Inside the lab, Hayden and his girlfriend, Sasha Brooks, were having a blast, but the bodyguards standing outside, watching through the transparent glass, were feeling anything but cheerful.
The bodyguards had just received the latest update from Ben that Ashton had left the city on a private jet, taking Briar and his friends with him.
Ashton’s flight path still hadn’t been tracked down, but Ben had made it clear that they had to keep a close eye on Hayden and absolutely couldn’t let him run off or cause any trouble.
Ben also told them to constantly remind Hayden to keep a low profile during this period to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
Ben was being so cautious because the timing was just too much of a coincidence. Ashton had left almost at the same time as their private jet.
There were no such things as coincidences in this world.
But the bodyguards exchanged glances. Hayden acted like nothing was wrong, goofing around and flirting with his girlfriend. If Hayden really wanted to do something, they wondered if they could actually stop him.
The bodyguards sighed.
Compared to the tense atmosphere in the underground lab at the scrapyard, the hallway on the top floor of the Victoria Hotel was packed with black- suited henchmen who were so hyped, they were about to explode on the spot.
Ashton was about to take them out to flex and go wild.
Just thinking about it got everyone fired up.
Briar rubbed her temples, then stepped back to stand beside Reece and Hamish, watching the cringey, overdramatic scene unfold in front of them.
It was just so funny that she couldn’t hold back and whispered, “Reece, Hamish, did Ashton really use to take his men out like this, getting into fights and stirring up trouble?”
‘Getting into fights? Stirring up trouble?‘ Reece and Hamish thought, both twitching at the corners of their mouths.
Reece gave Briar a thumbs–up. “Briar, you really nailed the description.”
Hamish started giving Briar the lowdown on Ashton’s legendary past. “Briar, don’t be fooled by how Ashton looks all innocent and is always smiling at everyone. You wouldn’t believe the things he pulled off in Qathana and a bunch of other countries back in the day.”
Briar’s eyes lit up with curiosity. While Ashton was still busy dealing with his hungry–for–action underlings, she pressed Hamish, “Come on, spill the beans.”
“Ever heard of the Unequal Qathana–Dasmieca Financial Treaty?” Hamish asked.
Briar nodded, “Who hasn’t? That treaty essentially states that if one wishes to conduct business with any company in Dasmieca, one must use Dasmieca currency. Otherwise, Dasmieca will just find someone else to work with, no questions asked, and draft a new contract.”
She’d actually heard about this back when she was still in Qathana, way before she ever met Ashton.
“Yeah, that was Ashton going head–to–head with Qathana’s top capitalists,” Hamish explained. “They tried to outplay him in business, but couldn’t. They tried to take him out by force, but that didn’t work either. In the end, they had no choice but to cave and sign the deal.”
Briar was utterly at a loss for words.
This time, she was truly stunned, shocked to her core.
Every single clause of the Unequal Qathana–Dasmieca Financial Treaty was a direct humiliation for Qathana’s upper–crust capitalists.
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However, there was nothing they could do. If they dared defy the treaty, Ashton had more than enough ways to make them vanish from this world without so much as a ripple.
“And that’s not all,” Reece added. “Five years ago, Ashton was making moves on the turf of major crime syndicates overseas, taking over territory and pulling resources together. He was a total pro at it.”
Briar nodded along, thinking, ‘Looks like the Hacker Alliance’s files on Ashton need some serious updating.‘
None of the stuff Reece and Hamish were talking about was in the Hacker Alliance’s database.
“The wildest thing is, nowadays, just hearing Ashton’s name is enough to make these people give his turf a wide berth. They’re all scared stiff of getting on his bad side and facing his payback,” Reece went on.
“Five years ago, Ashton uncovered an underground lab where they were doing live experiments on actual people–most of them Yastrians and Nardians. He nearly lost his life trying to save those poor folks who were being used as test subjects.”
As they brought up this painful memory, both Reece and Hamish’s faces twisted with anger and grief.
“That was also the time Ashton’s father forced him to come back home,” Hamish added. “He wasn’t allowed to run wild out there anymore after that.”
‘Wait, five years ago?‘ Briar thought, her mind racing. ‘An underground human experimentation lab?‘
As those phrases came together in her mind, Briar’s expression changed as well.
“What are you guys talking about?” Just then, Ashton finished giving his orders and walked back over. Noticing the odd look on Briar’s face, he asked.
Briar quickly suppressed the sudden excitement bubbling up inside her and shook her head. “Nothing much. We were just reminiscing about your legendary exploits overseas.”
Reece shrugged. “Briar was curious about all the fighting and chaos you used to get into, so we just gave her a quick rundown.”
Hamish added, “Relax, we definitely didn’t air any of your dirty laundry.”
Ashton was speechless.
“Everything’s set up,” Ashton said stiffly, clearly trying to change the subject. “Briar, didn’t you say you wanted to lead the team yourself and catch them? Go on, Brandon is already waiting for you.”
Briar peeked over, and sure enough, at the end of the hallway, Brandon and a bunch of black–clad henchmen were waiting. The moment they saw Briar looking their way, all those burly guys tried to plaster on what they thought were friendly smiles.
Little did they know, no matter how hard they grinned, they still looked like total tough guys. The more they smiled, the more intimidating they got.
Honestly, they’d be better off just keeping a straight face. That would look way more natural.
“Alright, I’ll take the team and head out,” Briar said, giving a little shiver at their attempts to smile. She nodded and headed over to join them.
With Brandon and a crew of menacing, black suited bruisers in tow, they marched off toward the scrapyard, looking like trouble itself.
During the day, the scrapyard looked like just another abandoned factory from the outside. Even the few security guards patrolling the derelict buildings seemed normal.
But the moment Briar and the others parked their five cars at every entrance and exit of the scrapyard, a swarm of black clad bodyguards suddenly burst out of the quiet factory grounds, armed with stun batons and guns.
As soon as those bodyguards flashed their guns, Briar’s black suited bruisers moved in perfect unison, instantly drawing their own weapons and aiming with such deadly precision, they looked like grim reapers coming to collect souls.
Qathana was a country where carrying guns was legal, so the fact that these guys were just pulling out handguns was already them holding back.
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Honestly, if it were up to them, since they finally had a chance to let loose, they’d rather just storm in with a rocket launcher.
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“Miss Jennings, bullets don’t care who they hit. Just stay in the car, whatever happens, don’t get out,” Brandon said. As Ashton’s trusted jack–of–all- trades, he wasn’t even a little bit rattled by this kind of minor scuffle.
After warning Briar, he simply opened the car door and stepped out without a second thought.
He didn’t even spare a glance at the gun barrels aimed right at them.
“Who are you people? Leave now. This is private property, no trespassing!” one of the black–clad bodyguards shouted at Brandon, clearly recognizing him as the leader of this group of tough guys.
Brandon just scratched his ear, thinking, ‘How noisy.‘
