Rick couldn’t move an inch.He stood rooted like a tree and was unable to take a step forward or speak a word.“Mrs. Teresa really loves you, Mr. Rick,” Ulmer said. “I’m sure you also love her just the same. You wouldn’t want to see her even hit a stone and stumble, right?”Rick’s heart began to beat faster. The young man before him did not seem like an immature brat right now, and he suddenly realized how much bounty was put on him.It wasn’t a million dollars.It wasn’t even a billion dollars.It was a freaking trillion dollars!This was a bounty that was unheard of, and yet Rick thought he could toy with Ulmer and easily defeat him?Rick felt a bit foolish for thinking he could easily outsmart everyone and climb the ladder of the underworld using this golden opportunity.After all, he now found himself in a bit of a pickle.“My uncle Jude and my aunt Kristi were also married for so long, but they don’t have children just like you couple,” Ulmer added. “They say God is the one who c
Seeing the frustration building on Ulmer’s face, Rick put one leg on top of another and sat confidently.“Do you realize what kind of a situation you’re in now?” Rick blurted. “And your situation is only going to get worse because a bounty was put on your head.”“A bounty?”“Yeah, you fought one of the Thorns, so what else did you expect?” Rick raised an eyebrow. “Soon, all of the underworld will be after you. All the assassins, hitmen, vampires, and even the stinky reptilians who don’t like revealing themselves will be after your ass for the whooping bounty that’s put on your head.”“How much bounty are we talking about?” Ulmer curiously asked.“A lot more than you can imagine,” Rick said. “My point is that the assassins will not hesitate to go after your family if they can’t get to you. You maybe strong and capable, but you can’t protect your entire family, can you? You can’t be everywhere they go. You’re not God. You are definitely an intelligent guy, given that you managed to get
Ulmer returned to the apartment in Bronich city. He was sitting out on the balcony of that apartment while his grandmother was sleeping.And he was talking to his system Dove.[What are you thinking about?]“What else? The future is going to be messy,” Ulmer slightly shook his head. “I am wondering if I should bring Ayana and her family to the Bronich city or not. Will they be able to live peacefully with all this chaos around me? If they can’t even go to a shop without my protection, then what would be the point of bringing them here?”[You’re quite correct. That’s why you should resolve this issue before you bring Ayana and her family.]“Huh! Easy for you to say,” Ulmer snorted. “I’m fighting against an unknown number of enemies here. And I’m wondering if I should find some allies or not.”[Did you forget what the vampire girl said? You can’t trust anybody.] Dove opined. [They might backstab you and steal your system from you.]“So I have to deal with everything on my own,” Ulmer c
A few hours earlier, on that same night.At Ross’ duplex home, everyone was talking about just one thing.Why did Marcus Merry kneel and even kiss Ulmer’s hand?Ivy asked her son Ben to ask his friend Leeval. Ben tried to contact Leeval through mobile and online profiles, but Leeval was not reachable in any way.“It just does not make any sense,” Kristi was saying in frustration while sipping on banana juice mixed with milk and sugar. “Wasn’t Ulmer just a useless guy who couldn’t even get a job after graduating?”“He took seven years to graduate,” Ivy added to Kristi’s words. “Or was it eight? Either way, I think he must have something to blackmail Mr. Marcus. Otherwise, why would Marcus kneel in front of that brat?”“He even called him Master,” Jamie said, rubbing his forehead a little. “Just thinking about is giving me a headache. I can’t think of one good reason why Marcus would kneel before Ulmer even if Ulmer had something on him. I mean, he can just kill Ulmer by hiring some thu
Ivy was taking Jamie away with him to another room so she could have a talk with him, but then an unexpected figure entered the hall.“Mr. Marcus!” Ross was startled.Everybody’s eyes widened because he brought a dozen gunmen with him.“W-What are you doing here?” Ross stepped forward as his instincts told him this was bad news.Jamie and Calvin were telling others to hurry and leave the hall.“Don’t fret, folks,” Marcus said in a loud voice. “I didn’t come here to kill you but to save you.”“T-To save us?” Ivy looked utterly confused. “What do you mean by that?”“Your family is in danger because of Rick Orsini and a few other men,” Marcus gave them just enough details. “So, I’ll be leaving these gunmen here. They will guard you all, so if you need anything, you will get it from them. And that means, you’re not leaving this house anytime soon.”“W-What the hell are you talking about?” Ross seemed quite perplexed. “Why would Rick harm us? He just talked with us nicely a few hours back
The next morning.Ulmer entered the hotel room and said, “Grandma, it’s eight o’clock. Wake up. I brought sweet milk and cookies.”However, there was no response from her. She wasn’t moving at all.Ulmer’s heart skipped a beat. He went over to her and put his finger under her nose. Feeling her breathing, he felt relieved.She was too important of a figure in his life, and the last thing he wanted was for her to disappear. He may be quite powerful, but he still didn’t have the strength to stop her from entering the afterlife if that’s what God wanted to happen today.Feeling grateful for the current moment he was sharing with her, Ulmer then played the rock music softly on the record player.Ulmer sat on the edge of the bed and crunched on the cookies and sipped on the sweet milk.The smell of the cookies eventually reached Mollie’s nose. A few seconds later, her nose twitched whether it be due to excitement or irritation.She opened her eyes and got up. “Are those biscuits?” her eyes
The car arrived at Ross’ house, but Marcus sat silently in his seat because both Ulmer and Mollie were sleeping.Marcus was feeling proud of Ulmer, thinking, “Even after knowing that he’s got a trillion dollar bounty on his head, he’s still able to take a nap. As expected of someone I accepted as my master! Just when I think that things might be getting too much for him, he proves me wrong.”A few seconds of silence passed.“But this time, the enemies are not one or two groups… the enemy is the entire swamp itself,” Marcus thought. “It’s not something just one man can fight against. I’m not able to hire anybody to come to our side as they could all be tempted to go for Master’s head. Only the closest associates to me are on my side, but they are nowhere near enough. In any major war, the pawns play a significant role. Since we don’t have the pawns, we have to strengthen our defenses even more. So, instead of spreading out, staying in one house is the safest option.”Marcus looked in t
Ulmer, who was in a dream despite being a mere clone, suddenly felt something strike him, and it forcefully brought him out of his sleep.When he opened his eyes, he saw Marcus’ face up close, and Marcus’ hand had pierced right through his chest.There was no expression of happiness, anger, or anything on Marcus’ face. He looked like a robot on a mission. His eyes looked dead.However, confusion soon filled Marcus’ eyes as no blood poured out of Ulmer’s chest. And Marcus felt like he had stuck his hand in a quagmire. He tried to pull his hand, but it wouldn’t come.“Why Marcus?” Ulmer’s face thickened with anger. “Why did you do this? I had a feeling that you might shift sides again, but I didn’t expect you to do it so quickly. Was it for the trillion dollars?”Marcus, however, didn’t say anything. Instead, he tried to grab Mollie’s throat.Ulmer couldn’t let that happen. Before Marcus’ hand could reach Mollie, Ulmer’s fist struck his face.Marcus should have gotten blown back, but hi