag and handed it to Nate. "This car is yours?" he asked.
Nate took the photo and looked at it carefully. "Sort of," he replied simply.
"A few weeks ago we found your car washed up in the bottom of the Hudson River just east of New York with a dead man inside," Yuri began to explain. "The police are still investigating, but it's suspected that the man was murdered because the hospital that autopsied the body found a bullet lodged in the head. It's strongly suspected that the man died before being drowned in the riverbed with your car."
Nate gave his a quick glance. "So, you think I killed him?"
"Whoever did it, whether it was you or someone else, we still don't have solid evidence so we're asking for your statement."
"So that's why you came here?"
"Where's your friend Gregory Illéa, anyway?"
"I haven't been with him since Moscow," Nate replied apathetically.
Dmitry walked around scanning each room in Nate's apartment. It was quiet overall, there was no one else but this Nathaniel.
"This case also has something to do with the shooting at the club and the apartment you lived in in Manhattan."
"That night I went to the Cock and Ball club, and parked my car carelessly, when I entered I heard gunshots. Many people there were running away and so was I, when I came out my car was gone, I thought it was towed by the police."
"Why didn't you report when your car disappeared?" asked Dmitry.
"It was just a junk car, I can get a car easily if I need one." For Nate, getting a real car was as easy as buying a toy car.
"Rich people are always good at spending money," Dmitry sneered.
Nate continued, "I wonder how much a state dog like you makes to bother investigating this case."
"It's not about money, it's about justice." Yuri answered firmly this time. "We're doing it because the laws of this world apply, the guilty will be judged fairly."
Justice, huh?
"You speak as if you can uphold justice, but in reality it ends up being nonsense. So many people speak out for justice in this world, but all they expect is praise and accolades, as if they're heroes."
Like Nate who hides his true self behind a white rabbit mask and earns the nickname Killer Rabbit. Every human being must also hide their true selves behind an invisible mask that cannot be easily removed.
For Nate, the parasitic creatures of the human-world who always shout slogans and act in the name of justice are just cowards wearing hero masks.
Yuri gave Nate a hostile look. He wanted to prove that those who truly upheld justice did not wear masks like Nate said.
"As time goes by, the truth will be revealed, and the person responsible for their actions will pay dearly. Unfortunately, we still don't have permission to arrest you, Mr. Baluev."
"Be careful with your actions, if you try to capture something impossible, then it will get you into trouble." Nate warned, but behind it lurked a dangerous threat.
"It's okay, since choosing this path, people like us have devoted our lives to hardship."
"We'll see who smiles in the end." Nate shot Yuri a fierce look.
Yuri smiled wryly. "I hope you'll be smiling by the time you serve your time behind bars." He could see the flash of emotion in the dark blue eyes of the man in front of him.
Dmitry, sensing that things were getting out of hand from the two men in front of him, immediately said, "Alright then, we're leaving, thanks for your information," he said before giving Yuri the code to not get carried away.
Unlike Nate, the man still showed a calm look even though his blue eyes had flashed.
Noel could see both men through Nate's body. Even though they were one body, Noel couldn't move a finger. Noel didn't feel any emotion in Nate. Noel didn't know if Nate had no emotions. Or was he too good at controlling his emotions?
There was something in Noel's psyche that reacted when he felt Nate's hand moving slowly to retrieve something from behind a desk drawer not far from where he stood. A revolver, there was a revolver resting on a small wire there on the ceiling of the drawer.
What else was Nate going to do with the gun in his hand? Did Nate intend to shoot both men? I don't know, Noel didn't dare think about it. The darkness grew thicker, enveloping him in a black haze because the apartment lights had not yet been turned on.
"No, Nate. Don't do it, please!"
His hand managed to hold the revolver behind his back in a firing position.
"Nate please, Yuri's my best friend."
Nate pretended to be deaf to Noel's pleas.
"Nate!!!"
***
"Arrrghh you fucking rabbit, you bastard, you damned Nate!" Rudolf yelled after slamming the wine bottle he had been drinking. He gasped for breath, cursing the man named Nate with every curse he knew.
The man was now in his father's mansion-right in his room. With half of his face covered in blood-stained bandages, his body was trembling with anger and pain. The scratch wound he received was deep enough to even hit his eye. As if a knife had been thrust into his eyeball, countless pain pills and bandages had been applied.
"You really should go to the hospital immediately," a man who had just stormed in said to her when he heard the shouting.
"No!" Rudolf snapped.
"I don't really know how to treat people," Matvey said with a frown.
Matvey used to be the trusted bodyguard of the boss of Solntsevkaya Bratva-Mikhailov Malevsky. However, one day he was assigned to be Rudolf Malevsky's bodyguard. Some of Mikhailov Malevsky's other bodyguards were a little concerned about him - he had been promoted to guard his boss's not-so-useful son. In that regard, Matvey didn't mind too much. As Mikhailov said, if Rudolf had listened to his father and been patient not to infiltrate, he wouldn't have had to harm himself as much.
Everything had happened, and there was no doubt that right now his father was berating his son's stupidity.
Rudolf sat on his bed, trying to ignore the pain that shot through his head. The wound he had been suffering from for weeks, the doctor who came gave him pain pills, but the pain was still unbearable. If he went to the hospital, Rudolf would be constantly on guard - convinced that Director Zwick and Sons might discover his information and send some bodyguards to kill him.
Although their relationship was bad, Rudolf knew the bad temper of the Director of Zwick and Sons. Rudolf also couldn't let the police snoop on his actions, especially after he received a defeat in an attack a few weeks ago.
Solntsevskaya Bratva is a criminal syndicate originating from Russia. Similar to the Italian mafia, the Bratva is also a criminal syndicate that has the same organizational structure and code of conduct. The basic groups are families. Each family claims to be the ruler of a territory.
Rudolf thinks of a scary moment, when Nate tried to kill him in the past using a large pair of scissors. Killer Rabbit tried to rip open his stomach and remove the contents while he was conscious. Rudolf turned around just in time, so the sharp object only scratched his stomach. He almost passed out from the pain.
"There's someone here to see you," reported a servant from the direction of the open door.
"Who wants to see me at a time like this?!" Rudolf shouted.
"Me."
The voice came from the direction of the door, the flat, cold tone managing to silence Rudolf with its big mouth.
"Father." Rudolf greeted the middle-aged man with respect and fear.
Mikhailov Malevsky entered the room with a look of arrogance on his face, glancing slightly at Rudolf's bandaged face. "You committed a faux pas this time.
"I'm sorry."
"So ... Killer Rabbit has returned?" asked Mikhailov.
"I didn't expect to meet him by chance."
"I knew Nate and Walther had a bad relationship," said Matvey. The man really did not expect that Rudolf had met Nate there because Rudolf did not say the exact location where the man had gotten into a fight with Nate.
"Maybe he wanted to give his body as protection after what happened in the past," Rudolf said originally, remembering what Nate looked like back then. There was a kiss mark on his neck, who else would have done that but Walther.
"You say that as easily as if you knew him yesterday. If Nate had asked for protection, he would have asked for it fifteen years ago, not now."
Rudolf paused.
"That man, he has a high self-esteem that exceeds death, asking for protection from people he hates is an insult, he is a person who would rather die than continue to live under someone's protection."
"So, are we going to arrest him?" Matvey asked.
"There's no need to waste effort, he'll come by himself sooner or later." After saying that, Mikhailov Malevsky left. Leaving Rudolf and Matvey looking on meaningfully.
*
Noel was relieved after seeing Yuri Viktorovich and his partner come out from behind the door unharmed. Not that he doubted the two detectives' fighting skills, but Nate was the notorious Killer Rabbit.
"Don't get excited yet! I could have chased them down and killed them before your eyes. You don't want me to do that, do you?"
"Please don't! I'll do anything for you."
"Anything? Hmmnn ... that's interesting." Nate grinned. "How about three conditions."
"Three? You're still giving me three conditions after what you did to me?"
"Every game has rules, and I only give three conditions in my game."
Nate picked up an empty Ruger Security Six revolver with a six round capacity. Taking one of the 357 Magnum bullets, Nate inserted it into one of the holes, then aimed it at the white ceramic rabbit-shaped statue and pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened because it hit an empty bullet hole.
"Now we begin a game of cat hunting mice. The game is easy, a cat will invade a nest of feasting mice, kill their leader in front of his men."
"If you interfere, the mice will attack back, there are many of them and the cat itself."
"Exactly. But the cat has nine lives, no, two lives would be enough, how?" asked Nate. He seemed to be talking to himself. "Ah, you won't be able to resist either. Besides, that guy named Yuri seems to love you, am I right?"
Noel didn't answer. That meant Nate was right.
Nate continued, "We could use him."
"Wh-what, but that—" Noel protested.
Nate cut in, "Not if he's still convinced you're not dead, just waiting for the right moment for you to admit it." He walked into the room.
"I can't," Noel refused, his voice low with helplessness.
"Can't or won't?" Killer Rabbit's plan was irresistible. "You, who grew up with your father's love, will never know how hard life is for people like me."
Nate picked up Noel's cell phone lying on the bedside manuscript table, pressing speed dial number one on his cell phone to reach someone.
Gregory, it's me. I'm gone for three days, so don't look for me.
"Training you to get used to my ways, if that Gregory teaches you, you'll never improve."
Nate picked up his backpack. "Have you ever been to Hong Kong?" Nate asked with a faint smile.
"No."
"Good, be happy because we're going to play cat and mouse in Hong Kong."
Noel didn't answer. Now for the first time he let his mind drift to something that had been beyond his awareness. His best friend Yuri had become a detective. In fifteen years of not seeing each other, Noel watched as his best friend had grown into the brilliant man he had aspired to be in the past. Noel knew how much their different statuses would now take a toll on both of them.
Nate was right. He had to convince Yuri of his existence, even though Nate would probably tell him to use his best friend.
As Noel suspected, his and Nate's minds weren't fully connected.
Two hours later, Noel was already floating over the sea on a plane, bound for Hong Kong.