Chapter 20.1

Benjamin lowered the night-vision binoculars and turned to the coldly composed Geoffrey. “They’re out, but it’s not just four of them. Looks like six…”

Standing nearby, Noè raised an eyebrow, then smiled slyly. “Geoffrey, your little prey is quite something. Always full of surprises.”

Geoffrey replied indifferently, “It could be a coincidence. Tonight’s a big night at Mammon Prison.” He turned to address the others. “Let me make this clear. Deal with the others however you want. But the black-haired boy is mine. I don’t want a single one of you touching him.”

Noè chuckled, while Macia, still recovering from his injuries, stayed silent. Benjamin frowned slightly. “Geoffrey, if you’re going to kill him, does it really matter who pulls the trigger? In this darkness, telling him apart from the others won’t be easy.”

Geoffrey didn’t reply. Instead, he firmly repeated, “Noè, Marcia, did you hear me?”

Noè shrugged. “Loud and clear. That little beauty is yours.”

Benjamin frowned and asked, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Marcia smirked and muttered, “That kid is a rare beauty, quite irresistible.”

Geoffrey’s expression turned icy. “Marcia, I don’t appreciate your tone. Let me ask you again. Did you hear me?”

Macia hefted his sniper rifle. “Yeah, yeah, I got it.” He glanced at Noè. “We’re teaming up tonight?”

Nuo smirked. “Didn’t you always hate me?”

“Looking at you now… you’re not that bad,” Macia said with a grin as they disappeared into the night.

Only when they were gone did Benjamin hesitantly ask, “Geoffrey… is it true? Have you taken a liking to him?”

Geoffrey loosened his collar, saying nothing as he vanished into the darkness.

Benjamin’s sweet, doll-like face suddenly turned sinister. Under the faint moonlight, his expression looked especially menacing. He hissed coldly, “Kōsō…”

A stone-faced Japanese man stepped out from the shadows.

Benjamin’s voice was eerily quiet. “Is he really that beautiful?”

“He has a certain elegance, like Japanese cherry blossoms. Cold yet sweet.”

Benjamin tilted his head, imagining the description, then sneered. “Kill him.”

Kōsō gave a slight nod before vanishing into the darkness.

Benjamin returned his attention to the night-vision device, observing the six figures as they began to split up.

His walkie-talkie crackled to life. It was Marcia. “Hey, old friend, do me a favor.”

“What is it?”

“Keep track of the one with glasses for me. I’ll owe you one.”

“I can barely see…”

“Oh, come on. We both know after our last failure, Geoffrey upgraded your gear. You can track him, can’t you?”

Benjamin chuckled. “Fine…”

—

Mo Zimu and the others had already entered the Mammon Forest.

Mo Zimu spoke up, “Boss Berrick, you take care of Adolf. We’ll handle Jude. We meet back here afterward.”

Berrick was already past the point of no return. He wouldn’t trust anyone else to deal with Adolf anyway, so he nodded.

Mo Zimu helped him drag Adolph out from under the cart. Adolf stirred slightly, blinking as he took in his surroundings. Then, his eyes went wide, and he roared, “Berrick, you idiot!”

Quick on his feet, Tom yanked off a sock and stuffed it into Adolph’s mouth, effectively muffling him.

They hurriedly bound Adolf with vines, tying him up tight. Berrick, eyes blazing with excitement, kicked and punched him a few times before sneering, “Big-mouth Froggy, come on! Come bite me! Let’s see you try!”

Mo Zimu cut in, “Don’t waste time. If we delay Norton’s plans, things could get messy. We’re still waiting to meet Young Master Geoffrey!”

Berrick nodded hastily. “You’re right. I’ll toss him to the wolves first.”

As soon as Berrick left, Mo Zimu quickly opened the water tank and took out the prison uniforms inside, putting them on.

Tommy changed into the sharp Norton prison guard uniform, and Tom let out a whistle, saying, “Wow, you look more like the prison warden.”

The three of them dressed in their new uniforms, while Jack appeared anxious. “Seven, what about me? What should I do?”

Mo Zimu smiled. “Don’t worry. Once we’ve subdued the guards on the ship, we’ll come back for you!”

Tommy tilted his head. “Let’s move quickly. If we wait any longer, the hunters will catch up!”

“Seven, let me go!” Jude signaled with his bound hands.

“What are you keeping this mad dog for? Just kill him!” Tom snapped.

Mo Zimu walked closer to Jude. “I’ll keep my promise, but I don’t trust you. Jude, don’t test my patience any further by making more demands!”

Jude’s single eye flickered briefly, but he said nothing more.

Mo Zimu chuckled and patted the water tank. “Uncle, if your hands are free now, you’d better hurry and untie that rope. The hunters are almost here!”

