Shrouded Seascape

Anna jolted up at the sight, and her eyes were glued to the screen.

The little boy on the screen was undoubtedly Charles.

The footage was still playing, and the camera shook slightly as the person recording the video asked, "Boy, why are you cooking noodles in a trash bin?"

Charles used his hand holding the chopsticks to wipe some grime off his face before replying, "If I cook noodles outside, they'll reach into the pot with their chopsticks and eat my noodles. I'll still be hungry by then."

"Who are they?"

"People just like me, but they're older. I'm the youngest among them."

"Why are you wandering the streets? Where's your family?"

The smile on Charles' face faded, but it reappeared just a second later. His smile was still as innocent and as bright as ever as he calmly replied, "Haha, they're all dead."

The footage ended there, and the replay icon appeared over Charles' face.

Anna suppressed the excitement bubbling in her heart and gazed at Wang Jianshe's aged face. "Where is he? Tell me where he is!"

Wang Jianshe tapped on the screen, deleting the footage without answering Anna's query.

"Are you deaf?! Where exactly is that boy?!" Anna exclaimed even louder.

Wang Jianshe crossed his arms on the table, staring indifferently at Anna. "The pay you offered was fair enough, but now that I found that child, I think the deal was a bit unfair."

Just then, groups of people in black uniforms rushed in. There was something bulging from their chests, and the atmosphere grew heavy the moment they rushed into the office.

Anna chuckled coldly and asked, "You really think those toys can handle me? Did your son not tell you before that I'm not just an ordinary person?"

Anna snapped her fingers, and an eerie green flame manifested, orbiting her.

The faces of the fully armed people behind her instantly turned ugly at the sight. Wang Jianshe had already told them what they were up against, but there was still a difference between reality and stories.

"No, I don't think these are enough to deal with you," Wang Jianshe said, shaking his head. "Ordinary firearms likely won't work against you, but I know that you're human, and humans are bound to have weaknesses.

"My people found that you've been frequently changing residences, and you'd always disguise yourself every time you go out. It's like you're hiding from someone or something." Rá�

Anna's brows furrowed, and she gnashed her teeth. Wang Jianshe's statement was a clear, naked threat.

"This room is under surveillance. I managed to help you find someone among over a billion people here, so I can definitely reveal your existence to those one billion people.

"If it comes to that, I believe the people chasing after you will catch up to you in no time."

Anna raised her severed arm, which she had been hiding beneath her sleeves, and pointed it at Wang Jianshe. With swish, a crystal spike burst out of the stump of Anna's arm, and she pressed it against Wang Jianshe's neck.

"How dare you threaten me, you lowly piece of trash?! Do you really think you're worthy of becoming my opponent?!"

The instant she made her move, clicking noises filled the air as the men lifted the safeties off their weapons. Pitch-black gun barrels were then pointed at Anna's head from behind as the tension in the room reached its peak.

However, Wang Jianshe remained unyielding. He stood his ground and stared firmly at Anna, saying, "You can kill me, but that kid will die as well, and the people who are after you will soon track you down.

"And don't even try to tempt me with immortality and whatnot. I don't want anything. Right now, I just want my son back!

"I know you're powerful, and you have special abilities that ordinary people don't have. I don't want to offend you, but the great efforts I've spent searching for your target should be enough sincerity on my end.

"Our deal still stands. Bring Wang Sheng back to me, and I'll tell you where that child is."

Two hours later, Anna's face was pale as she returned to her residence.

When Tobba learned heard what had happened, he sounded surprised as he asked, "So our next goal is to Wang Sheng and rescue him in exchange for Charles' location?"

However, Anna seemed like she had no plans of proceeding with the deal. A hint of malice flickered across her face as she remarked, "He's dreaming if he thinks he can threaten me into doing something!"

Of course, Anna's decision wasn't just because she was unwilling to exchange Wang Sheng for Charles. She had simply weighed the pros and cons.

The first option was to look for Wang Sheng. It was fine, but Anna had no idea which site he was located; the second option was to handle the threat of a mere business tycoon. Anyone with eyes could see which was easier to do.

Moreover, she had just destroyed one of the IMF's sites. It'd be too dangerous for her to go out there and attack one of their other sites.

"Mask, get ready. Later at night, we're going to Wang Jianshe's home and look for Charles' location," Anna said. She took off her coat and changed into a black, formfitting outfit that seemed appropriate for combat.

However, the clown suddenly walked up to Anna. It waved its hands, and a chain of connected playing cards appeared on his arms and shoulders. There were numbers on the cards, and they clearly had some connection with each other.

"What does this mean?" Anna asked.

Tobba stepped forward, looking a bit smug about his ability to communicate with any Anomaly.

"You don't you get it? Let me tell you then. It says that it knows where Wang Sheng is being held. Site 66 contains only people who were once under the influence of an Anomaly. Its defenses aren't as great as sites that contain Anomalies.

"It also says that if you make a move against Wang Jianshe and he decides to burn the bridges in response, Charles will be in danger. You need to be more careful about your next move."

Anna stopped dead in her tracks upon hearing that. Charles' delighted and innocent smiling face abruptly popped up in her mind. She was confident that Wang Jianshe's threat was just an empty threat, but who could say for sure?

If that scumbag died, Anna wasn't going to be sad. However, how was she going to return to the Subterranean Sea without him?

Tobba slid down the table leg with the agility of a monkey and walked up to Anna's side. He patted her knee with his tiny hand and said, "Anna, this is just my opinion, but you already made a deal with him, so you might as well complete it."

Anna stood in place, weighing the pros and cons of both decisions. A terrifying light flickered intermittently in her eyes. "I really can't withstand receiving a threat from an ordinary human being. No human has ever dared to threaten me until now."

The clown shook its arms again, and a new set of playing cards circled its top hat.

"It says that you can just wait after the deal is done. Once you find Charles, you can just kill him by then."