Chapter 59: Paul Wolf

The Rosenberg Mansion, training room.

Winter afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"One more time."

Leo stood in the center of the fighting mat, hands in his pockets. "Remember, when you punch, the power comes from your waist and travels up your spine to your arm."

Across from him, Lily wore a black tracksuit, her golden hair tied in a ponytail.

She took a deep breath and assumed the fighting stance Leo had taught her.

With a light shout, Lily threw a punch.

Though not very powerful, her form was already quite standard.

"Good."

Leo nodded. "Better than yesterday. Ten more sets, then rest."

Danger could strike at any time, and he could not protect Lily every moment, so he had decided to teach her combat skills himself.

"Yes, Leo!"

Excitement flashed in Lily's eyes as she continued practicing.

She was completely different from the hollow-eyed girl she had been before.

All of this was because of Leo.

He had saved her. He had given her the courage to live.

At the training room entrance.

Chloe leaned against the doorframe, quietly watching the scene, her eyes full of tenderness.

"I never thought Lily would recover this quickly."

She murmured to herself, "From a complete breakdown to where she is now, in just a month..."

Lily completed ten sets of straight punches and stopped, breathing heavily.

"Leo, can I... can I keep going?"

She looked up, those once-hollow eyes now filled with admiration and determination.

"You can."

Leo walked over to her and gently ruffled her hair. "But that is enough for today. Pushing too hard will only hurt you."

"OK!"

Lily nodded vigorously and obediently picked up a towel to wipe her sweat.

"Lily, let's go have some dessert."

Chloe entered the training room and took Lily's hand. "The kitchen just made your favorite tiramisu."

"Great! Thank you, Chloe!"

Lily smiled happily.

That smile was as clear and bright as winter sunlight.

Chloe led Lily out of the training room.

Leo stood in place, watching their retreating figures, a faint smile playing at his lips.

At least Lily had emerged from the shadows.

That was enough.

A seductive voice came from another entrance to the training room.

"Reaper, since when did you become such a caring guy? That is not your style at all."

Serafina walked in on high heels, her figure swaying gracefully.

She wore a white dress with a low neckline, her pale skin glowing enticingly in the sunlight.

After entering, she casually removed her sunglasses and hung them around her neck.

"Why are you here?"

Leo turned around, looking at this woman who had suddenly appeared.

"Got the results?"

"Of course."

"Detailed intel on Mourner. Cost me quite a bit of effort to get."

Serafina walked up to Leo, her slender fingers opening the metal clasp of her handbag and pulling out a manila envelope.

She extracted a thick stack of documents and handed them to Leo, brushing back the wavy hair falling over her shoulder.

Leo took the file and quickly scanned through it.

"Mourner, real name Paul Wolf."

Serafina dropped her playful expression, her face turning serious. "Former commander of Russia's Alpha Special Forces. Defected during a classified mission ten years ago and disappeared."

"His most impressive achievement was infiltrating a Chechen organization alone, successfully assassinating three warlord leaders while surrounded by three hundred armed militants, then escaping unscathed."

"This man is a true killing machine. Firearms, combat, demolition, infiltration... he is good at all of it."

"This is Mourner?"

Leo finished reading and closed the file, a cold smile crossing his lips. "Looks like he has some skills."

"Some skills?"

Serafina raised an eyebrow. "Leo, this guy is no joke. He and Killer are not in the same league."

"Killer might be strong, but he is old. Mourner is in his prime, and he is more ruthless and more cautious than Killer."

"You need to be careful. This man will not be easy to deal with."

"I know."

Leo tossed the file onto a nearby bench. "So, did you find the location of Nightfall's base in Europe?"

"I did."

Serafina pulled another photo from her handbag and handed it to Leo.

The photo showed an ancient castle situated by a lake.

Gothic spires, thick stone walls, surrounded by dense forest.

"This is an old castle on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland."

Serafina pointed at the photo. "Officially, it is a private museum, but in reality, it is Nightfall's European headquarters."

"Security is tight. At least fifty armed guards on the perimeter, plus various high-tech surveillance systems inside."

"A frontal assault would be almost impossible."

Leo looked at the photo and fell silent for a few seconds.

"What about Mourner's personality?"

"Extremely cautious."

Serafina turned and leaned against the bench's armrest, crossing her legs. "Mourner is extremely cautious by nature. He will not easily step into territory he is unfamiliar with."

"Then he definitely will not come to America."

A cold smile crossed Leo's lips.

"Smart."

Serafina looked at Leo appreciatively. "Mourner is extremely cautious by nature. He will not easily venture into territory he does not know."

"America is your home turf. He will not risk coming here."

"Makes sense."

Leo tossed the photo onto the bench. "At least things are safe here in America."

"So why did he send me the photo, threatening Lily?"

"To buy time."

Serafina smiled, a charming smile. "Reaper is indeed Reaper, always quick on the uptake."

"That is right. Mourner sent you that photo to provoke you, to make you act rashly."

"At the same time..."

She paused, a hint of gravity in her eyes.

"He is using this time to relocate Nightfall's base."

"Knew it."

Leo laughed coldly. "I knew it could not be that simple."

"So..."

Serafina walked up to Leo and placed a slender finger on his chest.

"Do not go to Europe. At least not now."

"Mourner wants to lure you there, then take you out on his home turf."

"And..."

Worry flashed in her eyes.

"I cannot find out who is backing Nightfall. This organization's roots run much deeper than I ever imagined."

"If you go to Europe now, you might be up against far more than just Nightfall."

Leo was silent for a few seconds.

Then a cold smile crossed his lips.

"Then I will not go."

Serafina was stunned.

She had not expected Leo to be this calm.

"You... you are not going?"

"Why would I?"

Leo turned and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the snowy scene outside.

"Mourner wants me to go to Europe, so I will not."

"He wants to buy time to relocate their headquarters, so I will let him."

"Because..."

Leo lit a cigar, exhaled a puff of smoke, cold killing intent flashing in his eyes. "He will come for me eventually."

He was not some fool. Nightfall had surely scattered and gone underground by now.

Going to Europe now just to take Mourner out alone would not be worth it.

He wanted the entire Nightfall organization wiped out.

Serafina walked to Leo's side, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Truly Reaper. I will be waiting to watch the show."

With that, Serafina left the training room on her high heels, her figure swaying.

Leo stood by the window, watching the falling snow outside.

Mourner.

Nightfall.

This hunt had only just begun.

And he would make every one of his enemies understand exactly what the name Reaper really means.