The four of them sprinted toward the restricted zone. The dry grass on the Mammon mountain during the dry season was thick and hard to spot the luminous agent dropped deep into the grass. Fortunately, they hadn’t heard any alarms along the way.

“Seven, I heard from Sticks and his group that there’s going to be a riot tonight. They seem to have bribed a guard to open the cell doors for them, and they plan to kill the other guards during the night and escape Mammon!” Tom said.

“Great plan,” Mo Zimu replied indifferently, bending down to search for markings.

“But… they said tonight they’ve gotten a ship, a cargo ship… Do you think it’s the same ship as ours?” Tom asked, shrugging in confusion.

Mo Zimu straightened up, rolled his eyes, exhaled deeply, and silently cursed, “Damn Ivan.”

“With an insider and a ship, I think everyone on Mammon will go crazy!” Tommy interjected.

“Who’s there?!” A group of men in black suddenly surrounded them.

Tom’s face turned pale with fear. The leader of the group shone a small flashlight up and down at Mo Zimu before speaking quietly. “Did Norton send you?”

Mo Zimu hesitated for a moment before answering calmly, “Yes! Follow this path up, and it’ll lead you to Mammon prison. Do you need us to guide you? We still need to watch the area below.”

“No need!” The man in black was terse, and his group, heavily armed, swiftly disappeared into the shadows ahead.

Once they were out of sight, Tom exhaled a long breath of relief and threw his arm around Mo Zimu’s shoulder. “Oh my god, that was close. Who were they?”

“They’re from the Geoffrey family,” Mo Zimu said in a polished British accent, hoping to himself that they were indeed from the Geoffrey family. If they were from Henry Bonanno instead…

“What’s wrong?” Tommy noticed Mo Zimu’s subtle shift in mood.

“Nothing. Let’s go. It looks like there won’t be any alarms below.” Mo Zimu took the lead and ran downhill.

“Our luck is amazing…” Tom was nearly jumping for joy when his feet finally hit the Caribbean sand.

“Let’s head to the dock!” he exclaimed, but his excitement quickly froze as he turned and saw Tommy pointing a gun at them.

“Tommy, have you lost your mind?” Tom stammered.

Tommy sighed regretfully. “I’m sorry, my friend. There’s nothing I can do. Seven, you’re coming with me.”

“Tommy, who’s behind this?” Tom shouted.

“That would be me.” Donald appeared behind Tommy, still dressed in his tailored luxury suit. Despite the sea breeze slightly disheveling his silver-gray hair, his gentlemanly demeanor remained intact.

Donald smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t behave so obediently, child.”

Tommy pointed his gun at Mo Zimu and demanded, “Donald, where’s my daughter?”

Donald responded calmly, “You should trust a gentleman’s word.” He waved his hand, and his black bodyguard brought forward a young girl.

“Nelly, my little Nelly…” Tommy’s face softened as he instantly recognized his daughter. Donald frowned slightly and proposed, “Your daughter in exchange for my son. How about it?”

“Father?!” Tom’s eyes widened in shock. He turned to the pale-faced Mo Zimu and asked, “Is this the same Donald, the one who had Powell make you his victim?”

Mo Zimu didn’t reply. Tom gasped as if a sudden realization had hit him. He remembered Tommy mentioning that Donald was Mo Zimu’s father, but he hadn’t paid much attention at the time. Now, the horrifying connection struck him.

He yelled, “No, Tommy! Are you out of your mind? How can you betray your own brother and sell him to this monster?!”

Jude spoke up from the side, “Tom, they’re father and son reuniting. At least show some basic respect.”

“Shut the hell up!” Tom snapped back.

Donald chuckled lightly. “This one-eyed fellow does have a certain level of courtesy.”

Jude smiled faintly. “Thank you,” he said. Despite his missing eye, his handsome face still carried a charming sweetness when he smiled.

Tommy shoved Mo Zimu towards Donald, while the black bodyguard forcefully pushed the girl toward him. In that split second, as Mo Zimu was being pushed, he swiftly raised his hand, expertly trapping Donald’s outstretched arm behind his back and pressing the fork against his neck.

At the same time, Tommy pulled the girl back several steps and aimed his gun at the black bodyguard.

“Don’t move!” Mo Zimu ordered as Donald tried to shift slightly. With a bit of force, the fork drew blood, and he coldly stated, “Donald, don’t think I’m unwilling to kill you. Have your bodyguard drop his gun!”

For once, the usually composed Donald looked a bit disheveled. He hadn’t anticipated how much Mo Zimu had improved in combat and strength in just a few months. “Seven, let’s talk this out. You know I’m doing this for your own good! John, drop the gun!”

The bodyguard glared fiercely at Tommy but reluctantly dropped his gun onto the sand. Tom rushed forward and picked it up.

“Thanks a lot!” Mo Zimu sneered. “Now, where’s your yacht?”

