Caitlin took out an oil-paper package from her pocket and carefully held it out. “T-Five, don’t breathe, look closely.”
T-Five focused his gaze on the package in her hand, holding his breath as he awaited the reveal of the mysterious item.
Caitlin moved closer to T-Five, and with careful precision, she unwrapped the oil-paper package right in front of him. In the blink of an eye, she flung the package, and the powder inside quickly flew onto T-Five’s face, blinding his eyes and clogging his nose and mouth.
“Caitlin, you…”
Before T-Five could finish his sentence, Caitlin grabbed his throat and slammed him onto the table, pinning him down.
As T-Five struggled to gasp for air, Caitlin swiftly inserted a black bug into his nose through a fine tube. Her movements were smooth and precise, and she quickly subdued T-Five.
T-Five never expected that such a small woman could take him down right under his nose. He hadn’t even had time to draw his weapon!
Caitlin retrieved a dagger from her belt and pressed it against his neck. “T-Five, sorry, but you’ve crossed the line.”
“You… you dare betray me…” T-Five began, his voice trembling.
Caitlin chuckled. “Look at you, T-Five, always scheming against others. You don’t think anyone else can scheme against you just once?”
With a mocking smirk, she continued, “I just used a little beauty trick. Didn’t think you’d fall for it. This just shows how all men are the same.”
T-Five’s face darkened as he fumed with rage. “I fell for it… what did you put in my nose? It itches so much…”
T-Five felt something crawling inside his nose. It was an unbearable sensation. He wanted to sneeze, but couldn’t.
Caitlin explained calmly, “I placed a cursed bug inside you. You’d better not get angry, or it will make your suffering much worse.”
She pulled back the dagger and smiled coldly.
Her knowledge of South American poisons and curses was not to be taken lightly. Anyone who provoked her would learn the consequences.
“You dare play tricks on me? Just wait, I’ll make you regret this,” T-Five muttered, seething with fury.
But as soon as he moved in anger, the bug began to stir inside his body, gnawing at him. The pain overwhelmed him, and he collapsed onto the floor, writhing in agony.
Meanwhile, Caitlin nonchalantly took a seat at T-Five’s former place and started to trim her nails with the dagger, maintaining an air of quiet authority.
The pain was unbearable for T-Five, and after a while, he crawled to her feet, groaning in misery. “Caitlin… please… spare me… I… I don’t want the goods anymore…”
Caitlin smiled sweetly, “T-Five, all I want is to save my son. As long as they’re unharmed, you won’t have to worry.”
“Okay… okay… save me… I’ll release them…” T-Five’s voice faltered, drenched in cold sweat, his body nearly broken from the pain.
Caitlin retrieved a pill and threw it at him. “Take this. It’ll stop the pain.”
T-Five didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the pill and swallowed it. Soon, the pain faded.
As soon as he stood up, however, T-Five pulled out a weapon and aimed it at Caitlin.
Caitlin wasn’t fazed. “That pill only numbs the pain for a minute. Go ahead, shoot me if you want. But when the effect wears off, you’ll feel even worse. And, aside from me, no one else can save you. Your life is in my hands. Go ahead, shoot me!”
“You think you can fool me? I wasn’t raised to be so easily intimidated.”
T-Five refused to believe her, but after a minute, his body began to ache again. His hands trembled, and he couldn’t grip his weapon properly. The pain hit him with full force once more, and he collapsed, convulsing on the floor.
This time, T-Five felt the full extent of the torment, and his attitude toward Caitlin shifted from anger to dread. He could no longer bring himself to threaten her. Instead, he crumpled at her feet, kowtowing.
“Caitlin… please… please… let me go… I’ll do anything… I’ll follow you, I’ll be yours from now on, just please save me…”
“But if I save you, you’ll turn around and try to kill me again,” Caitlin replied coldly.
“No… I won’t… my life is yours, just save me!” T-Five’s voice was desperate.
T-Five had spent years in the underworld, yet he had never encountered someone who could instill genuine fear in him. Caitlin shattered all his assumptions about women.
Caitlin pulled out another pill. “I’ll give you the antidote in three doses. This is the first one. Take it, and take me to my son. If they even have the slightest scratch on them, I will make you wish you were dead.”
“Okay… okay…” T-Five nodded quickly, swallowing the pill without question.
Meanwhile, in the underground warehouse, rows of shelves were filled with treasures-antiques and rare artifacts-belonging to T-Five’s private collection. He had locked the two children in the corner of the warehouse, planning to use them as leverage to retrieve the goods.
The two kids were bound with ropes and gagged with cloths. Howard, unable to speak in the first place, didn’t need the cloth, but Arthur, ever resourceful, was already planning something.
He began to wiggle his body and managed to kick over a nearby stool, drawing the attention of the guard. The guard, seeing the kid wriggling on the floor, removed the cloth from his mouth. “What do you want, kid?”
“Uncle, I need to pee. Can you take me to the bathroom? Please…” Arthur looked up with wide, innocent eyes, his voice full of pleading. Anyone would find it hard to refuse such a request.
“Alright, alright, hurry up.”
The guard thought little of it-after all, Arthur was just a five-year-old boy. What harm could he do? He untied the ropes around Arthur and led him to the bathroom.
As soon as Arthur was inside, he took advantage of the guard’s distraction. He quickly tossed a loop of rope around the guard’s neck and yanked hard.
The guard struggled to grab him, but Arthur swiftly climbed up the stairs and leaped down, pulling the guard with him. The loop tightened, and the guard was left immobilized, unable to make a sound.
Arthur then quickly secured the rope, but just as he thought he was free, another guard appeared.
Arthur was no slouch, though. Under Faith’s training, he had become quite the fighter, holding a black belt in Taekwondo. With a swift flying side kick, he knocked the second guard to the ground and then pinned him, knocking him unconscious with a leg lock.
Arthur had taken down two grown men on his own. He then hurried back to untie Howard.
Once Howard was free, he gave Arthur a thumbs-up.
Arthur grinned and said, “Howard, let’s go!”
But just as they were about to escape, Howard suddenly stopped and grabbed Arthur’s arm.
“What’s wrong, Howard?” Arthur asked, puzzled.