The Devil's Cage

'Stronger? Stronger than me? How dare you say that?'

Ferris looked down into the underground vault with squinted eyes, the freezing aura erupting from his body uncontrollably.

There were only a few things that could agitate the calm Ferris, unless… It was related to Kieran.

This particular moment was!

After he became Kieran's follower, he assumed he was the strongest among the others. He didn't really take Odork the Bloodman seriously, but Bloody Mary was different.

Ferris clearly understood how powerful the Superior Demon was and its power felt strange to him. It was the strangeness that Ferris dreaded and without a doubt Bloody Mary would be the biggest competition in becoming the strongest follower of Kieran.

"Maybe I am behind now, but I will catch up."

Ferris didn't hide his thoughts as he spoke to the underground vault.

He, of course, would not jump down and argue with Bloody Mary because he didn't want his recklessness to ruin Kieran's plan.

Ferris turned around to the exit, grabbing the umbrella and swiftly vanishing into the rain.

…

At night, the rain dimmed down, but that didn't stop the citizens of Alkender City from going home early.

Some, however, were destined to be busy.

Pudder, the chief officer, was looking at multiple dead bodies.

Other than the two charred bodies beside the burnt van, all the other bodies died in a strange way.

One was frozen, as though he had been showered by liquid nitrogen; one was a pile of minced meat, as though the person had been hammered by a hydraulic pump, removing even the face.

Six more of them were hung to death. Their tongues were ripped out and wrapped around their neck. The tongues weren't broken in the ripping process though, perfectly covering the rope behind them, which was the true cause of death.

From afar, the six men really looked like they were hung to death by their own tongues.

Pudder could tell the murderer was a skilled professional.

What made him look heavy wasn't how the victims died, but their identities.

"Identified it already?" Pudder asked his assistant.

"Other than the pile of meat and the two charred bodies, the rest were all identified: they belonged to the so-called Dark Night Squad," the young assistant replied with a rather pale face, trying to not inhale as he spoke because it was too bloody gruesome.

The young assistant, who thought himself as a bold and brave office, threw up right away when he got out of the car and saw the charred bodies and the pile of minced meat.

After that, when he checked on the bodies hung to death and the frozen body, he threw up a second time.

"Relax a bit. Remember to carry mint candy with you, it'll help you to adapt."

His tall assistant was reacting like a helpless little girl, Pudder sighed. He took out a piece of mint candy from his pocket and flung it to his assistant.

"What should we do?"

The assistant pointed at the bodies.

"Standard stuff. What about the surveillance? Found anything there?" Pudder then walked over to the bodies.

He had zero fondness for the Dark Night Squad but that didn't mean he could simply perform his duty.

"Nothing. The surveillance here was hacked, no records were found. And because of the rain and how hidden this place is, we couldn't find any eye witness either," the assistant reported.

"Hacked again? What are those people in the tech department doing? Freeloading?"

Pudder frowned as he scolded. The assistant smiled a bitter smile quietly.

He knew his colleagues at the tech department had tried their best but working with outdated equipment and running short on funds, the city's constant evolution placing the tech department—which was barely able to meet ends with their manpower—in a difficult position. Considering from a certain aspect, it was a miracle for the tech department to keep operating in this constantly evolving city.

Pudder didn't know all that, or rather, he wasn't in the related circles.

The assistant couldn't help but sigh as he watched the chief officer examine the crime scene seriously.

He really wanted to tell Pudder the truth but he couldn't. He knew once he did it, it wouldn't solve the problem but would worsen the situation at hand.

While the young assistant was fighting his own thoughts, a car drove into the scene after it broke through the police barricade further away.

The sudden intrusion captured everyone's sight and attention.

The car stopped right in front of the crime scene. A tall man came down from the car, wearing a black suit, leather shoes, and had a cold looking face with the least amount of expression. It felt like a robot came down instead of a man.

Each step he took was a calculated move, each step having the same distance as the previous one.

"STOP RIGHT THERE"! Pudder shouted. The officers in the scene pointed their guns at him but the man wasn't bothered and continued walking to the bodies.

"Lower your guns! Lower your guns now!"

An exasperated voice came from the car. A short man with a big belly and white hair jumped down from the car.

"Director?" The officers were stunned by the appearance. They lowered their guns.

"Pudder, you guys can leave now. This case is off your hands."

The short director waved and whispered at Pudder before he strode to the man in the suit, and before he reached the man, the short director asked out of flattery, "Sir Major, what else do you require?"

Major?

A major from the Union Military?

All the officers at the scene heard what the director said and instantly recalled the rumours which stated Dark Night Squad belonged to the military.

Could the rumours be true?

Even Pudder was captivated.

"Which one of you is Chief Officer Pudder?" The tall major asked.

"That Pudder is still recuperating from the incident of the Thousand-faced Man. If you are looking for him, I'll arrange a meeting," said the director while his hand behind his back was waving at Pudder, signalling him to go away quickly.

"Director Steve, do you take me for an idiot?" The major turned around and looked down at the director, the pressure in his gaze causing the director to break a sweat.

"No, no! I dare not, but Pudder is really still recuperating," Director Steve waved his hands repeatedly, looking scared.

The corner of his eyes saw Pudder still standing there without budging, his anxiety rising to a new high.

He didn't know what orders the major received from his superior but he knew getting involved was anything but good. That was why he stated the major's identity when he came down the car, to notify his men to not act recklessly.

