Raymond wasn't surprised by the situation and tossed the phone back to the Absorbing Man, Carl.
"What did the Black King say?" Carl asked cautiously.
"He said he'll come to Richmond tomorrow," Raymond replied calmly.
Carl looked a bit surprised. "Seems like Black King thinks very highly of you, Mr. Raymond."
"Give me your contact info. I'll reach out to you tomorrow," Raymond changed the subject.
"Also, before I meet your Black King, I don't want my sister being bothered again. Otherwise…"
"Of course, that's no problem." Carl agreed without much hesitation.
Whether or not Raymond could convince the Black King to make an exception and let him become a core member, Carl had no reason to offend someone who held his weakness over something as minor as a normal task.
He had thought about getting rid of Raymond, but after weighing it again and again, he held back.
He just couldn't be sure who would win if things went south. After all, Raymond really did know his weakness—there was no faking that.
Besides, Raymond wasn't an ordinary person. Carl didn't even know what Raymond's power was. Attacking him now would just be playing with his life.
So, in the end, he decided to back off for now.
"Well, I'll be going then—" Raymond turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait a second," Carl suddenly called out.
"Hm?" Raymond stopped and turned back to look at him. "You want to see if I really have the power to kill you?"
"No, no, don't get me wrong, Mr. Raymond. I just wanted to ask—what did you mean earlier when you said, 'Knowing too much isn't always a good thing'?"
"Oh, that,"
Raymond went quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "It's a bit complicated. I'll explain when there's time. But I'll give you a word of advice—when it comes to powerful people, sometimes it's better not to know too much…"
While Carl was still trying to figure out the deeper meaning of that sentence, he looked up and realized Raymond had already disappeared without a trace—as if he had never been there.
Carl didn't even notice how Raymond had left.
That ability to vanish without a sound made Carl a little nervous, but also thankful that he hadn't acted out of impulse.
Still, he wasn't too surprised—he had suspected something like this.
But what really stuck with him was Raymond's warning.
"When it comes to powerful people, sometimes it's better not to know too much…" Could she really be connected to that person? The image of a girl with long, dark green hair came to his mind as he muttered to himself.
After John and Lorna managed to get away from Carl and reconnect with Sonya and the others, they were surprised to find that Sonya's group had already escaped quite far.
Once they met up again, John gave Sonya a warm hug.
Then he noticed that Clarice' two close friends were still unconscious. Confused, he pointed at them and asked, "What happened to them?"
Sonya didn't hide anything and quickly explained what had happened.
"So that guy really had a backup plan... Damn it, I let my guard down!"
After learning that if it weren't for Clarice' brother showing up at the last second to turn things around, Sonya and the others would've been captured, John looked full of regret.
This was clearly his mistake. Whether as the leader of their group or as a boyfriend, he couldn't escape responsibility.
"Stop blaming yourself—it all turned out fine, didn't it?" Lorna comforted him from the side. Then, with curiosity in her eyes, she looked at her friend Clarice. "Clare, didn't you tell me your brother was a psychologist? How is he suddenly some top agent?"
"Well…"
Clarice didn't know how to explain either.
Just then, her ringing phone saved her from answering.
Naturally, the one calling her at this moment was Raymond. After asking where they were, he hung up.
"Your brother?" Sonya looked at her.
"Yeah." Clarice looked a bit nervous.
Because before Raymond left, he said that once he got back, he expected an explanation—and if it wasn't good enough, he'd tell Mr. and Mrs. Fang everything.
Clarice wasn't sure if she could convince Raymond, so of course she was nervous.
A few minutes later.
Raymond's car pulled up in front of them, and he got out.
He had seen the two extra people from a distance earlier, so he already knew who they were.
Especially Lorna, the well-known "Polaris." Even if he hadn't met her before, Raymond could easily guess her identity.
Aside from her striking dark green hair, there was also that natural "keep your distance" vibe she gave off—it was enough to make her stand out.
"Brother…" Clarice looked at Raymond nervously.
"Mm."
Raymond responded softly, with no sign of emotion.
By now, he had already switched back to his main personality from the Kuro personality.
The reason he had switched to Kuro earlier was to see if that version of himself could solve Clarice' problem without completely falling out with the Hellfire Club.
After explaining the situation to the Kuro personality, Raymond just waited to see what would happen.
He hadn't expected Kuro's solution to be going undercover in the enemy camp…
Raymond had to admit, he didn't see that coming.
If it had been up to him, he probably would've tried negotiating with Carl.
But thinking it through, Kuro's plan might actually be the better option. It was bold, sure, but had a much higher chance of success.
Negotiation could go either way, and even if it worked, the other side might still go back on their word—too many unknowns.
But if Raymond could get into the Hellfire Club and become a core member, Clarice would basically become one of them. That would solve everything.
Once Raymond realized this, he decided not to stop Kuro and just let him handle it.
It wasn't until he left Carl that he switched back to his main personality.
"Hello, Mr. Raymond, I'm John. I—" John greeted him warmly when he saw him.
"You're their leader?" Raymond interrupted coldly.
"Uh, yes."
John hadn't expected such a cold reaction and was a bit caught off guard, but he still continued, "Thank you so much for saving Sonya and the others. I really don't know how to repay you…"
"No need to thank me. Just stay away from Clarice from now on," Raymond said flatly.
"That's the least I can do—wait, what?"
John only realized what Raymond meant halfway through his sentence.
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