Chapter 20: Frank

"It's heartbreaking to know our relationship was maintained with money." Yvette sighed dramatically.

"At least the relationship itself was real." Mo Ying replied. "Thank you all for not abandoning me right away."

The noon sun blazed intensely, as if it were trying to melt everything. A woman fanned herself with one hand and glanced at her phone.

"Yvette’s new recruit is impressive. I’d love to see Carolyn’s face when she finds out." The woman crossed the street and came to a stop.

"Yvette's villa is nearby. Why not pick up a luxury handbag while I’m here?" She turned into a narrow alley.

This was a wealthy district, with villas lined up one after another. The roads divided the area like a chessboard. She arrived at a villa, humming a tune, took out a key, and entered.

This woman was Bertha, an information broker who often worked with Poker and had a good relationship with Yvette.

"Hehe, Yvette said this was my reward. Gathering intel is hard work." Bertha carefully selected her prize from the villa like she was choosing a date.

"You’re the ones!" She picked a handbag in each hand and left the villa happily.

As she exited, she spotted a man walking by and her eyes widened.

"Frank? So Carolyn didn’t kill him after all?"

Bertha decided to follow him quietly and watched him enter another villa.

"I have to tell Yvette." She took out her phone.

Meanwhile, now that the threat had been dealt with, the Special Operations Department had no reason to reject cooperation. An agreement was reached.

There was one more matter: not long after returning to the base, Mo Ying called the Special Operations Department and informed them of the armed group’s base. She also drew a simple map based on her memory.

Acting on this intel, the Special Ops and SWAT raided the armed group the next day, capturing thirty-one members—but none were from Poker.

A lot of crucial data had also been taken away. They had evacuated in time, apparently starting preparations right after discovering Mo Ying’s escape. No one knew where they’d gone now.

At least there wouldn’t be any more gun attacks for the time being.

Mo Ying also handed over the check she found for investigation.

"The Book of Prophecy is one of their targets?" Yvette pondered over the information Mo Ying provided.

"The murder victims all visited Zephyria, and the latest clue about the Book of Prophecy also came from Zephyria!" Kagumo said.

"Case closed—they’re killing people to find the Book of Prophecy!" Ansel stood on the sofa and declared.

"That’s highly likely." Yvette nodded.

Ding-dong. A notification popped up on Yvette’s phone. She picked it up and looked surprised.

"Oh my, a clue delivered to our doorstep." she said. Bertha was truly excellent. She decided to give her another luxury bag later.

Inside a villa, a newly purchased robot vacuum was busy cleaning. It even got into the corners, leaving the floor sparkling.

"Oh, Carolyn’s new robot is really useful." said a man cleaning a cabinet.

There was a black mark on his arm—not a tattoo, but a curse. Yet the man didn’t seem to mind it at all.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Through the smart peephole, he saw the visitors—Yvette and Davis. He hesitated before opening.

How did they know I was here?

"Frank, unless you want your door broken down, I suggest you open up." Yvette threatened him in a sweet voice.

Frank: "......"

He opened the door. Yvette and Davis walked in and sat on the sofa.

"Why are you staring at us like that? We’re colleagues, aren’t we?" Yvette said.

Frank, a Spade-ranked member, had once kidnapped Carolyn because he liked her—but now, it seemed the situation had flipped on him.

"What are you two doing here? And just so you know, Carolyn installed surveillance here." Frank sat down as well.

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"We happened to learn the location of a missing colleague, so we came to check. I have a lot of questions." Yvette said. "As for the cameras, we had a hacker take care of that already."

That hacker was Bertha. As an info broker, hacking someone’s system was just part of the job, right?

"First of all, you liked Carolyn and kidnapped her, right? But now it seems you’re the one being controlled?" Yvette asked, noticing the black mark on Frank’s hand.

Davis chuckled quietly. The yandere got out-yandere’d. Guess evil meets its match.

"Yes. So what?" Frank admitted.

Yvette was a bit surprised. He admitted so easily to being under someone else’s control? That didn’t seem like him.

