Chapter 41 Shadowmoon Council

Chapter 41 Shadowmoon Council

Emily's POV

"Joshua?"

Damn it, where is he?

I ran downstairs and grabbed the owner by his clothes, demanding answers, but he told me he hadn't seen anyone.

I wanted to check the surveillance footage, but looking at this rundown place, how could there possibly be any cameras?

I went back to the room.

I only had 12 hours. If I couldn't find Joshua, with Douglas's ruthlessness, he wouldn't spare Elizabeth.

What should I do?

"Lily, I can help you."

Who?

I looked up in surprise. The person had climbed in through the window.

It was a woman. Though she wore a mask, I could tell from her voice.

"Who are you?"

"Does it matter who I am?"

"Someone who won't show their face—you think I'd trust a cooperation like that?"

I looked at her, my mind already racing.

This woman couldn't be one of Douglas's people. If he'd already set me up, why would he send someone over?

She couldn't be Christopher's person either, or she would have identified herself right away.

That meant this was the third force hiding in the shadows.

I tested the waters. "Shadowmoon Council only sent you alone? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you? You know I'm Lily and you still dare approach me?"

The woman chuckled softly. "My codename is Hawkeye, ranked eleventh in The Zenith Class, affiliated with the Shadowmoon Council organization."

"I've heard legends about you for a long time. Now seeing you in person, there's a bit of a gap from the legends."

I pouted in dissatisfaction. What, think I'm old? Or that I'm not good enough?

"How do you want to cooperate?"

She sat down on the edge of the bed, posture casual, but I noticed her center of gravity stayed forward, her feet never fully relaxed—ready to spring into action at any moment.

"Lily, I'll cut to the chase. This is very important to you. You probably don't know yet, but Bruce is being tortured right now. He might be tortured to death tonight."

My heart sank, but I kept my face neutral, quietly waiting for her explanation. This kind of claim naturally needed evidence to be convincing.

"Think about how many people Bruce has offended over the years. He partnered with those pirates at sea, robbed quite a few cargo ships. Guess who's behind those ships?"

"According to our investigation, Bruce has offended no fewer than ten local government officials, including a governor, a police chief, and a mid-level military officer."

"Plus, Bruce teamed up with the pirates. After selling it off, they split the money 60-40—pirates get 60%, Bruce gets 40%."

As she spoke, she pulled out documents from inside her coat and placed them in front of me.

I picked up the documents. Actually, I didn't need to verify their authenticity—I already believed her.

Looking at them was just me hoping things weren't this serious.

Partnering with pirates—they did the robbing, but they still needed a legitimate money laundering channel. Bruce was that legitimate channel.

To negotiate such a split, I had no idea how he pulled it off.

Thinking back, all those troubles that appeared and disappeared over the years were probably people they sent, only to be unknowingly eliminated by me. In their eyes, they probably thought Bruce had some other backing, which is why they stayed calm.

If everything was fine, there'd be nothing to fear.

But once things fell apart, everything exploded.

Fate had already marked the price long ago.

In other words, besides government officials and the military, there were at least pirates watching Bruce too.

After all, two hundred million dollars worth of goods had disappeared—they'd naturally come after Bruce.

It's like leveraging in futures trading—lose one step, lose everything.

On one hand, Bruce in critical danger. On the other, Elizabeth who would die if I couldn't find Joshua to trade within 12 hours.

I suddenly felt this was very tricky.

Damn it, why did everything have to pile up at once?

If I went to save Bruce, forget whether I could find him—even if I could, how would I get him out?

I'm an assassin who specializes in killing, not rescuing people.

What's more, I don't even know where he is now. I can't waste all 12 hours on him.

I dismissed the idea of saving him.

But if I went to save Elizabeth, I also didn't know the location—I could only trade Joshua for her.

In 12 hours, finding him would be very difficult too.

It was basically down to luck.

I looked up at her, no longer dwelling on it. Since she brought it up, she naturally had a solution. I'd listen first, then decide.

"How do you want to cooperate?"

Hawkeye clapped lightly. "I knew you were smart, Lily. Businessmen chase profit, politicians chase power, and us assassins who constantly face danger—naturally, we're in it for the money."

"Transfer all of Bruce's assets to our name, and Shadowmoon Council guarantees to bring Bruce out in one piece. Not only that, we'll also provide after-sales service. We can give him a new identity, let him live in Silverlight City again without hiding."

I frowned at her. "You don't actually think you're funny, do you?"

"Bruce's real estate and special assets all require him to be there in person, plus submit documents."

"Large cross-bank transfers trigger anti-money laundering controls and might get frozen directly. Company equity transfers are even more complicated—they need layers of approval, plus huge personal income taxes and stamp duties. There's no such thing as 'one-click transfer.'"

"So what makes you think I can hand over all of Bruce's assets to you?"

Hawkeye stood up, chuckling. "Lily, normally, it would be as you say. But you're forgetting something."

"Let me remind you—Bruce has offended many people. Among them are politicians, military, and officials."

"Under normal circumstances, it definitely couldn't happen this fast. But now with these people's help, everything can skip the complicated procedures."

"Your words will decide Bruce's life or death. Please make your choice."

I felt something was off. I had a feeling that there was a conspiracy.

These damn bastards, every one of them so clever. It's exhausting dealing with them.

"According to you, assets can be traded for Bruce's life or death. Why not let him decide? Why make me decide?"

Hawkeye paced left and right, speaking leisurely. "About that, it's still because of you. We told Bruce about your situation. After learning you're an assassin, he insisted you save him."

"He agreed to trade his assets for his life, but he's worried we'll go back on our word, so he wants you to go. He says only by your side can he feel safe."

That did sound like something Bruce would do. But this fool—now Elizabeth's been captured too. Where do I have all this time?

"Alright, looks like I don't have a choice. Happy cooperation then."

I extended my hand.

Hawkeye extended hers as well. "Happy cooperation. Shadowmoon Council won't disappoint our clients..."