Chapter 305 Chapter 305 Bet
"Even though I want to believe otherwise, I am afraid you are right. There is definitely something fishy about this."
"Of course, I am. How can I not know what Hogan is capable of? So, you have to be cautious. Otherwise, you might regret it in the future like I did." replied Marico with a tinge of solemnity in his voice.
Zach was about to agree wholeheartedly with Marico's line of thought when he suddenly caught onto an elusive insight that made him believe that there was more to this trap than it appeared on the surface.
This trap of a hostage exchange appeared too obvious, almost as if someone needed them to focus on it in order to hide the true threat.
Since Hogan was such a cunning individual, he would have waited for Zach to initiate the hostage exchange before rigging the exchange in some inconceivable manner. That was what Zach would have done. If Hogan was half as smart as Marico made him out to be, then he would know that this was the worst method to trap someone like Zach.
"Let's assume for a moment that I am Hogan. What would I do in such an unfavorable situation?" thought Zach as he began to assume himself in the position of Hogan the leader of the Hunter family and a father who was more concerned about the family standing than the life of his son.
"Since I am Hogan at the moment, and assuming that I am extremely smart; I wouldn't set the obvious trap as the main dish of the banquet. Therefore, it is highly likely to be a decoy to exploit the overconfidence of a certain dark mage. As vengeful and smart as I am, I would definitely opt to exterminate my enemy completely. I would probably deal the killing blow, the first chance I get so as to rid myself of the possibility of a future disaster based on vengeance. To create an element of surprise, I would need to make my enemy feel superior. What better way than to give him the satisfaction of figuring out my scheme in advance; only to discover his folly later on when it was too late. But...but all of that doesn't answer my question at all."
With a deep exhalation that carried the weight of accumulated frustrations, Zach released a resonant sigh, as if attempting to cast off the burdens that had settled upon his shoulders.
"What is the nature of my current thoughts? What drives my intentions? Am I aiming solely to trade my son for the captive, or do I harbor ulterior motives, seeking to exploit this diversion for a greater purpose?"
A thought flickered past his mind in that instant which captivated his entire being as if it was something he could see himself doing. It matched perfectly with Hogan's calculative and vengeful persona.
Zach was sure that he had stumbled onto the truth probably and was willing to stake everything on this gamble based on his instincts.
The only thing that still made him doubt his judgement was that the time of exchange was too much of a coincidence. It coincided with the time that Zach was dreading; the time that the meteorites would make contact at Greenland.
Zach didn't believe that Hogan had the capability to cause such a natural disaster. If he did, there was no way he would have needed to employ the help of the pirates.
Therefore, Zach felt that his hunch was more believable than Marico's well-intentioned advice or so he hoped. It was better for him if the timing of the exchange was just dumb luck instead of a pre-orchestrated scheme.
After having stayed frozen in place for a long time with the exchange proposal in his hand, Zach jerked his head towards Marico and said, "Can I ask you for that matrix magic that can supposedly block off space?"
"Huh?" Marico failed to register his words at first but as soon as his brain processed the sudden influx of information, he finally came to his senses and replied, "WHAT? What do you want that for?"
…
After thinking it all through, Zach had decided to accept the proposal of the Hunter family for a hostage exchange and had sent his letter of acceptance in response to Hogan on the same day.
Three days had already passed since his conversation with Marico at the Windsor family mansion. Zach had made the necessary preparations as he believed he had uncovered the schemes of the Hunter family and had taken countermeasures proactively.
Therefore, Zach arrived at the designated location in time to go through with the exchange smoothly.
Marico kept urging him to take necessary precautions to avoid falling into the trap of the Hunter family. Although he didn't feel the need to do so, he still brought with him a large number of troops to safely escort Diana home.
What Zach didn't tell Marico was that this was also to put on a show in front of the Hunter family so they would believe that he had fallen for their trick.
The dense forest was hardly a place to have a big gathering as there was no clearing in the middle of the dense forest. This kind of place was perfectly suitable for setting up deadly traps and ambushes.
Moreover, Zach's people had divided into groups that travelled along the same line with several tree lines separating one group from the other.
Zach didn't mind the dispersal of his forces though. Because he believed that he wouldn't need the help of his men at all. He just needed them to put on an elaborate show for the Hunter family.
Christina kept remembering Marico's warnings and became wary of the possibility of the traps. As such she activated her sensory spell and consumed a large amount of mana to keep an eye on the surroundings. She scoured every suspicious looking bush and treetop; eyed every movement no matter how subtle; and even tried to locate any traces of the enemy forces waiting for an ambush.
Thankfully, no matter how hard she concentrated, she was unable to find any traps or any hidden troops of the enemy.
"It's really strange; I can't seem to find anything out of the ordinary. There are no traps, no hidden enemies at all. Only a few of them are here and they are all out in the open like they have suddenly become honest." announced Christina with a thoughtful look.
She was wondering whether she was being influenced by some magic skill which had distorted her perception of things. She didn't believe that the Hunter family hadn't tried to pull off any trick at all.
But she couldn't be sure because she had seen the evidence herself. Maybe...just maybe, Nelson was really important to the Hunter family, and they had sincerely come to make the trade.
Zach on the other hand was extremely relieved as if a huge burden had been laid off his chest. A smile blossomed on his face as the forest around him began to seem brighter to him now that he knew that his gamble had paid off. He had been right in his assumption regarding Hogan's intentions.
For the first time since Diana had been abducted, Zach wasn't feeling like a giant was pressing its heel on his chest suffocating him as he labored for each of his breaths under its terrible and oppressive weight.
"Don't think too much. It really is like you found. They aren't hiding anything." Zach reassured Christina since the latter was too hung up on finding any hidden scheme of the enemy. But Zach knew all too well that there was no scheme at play in this forest even though it was the perfect location for one.
Ever since Zach brought Nelson back with him, Violet had barely been containing her wrath. She would have already cut Nelson into a thousand pieces for what he had done to her in the past, but the thought of Diana's safety kept her hands tied. Otherwise, Nelson would have found himself dead in a ditch somewhere with his member stuffed down his throat.
Even though Violet didn't say anything, anyone could tell the kind of murderous intentions she had for the young master of the Hunter family.
Zach wasn't any different despite how out of his mind he had been for the past few weeks. So, he was already planning on handing over Nelson to Violet after the exchange.
"After the exchange is over, there will be plenty of time to vent your hatred on him," Zach pointed towards Nelson, his voice steady and measured, as he continued to address Violet's inner turmoil. "You can do whatever you want to him then. I will leave his punishment to you, allowing you to unleash the pent-up anger that has plagued you for so long. This will be your chance to unburden your mind, to let go of this grudge that has held you captive. Once he's in your custody, you'll have the power to decide his fate, to impose upon him the consequences of his actions as you wish."
While Violet was still confused as to how she could get her hands on Nelson after the exchange was made, Zach moved closer to Nelson who was all tied up and ready for the exchange. Only his hands had been tied up behind his back, and he was free to walk around as he pleased. This was only to facilitate the exchange later on. Otherwise, Zach had no intention of treating him so well.
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