บท 68: Chapter 67: The Mastermind.
Madam was taking over the city and took in the outlaws to help her deal with the 3 guilds. Since she was infamous among outlaws, some respected her and joined her, some feared her and joined her because they had no choice.
"Madam, the guilds leaders are spotted and said to be coming here," An outlaw said and looked at Madam cleaning the rapier that belonged to Hien.
"On their own?" Madam looked at her reflection on the rapier.
"Yes, they're on their own. I think it's the best chance for us to get rid of them," The man proposed with his eyes filled with grudge.
"Did I ask for your opinion?" Madam glanced at the man and it was enough to make him look down and regret what he was saying. "You have been living in this floor for years. This floor is your home, so do it yourself if you want to take revenge," she said as she pointed the rapier at the man's head.
The man shook his head and hurriedly left the building and prayed that he didn't get on Madam's bad side. Leid was chuckling on the couch while eating his snack and looking at Madam.
"Are you going to kill them?" Leid asked.
"If I killed them, I would follow them not long after. They're too valuable to be killed because they have high potentials," Madam answered as she put the rapier at the table. "They wouldn't dare to do something stupid like this. The only person who would be crazy enough to approach me and knew how valuable their lives are is Alice," she stared blankly at the door.
"You know her? You sounded like you know her very well, and that's surprising," Leid raised his eyebrows with a surprised look.
"It's a long story, and I don't plan on telling you that story," Madam stood up as she sighed. "I'm going to meet them, so follow me," she said and went to another room that would be big enough to hold a meeting.
Alice walked to the front when she entered town with an arrogant look on her face. She looked down at those outlaws like trash, and the fact nobody dared to touch her was enough to say she was not someone they wanted to mess with. The reason was because of the title Players gave her, the Mastermind.
It hadn't been a minute since Alice and the guilds leaders entered the city, and the Unnamed welcomed them by surrounding them. Alice was smiling at them and casually walked past them like it was nothing, and surprisingly the Unnamed didn't do anything to her.
"Is Esra waiting for us?" Alice looked at the Unnamed from over her shoulder. "Thank you for letting us through," she gracefully bowed like a noble lady and then walked to the Player Association building.
Cardin and Zest had cold sweat on their forehead because they could be killed before they could realize it. They hated the fact that Alice's plan worked so well, and were at the same time glad that it did. They didn't know why Madam would let them in, and it would be impossible to find out about it since Alice had hundreds of layers of secrets.
They entered the Player Association building and they were out of breath in an instant. It was hard to breathe in there because the remaining Unnamed were waiting for them there. They kept walking until they ended up on the 2nd floor where the meeting room was at.
"Esra!" Alice smiled brightly as she spread her arms. "You're still as beautiful as ever, but somehow you look even colder than the last time we met," she squinted her eyes as she frowned in disbelief.
"You haven't changed at all..." Madam said coldly as she rested her cheek on her left fist. "I'm not here for a talk, but I'm giving you 5 minutes to explain before I decided to get rid of you," she warned.
"Aww, how cute. You don't need to wait for 5 minutes, you can go ahead and cut my limbs or kill me now," Alice said with a joyful smile. "Of course, you can't. We are too valuable, or perhaps diamonds in the rough in their eyes," she kept smiling as she sat close to Madam.
"You're not wrong, but you're not one-of-a-kind. You're replaceable, and time means nothing to them. So, if you try to test your luck, I suggest you to start talking and stop wasting time," Madam responded and she was serious about it.
Alice knew that Madam was serious, so she stopped teasing her.
"Leave us be, and we will bring you more propriate Players to climb the tower. Those outlaws are scum, and they have contributed nothing to the tower, so that's why we're taking these floors from them," Alice explained calmly. "You can say that it's an investment. We nurture the new Players, and we will send them to your bosses to help them deal with the Resistance," she added.
Leid found that the reasoning made so much sense and he agreed with everything Alice said. He looked at Madam to see her reaction, but she kept her poker face.
"Such an intriguing offer," Madam responded. "What's in it for you and them?" She asked.
"Influence. We want more than just being small roles in the tower. We want to compete with the Player Association, but compete in a fair and healthy way," Alice answered as she unfolded the fan. "Of course, the Executives don't need us and don't want anyone to compete with them. But, they don't have the resources to train them and they know it's a waste of time. So, they can provide them with money and items while we provide them a skill and training," she explained.
"I know that you think they don't need people like us, but aren't they currently in a tight spot? After that fight on the 1st floor?" Alice smiled as she rested her chin on the back of her hands, acting cute and innocent. "I think they will consider this offer because we're still Players after all. We have the same mission as them, getting rid of the Non-Players," she continued.
Leid was surprised that Alice knew about what happened on the 1st floor back then. What happened on the 1st floor was hidden from Players, only a small portion of the information that was revealed to them that the Resistance Army had cursed the 1st floor. He understood why Alice was called Mastermind and was capable of getting things in her favor. He was impressed, but at the same time suspicious of her.
"Sure, I'll tell them about the offer," Madam said. "But since they haven't heard about the deal, my mission here is still the same. You know why I'm here and why the Unnamed are here with me," she pointed out with a smirk on her face.
"Of course! Do what you must," Alice answered so lightly and without hesitation. "Kill as many Players as you want. We won't fight back or prevent you from doing so," she smiled with her eyes closed.
Cardin and Zest were shocked and didn't like the idea of their members getting massacred.
"I don't agree with this! I'm not going to let my people die for your interest!" Zest slammed the table and glared at Alice furiously. "You wench! I knew that I shouldn't have listened to you!" He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
"I have to agree with Zest. I don't want to be a part of this, and I will retreat even if it means to protect my men," Cardin said calmly because he didn't want to be disrespectful in front of Madam and especially the Unnamed on the 1st floor.
"The blood has been spilled, the deed has been done. Blood will be paid with blood, and that's what will happen to us," Silas said as he tapped his finger on the table. "You're free to leave, but there willl be bodies that are going to be left behind," he looked at Zest and Cardin.
"We are diamonds in the rough, but we're not irreplaceable. I think you should think carefully before you decide what you're going to do," Alice looked at them as she hid her mouth with a fan. "Rather than going back home empty-handed, why don't you join us since it's the only good choice you have?" She asked and raised he eyebrows.
At that moment, Leid, Zest, Cardin, and even Madam thought the same thing. They realized that Alice had been planning on doing this long before she decided to invade the 31st up to the 40th floors. Once again, her title as a Mastermind had been acknowledged, and she would gain more fame and influence from this.
"Accept it," Leid suggested as he looked at Cardin and Zest. "I would if I were you," he added.
With a heavy heart, Cardin and Zest accepted and joined Alice's offer. With that being said, Madam ordered the Unnamed to hunt all the guild members on the 40th down to the 31st floor. Madam was planning to join them once she was done because she still had some business with Alice.
"I'm wondering why you haven't contacted me. I think I know the answer and that would be you got a warning from her?" Alice asked after everyone left the room. "I told you when I gave it to you that the information about her is not something you should dig. There are a lot of things that are more interesting than her," she said.
"It was worth it. Also, I want you to find information about someone else this time," Madam stared at Alice.
"Okay? I hope it's not one of the Executives..." Alice responded.
"Rigel," Madam said.
"Ah, the Non-Player. Okay, I'll dig as deep as I can," Alice smiled.
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