Chapter 173 The Whole Truth

Chapter 173 The Whole Truth

"Move!"

The four black-suited killers exploded into action, drawing Japanese katanas from their waists. The cold blades glinted with a bloodthirsty gleam under the study's dim yellow light.

These four were all death warriors trained by the Black Dragon Society from childhood using the most brutal methods. Each one had blood on their hands.

They moved in perfect synchronization—two rushed from the front with grooved short blades, while the other two ghosted toward Leo's blind spots on either side, cutting off all escape routes.

Steel flashed, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle as the blades drove straight for Leo's throat and heart!

However.

Before their blades could get within three steps of Leo—

'Bang!'

Leo's figure vanished from where he stood, as if teleporting.

The next second, he was already behind the leftmost killer.

"What—?"

The killer's pupils contracted. He didn't even have time to turn around.

Leo's hand had already locked precisely onto the back of his neck and twisted sharply.

Crack.

The sound of a snapping cervical spine echoed clearly through the study.

The killer didn't even have time to scream before he collapsed like a puddle of mud.

"Bastard!"

The remaining three killers recoiled in shock, swinging their katanas wildly at Leo.

But in Leo's eyes, their movements were as slow as a replay in slow motion.

"Too slow."

Leo's voice was flat.

He sidestepped, easily avoiding the blade that came crashing down, and simultaneously snatched the second killer's katana from his grip.

The blade traced a cold arc through the air.

 

Blood fountained out.

The second killer clutched his severed throat and collapsed unwillingly into a pool of blood.

 

The remaining two killers had descended into complete madness, charging at Leo without regard for their own lives.

Leo's eyes turned cold. The katana in his hand became Death's scythe, slashing out two consecutive arcs.

Two heads flew into the air, tracing bloody parabolas before slamming heavily onto the carpet.

The headless bodies maintained their charging posture, staggering forward two more steps before crashing to the ground.

From the moment the four killers attacked to the moment they all lay in pools of blood—

Less than ten seconds had passed.

The study reeked of thick blood.

Marcel sat paralyzed on the floor, trembling violently.

And Ichii, who had been so arrogant moments ago, was now pale as paper, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He finally realized that this young man in front of him was definitely not some damn private investigator!

"You... who the hell are you..."

Ichii's hand trembled as he reached for his phone on the desk, trying to dial emergency services.

However.

Before his fingers could touch the screen—

'Bang!'

Leo kicked the desk.

The heavy rosewood desk instantly shattered into pieces, along with the phone on it.

Ichii screamed and fell backward behind his chair.

Before he could scramble up—

Leo was already standing over him, his rough military boot pressing down mercilessly on Ichii's right wrist.

 

The sound of bone breaking.

"Ahhh!"

Ichii's scream tore through the air, his face contorting beyond recognition from the pain.

Leo looked down at this Japanese man who had been so domineering moments ago, his eyes as cold as if viewing an ant.

"You bastard!"

Ichii gritted his teeth, pain and rage making him lose all reason. "Do you know who I am?! I'm a core member of the Black Dragon Society's Fujiwara family!"

"You dare touch me? The Black Dragon Society will never let you go!"

"We have thousands of killers worldwide! You can't escape! You and your family will all die without a burial place!"

Listening to Ichii's hysterical threats, Leo's expression showed no ripple.

He calmly pulled out his cigar case from his coat pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag.

"Finished?"

Leo exhaled a thick cloud of smoke into Ichii's twisted face. "Then it's my turn to ask questions."

He ignored Ichii, still screaming on the floor, and slowly turned his head, his deep eyes landing on Marcel, who sat paralyzed in the corner, completely stunned.

"Mr. Dupont."

Leo's voice was terrifyingly calm. "Now, it's time for you to tell the truth."

"I... I..."

Marcel trembled violently. Looking at the corpses and blood covering the floor, he finally broke down completely.

"Please... please don't kill me..."

Marcel knelt on the ground, kowtowing frantically. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Just please spare me..."

"Talia... Talia was kidnapped by them! She's not in Paris! These bastards locked her up!"

Hearing this, a cold gleam flashed through Leo's eyes.

Just as he thought.

"Keep talking." Leo's voice was flat.

Marcel cried until tears and snot ran down his face, stammering out the truth from all those years ago:

"Back then... Etienne actually knew from the start that those test subjects came from questionable sources..."

Marcel's voice trembled. "But he didn't care... he didn't care about their lives at all..."

"He just wanted to prove himself! To prove his theory was right! To leave a bold mark in the history of science!"

