Chapter 222 222:Secret Hideout[2]
The crescent moon hung up dimly lighting the area.
A man shrouded in darkness, covered from head to toe with a thick black cloak, approached a seemingly ordinary building in a quiet street.
Taking a deep look, he turned through the narrow lane behind it that was between compact houses filled with trash while flies were swarming over it.
The condition of this slum area was too unbearable. Every gulp of hair had been tainted with the rotten odour of trash piling here and there.
The night was eerily silent, broken only by the distant echoes of a passing train. Soon, the man halted in his steps and stared at the broken logo of the wine bottle.
"Meltow's Meadow...What a name." He chuckled.
Glancing around to ensure he was unseen, he walked into the wine store. His casual demeanor concealed his true intentions.
Walking inside, the store owner, an old stout and friendly-looking guy who was caressing his white beard, watched him with great curiosity.
"Honorable customer, what can I do for you?"
The man pulled down his hood, showcasing a tan scarred face.
"You seem to be quite rough. Do you need some recommendations?" The old man asked.
"No, I know my taste." He answered with a small grin, walked towards the cabinet racks and perused the rows of fine wines, pretending to examine the labels while covertly observing the shop layout.
'It seems there are no cameras around this place. Though it wasn't written, there might be a hidden camera somewhere in there. My disguise is also working perfectly for now.'
Lucas expected things to be troublesome in the future so he already asked Reynolds to procure dozens of masks from the black market.
These masks were made of real skin blended with a fabric that had a texture similar to skin. It worked quite well for now.
However, it felt a bit stuffy and itchy which was a bit uncomfortable but he had to bear it to avert the greater danger lurking behind.
He couldn't afford a single careless mistake when a guy is waiting to step on his tail.
Picking one, he approached the old man at the counter. The old man staring up asked for a specific vintage, knowing it was the code to gain access to the secret passage of the organization.
"Late 1942." Lucas murmured in a grave tone.
"Well, it was a fine year. The wines made that year were the best." The shop owner smiled, recognising the code nodded knowingly and retrieved the bottle.
When Lucas paid, the old man discreetly slipped a small sealed envelope into Lucas' hands.
Giving a small nod, Lucas with the wine bottle in his hand made his way to the corner of the store. There, hidden behind a stack of crates, he found a seemingly ordinary wine rack.
However, it was anything but ordinary as one of the bottles held a hidden latch. He placed the newly acquired wine bottle in its designated slot and pushed it a little bit.
A soft creaking sound emerged and from the top of the rack, a hollow portion in the shape of a square appeared. Lucas tearing the envelope took out a black metal square object and putting it the whole portion, nudged a bit. With a gentle push, the rack was swung open, revealing a dimly lit narrow passage.
Lucas clapped his hands to shake the dust and stepped in. The moment he walked inside the passage, his figure disappeared.
The old man at the shop counter who was looking at the scene was startled a bit and rubbed his eyes.
"It seems my eyes have become worse. The man went inside but it looked as if he di-"
Swish!
Before the man could finish his sentence, something went through his chest, giving him a shiver.
The old man was too shocked for a moment to react. After a moment of silence, he opened his lips to scream but a hand emerged from behind him and stuffed his mouth.
Then he was pulled from behind with a small whisper coming into his ears.
"Isn't it a pity to die like this? However, you can blame yourself for joining this shitty organization."
The man sprang his hands and feet trying to struggle but in the end, being suffocated, he died with his eyes wide open.
Lucas didn't pull out his sword as it would spray the old man's blood on the counter.
Pulling out a cloak, he covered the man and put him on the counter with the sword still intact. Then, he set a few bombers behind the counter.
"No one should come here late at night. Still, I shouldn't be careless."
Muttering to himself, Lucas searched around for hidden cameras. Finding none, he walked towards the door and locked it, setting the bombs to detonate if anyone entered the door or pressed the button, but this would happen after a minute so he had to hurry and get inside the passage.
"James had a lot of creativity. And being with Scotch only enhanced in the software department." Lucas chuckled while staring at the smartwatch that can control bombs to his will.
He then took out an orb and clicked the button on it, then pressed it on his chest.
A metallic clicking sound echoed as the orb started to expand and cover Lucas's whole body slowly engulfing him.
A mechanized armour that looked more like a robotic suit than that of a knight armour appeared. Originally, it should've been like a stoic knight's shiny armour without much difference but Lucas added his touch to it.
A mechanized version of this similar to the Iron Man suit ensures greater flexibility compared to a heavy armour suit that drags you down. Moreover, normal men don't have the strength to carry heavy weights.
"If only AI could be developed a bit more. I could use AI and cannons like Iron Man."
