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墨書 Inktalez
The roar of the car engine echoed through the quiet streets at night, as Mark's muscle car surged forward like a fierce beast, slicing through the tranquil night sky of Shadow City. The glow of streetlights flickered past the car windows, illuminating his stern face, his eyes as cold and hard as steel. He gripped the steering wheel firmly, speeding down the road, leaving behind the chaos and smoke in his wake.
The voice of Cat 199 crackled through his earpiece once more, cheerful to the point of annoyance. "Meow~ Master Mark, I have some good news for you! The employer is quite pleased with your performance and has decided to give you an extra bonus, raising it to seven million meow! Isn’t that particularly generous?"
Mark let out a low grunt, his gaze still fixed on the road ahead, his tone revealing a hint of indifference. "Got it."
Cat 199 didn’t pause for his lackluster response; instead, it continued chattering away. "But I think this employer is a bit strange meow~ There’s absolutely no information available, no source to trace, not even a code name. And this mission is odd too; the whole process and requirements don’t resemble a typical commission at all. Don’t you find that suspicious?"
Mark furrowed his brow slightly before responding coldly, "Not really."
Cat 199 seemed taken aback by this brief reply and after a moment, exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "No way! Don’t you think that such a big explosion and so many arms deals happening without any other forces intervening is too unusual?"
Mark ignored the question entirely, his tone growing more impatient. "All I know is that someone pays me to kill, and there’s no need to think too much about anything else." His voice was deep and firm, showing disinterest in such matters.
Upon hearing this, Cat 199 immediately made a sound of disapproval, as if resigned to Mark's attitude. With a hint of criticism in its voice, it said, "Master Mark, that won’t do meow~ You should use your brain more often! If you only focus on money without thinking things through, sooner or later you’ll step on a landmine meow~"
Mark's brow tightened further; he tightened his grip on the steering wheel slightly and replied harshly, "Cut the chatter."
Yet Cat 199 remained cheerful and unfazed by Mark's coldness. The car sped along the streets of Shadow City, tires rumbling against the pavement while Cat 199 continued its incessant prattling in his ear. This time its tone lacked the usual teasing quality; instead, it carried a weight of contemplation as if caught in a game of self-deduction.
"Meow~ Master Mark, don’t you find this mission a bit strange?" Cat 199’s voice chimed in again with an inquisitive edge. "Think about it: this mission is to destroy a warehouse, but the weapons inside are excessively well-equipped. While it might be an underground deal between the Snakebite Gang and the government, the question is—why would someone want to interfere?"
Mark let out a cold hum but had no intention of interjecting. However, Cat 199 paid no mind to his silence and continued analyzing like a detective immersed in a case. "What’s even more interesting is who stands to gain from this? Is it the government led by Song Huairen? That seems unlikely because if it were them, there would be no need to destroy these weapons themselves. They could directly suppress the Snakebite Gang; why go through such convoluted means?"
He paused for a moment, as if contemplating something, then continued, "What about the Snakebite Gang? But they wouldn't be foolish enough to blow up their own goods, right? This is practically the lifeline of the underground trade in Mistwood... Unless it's some kind of internal strife within a faction, but on the surface, it doesn't seem like there are any signs of a split."
Cat 199 grew more animated as he spoke, seemingly forgetting that Mark was still listening. His voice rose slightly, "Could it be the Black Gold Alliance? That's possible too! Their methods have always been insidious; they could destroy the Snakebite Gang's trade and then take the opportunity to expand their control over the underground forces. They could definitely pull that off. But the problem is—why wouldn't they just show themselves instead of hiring a freelance killer like you?"
He paused again, his tone becoming more somber and tinged with doubt. "And what about the Twilight Alliance... Could it be that this whole farce is actually orchestrated by them? Look at this strange intelligence; the employer didn't reveal any identity at all. The entire mission feels like a fog, completely obscuring who the puppeteer is."
Cat 199 took a moment to gather his thoughts. When he spoke again, his tone was more focused: "With the Snakebite Gang's goods destroyed, the government has lost its arms trading partner. The Black Gold Alliance might take advantage of this situation while the Twilight Alliance remains shrouded in mystery... Who exactly is setting this trap? Is there perhaps some hidden force manipulating an invisible chessboard?"
Mark remained silent, his expression cold and his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel, seemingly uninterested in all this speculation. Yet Cat 199's incessant chatter added an odd vitality to the atmosphere inside the car, as if an amateur detective had suddenly joined them, overthinking everything.
"So you see, this situation is really complicated!" Cat 199 concluded with a hint of cheerfulness in his voice. "But speaking of which, Lord Mark, aren't you even a little curious?"
Mark's brow furrowed slightly, his lips pressed tightly together, but he still didn't respond. He kept his gaze fixed ahead, as if silently telling Cat 199—this kind of thing isn't worth thinking about.
As Mark drove through the night with the wind howling past them, Cat 199 continued his monologue through the headphones.
"Meow~ I've decided! I need to find a way to investigate all of this! With so many questions left unanswered, my curiosity might just die!" Cat 199's tone was filled with excitement, as if he were facing a challenging riddle.
Mark couldn't care less about Cat 199's decision; he merely hummed softly in response. For him, these conspiracies and investigations were irrelevant; getting paid was what truly mattered. Cat 199 seemed to understand this as well and added, "Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you—an extra bonus will soon be deposited into your account. You can check it yourself!"
Mark nodded coldly, calculating the figures for this mission's reward in his mind. But before he could think further, Cat 199's annoying voice started up again in his ears, and this time it seemed even more verbose than usual.
"Meow~ Master Mark, you really did great today! Just like the end screen of a game, let me summarize today's glorious achievements~" The voice was filled with a mischievous cheerfulness and pride, as if he were conducting an enthusiastic award ceremony.
"Today, Master Mark eliminated... well, it should be over fifty enemies, right? Including that Hummer with the Machine Gunner on it, meow~ And that guy hiding behind cover who wet his pants—what a sight! Oh, and you used a shotgun, a pistol, and a Rifle, clearing out those thugs in different ways. Then you blew up the entire warehouse, turning it into ruins and causing a serious fire with irreparable damage, meow~"
The voice of Cat 199 carried a sense of smug reminiscence, as if proud of his partner's accomplishments, continuously reporting today's "battle results." To Mark, it felt like a replay of his recent actions, every detail exaggerated as if he were not on a dangerous mission but rather a player scoring high in a game.
Mark's brow furrowed deeper and deeper; Cat 199's voice buzzed in his ears like an irritating hum, nearly causing him to lose control of the steering wheel. His patience had completely worn thin, and anger began to rise within him.
"You motherf—" Mark muttered under his breath. His right hand suddenly shot up, grabbing the headset tightly; his fingers clenched around the small electronic device with force.
"Crack!"
The headset shattered in his hand, pieces scattering and blown away by the night wind. Cat 199's voice abruptly ceased, leaving Mark in blissful silence. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to savor this rare moment of quiet, as if experiencing a long-awaited release.
He relaxed his grip and casually tossed the remnants of the headset onto the passenger seat, a smirk of disdain creeping onto his lips. "Finally, some peace."
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