The Young Master in the Shadows

Chapter 68: The Secret Rooms

The girl sighed in relief,  lowering her camera as she watched Tom disappear behind some tree. She didn’t expect him to be here, and to her surprise, he went through the same secret entrance she used. Could it be that the young master sent him too? She wondered.

Lily was here following the instruction Victor left her in his letter. Late last night after everyone in the mansion slept, she left while using her hiding skill and used the company’s van that she ordered Aria to keep on a street near the mansion to head here.

Her first mission was to head here and spy on the mansion’s residents. Everything was going according to plan, and she was able to record Titus’s conversation with Baron, and how he ordered him to sprinkle the black powder on her young master’s cloth. Then how Titus got a call from some girl called Linda and asked her to come.

The girl showed up an hour later and they spent the night together. Lily didn’t know her. And she wouldn't peep on them, so she just took some photos and left to find a place to rest and plan her next move. The young master ordered her to wait until the mansion was empty to execute her next step. And to head home imminently if nothing happened by noon.

To her amazement, when she was searching for a suitable place to hide in, a thief broke into the mansion and began to sniff around. He seemed to know his surroundings well, or maybe someone was instructing him through a phone, as he seemed to be talking to someone in a faint voice.

That guy had a black stocking on his head, but Lily was able to identify him easily through it. She was very surprised when she knew that it was Tom, so she decided to follow him around while recording his activities.

That guy was very vigilant and almost discovered her twice. But thanks to her hiding skill she blended with the shadows perfectly and he found nothing.

She followed him as he reached the balcony of the master bedroom then began to record the couple inside while doing obscene things. At this very moment, Lily’s impression of Tom reached rock-bottom. This guy was a scumbag. Peeping was one thing, but do you have to start doing those dirty things? can’t you hold yourself a little?

Lily’s face turned deep red. She didn’t want to watch anymore, but she had to record everything as she knew that her young master would be very interested in Tom’s activities. And maybe she could show the tape to the twins, they adored Tom very much, and she had to show them his true character.

Soon it was morning, and when she was using her survey skill to make sure that no guards were around, she got a glimpse of George talking to the guards at the front door.

She knew she had to hide fast, as she must not be discovered here. She had a feeling that George was not an easy man to deceive.

She quickly left Tom to find a hiding place where she could watch everything without being discovered, and she found a good dark hiding corner in the attic.

George was amazing, and Lily couldn’t take her eyes off him as he made his way through the mansion’s grounds. It only took him 15 minutes to eliminate all the guards.

She watched carefully and took some photos as everyone left one by one. Tom was the last one.

She quickly surveyed the mansion to make sure that it was empty, then she got down and began to execute the second phase of her mission.

She silently went to Titus's bedroom and began to search through the drawers one by one until she found his key chain hidden in a secret compartment. Her young master has instructed that she should search around for the keys first before heading to the basement, as it would make her job way too easier. George burnt all the guards into nothing so searching for a complete unmelted key was not an easy feat.

She carefully went to the basement while keeping vigilant. She was not sure that all the guards were dead.

In the end, she found the spot in front of a normal brick wall. “It should be here,” she thought as she looked around to find the dirty switch her young master wrote her about.

She quickly found her target. It looked like a normal rusted basement switch. But Lily knew that it had another function. She slowly switched it on and off in a specific pattern while wondering how the young master knew about this.

After a few seconds, the brick wall moved to the side, revealing a dimly lit concrete corridor.

Lily walked right in while observing her surroundings, the corridor had only a few doors. And she used her survey skill to make sure that there was no one behind them. It seems like all the guards headed outside when George attacked, as she could see that there were some half-empty weapons racks on the walls.

Soon she reached the end of the corridor where a locked steel door blocked her way. She could feel the breath of multiple people inside. 7 girls to be exact.

She found the right key after some retries, and carefully held her dagger in one hand while using the other to unlock the door then open it.

The room was well lit, although little damp. There were seven very beautiful girls sitting on dirty mats placed on the floor. They were dressed in rags and had some slight bruises on their hands and feet, but nothing serious. They were about her age some a little older and some a little younger.

The girls looked at Lily in fear and didn’t dare to say anything as she inspected them.

She didn’t know how the young master knew of their existence. But according to his letter, those girls were a very precious commodity that his cousin has acquired over the last few years, And was planning to sell in a secret auction next month.

Those girls all had unique bloodlines. Every family has instructions for its agents to be on the lookout for such breeding material. Titus has kept those girls secret from the family as it would be much more profitable for him to sell them in an auction. And for that reason. They were kept virgins and were not marked with the family’s tattoo.

He couldn’t do this auction every year, as it may alert his family, and it was not that easy finding such excellent merchandise, in fact, those girls were picked out after testing thousands of girls and it took him a long time. So he could only auction them on a 4 years cycle. This was supposed to be his first auction after inheriting the business from his father who was promoted to serve at the family’s elders council.