Lucas then took out a pill, which he bought from the shop after he reached 3-Star. This pill can increase your power by a realm and with Lucas' sub stats already reaching mid and peak of 4-Star in some, Lucas sub stats will be over mid of 5-Star. It was a great boost but he's going to lose the ability to use mana and be weakened greatly once the duration is over.
"I only have an hour."Lucas' eyes turned cold as he swallowed the pill.
His stomach churned and his body felt hot. His mind became light, and a sense of euphoria washed over him giving him the feeling of invincibility.
"Damn, if it was a doubt before, I am sure now. This is nothing but a weed. A high-level one that might be used by that bastard future version of mine."
"Fucking drug addict.".Cursing him, Lucas made his way into the dark passage.
Stepping inside, he descended on a set of stone stairs, his heart pounding with anticipation. The passage led him deeper underground, where the organization's inner sanctum awaited, where covert operations and meetings unfolded in the shadows.
However, today the agenda of the meeting has already been set.
.....
In a dimly lit chamber hidden beneath the city's slums, the members of the secret organization gathered. The room was circular, its walls lined with ancient tapestries that depicted cryptic symbols and historical figures who had once belonged to the clandestine group.
A long, polished wooden table dominated the centre of the room, bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. At the table's head seat sat a figure cloaked in shadows, the leader of the organization. Their identity remained concealed behind a hooded robe.
Around the table, members sat in ornate, high-backed chairs, each shrouded in secrecy. They wore masks and cloaks, their faces hidden. The air was thick with an air of anticipation and tension.
"Sir Seph, it seems we were successful this time." A man spoke with a crooked smile.
Following his words, everyone's attention turned towards a beautifully handsome young man with an angelic expression.
"I think Madam Lina might be quite pleased with you and might even allow you to serve her for a few nights."
Seph's lips curled upwards wondering about that gorgeous heaven-defying figure that can suck one's soul with a mere glance.
"I am just a bit luckier than you."
"It's not about luck, it's about-face. You know she doesn't take men with ugly faces. Only those who can get on her grace with good looks can manage to climb on her bed."
"I wish I could taste her heavenly fruit." The person smiled crookedly trying to contain his saliva.
"Enough!" Seph raised his voice.
"We don't have the right to talk about a member of the central authority. Let's stop this nonsense, and begin the meeting. We have given them a hard blow this time. The ties between nobles and commoners will get worse after this incident. And the nobles may find it hard to even trust themselves, so we need to act.'' Seph spoke coldly trying to hide his inner frustration.
Though the plans were quite successful, he didn't like the way things were done.
He wanted to be present there. He wanted to slaughter, rip their arms, tear their flesh and gouge their eyes.
He wanted to immerse himself in the euphoria of people's screams drowning the place. He had been so excited about this incident that he had already slept early because of excitement and anticipation.
However, all his dreams were crushed as plans were changed at the last second.
Moreover, he dislikes this fool who thinks of him as Lina's dog.
'Just you wait, soon I will tear those smiles off of you all.' Seph comforted himself with a smile while he clenched his fist tightly trying to control his urge to tear these guys apart.
"Yeah, it's a good chance.''
"We need to push forward."
"Alas, we missed a good opportunity to have fun. I wanted to pick a few noble chicks and taste them."
"Me too…"
"I wanted to kidnap those noble children and ask those haughty guys to be my slaves. I would ask them to clean my shoes every day by licking them."
"I was kicked by a noble before. I wanted to kick that guy and crush him under his foot and see what it feels like to kick nobles."
'Damn it, stop all this.' Seph scratched his knees as his sadistic side started to overwhelm him.
His breathing became ragged as his imagination painted a vivid picturesque of scenes described by his underlings.
"All of you control your perverted desires. Let's focus on the things we need to do." Seph spoke loudly, smashing his palm against the table.
With a cold reminder, the meeting finally began in earnest as they started to discuss the current scenarios and the things they needed to do.
Creating chaos was their main agenda.
Throughout the meeting, whispers, conversations and murmurs of intrigue filled the chamber. The members of the organization were united by a common purpose, bound by their shared knowledge, and surrounded by the evil aura that started to whisper deeds of evil.
When the meeting became intense, a knock echoed on the door halting the meeting.
Knock...Knock...
"Who came this late?'' They spoke at the same time.
"It's already 2 AM. This guy is an hour late."
"Maybe someone encountered a difficulty," Seph spoke and signaled with his eye to open the door.
A man got up from his seat and walked towards the door.
He pressed on the handprint platform set beside the door and the moment the door opened a piercing bang resounded, startling everyone.
As everyone turned their gaze, they coughed in disbelief, seeing the person's head who opened the door twisted to the other side with his neck twisted and jaw wide open.
Before they could react, a series of things were thrown out from the door which blasted in the air and sprayed white smoke.
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