Meanwhile, Duncan drove to the outskirts with his remaining men, planning to take a detour through a suburban park to leave the city. He knew Lance and Raphael would have set up ambushes at all major exits in the city. To escape, he had to leave from an unexpected place.
Unbeknownst to him, a small tail had been following them. As they arrived at a side path near the suburban park and got out of the car to climb over the wall, they heard the sound of an engine behind them.
"Master, bad news. Someone's followed us," Duncan's trusted aide said, his face suddenly pale. He then pulled Duncan into the nearby bushes to hide. He didn't forget to instruct, "The rest of you, get back in the car and keep driving until you shake off the tail. Return in four hours; we'll meet at Orchid Manor."
Almost immediately after he spoke, the others got back into the car with trained efficiency and drove away. The whole process took less than a minute. Some men stayed behind, hiding in the bushes on either side of the road to protect Duncan.
At that moment, two ordinary black sedans appeared in their line of sight. Initially, they thought these cars would follow their departing comrades, but to their surprise, the cars stopped.
Seeing this, Duncan and his men grew tense. They had no idea how many people were in those cars and whether they could escape unscathed if a fight broke out.
As they speculated wildly, a group of well-trained foreign men in black suits got out of the cars. Leading them was Avery, Eula's trusted aide.
"Friends, I know you're hiding nearby. Rest assured, we mean no harm and have even destroyed the surveillance footage along your route," Avery said. The surroundings fell silent as if no one else was there.
Avery wasn't discouraged and continued, "Our master knows your opponent is Lance. She asked me to tell you that you share the same goal and can cooperate."
One second passed, then two, then three. Time seemed to stand still with no response. Avery's expression darkened as he considered using force.
"Friends, this is your last chance. If you don't come out, we'll have to break the peace and force you out."
Upon hearing this, Duncan's face tightened as he pondered. His trusted aide whispered, "Sir, how about you stay hidden while I lead them away?"
Duncan was tempted by this suggestion but was more intrigued by the offer of cooperation against a common enemy. Most of his power had been destroyed by Lance; he had barely managed to recover a third of it, only for Lance to take another third away.
To deal with Lance later, he would need at least six months to regroup. But six months was too long; he couldn't wait and feared unforeseen events.
"No need. We'll go meet these people," Duncan decided after some thought. He patted his aide's arm and stood up from their hiding spot, straightening his clothes before walking out boldly.
With his movement, others hiding also revealed themselves. Avery's men tensed up as they saw more henchmen emerging from both sides of the road.
Both sides scrutinized each other. Duncan initially wanted to maintain his dignity and waited for the other side to speak first. But after a few minutes of silence, he suppressed his displeasure and asked, "You seem like foreigners. Which side are you from?"
"Mr. Miller, there's no need to probe our identity. You don't have the right to know yet. Since you're willing to come out, it means you're open to cooperation. Please get in the car; our master is waiting for you," Avery said, revealing Duncan's identity.
Duncan's expression grew serious as he narrowed his eyes dangerously. He was sure this man hadn't known his identity earlier but had found out within minutes. This indicated that the force behind him was formidable.
His trusted aide shared the same thought.
Half an hour later, they arrived at a luxurious club. Avery led Duncan to a private room. Inside, Duncan found it empty and frowned.
Before he could ask anything, Avery's voice sounded beside him. "Mr. Miller can sit and rest for a while; our master will be here shortly."
"Tell your master to hurry up; I need to leave soon," Duncan said as he sat on a nearby sofa with a stern face.
About five minutes later, the door opened again, and Eula walked in wearing a golden masquerade mask.