Out of his expectation, the major didn't seem to care about the life and death of the Dark Night Squad, instead the major was interested in Chief Officer Pudder.

Did Pudder offend someone in the military?

The thought rose in Director Steve's mind subconsciously and it was quickly verified due to the understanding of Pudder's character.

Stubborn, strict in official business, and outrageously persistent.

Some trivial matters which one could easily look past, Pudder would always look into the bottom of it regardless of the result. It was his persistence and perseverance that stopped his promotion despite his many credits and achievements.

Regardless of that, Pudder was still his man, and Director Steve had no reason to hand his subordinate out without a fight.

"Sir Major, please follow me, I'll bring you to the rehabilitation center to meet Pudder," said Director Steve. The director was ready to stall the major with a day trip around the city so that Pudder got enough time to leave.

But what would happen in the end if the major failed to meet Pudder?

The director would say Pudder wasn't crippled or comatose, he had legs and was able to run away, what's wrong about that?

"Is that so?"

The tall major smiled coldly and pushed the director aside. The director was short and rather old in age, so he missed his balance and fell to the ground.

The officers in the area raised their gun at the major once more, all of them were looking less-than-friendly.

Director Steve might be shameless at times but he was great to his men, fighting hard for what his men deserved, standing in front of his men, blocking all the rough storms like a sturdy wall and never stepping down during critical times. Now, when he was pushed to the ground rudely by some guy who thought so highly of himself, it was natural that the officers showed their hostility for him.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Lower your guns!" Director Steve quickly climbed up and held his men back.

Although Union Military had no right to directly interfere with the matters of Alkender City, Director Steve, who heard many insider news, would not want his men to be tangled up or having any kind of conflict with the military, because in the end, his men would be the one to suffer loss.

"Sir Major, you are really strong, but Pudder…"

"Heard you are looking for me?"

Director Steve was slightly embarrassed by the fall, but he kept his smile, walking over to the major and trying to dissuade him again, Pudder's voice stopping him.

Director Steve widened his eyes and glared angrily at Pudder.

Pudder smiled, tapping on the director's shoulder to express his gratitude.

His stubborn character had determined that he could never hide behind his superior and he also knew he could not run away.

The major must have done his homework before coming forward, a few bluffs from the director could never brush him away.

"Follow me," said the major before he returned to the car.

Pudder gave an 'Ok' sign to Director Steve before boarding the car.

The engine growled to life.

Director Steve's face changed several times before he ran to the police cruiser beside the alleyway, picking up the walkie-talkie and tuning it to a special frequency.

The director could not afford to step on the Union Military, but he had to do something to keep Pudder in one piece.

Therefore, the director's plan was to bring out someone who could oppose the military: the mayor of the city who originated from the senate.

…

"I originally thought Steve was a greedy old bastard who got his salary without doing anything," the major spoke first in the moving car.

"Since when did the military show this much concern for a police department of a city, even sending a major here?" Pudder coldly grunted.

A major obviously couldn't represent the military, neither could he interfere with the city's matter, the reason why Pudder said as such was to mock the major.

Why though?

Because of how the major addressed the director.

Although Pudder and his men also called the director an old bastard privately, it was meant as a joke since they were on the same side as Steve.

However, an outsider calling Director Steve an old bastard would naturally invoke dissatisfaction in Pudder. Plus, with his rude attitude and pressuring words, Pudder had listed the major into his 'I hate you' list.

Though the major shook his head without being too concerned about the mockery.

"I don't care about the city, I am here for a guy."

"Who is this 'guy'? If it's me, I'll be flattered," Pudder laid his hands out as he waited for the answer.

"Not you, but related to you. 2567," said the major.

2567?

Pudder was stunned before he realized the car was driving towards Randletine Street.

"You are looking for 2567? You assumed that I am close with him so you dragged me here? I am suspecting your intelligence department is full of shit! Where did you get the news saying that 2567 and I are close?" Pudder laughed out loud as he spoke, he almost teared up.

"Not close, related."

The major suddenly reached out to grab Pudder.

Pudder had no ground to dodge the grab in the small car, so he countered with an elbow strike at the major's rib.

Bang!

His elbow strike could easily break the bones of a common man but it was ineffective to the major. Pudder felt pain spreading from his elbow, as though he elbowed an iron plate and more importantly, the major's hand grabbed his neck tightly.

The major squeezed and forced Pudder to open his mouth. A capsule was then hurled into Pudder's mouth.

Cough Cough Cough!

Pudder coughed repeatedly, trying to dig it out with his finger down his throat but it was useless.

"What the hell was that?" Pudder glared at the major.

"Something good! Something everyone sought after badly and still couldn't get. You are a lucky bastard, if it wasn't for…"

The major was still speaking but Pudder's sight was turning dark.

Exhaustion drowned him like the tide, he tried to fight it but his eyes closed tightly in the end.

The major chuckled at the unconscious Pudder.

"You really think you can kill Larcy and walk away safely? Step on it!"

The major ordered the driver.

The car sped up and reached Randletine Street 17th after a mere 10 minutes.

The major grabbed the unconscious Pudder from the car and walked to the door. He knocked.

Dok Dok Dok.

After knocking, a digital voice came from inside the house.

"I'm sorry, the owner is busy at the moment. He will not see anyone for now, please come back later."

"..."

The major's face turned cold. He raised his foot and went to kick the door down.