Donald gestured toward the distance. “Over there!”

“Take us to it,” Mo Zimu ordered, shoving Donald to lead the way. Tommy and Tom followed closely, keeping the bodyguard, John, under control.

After walking less than a mile, they saw Donald’s Danish-made custom yacht. It featured exquisite walnut wood decorations, exuding both luxury and prestige, a perfect match for Donald’s status.

With a swift kick to Donald’s knee, Mo Zimu forced him to kneel on the ground.

“To think, Tommy, that you would choose to side with him!” Donald gritted his teeth, trying to maintain a dignified posture despite his current predicament.

Mo Zimu stepped on Donald’s back, pinning him to the ground. He coldly said, “Sorry, but the ship I booked has too many eyes on it. Using your yacht will be much more convenient for us. Besides, you’ve done at least one good thing today—helping Tommy reunite with his daughter. You should thank us for giving you a chance to atone for your sins.” Mo Zimu gritted his teeth and added, “You belong in hell, don’t you?”

From the peak of Mammon Mountain, a loud “boom” echoed as something exploded, sending flames skyward.

Mo Zimu smirked slightly. “Do you know what today is?”

For a moment, Donald found it hard to keep up with Mo Zimu’s thought process. It was as if the boy, once naive and easily dominated, had transformed into a shrewd, strategic man, a predator rather than prey.

As Donald’s thoughts raced, Mo Zimu smiled faintly and said, “Today marks a significant day for Mammon. From now on, Mammon prison will become nothing more than a legend. It will cease to exist.”

Mo Zimu removed his foot from Donald’s back. Tommy and Tom stood guard beside him, each holding a gun.

Slowly, they retreated toward the yacht.

Jude quickly tried to follow, but Mo Zimu stopped him. “No, Jude. This is where we part ways.”

“Are you going back on your word?!” Jude growled through clenched teeth.

Mo Zimu smiled lightly. “I’ve already fulfilled my promise. You’re already outside the prison walls. Jude, I don’t want to kill you myself, but I also have no interest in keeping a snake close.”

Mo Zimu boarded the yacht with the others.

Standing by the railing, he smiled at Donald, who was being helped up by his bodyguard. “If I were you, I wouldn’t head toward the docks. They’re crawling with mercenaries hired by Norton to tie up loose ends. They might not recognize you as the Duke. Of course, if you somehow survive, you’ll have a hard time explaining to the court why you were at a prison riot.”

Mo Zimu took off his cap and gave a perfect gentleman’s bow. “Goodbye… Father. Calling you that doesn’t mean I acknowledge you as my kin. Just as in your eyes, Mithra is the god of light who granted you status and identity. But in my eyes, Mithra stands between light and darkness. A god of arbitration, bringing justice and fairness.”

He turned to face Jude’s hateful one-eyed glare. After a moment of silence, he said indifferently, “I won’t bother saying goodbye to you, Jude.”

Donald’s face darkened as he watched the yacht sail farther and farther away, his heart a mix of complicated emotions.

Witnessing the growth of a young eagle always brought both joy and worry. Joy at seeing its majestic evolution, but worry over the fact that it would no longer be controlled.

As the yacht drifted into the distance, Mo Zimu seemed to spot Geoffrey bursting out from the woods. He was running toward them, waving and shouting something, even diving into the icy seawater. Massive waves almost swallowed him whole.

Mo Zimu smiled faintly. “That freighter really did slow you down, Geoffrey. You’ve lost again. I won’t bother saying goodbye to you either.”

He watched the figures on the shore grow smaller, their silhouettes framed by the crimson flames on Mammon mountain. At that moment, it seemed he could hear the panicked cries of Berrick, Adolph, and Norton echoing from the forest.

Yes, they were now meeting the same fate as countless prisoners who had perished on Mammon.

“Give me your client list and the identities sold to them. As long as these identities are active in the United States, I can track all the account information under them.”

Yes, Norton, I can trace their information from their accounts, and I can trace yours from your account as well.

“The internet is a naked whore, nothing can be hidden.”

You’re right, Norton, the internet can’t hide anyone’s secrets, and it can’t hide yours either.

“Though looking at a rainbow through glass is very different from standing under the blue sky, a rainbow is still a rainbow. Your oil painting is beautiful.”

Seeing your oil painting, I finally understood that, Mike, the person you love isn’t your honeymoon partner. It’s Ivan.

“Just tell him that Seven wants to ask Geoffrey a question. Has he been secretly in love with me for a long time? If he doesn’t want to answer directly, then I already know the answer.”

This answer I’ve known for a long time. It’s just further proof that nothing can make you put aside your arrogance.

“Do you still enjoy sleeping with me?”

No matter how good your sexual skills are or how pleasurable the process is, Ivan, love isn’t something that can be forced.