“Master, we have captured a group of spies who infiltrated Mountland,” two men in suits reported as they entered the room.
“Is that so? Bring them in,” Dylan Harding waved his hand. Immediately, the two men in suits brought in the prisoners. Among them was an extremely attractive woman, who was bound and struggled in vain, frowning. Despite this, she exuded an aura that warned others to stay away.
Among the other men and women, none had a unique aura like hers. However, amidst the crowd, there was an old man with a proud demeanor, who glared at Dylan Harding and said, “Dylan Harding, what do you mean by capturing me? Even your father dare not do this.” This man was Master Lawson.
“Master Lawson, so you are here too,” Dylan Harding looked surprised. He then turned to his subordinates, “Are you blind? This is Master Lawson. You have no right to capture him. Quickly untie him. If any harm comes to him, you’ll be the ones responsible.”
“Yes, sir,” the subordinate quickly untied Master Lawson.
Master Lawson stretched a bit, then pointed to the rest of the captives and said to Dylan Harding, “Dylan Harding, what about these people? Untie them too, we need to get going.”
“Go? That’s not possible,” Dylan Harding shook his head, “May I ask, what is your relationship with these people, Master Lawson?”
“They are my distant relatives,” answered Master Lawson.
“Oh, is that so?” Dylan Harding smiled, and walked over to one of the men, tapped him on the head, and asked, “Who is this man to you?”
“My nephew,” Master Lawson replied.
“And this woman?” Dylan Harding moved to one of the women.
“My sister.”
“And this man?”
“My brother-in-law.”
“My old friend.”
And so on…
He introduced them one by one, except for the icy beauty. Only then did Dylan Harding withdraw his hand and step back, saying: “It seems I misunderstood Master Lawson. Men, untie the ones that I just pointed out and escort them back to Master Lawson’s residence.”
“Yes, sir,” the servants began untying the captives, preparing to usher them out.
However, Master Lawson furrowed his brows, looking at the icy beauty in the middle and said, “Dylan Harding, this is my niece, Cecelia. Release her immediately.”
“Release her? I’m afraid I can’t do that, old man. I’ll ask you again, is she indeed your niece? I must inform you, this woman is a spy from the capital. If she truly has any relation with you, all these people around you, your family, are in danger. Master Lawson, you must consider carefully,” Dylan Harding said, the corner of his mouth curving into a sinister smile as he watched them.
The decision was theirs to make.
Master Lawson’s brow furrowed even deeper. He glanced at the woman still in bindings, then at the people behind him, all from the capital. If he continued to claim the woman as his niece, they were all in peril. His children, his grandchildren. The decision weighed heavily on his heart.
The people standing behind him didn’t dare to speak up. The matter at hand affected not just their lives, but the entire family of Master Lawson. If it was merely a matter of their lives, they were unafraid of death. They had been trained for this. But the decision was up to Master Lawson.
However, before Master Lawson could speak, the woman in the middle spoke, “Yes, I am a spy from the capital. My name is Alison. I killed his niece and took her place.”
Her confession left everyone with their mouths agape, staring at Alison.
She had confessed.
Master Lawson looked at Alison, but Alison rebuked him, “Old man, what are you looking at? I’m not your niece. I killed your niece. Get lost.”
“Hmph,” Master Lawson’s face darkened. He made a decision, turned to Dylan Harding, stroking his beard and said, “This woman is your problem now, Master Dylan. We have other matters to attend to and will be leaving.”
“Fine,” Dylan Harding nodded. However, as Master Lawson turned to leave, he called out, “Don’t worry, Master Lawson. I will avenge your deceased niece. We won’t let her get off easy. And she’s so pretty too. We’ll have a good time tonight, won’t we, boys?”
Master Lawson’s face turned ashen. It was insufferable.
But he dared not go back, he didn’t even dare to reprimand Dylan Harding. He couldn’t waste the opportunity Alison had created. One wrong move, and everyone here would be wiped out.
So, he had to leave. He must leave.
Only, he felt he owed Alison.
Once Master Lawson and his party had left, Dylan Harding crouched down in front of Alison, touching her chin. She resisted fiercely, and only then did Dylan Harding laugh, “Alison, what a nice name. Though, it doesn’t quite suit your icy demeanor. You should have chosen a sexier name for such a fine figure, don’t you think?”
Alison didn’t respond, only stared at Dylan Harding, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
“You’re glaring at me? Well, keep glaring, because soon you won’t have the time to glare at me. You will receive a punishment like no other. Are you excited? It’s a reward for your bravery.”
A twisted smile appeared on Dylan Harding’s face, then he waved his hand and ordered, “Men, take her away. Groups of ten, have fun. Consider it a reward from me. But don’t play her to death, I have some other plans for her.”
At his words, even Alison turned pale.
“Yes, sir,” his underlings eagerly stepped forward.
What a beauty.
Their boss was generous enough to share such a beauty with them. What a great boss.
However, with a swoosh, a knife gleaming silver appeared before them.
“This.” Dylan Harding slowly turned his head, looking at Nightowl with a smirk. It was Nightowl’s turn to make a move. He said, “Mr. Owl, what is your intention here? You’re not one to show sympathy for others. How many people have died at your hands? Enough to stack a mountain, perhaps? Or is there some connection you have with the capital that requires you to save this person?” His words were laced with a deathly threat and a probing undertone.
Today, this was a set-up, a strategy to test Nightowl.