Daniel led Greed into the Supreme General's room, where they encountered three groups of heavily armed soldiers in black. The old man sat behind the desk, while a man lay in a pool of blood nearby. Surrounding them were the lifeless bodies of both the soldiers who protected the place and the invaders.
To Daniel's surprise, the man lying beside the desk had the same face as the man sitting on the desk, guarded by his soldiers.
"General Sullivan!?" Greed exclaimed upon seeing the man on the desk.
"Yes, and no. I am Sullivan, but I am not him," the General replied calmly.
Daniel took a moment to ponder the situation. Growing up in the area, he had heard numerous absurd rumors about the country.
"Let me guess," Daniel began, trying to piece it together. "You are his body double, but at some point, you decided to become the real one. Am I correct?"
"Hmph!" Sullivan snorted disdainfully before responding.
"Yes, biologically, this worthless creature is the real one. But in terms of duty and experiencing true warfare, I am the real one," the General said proudly.
"So, you've been the one doing the job and facing the war instead of the original, until one day you had enough and decided to become the real one," Daniel concluded.
"That is correct," the General nodded, his gaze scrutinizing Daniel.
"You, sir, also appear to have experienced war. Your walk, your eyes, and how you maintain a safe distance from us, ready to advance or retreat without hindrance. You are a war dog, just like us. I can sense your frustration with the current state of our country, just as I feel," the General spoke with a hint of respect, recognizing that Daniel had some experience in conflict based on his posture and behavior upon entering the room.
Little did he know that what he witnessed in Daniel was a display of instincts ingrained after he had maxed-out the level of a Grand Hunter Profession card.
"No, you have it all wrong. I'm not a war veteran like you guys. I'm just an ordinary businessman who happened to have some training and found myself in an unexpected situation where my appointee was killed by his body double," Daniel calmly clarified.
"An ordinary businessman?" the general repeated skeptically. "Well, suit yourself." The general snorted, clearly unconvinced by Daniel's explanation, but he proceeded with the conversation.
"Alright, Mr. Ordinary Businessman and Ms. Victoria, I apologize for the inconvenience caused by our… change in management. So, tell me about the appointment you had with this... former general," he gestured towards the lifeless body. "From today onward, you can consider me as the person you're meeting. I am Nicholas Sullivan," the body double confidently announced, having fully assumed the role of Nicholas Sullivan.
Daniel and Greed chose to sit down and introduced themselves to General Sullivan. Greed engaged in conversation with him, subtly probing for information without delving too deep into the topic to avoid revealing the existence of the Curtained World. After some probing, Greed sent a telepathic message to Daniel.
[Daniel, I don't think this guy knows about the Curtained World. The knowledge of the Curtained World is likely limited to the real General Sullivan, and a body double like him probably has no awareness of it. I've tried probing, but he seems clueless.] Greed concluded.
Daniel gently held Greed's hand and discreetly wrote a short question on her palm, although it appeared to others as a gesture of affection, much to Greed's embarrassment.
"Can we tell him?" Daniel wrote.
[No... We can't. The Hightower strictly limits knowledge of the Curtained World to those associated with it or the Syndicate Union.] Greed sent a telepathic message back, wondering why Daniel didn't use telepathy himself since it was a basic spell and he was proficient in both regular and faith-based magic. She suspected that Daniel simply enjoyed touching her, which brought her a hint of happiness.
"I see... OK," Daniel wrote on her hand, accepting Greed's judgement, and decided to follow her lead.
"Miss Victoria, after our extensive conversation, if you feel comfortable enough, may I inquire about the purpose of your visit today with Mr. Emberweave?" General Sullivan asked politely, expressing his curiosity about the matter after entertaining Greed's probing for some time.
Daniel exchanged a nod with Greed, indicating that it was his turn to speak.
"General, Ms. Greed is simply my partner. I am the one who needs to discuss matters with you," said Daniel.
Upon hearing this, General Sullivan swiftly redirected his attention towards Daniel.