"How much do you know about the armed group?" Yvette asked.

"Nothing. Carolyn didn’t tell me anything, and I didn’t dare ask." Frank replied.

"Really? What if I said we can help you out of your situation?" Yvette said.

"Hah, this isn’t something an ordinary Light-type Affinity User can deal with. Are you sure?" Frank looked at the mark on his hand.

"Of course. Carolyn’s strong, but she’s not a demigod. One of my companions can purify almost any curse below the demigod level." Yvette said.

Frank’s expression loosened, a shadow passing through his eyes.

"You found some pretty strong allies after leaving Poker," he said.

"So what’s your answer?" Davis pressed.

Frank looked down at the mark on his hand, gently rubbing it. Then he looked up. "What do you need me to do?"

Yvette smiled. "Destroy the armed group, of course. Now, tell us everything you know."

But Yvette still had one lingering question...

"Why didn’t you kill Frank?" Wei Zhiheng asked at a new hideout.

Given Carolyn’s personality, she would never let someone who dared imprison her get away with it.

"Oh please, do I look like the kind of woman who enjoys violence?" Carolyn turned her head theatrically, voice pitched like a little girl.

Wei Zhiheng: "......" Yes, you do.

Failing to disgust him, Carolyn looked bored and returned to her usual voice.

"At first, I wanted to kill him. But he treated me so well—the villa he locked me in was huge, the food was delicious every day, and I had access to all the books and games I wanted. So... I fell in love with him."

Wei Zhiheng: "......"

"But Yvette-chan still holds a special place in my heart. Sigh, I can’t believe I fell in love with two people at once." Carolyn placed a hand over her chest.

Wei Zhiheng: "......"

"Ah, but what’s wrong with loving two people? Why can’t the three of us be together?" Carolyn giggled. "So I cursed Frank—with the strongest curse. If he betrays me, he’ll die. Sigh, Frank let his guard down too soon, so I turned the tables on him. Now he can’t stop me from going after Yvette-chan!" she said happily.

Wei Zhiheng: "......" I just pictured it in my head... A bed scene with two men and one woman... Ah, it’s that famous meme.

"I was about to make that dream come true, but because of you, everything is ruined!" Carolyn’s expression twisted into anger as she glared at him.

"What does that have to do with me?" Wei Zhiheng looked completely confused.

"You didn’t watch over that woman while I was gone, and she escaped!" Carolyn’s voice turned sharp and shrill.

"Not my fault! I was asleep! Who knew she could escape even with her powers sealed?" Wei Zhiheng refused to take the blame.

"Exactly! If she was so dangerous, why did you choose her as a hostage instead of the other two who couldn’t fight?" Carolyn’s tone darkened. Kagumo and Ansel would’ve been easier to control. Yet they picked Mo Ying.

Wei Zhiheng didn’t answer. His eyes were unreadable. Used to seeing his usual smile, Carolyn found his blank face rather intimidating.

"This was your way of seizing power, wasn’t it? You could’ve gained a powerful ally, but because the hostage escaped, not only did you lose her, she became our enemy. And because I made the plan, everyone now blames me. If it weren’t for the curse, they wouldn’t even listen to me anymore!" Carolyn stepped closer to him, trying to intimidate—but Wei Zhiheng’s pitch-black eyes stared into hers, his mouth curling into a strange smile that made her flinch.

"Take a guess," Wei Zhiheng tilted his head, the smile on his face widening.

Meanwhile, Yvette and Davis returned home.

"Judging from your expressions, it went well?" Ansel asked, seeing how relaxed they looked.

"Frank didn’t know much, but he agreed to help." Davis said.

"So what’s next?" Kagumo asked.

"Carolyn returns to her villa from time to time. We’ll have Frank plant a tracker on her. Once we confirm her location, we’ll strike. A very simple plan." Yvette said.

Mo Ying remained silent, her head lowered in thought.

"Mo Ying, is something wrong?" Yvette asked.

"Frank agreed to our request a little too easily, didn’t he?" she asked.