Chapter 193
When the simple greetings of the villagers reached him, the coldness on Marco's face was perfectly masked by a gentle smile.
As usual, he nodded with a smile in response, even stopping to ask about the old lady next door's chronic back and leg pain, his tone patient and caring. It was as if the fleeting change in his expression just moments ago was merely an illusion under the sunlight.
Only he knew that a chilling coldness was slowly but surely spreading through his chest.
Eva's disappearance wasn't just about losing an important piece on the chessboard.
It meant there was a major flaw in his plans in Arcturus. It meant he had lost direct control over the Barton line. More importantly, it meant that the revenge game he had been orchestrating from behind the scenes now had an unpredictable variable.
He had to act immediately.
After exchanging pleasantries with the villagers, Marco's steps appeared calm but were noticeably quicker than usual. He walked along the winding village path back to his modest wooden cabin on the edge of the village, near the forest.
The cabin looked ordinary from the outside, no different from the other houses in the village. But inside, it was a different story. Not only was it fully equipped with modern amenities, but it also hid some sophisticated communication and security devices.
Marco locked the heavy wooden door behind him, shutting out the tranquility and sunlight of the village.
The light inside filtered through the blinds, casting stripes of light and shadow across his face, making his gentle smile seem somewhat unreadable.
He walked to the fireplace and pressed a specific sequence on an inconspicuous brick above the hearth.
With a faint click, a hidden compartment popped open, revealing an old-fashioned but clearly highly encrypted satellite phone inside.
Marco picked up the phone and dialed a rarely used number etched deep in his memory.
The call was answered after just two rings.
A man's voice came through, sounding a bit tired but with a shrewd, street-smart edge, speaking in heavily accented Eldorian, "Who's this?"
"Blake," Marco began, his voice returning to its usual warm and steady tone, even carrying a faint, well-measured pleasure as if reuniting with an old friend, "long time no see. I hope this unexpected call isn't interrupting your, uh, afternoon money-counting session?"
Blake, on the other end, was clearly caught off guard.
Then, a subtle tension and caution crept into his street-smart tone, "Marco? God, is it really you? You're actually reaching out to me? I heard you…"
He seemed to realize he'd said too much and quickly stopped, letting out a dry laugh, "Never mind, never mind, old friend. How are you? What made you call me?"
Marco acted as if he hadn't noticed the probing and nervousness in Blake's words, keeping his tone gentle, "I'm doing alright, staying in a quiet place, enjoying some time away from the chaos. Thinking about the past, and also about some old favors I might need a little help with from an old friend."
He paused briefly, not giving Blake much time to think, and got straight to the point, lowering his voice, "Blake, I need to know what's happening in Arcturus right now, especially about Vitale—his recent moves, and whether he's captured a young woman, around twenty years old, with dark brown hair, green eyes, and decent fighting skills."
On the other end, Blake went silent for a longer moment, his breathing growing heavier.
Clearly, the two questions Marco asked touched on the most sensitive and dangerous topics for him right now.
"Marco," Blake's voice carried obvious hesitation and fear, "you know, ever since Vitale, that psycho, came after me over the racetrack incident, I've been keeping my distance from anything to do with him."
"He's like a ticking time bomb right now. No one in Arcturus dares to mess with him. As for a woman…"
Blake swallowed hard, his voice dropping even lower, "I did hear something. Apparently, his precious mistress, Isabella, got kidnapped a while back. Vitale went berserk over it, turned Arcturus upside down, grabbed a bunch of people, and killed quite a few too."
"It was a huge mess. As for the young woman you're asking about, I didn't pay much attention."
"But lately, security around Vitale has been super tight, especially at his private hospitals and hideouts."
Though Blake's information was vague, it was enough for Marco to piece together some key details.
Vitale's mistress was kidnapped, Vitale retaliated in a rage, and Arcturus was in turmoil.
Eva's disappearance was very likely connected to Vitale.
"I got it, Blake. Thanks," Marco said, his voice still gentle, even carrying a hint of gratitude. "This info is helpful. As a token of appreciation, I heard your little nephew in Novaria is having some trouble with his study abroad paperwork? Maybe I can get a friend over there to help out."
