When Carl saw Isabella's messages, he chuckled to himself.
So…
Was that her way of inviting him over sometime soon?
After Isabella left, some time passed before Erika's father, Nicholas, came over to them.
He looked at the two with a slightly awkward expression.
"I've still got some business to handle. I'll be heading back first," he said.
"You two coming with me?"
"Of course."
Neither Carl nor Erika intended to stay, so they left together with Nicholas.
The three set off.
On the road,
Nicholas couldn't hold it in anymore and finally asked,
"Nicholas": Carl...
Carl glanced sideways.
"Hm?"
"You… know Kingpin?"
Truthfully,
Nicholas wanted to be more direct: Just what exactly is your relationship with Kingpin?
After all, he had seen everything unfold at the banquet.
And,
As one of Kingpin's long-time partners, Nicholas knew a bit more than the average guest.
He knew perfectly well,
That the partnership between Kingpin and Obadiah had been proposed by Kingpin himself.
He didn't know why at the time,
But the fact remained.
And yet,
Kingpin had cast that alliance aside without hesitation.
Not only did he abandon Obadiah, he publicly humiliated him…
All for Carl.
Nicholas was in disbelief.
There was no way Carl was just "an acquaintance." No way Kingpin would go to such lengths otherwise.
Still, asking too directly would seem suspicious.
So he phrased the question as tactfully as possible.
Carl gave a light chuckle.
"We've met a couple times."
"Including today, this makes it twice."
"I see..."
Nicholas nodded absently, but he didn't buy a single word.
As someone who'd done business with Kingpin, he knew the man's personality well.
There was no way Kingpin would go that far for someone he'd only seen twice.
Even if Carl held considerable shares in Stark Industries…
Obadiah had more.
If anyone were to be protected, Obadiah would've been the logical choice.
Nicholas couldn't shake the feeling,
That there was something else between Carl and Kingpin that he didn't know.
But Carl clearly didn't want to explain.
So he didn't press further.
From what he could tell,
Things were moving in a direction that benefitted both him and his daughter.
Now that Kingpin was showing Carl such respect,
Perhaps...
He wouldn't seek revenge for that canceled deal between them.
In fact,
Nicholas was smart enough to seat himself in the front passenger seat,
Leaving the backseat for Carl and Erika.
The car drove along steadily.
Carl stared casually out the window.
A subtle smirk touched his lips.
Then suddenly, he said,
『Carl』: Nicholas.
"I just remembered something I need to take care of."
"Could you drop me off at the next stop?"
Nicholas nodded without hesitation.
『Nicholas』: Of course.
Erika, seated beside Carl, tilted her head curiously.
『Erika』: Huh? What is it? You didn't mention anything earlier.
They'd been together the whole night, she hadn't heard a thing.
Carl smiled.
『Carl』: Just something that came to mind. Nothing big.
『Erika』: Alright then… but come find me once you're done, okay?
『Carl』: I will.
The car slowed to a stop.
Carl stepped out.
Roughly ten meters behind Nicholas's sleek black car,
A white van trailed discreetly.
Inside sat three men in black suits, all on high alert.
The man in the back seat, seeing Carl step out, spoke immediately.
『Assassin Leader』: Target has exited the vehicle.
"William, you're with me. We'll continue the tail."
"Be ready to strike at any moment."
『William』: Understood.
But then,
He frowned.
『William』: …Boss. The target's gone.
『Leader』: What?
The man in the back leaned forward, peering through the windshield.
Sure enough,
The street ahead was empty.
Carl had vanished.
They were certain they'd just seen him.
『William』: Where the hell did he go?
『Driver』: I… I don't know…
And then,
A voice, relaxed and amused, echoed from inside the van.
『Carl』: Looking for me?
All three men snapped their heads toward the voice,
And to their horror,
They saw that the back seat, which had previously held only one man...
Now held two.
Carl was sitting beside them.
Wearing a wine-red suit, his black hair and eyes calm as ever.
The man beside him immediately reached for his gun.
But before he could draw,
Carl gave a charming, disarming smile.
『Carl』: Relax.
"Why don't we talk instead? Tell me who sent you, and why."
The assassin paused mid-movement.
Then answered coolly:
『Assassin』: Our objective is to assassinate you.
"We were sent by Obadiah."
『Carl』: Ah…
Carl nodded slightly, unsurprised.
He'd sensed the tail from the moment he got in Nicholas's car.
That's why he asked to get out, he wanted to see who was behind it.
As for their identity?
Didn't really matter.
What mattered was,
Obadiah had just signed his own death warrant.
Carl turned to the driver in front of him.
『Carl』: Keep driving.
"Go full speed. Find an open road."
『Driver』: Yes, sir.
The van accelerated,
60 mph… 70… 80… 90…
Soon, they reached a long, deserted stretch.
Not a single vehicle in sight.
Then,
Carl flung the door open and shot out of the van at breakneck speed.
As he flew into the air,
He turned and unleashed a blast of red-hot laser beams from his eyes.
The entire van melted in seconds.
At the same time,
Carl was already scanning the city.
It didn't take long.
A blur, faster than sound, streaked through the air,
He appeared next in a high-end medical facility.
The room was equipped with cutting-edge equipment.
A team of doctors and nurses were frantically working on Obadiah.
After all, his legs had been shattered by Kingpin's men.
One of the doctors spotted Carl and snapped irritably:
『Doctor』: Who are you!? This is a restricted area, get out!
SMACK!
Carl casually backhanded the man, sending him flying across the room.
『Obadiah』: C-Carl!?
Obadiah's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
『Obadiah』: Y-You dare show your face here!?
He barked at the black-suited bodyguards nearby:
『Obadiah』: Kill him!!
The guards didn't hesitate.
They raised their guns, aiming right at Carl.
Carl simply gave a cold, almost casual smile.
And issued one command:
『Carl』: Kill him.
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the very next instant,
The guards turned their guns on Obadiah.
『Obadiah』: W-Wait, what are you doing!?!
In his final moment of disbelief,
The guards opened fire.
Obadiah was riddled with bullets.
Reduced to a blood-soaked corpse.
To be continued...
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