“I am here to get you out. And was instructed by my young master to give you a choice.” Lily said blandly as she looked at them. “This mansion’s master is being dragged to prison half dead right now, and the mansion is empty. You can escape on your own, or come with me and serve my young master, he will never treat you badly.” She said.

“However if you chose to escape on your own. You would probably be captured before noon tomorrow and be sent to a worse place. Decide quickly.” She added then looked at the girls with some sympathy as she waited for their answer. She was once in a similar situation, but she was much younger at that time, and she barely remembers it.

The girls were surprised by what she told them, they did hear the commotion outside and heard the guards shouting as they headed out. But they were very scared about escaping, the last time they tried, it didn’t end well. They were captured really quickly, even the one who reached the police station was promptly returned to the mansion where they were punished heavily by that evil guy with a ponytail.

A girl that seemed older than the others slowly stood up and looked at lily with challenging eyes.

“All of us here were sold by our parents. so we don’t have a place to go to. Can you guarantee that we would be treated better with your so-called young master? trying our luck on the road may be better for us.” She said with uncertainty in her voice.

“I can’t convince you, but all I can do is promise you that my young master is a good man, or he wouldn’t offer you much choice in the first place. It would be very easy for me to bring you by force.” She said as she struck the wall behind her making a visible dent.

The girls gasped and looked at each other. even the girl who was talking to Lily was a little shaken.

“Can you give us a moment?” The girl asked Lily, who nodded then left the room.

“You have fifteen minutes,” She said as she headed to the next room and found its key, this room only contained a safe that had both a numbers dial and a key. She had its key, as for the combination, she would use her survey skill to help her unlock it. If she didn’t find the key chain, she would have had to leave empty-handed after getting the girls. Thankfully, Titus didn’t get the time to wear anything. She has seen how George dragged him out in his underwear.

Lily quickly unlocked the safe, and to her surprise, it contained about twelve artifacts. Those were meant for the auction. There were some various materials too. She nodded as she left them for now and headed to search the other rooms. Unfortunately, those were mostly guarding dormitories, armories, a kitchen, and a security room, where she quickly destroyed the machines after taking all the tapes. Those may come in handy later.

She quickly returned to the girls' room, they finished their discussion and seemed to have come to a decision.

“We will come with you. But you have to promise me not to separate us” Said the older one with some resolve. They have been here together for a long time, and they considered each other family. If they escaped or got captured they were sure they would be sold out to some pervert. They have heard Titus speaking about them as breeding material. If they went and served that young master they may get a chance to be together at the very least. and the way Lily had a sparkle in her eyes when she spoke about him didn't seem fake.

Lily hesitated, as she didn’t know what the young master wanted to do with them, but after looking at their pitiful appearance she decided to promise them. She would try her best to protect them and fulfill their wish. Even if she had to be punished by her young master.

“I promise.” She said.

“What is your name?” She asked the older one, as she seemed to be their leader.

“We have long forgotten our old names, just call me Beta. All of us here were given symbolic names.” She said.

Lily nodded then gestured for them to follow her.

“Go find some bags and three of you go there carefully collect the valuable in the safe in that room. Meet us at the front door,” she said as she took the other four to the armory where she ordered another three to get all the weapons and transfer them slowly to the front door.

She looked at her watch and sighed. It take three hours to get from her to the city and another three to get back so she had time. Her young master had promised her in the letter that he would delay them as much as he can. Her last mission was to empty all the valuables and weapons in the mansion.

Beta was very surprised by all the ashes and bullets that she could see on the floor as Lily led her through the mansion to the room where Tom discovered the money earlier.

“Collect the money and in bags then bring them to the front gate. Let the other girls help you while I go and get the Van. And remember the moment you agreed to my proposal you became one of us. If you betray the young master I would kill you myself” Lily warned while leaving.

Beta who was astonished by the money heaps quickly came back to herself. True, if they had known about the money in here, her sisters may have not agreed to Lily’s conditions. They only needed to take the money and escape to a faraway place. But on second thought people who can amass this much money are never that easy to deceive. And their last tried escape has really left a deep mark in their hearts after their eldest sister was brutally raped then killed by Titus.

The girls quickly collected everything and transported them one bag after another into the van, Lily brought to the front door. She didn’t have to be wary of the security cameras after clearing the security room. And the street around her didn’t have any surveillance. Titus made sure of that, he didn’t want anyone observing his shady deals.

Four hours later, the van was full of treasure-filled bags, and trash bags bulging with money. The girls who were now dressed in guard suits had to sit on top of each other in the crowded van.

Fortunately, the van windows were tinted as it was meant to drive celebrities, so Lily didn’t fear being stopped by the police.

“If anyone stopped us on the road, just say that we are a movie crew. And the bags are filled with props.” She said while starting the van. It's time to head back home. Hopefully, her young master was OK.