Chris still remembered the last time at the East Coast, when Seraphina had left without saying goodbye. Moreover, as she left, Seraphina had set him up, causing Juliette to catch him in a compromising situation. Seraphina had declared, “I’m here on a mission for the Cinder Society!”
Then she added, “Alright, I’ve got no more to say to you, I have a mission to carry out!”
With those words, Seraphina turned and quickly walked away.
Watching Seraphina’s retreating figure, Chris was completely stunned. He had wanted to have a proper conversation with Seraphina, but she had been in such a hurry. Of course, the Cinder Society was a special agency in Amerosia, often tasked with secretive missions. Chris didn’t dwell on it too much and, carrying the clothes he had bought, returned to the hotel.
“Darling, why did it take you so long to come back?”
Esther threw herself into his arms as soon as he returned to the hotel. Since Chris had left, Esther had been very scared. After all, they were in Babylon, the most dangerous place in the world. The sound of gunfire was constant, more frequent even than the sound of fireworks back home.
Chris hugged Esther and soothed her by patting her back.
“I’m sorry, my dear, I got held up with something,” he apologized. Chris chose not to mention his encounter with Seraphina to Esther. After all, Seraphina was on a secret mission for the Cinder Society, and telling Esther would be pointless.
The next day was marked by the thunderous roar of engines. A convoy of dark green Humvees surrounded the hotel. Tiger, Lynx, and Phoenix jumped out of the vehicles.
“Boss!”
they exclaimed, overjoyed to see him.
“Boss, we finally found you, and it’s such a relief!”
“Boss, you have no idea, we’ve been frantic looking for you while you were missing.”
Seeing their anxious faces, Chris felt deeply moved. He chuckled lightly, “Don’t look so worried; I’m alright, aren’t I?”
The relief was palpable among his men.
Lynx stepped forward, his expression grave.
“Boss, on our way here, we learned something. Ironheart Steer is leading tens of thousands of members from the Hall of Valerian here. It seems he’s out to kill you!”
Upon hearing this, Chris’s expression darkened.
“That Ironheart Steer almost had me killed; this time, I’ll make sure he doesn’t return,” Chris gritted his teeth in anger.
Lynx asked, “Boss, what’s the plan?”
Chris muttered to himself, “It looks like it’s time to meet some of my old friends here in Babylon.”
The power dynamics among Babylon’s warlords were complex. Chris, as the Primus of Amerosia, had been to Babylon on multiple missions before and had made many friends there.
One of these friends was Abdul Rahman, a major warlord in the Kingdom of Babylon, famous for his command over nearly a hundred thousand troops and controlling about a third of the kingdom’s oil and gas resources. At that moment, Abdul Rahman was lounging in a luxurious villa, smoking a cigar.
Bang! Suddenly, a loud noise erupted as the villa’s gate was kicked open. Several men were sent flying inside. Seeing this, Abdul Rahman immediately stood up.
“Lord Death!”
His eyes widened at the sight of the newcomer. Chris chuckled lightly, “Abdul Rahman, I didn’t expect you to be so hard to find these days.”
The sound of clattering followed as a swarm of armed men carrying firearms rushed in, quickly surrounding Chris. Abdul Rahman took a deep breath and waved his hand, “Everyone, stand down!”
At his command, everyone withdrew. If it had been anyone else, Abdul Rahman would have ordered his men to shoot the intruder dead on the spot. But this man was Lord Death!
Abdul Rahman was all too aware of the terror of Primus. Once, he was just a minor warlord under a greater one in the Babylon Kingdom. That greater warlord had kidnapped a few people from Amerosia, attempting to threaten them. In the end, Chris personally eliminated that greater warlord. It was precisely because of this that Abdul Rahman had the opportunity to rise from a minor to a major warlord.
Moreover, Abdul Rahman understood that although this was his stronghold, killing Chris was simply impossible. What kind of man was Lord Death? He was one who made the entire underworld tremble! If Lord Death was so easy to kill, Chris wouldn’t have survived till now.
Abdul Rahman, visibly tense, asked, “Lord Death, what brings you here?”
Without any pleasantries, Chris sat down on a luxurious sofa. He looked at Abdul Rahman, “I came to ask for your help.”
Relieved, Abdul Rahman let out a sigh. He had truly feared that Chris had come to kill him. If that was Chris’s intention, he would undoubtedly be dead today.
“Lord Death, what do you need my help with?”
“In a few days, a group will come to kill me. I need your help to eliminate them.”
“Who are they?”
Abdul Rahman asked warily.
“Amerosia Hall of Valerian!”
“What? Amerosia Hall of Valerian!”
Abdul Rahman’s face turned pale immediately.
“Lord Death, you mean the Hall of Valerian of the Amerosia Lord Protector? Don’t joke about this; that’s an internal matter of Amerosia, and I want no part in it.”
Hearing this, Abdul Rahman immediately shook his head. After all, Daniel Williams was the esteemed Lord Protector of Amerosia, not someone a minor Babylon warlord like himself could afford to offend.
Moreover, if the intention was to kill Chris, it certainly wasn’t a simple matter. If he rashly got involved, he might end up dead without a place to be buried. Abdul Rahman had survived up to now not by being foolish but by knowing the wisdom of avoiding unnecessary risks.
Chris wasn’t surprised by Abdul Rahman’s refusal. He simply smiled faintly, “Abdul Rahman, I know you’ve been contesting with another major warlord over an oil and gas field. If you help me, I’ll eliminate that warlord for you and take over the field.”
Hearing this, Abdul Rahman hesitated. The importance of an oil and gas field was clear to anyone. After all, every barrel of oil extracted was worth a fortune in dollars.