Acht had two choices at this point: he could ignore the invitation and go on his way since it could be nothing but a trap to catch him and kill him. In fact, that possibility is the most probable one.
Or, he could accept the invitation and follow him to their base. What made him entertain this possibility is the fact that it could solve many problems for him.
'This gang probably has some influence in the slums at the very least. So, getting information is not that hard. Even if they ended up trying to kill me, I will just 'deal' with them accordingly.' He thought while looking at the man that spoke to him.
"Fine. Lead the way." He responded after much consideration.
"Very well, the boss will be delighted." He smiled in response.
The man then turned around and started walking. He was giving Acht a huge opening without even thinking about it.
Acht could easily sneak up on him and he won't be able to do anything.
'Is this gang made of weaklings?' He could only think so with a bored look.
They walked for 20 minutes between the streets. Now with an even clearer look at the slums, Acht was able to see the situation in this area. And he had one word in his mind to describe it: horrendous.
The dirt and trash that littered the place along with the horrible smell of feces and other things could make anyone throw up. This alone could transmit varieties of diseases.
Everyone who passed by whether in a vehicle or by foot had this dead look in their eyes. It was as if they had already given up on life and the only thing that kept them living is their fear of death.
Such a look that lacked any hope told more than any words how bad their living conditions are.
"Seems like this world is not all happy and fun as the book tried to portray it." Acht muttered under his breath with a blank face.
He didn't feel anything in particular when seeing such scenes. In fact, he loathed these people and their weak resolve. If they yearned for leaving this shitty life, they would've tried again and again until they can't do anything else.
Acht lived this kind of life and saw with his own eyes how cruel this world could be so he knew more than anyone else that what kills you is not your lack of power or money, it's your lack of ambition.
'These kinds of places will never see the light of hope.'
"We are close to our place." The man's voice woke up Acht from his deep thoughts.
He looked ahead of him to see a big yet shabby house with two bulky men standing on the two sides of the iron door.
The two men had armor covering some vital parts of their bodies and small pistols on their hips.
"Hmm, who's that kid, Nelson?" One of them asked while looking at Acht.
"The boss wants to meet him. open the door." The man named Nelson answered briefly.
The two guards didn't dwindle much and hurriedly opened the gates. The two people proceeded inside swiftly.
Acht took one last look at the guards and followed Nelson inside. He was trying to memorize the key points of this place in case he needed to escape or fight.
Inside, the place looked strangely neat, the floor was clean and the walls were decorated with some art here and there. It looked like a normal house where a small family lives.
The two walked in the long corridor towards the back of the house. The scenery didn't change much except for the appearance of a particularly eye-catching door.
It was considerably bigger than the other parts of the house so it stood out like a sore thumb.
Nelson then walked straight towards it and knocked on the door quietly. For some reason, the man became increasingly nervous as he waited for an answer.
Then, a voice finally spoke from behind the door. The voice only said one word "Enter."
When he heard the voice, Nelson looked at Acht and nodded quietly. He wanted the boy to enter alone.
Then, he opened the door for him before leaving. Acht looked at his silhouette as he walked away.
Seeing no point in waiting, he entered the room immediately.
It was quite spacious, akin to an office with a big table in the middle, high-quality chairs, and a...small girl?
Acht found a small girl sitting on the big chair while writing something. She looked no more than 11 years of age with beautiful features and long brown hair that was tied in a cute ponytail so she didn't fit the scene at all.
"So you're the one who killed one of my subordinates?" The girl spoke without even looking at Acht directly.
'Is this some sick joke?' He thought with a bitter look as he didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this weird situation.
"Let me get this out of the way first, you're the boss they kept talking about?" Acht asked.
"Yes, is there a problem?" The girl answered. She found his question unexpected.
"No, none whatsoever." Acht sighed inwardly. He felt like he was inside a comedy show of some sort.
"Anyway, why did you want to meet me? I don't think we're acquaintances or anything like that, are we?"
Finally, the little girl shifted her gaze to stare at Acht. She then chuckled slightly and responded with a smile.
"Those two people were sent to get some necessary material for a mission. I'm talking about these." She then extended her hand under the desk and pulled a bag.
It was the bag that the previous owner of Acht's body stole before Acht took over him. He didn't bother to take that bag of berries with him.
Seeing the lack of reaction, the little girl continued, " If it were a normal case of a robbery then I would've brushed it off as it is. But, the fact that you killed that man with your weak body is quite amazing. I never heard of a kid killing an armed adult with only his bare fists."
"That's why I wanted to see who this strong boy is."
"You didn't invite me here and even allowed me to stay here alone with you out of some interest, right?" Acht responded.
He was already treating this little girl as a mature leader and not a mere child since no one becomes the boss of a gang just like that. She must've been capable enough to be able to handle this responsibility.
"Fufufu, I thought that the children in this area mature faster than most of the other kids out there. You put that fact to shame." She giggled cutely.
'Aren't you also a kid?' He barely stopped himself from blurting out his thoughts.
"Yes, I had another reason for meeting you. How about you start working for me?" The girl asked with no beating around the bushes.
"Working for you?"
"Yes, I can see that you have some great skills. I don't know how you got those skills and I won't ask you about it. I just need your help."
She then stood up and walked towards him with slow steps.
"You will be paid and you will also have a place to live in. It's a good deal." She said.
"What if I decide to betray you or steal your money?" Acht asked with a sharp gaze.
"Fufuf, throughout my life, I met a lot of people who live off betraying people and you are not one of them. You seem to be someone who follows his word." The certainty in her voice surprised Acht.
He was skeptical about her real age, but now, he was more than sure that she was not a kid at all, at least mentally.
"You are full of surprises, young miss."
"I will take that as a compliment. So, what do you think?"
"It is quite convenient for me to work for you since I need money. But..." he then flashed a cold gaze at the girl and continued with a slow tone.
"You made one single mistake in this act. You underestimated me way too much." His eyes widened as he spoke those words in the coldest tone. He looked like a God of death, ready to harvest souls at any given moment.
"What?!" The girl was shocked. A cold sweat ran down her back as she felt her hands tremble in fear.
"A bunch of your subordinates are waiting for me behind those doors."
He started approaching the girl, taking one single step at a time.
"You wanted to capture me, and you did quite the good job in setting the act to try and deceive me. However..."
"Get him! Now!" The girl ignored his words and shouted in a frenzy.
Instantly, a group of men barged inside the room with all kinds of weapons in their hands.
"I am not someone to be caught by some weaklings. That's your only mistake. If it were anyone else, it could've worked."
He then pulled out a pistol and pointed it at the girl who was barely standing on her feet.
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