Bab 59: Volume 3 Episode 9: Negotiation

'BANG!'

The sniper pulled the trigger and the gunshot was heard. The bullet moved through the air and pierced through the young man's skull, coming out of the other side. Blood splattered on the door, and the young man fell down without even knowing the reason for his death.

Thomas, who saw what had happened, looked at the dead body of his bodyguard in horror. He knew the young man quite well. The young bodyguard and him had often talked to each other on the way to school. He was kind to Thomas, quite unlike the stoic maids and servants he had. They were friends, and now his friend was dead.

Thomas knew that it wasn't Lin, but his father who ordered the shot. There was no way that a spy could infiltrate the mansion without the knowledge of his father, and there was absolutely no way that a spy would shoot a bodyguard rather than Thomas, while exposing his location.

He knew that his father was behind it, and he had to know why.

Lin once again got out of the car with Thomas, and stared at the front door which opened slowly.

Two men in black suits walked out of the mansion, and grabbed the dead body of the young man. They quickly moved the body and placed a cloth on top of the spot where the body had previously been located, covering it up.

"Welcome Mr. Peter Han, to my humble abode."

A middle aged man with grey hair and a large beard walked out, with a dozen or so men in black following close behind.

The man stepped over the cloth laid on the floor in disgust, and walked over to where Lin and Thomas stood.

"I'm sorry about the mess I made right now. I'll admit it was… not pretty."

He spoke with a wide smile, and grabbed a cigar out of his pocket. One of the bodyguards stepped forward and lit the cigar for him, bowed, and stepped back in line, as he inhaled the smoke slowly.

Lin stood emotionless, his eyes staring straight at the man in front of him.

Hank Rivaldo.

He wasn't what Lin had imagined. Contrary to what he had imagined, Hank was calm and collected. He was acting as if Thomas, his son, wasn't even kidnapped. Was it arrogance, or something else?

No, he was clearly angry. He did shoot the young man for his incompetence and inability to do his job.

Or is he always like that? Maybe it's not a display of aggression, but perhaps what he believed he deserved?

Lin didn't know what his deal was, but he did wish he knew. But he had to set aside that for now, and focus on the matter at hand. He quickly tightened the grip around Thomas's neck, choking him.

"Stop!"

One of the men in black yelled at Lin, angry for trying to injure the young master, but had to quiet down because their master hadn't given them any orders.

Hank stared at Lin and Thomas, who seemed to be struggling to breathe, and sighed.

"I am very impressed. I truly am."

Lin looked at him, puzzled at what he meant.

"I saw the footage from the school. I still can't believe how you somehow escaped that sniper shot. No one could've seen that coming, and even if they did, they surely couldn't dodge it."

He then stopped speaking, and pointed at Lin.

"But you did. In fact, you did it once again, when our sniper took a shot at the young bodyguard of Thomas. You reacted instantly, jumping backwards with your hostage still in your grasp. Once may be luck, but twice, that's something else."

He then stared at Thomas, who had lost his consciousness from the chokehold, and continued.

"Which is why, even though I may have hundreds of people, for some reason, I'm getting a feeling that you may still prove to be one hell of an opponent. I'm not sure I'll even win. I mean, I honestly can't tell what you are capable of, which is crazy because humans are not all that capable in my experience."

It seemed that Hank was afraid, or to be precise, curious about the anomaly that was Lin.

"You are afraid of the unknown."

"Precisely. I cannot take chances without knowing anything. Risks are meant to be taken only if there is a significant amount of data to form a probability. I do not have enough information to know what is a risk and what isn't. But in the end I do want my son alive. That's why.."

"Are you saying that you don't want to fight?"

Lin suddenly asked, and Hank smiled bitterly.

"Why am I getting a feeling that regardless of my opinion, the end result would ultimately be bloodshed?"

Lin smiled at the old man in front of him. He liked his attitude. He wasn't sure what to expect, but this was a pleasant surprise.

"While I do appreciate your idea of a peaceful approach, I'm afraid that I have to go with the more… 'permanent' method."

"And why is that?"

Lin stared at the man in front of him. To be honest, he didn't wish to engage in a battle as well. If there was a better option which would make sure that peace reigned, he would've taken it. But he didn't. All he could have is trust, but to Lin, that wasn't good enough. And what good would trust be if he was going to leave this world forever. He wouldn't even know if he kept the promise.

"Trust is earned, and I'm sorry, but you can't earn it. Not mine."

Hank wanted to say something, but he saw the determined look on Lin's face and stayed silent. He nodded his head, and stepped back as the bodyguards slowly moved forward.

'System..'

Lin called out the system once again in his mind, and it instantly answered, with the screen popping up once again.

[ Yes boss? ]

'Give me the exact number of the enemy force. I need it.'

[ All right boss. According to my analysis, there are ninety eight enemies within a ten mile radius, whose locations are given on the screen in front of you. Are you planning on eliminating everyone? ]

Lin grinned at the question and looked forward at the slowly approaching enemies.

"You bet I am."

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