Blake's tone immediately turned more respectful, even a bit flattering, "Marco! You're such a good friend! If you can help with the kid's stuff, that'd be amazing! I'll try to keep an ear out for more about Vitale…"
"No need to take unnecessary risks, old friend," Marco cut him off gently. "Stay low, live your life. If there's anything really important, just call this number. Take care."
He hung up cleanly, not giving Blake any chance to get closer or ask more questions.
Marco returned the satellite phone to the hidden compartment and secured it back in place.
Then he walked to the window, peering through the slits of the blinds at the raging sea below the distant cliff. The smile was gone from his face, replaced by a deep, icy coldness and the rapid calculations running through his mind.
Eva was in Vitale's hands.
The situation was worse than he'd expected, but it might also be an opportunity.
Meanwhile, at Jerry's heavily guarded private medical base in the remote outskirts of Arcturus…
Vitale had just arrived. Amboni and Victor were already waiting in the main hall.
Victor looked even more exhausted than Vitale, with dark bags under his eyes, clearly worn out from the intense efforts to corner Barton these past few days.
"Boss," Victor approached, speaking quickly to report, "good news is, Barton and his crew are definitely trapped in Arcturus. We've got all the exits locked down, and every time they've tried to sneak out in disguise, we've spotted them and forced them back. They're like rats stuck in a barrel of oil—no matter how much they struggle, they're not getting out."
He rubbed his temples, exhaustion on his face, "Bad news is, these rats are hiding deep. Arcturus has too many places to disappear—underground tunnels, abandoned factories, slums, you name it."
"We've been searching non-stop for days, barely sleeping, and everyone's stretched too thin. Efficiency is starting to drop."
"I'm just saying, can we let everyone take turns resting, even just for a few hours? Otherwise, I'm worried we'll collapse before we find them."
Victor didn't hold much hope as he said this.
He knew how deep Vitale's hatred for Barton ran and how relentless Vitale was when it came to pursuing something—he never stopped until he got what he wanted.
Letting his men rest at a critical moment like this?
Unlikely.
But to Victor and Amboni's surprise, Vitale barely hesitated. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded, "Alright."
Victor and Amboni were stunned, wondering if they'd heard wrong.
Seeing their shocked expressions, Vitale's lips twitched into a slight smirk.
He was indeed in a good mood.
Isabella's return and the intense, reconciliatory night they'd shared had acted like a powerful soothing balm, temporarily calming the rage and anxiety that had been boiling inside him for days.
Though Eva's awakening brought new complications, the overall situation was moving in a favorable direction.
Letting his men rest a bit to maintain steady pressure and slowly wear down the hiding Barton wasn't a bad strategy.
"Arrange shifts, six hours of rest per group," Vitale added, his tone leaving no room for debate. "But surveillance can't slack, and the intel network stays active. I want to know every possible move they make."
"Yes, Boss!" Victor snapped out of his daze, a relieved smile spreading across his face. He quickly pulled out his phone and stepped aside to share the good news.
Hearing they could take turns resting would undoubtedly boost the team's morale.
"And Eva?" Vitale turned to Amboni.
"She's inside. Jerry's with her," Amboni said, pointing toward a special care ward down the corridor. "But the situation is a bit…"
Before he could finish, a faint commotion broke out from the direction of the ward—a woman's agitated voice mixed with the sound of objects crashing and a nurse's startled gasp.
Vitale's brow furrowed. Without asking more, he strode toward the source of the noise.
Amboni hurried to follow.
Pushing open the slightly ajar door of the ward, the scene inside made Vitale raise an eyebrow.
The room was a mess. Monitoring equipment had been knocked over, the IV stand was tilted, and bottles of medicine and bandages were scattered across the floor.
Jerry stood in the center of the room, a few steps from the bed, his hands slightly raised in a calming gesture. His face held its usual calm, almost detached expression, while his sharp eyes behind gold-rimmed glasses observed the scene ahead.
And in front of him was Eva, who had just woken up not long ago.