"During that time, Etienne was like a man possessed. He worked in the lab day and night, personally injecting those gene serums, watching one test subject after another die screaming..."

"He wasn't some great scientist who discovered his conscience... he was a madman... a demon blinded by fame and fortune..."

Marcel's voice grew lower and lower. "Until one day, Etienne finally succeeded. He used those test subjects' data to verify his theory. He got everything he wanted."

"And then..."

Marcel laughed bitterly. "He tried to break free from the Evernight Order and the Japanese. He naively thought that threatening to expose everything would force them to let him go."

"But he was wrong! Three days later, he died in a 'car accident.'"

The study fell into brief silence.

Only Ichii's painful groans still echoed.

Leo took a deep drag of his cigar and slowly exhaled the smoke.

As expected, the so-called great scientist was just another pitiful wretch corroded by power and fame.

"What about you?"

Leo looked at Marcel. "Why are you working for the Japanese?"

"I... I'm Talia's uncle..."

Marcel raised his head, his eyes full of pain and guilt. "After Etienne died, Talia was only a ten-year-old child. She had no one to rely on except me."

"But the Japanese found me. They kidnapped Talia and threatened me to continue Etienne's research."

"They said as long as I behaved, they'd let Talia call me once a year to report she was safe. If I dared resist, dared run, dared leak anything..."

"They'd turn Talia into a 'test subject' on the operating table..."

Marcel broke down crying. "I had no choice... I really had no choice... she's my only niece... I couldn't watch her die..."

"For twenty-five years, I've been like a dog, ordered around by them..."

"I hate it! I hate Etienne! I hate his greed! His stupidity! I hate that he left such a mess behind!"

"I hate myself too! I hate how weak I am! I hate that I don't have the courage to resist..."

Listening to Marcel's sobbing, Leo's eyes showed no sympathy.

In this world, everyone pays the price for their own choices.

Weakness itself is a sin.

"You coward!"

Ichii on the floor suddenly burst into a vicious laugh:

"Marcel! You cheap dog! You think telling this guy everything will save you?"

"Dream on!"

Ichii's eyes flashed with madness. "The Black Dragon Society and the Evernight Order have power all over the world! You're all going to die! All of you!"

"Especially you!"

Ichii stared at Leo. "I don't care who you are! You killed Black Dragon Society members—you're dead!"

"Shut up!"

Marcel suddenly lunged forward, rushing to Ichii and kicking him hard in the face.

Twenty-five years of humiliation, being treated like a dog by the Japanese. The guilt of putting his own daughter in danger to protect his niece. In this moment, it all erupted like a volcano!

Crack.

Ichii's nose gushed blood.

"This is for imprisoning Talia for twenty-five years!"

Marcel's eyes were bloodshot as he punched Ichii's face again and again. "This is for you Japanese killing my brother-in-law!"

"This is for turning me into a dog!"

Twenty-five years of humiliation, twenty-five years of rage—it all exploded in this moment.

Marcel was like a madman, his fists raining down on Ichii's body.

He didn't stop until his hands were covered in blood, finally panting heavily.

Ichii was beaten black and blue, several teeth knocked out, groaning incoherently.

But even so, the viciousness in his eyes hadn't faded.

"Had... had enough..."

Ichii spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, grinning viciously at Marcel:

"You think this makes you feel better? You think beating me up will bring Talia back?"

"Dream on!"

"Talia will always be our hostage! You'll never see her again in this lifetime!"

"And..."

Ichii turned to look at Leo, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "I don't care who you are. The Black Dragon Society and the Evernight Order together—you don't stand a chance! Behind us stands the oldest, most powerful..."

Marcel suddenly cut off Ichii's words.

He looked at Leo, a flash of relief in his eyes. "Do you know who's standing in front of you?"

"He is... Leo."

"Codename—Reaper."

"The one who, in just a few months, destroyed the Drake family, the Romano family, the Rothschild family, and slaughtered the Gray Cloaks and Nightfall organizations... Death himself."

At those words—

The vicious grin on Ichii's face froze instantly.

His eyes widened, his whole body trembling violently, the triumph in his eyes completely transforming into absolute terror.

"Reaper?"

Ichii's voice shook. "You... you're the one who... carved a path of death through all of Europe..."

He finally understood what kind of monster he'd provoked.

All those arrogant threats, all that swagger—now they sounded ridiculous and stupid even to his own ears.

Leo calmly ground out his cigar on Ichii's shoulder.

 

The sound of burning flesh.

Ichii let out a piercing scream.

"Now."

Leo looked down at him, his voice cold as a blade. "Tell me where Talia is."