"Very well... Before we proceed, may I ask you one thing? The squad I dispatched to the entrance a moment ago, you've already eliminated them, haven't you?" the general inquired.
"They aimed their guns at me and wanted to kill me. Did you truly expect me to obediently lie down and await my death?" Daniel replied with a touch of sarcasm, earning himself an angry glare from the soldiers standing guard beside the general.
"Oh, Mr. Emberweave, I didn't anticipate you'd respond in that manner. You see, I understand your perspective, but you," the general gestured towards Daniel and then pointed to himself, "must also understand me. I am their superior. Their lives and well-being are my responsibility. I also need to provide compensation to their families, so that they are considered as casualties under my command."
"Don't feed me that nonsense, General. I know this 'Private Operation' of yours cannot be disclosed to the public, and its covert expenses cannot be recorded in the military accounts. It would be a liability for you and eventually exposed. So, don't play the 'I'm a righteous soldier' card with me, General. You're gambling their lives for your own ambition, and any compensation for their families should come out of your own pocket," Daniel retorted at length, causing the general's face to contort in annoyance mixed with a hint of anger.
"Hmph! That's precisely why I detest knowledgeable people like you and those academics. They always believe they have a firm grasp of the situation, despite their powerlessness to stop individuals like me. They naively think that the law and order will prevent them from falling into my clutches," the general said, signalling to his subordinates.
The soldiers dressed in black aimed their guns at the two figures, yet the couple standing before them displayed no signs of fear. This piqued the soldiers' curiosity, as an ominous feeling crept into their hearts. They had encountered inexplicable situations on the battlefield before, but their rigorous training prevented them from voicing their concerns to their superior.
The general also sensed that something was amiss with the couple before him. Their fearlessness shouldn't have been so apparent. It was as if whatever was about to happen to them was something they had already experienced, and they seemed oblivious to the danger of the situation. No matter how fearless scholars or civilians appeared, they would inevitably show signs of fear or unease, no matter how subtle.
However, his advantage in terms of manpower and firepower gave him a false sense of confidence. He had never imagined that a regular civilian would be capable of turning the tables against him.
"There's one thing you need to learn, Mr. Emberweave. You should not disrupt the facade of others attempting to engage in civilized conversation, no matter how ridiculous or contradictory it may seem. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a situation like this," the general threatened.
Daniel responded with a smile and retrieved a brooch from his suit's inner pocket, placing it in Greed's hand. In a blur of motion, he swiftly threw a dagger that pierced the throat of the nearest soldier in black. Moving with unnatural speed, he engaged in close-quarters combat with another group of soldiers, catching them off guard before they could even release the safety on their guns.
With his combat knife, Daniel swiftly slit the throats of the soldiers within his reach. His actions were swift and left them no time to react as he disarmed them, unlocked their guns' safeties, and prepared to fire upon the soldiers guarding the general. However, the soldiers in the room were elite, battle-hardened warriors who had survived numerous wars and skirmishes.
They reacted quickly, opening fire on Daniel. Yet, he used the body of a fallen comrade as a shield, deflecting their bullets, and swiftly returned fire. Daniel's precision and reflexes were inhuman as each bullet from his gun found its mark, striking the heads of the soldiers who had just been firing at him.
In a matter of seconds, the sound of gunfire subsided, leaving behind only smoke, the scent of gunpowder in the air, and a growing number of lifeless bodies strewn across the ground.
"General... You should understand that what you said applies to you as well," Daniel remarked calmly. In a blur of motion, one of his throwing daggers found its mark, piercing the general's left hand just as he was reaching for the alarm button beneath the table.
"Arrrrrrggghhh!" The general cried out in pain, clutching his injured hand as the throwing dagger protruded from his palm.
"It seems your left hand has a mind of its own, doesn't it? I suggest you regain control and place both of your hands on the desk where I can see them," Daniel stated coldly, advancing towards the general. A hint of fear flickered in the general's eyes as he complied, placing his hands firmly on the table.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel