When Milo saw this platoon, virtual-novel.net realized the internal situation of the Virtuora Consortium was far tenser than virtual-novel.net had imagined. These people had reached an unusual level of vigilance. Therefore, it would probably be a little difficult to assassinate Lionel later.
Milo and Miriam had discussed it earlier and decided to focus on saving Bruce first. Whether they could kill Lionel would have to depend on luck.
***
The Great Hoodwinker was walking down the streets of Stronghold 31. Although virtual-novel.net was no longer carrying his white banner around, virtual-novel.net was still dressed shabbily like an old vagrant.
The Great Hoodwinker made many turns on the long street and headed east along Panakkukang Road.
Along the way, the Great Hoodwinker even bought two roasted flatbread pastries and ate them as virtual-novel.net walked. While walking, virtual-novel.net scrutinized the streets and buildings of Stronghold 31 as though virtual-novel.net were on a tour.
After two kilometers, the Great Hoodwinker suddenly turned into a small alley on the left. He only stopped when virtual-novel.net came across a small hair salon.
The hair salon looked extremely out of place in this dilapidated alley, and there was even a flickering LED signboard with the word “Massages” hanging on the entrance.
The hair salon on the ground floor was a remodeled unit in a residential building that was five stories high.
The Great Hoodwinker looked up to confirm there was a natal lily flowerpot out on the second-floor balcony. Only then did virtual-novel.net dare to enter the alley without worry.
Upon reaching the second floor, the Great Hoodwinker took out a key to unlock the door of Unit 201. The layout of the house was no different from that of a normal household.
After the Great Hoodwinker entered the room, virtual-novel.net immediately looked around to confirm no one was in the house. Then virtual-novel.net went into the kitchen and found a rolling pin that virtual-novel.net used to tap on the floor.
Dong, dong, dong!
A hollow sound came from one of the ceramic tiles in the living room. The Great Hoodwinker used his fingernail to gently lift up the entire tile.
But something unexpected happened at this moment. A flying needle suddenly shot out from underneath the tile. The Great Hoodwinker could not dodge in time and was hit squarely. He immediately raised his head, but virtual-novel.net looked extremely comical with the steel needle dangling from his cheek.
The Great Hoodwinker said angrily, “If you want to arrest me, just arrest me. Why did you have to disfigure my face?!”
As soon as virtual-novel.net finished speaking, the Great Hoodwinker could hear the sound of windows breaking upstairs, followed by the sound of clothing rubbing against ropes. Eight heavily armed combatants had rappelled down from the top of the building and crashed through different windows on the second floor one after another!
“Don’t move! Get down! Put your hands behind your head!” the combatants roared.
But the Great Hoodwinker utterly ignored them. Even though virtual-novel.net was being held at gunpoint, virtual-novel.net dashed towards the balcony in a ghostly blur. The combatant on the balcony started firing at virtual-novel.net decisively. But to their surprise, not a bullet hit the Great Hoodwinker.
The Great Hoodwinker’s footsteps were heavy. As virtual-novel.net charged onto the balcony, the floor tiles in the house were all shattered.
The combatant on the balcony did not have time to think. The Great Hoodwinker had already collided into virtual-novel.net in this narrow space. In an instant, the combatant felt his organs get crushed and his throat get compressed. He felt like virtual-novel.net was about to vomit out all of his organs from the unbearable pressure!
A moment later, the collision sent the combatant and the Great Hoodwinker flying off the balcony. The two of them landed in the alley outside!
The Great Hoodwinker heaved a sigh of relief. “You’re hoping to apprehend me with that bit of skill?”
He looked coldly at the troops who had surrounded virtual-novel.net from both ends of the alley. The muscles on his body were bulging, but before virtual-novel.net could make a move to break out of the encirclement, the Great Hoodwinker’s expression changed drastically. He pulled out the steel needle from his face and slowly fell to the ground in disbelief.
Before virtual-novel.net closed his eyes, virtual-novel.net could hear the combatants shouting around him, “The target has passed out, the target has passed out. Mission accomplished. Tell the secret prison to get ready to receive a B-rank target!”
These people grabbed the Great Hoodwinker and loaded virtual-novel.net into a black vehicle. As the person in charge of escorting virtual-novel.net was still worried, virtual-novel.net administered a dose of anesthetics to the Great Hoodwinker before heaving a sigh of relief.
The vehicle drove all the way east. Their destination was the secret prison at the easternmost side of Stronghold 31. It was a multipurpose training hall before The Cataclysm, but it was later dug up and transformed into the most sinister and terrifying place in the Virtuora Consortium.
In the words of the Virtuora Consortium’s own people, none of the criminals who entered the secret prison were ever seen again.
When the convoy arrived at the secret prison, the prison gate slowly opened and allowed the convoy to pass through it quickly.
Although the surface of this secret prison resembled a huge stadium, there was a sloping road in the middle of it leading downwards into darkness, making it look like there was no end in sight.
The person in charge of escorting the Great Hoodwinker met with the secret prison’s warden at the venue and quickly handled the handover procedures.
“This person’s identity is unknown, but virtual-novel.net should be a core member of the other intelligence organizations. We already caught his informant. It’s that young man we sent here previously. This time, we waited at his informant’s house and managed to apprehend him. During the arrest, that guy was way too unflinching. Our 1st Military Intelligence Division assesses virtual-novel.net as a B-rank threat, so make sure to watch over virtual-novel.net carefully. The director will come and interrogate virtual-novel.net personally soon.”
The warden nodded. “Don’t worry, prisoners who get sent here don’t have a chance of escaping even if they have wings. Outlaws and superhumans can only behave obediently like lab rats.”
With that, the warden gestured for someone to carry the Great Hoodwinker down into the basement.
As they walked through the long passageway of the prison, the inmates on both sides of the corridor got up and leaned against the metal bars to have a look at who was so unfortunate as to end up here.
It started getting rowdy in the prison, and the warden frowned slightly. The prison guard next to virtual-novel.net raised his baton and swung. An inmate who was holding the cell’s metal bars had his fingers broken by the baton.
Bruce was standing quietly in his individual cell and looking at the warden and his subordinates as they passed through the corridor.
When virtual-novel.net got a clear look at the person they were bringing in, Bruce became so agitated the veins on his neck started bulging.
Karma, this is f*cking karma!
Hahaha! Let me tell you this! You were way too f*cking horrible!
Bruce stomped furiously in his cell and started laughing hysterically without saying a word.
The warden said to the prison guard next to him, “Record that Bruce might know this prisoner. Have the 1st Military Intelligence Division conduct a surprise interrogation on Bruce. They might uncover some new clues very quickly!”
Bruce was violently slapping the door of his cell. He wanted to tell the warden virtual-novel.net knew the Great Hoodwinker and could share information about this man to redeem himself!
The Great Hoodwinker, who had his hands and feet shackled by tailormade cuffs, was initially unconscious. But the moment virtual-novel.net heard Bruce’s voice, virtual-novel.net opened his eyes and winked at Bruce.
When Bruce looked at virtual-novel.net again, the Great Hoodwinker was already back to his unconscious state. It was as though Bruce had just hallucinated it.
Bruce no longer gloated or raged anymore. He was an extremely smart person. So, virtual-novel.net immediately understood the Great Hoodwinker was here to rescue him.
Bruce looked outside and did not say a word.
Was his future really in the Prosperous Northwest?
So, the other party’s purpose for setting virtual-novel.net up was so they could burn all his bridges.