Griffin’s voice emanated from the bedroom, instantly drawing the attention of Jason, Edward, and little Bansey.
The three of them rushed into the bedroom.
They saw Griffin rolling around on the ground in agony.
“Bedding No.2, what’s wrong with you?”
Little Bansey called out using the code name.
During the operation, the four of them had agreed on code names: Jason was ‘Mask’, Edward was ‘Cloak’, little Bansey was ‘Bedding No.1’, and Griffin was ‘Bedding No.2’.
Sidlin held the watering can, spraying once more.
With the nourishment of water, the Snake Whip Chrysanthemums became even more beautiful.
Turning around, Sidlin began to place firewood into the fireplace. Even though the room already had heating, Sidlin still preferred the fireplace in the winter out of habit.
For this reason, his house retained a very large chimney.
Thick smoke billowed out.
From a distance, it could be seen easily.
Most people would ignore it.
But not those who were vigilant.
Smoke, in itself, was the most primitive signal.
After doing all this, Sidlin sat in the rocking chair, covered with a blanket, and picked up the book he was halfway through reading.
The book cover was tattered beyond recognition, its name indiscernible, but it was clearly very old.
Just as Sidlin was reading with great interest, the doorbell rang crisply—
He saw two men enter, their heads covered with quilt covers.
Those covers were obviously finely tailored.
But they still bore an air of stupidity.
Shouldn’t the head cover of choice be light, breathable black cloth or stockings?
Choosing such quilt covers, was it to… keep warm during winter?
However, the two men looked somewhat familiar.
Sidlin, unable to recall at the moment, spoke up.
“The money’s in the cabinet.”
“Take anything you want from the store.”
“If you want it, it’s yours too.”
Sidlin said calmly and then handed the book he was holding to Griffin.
“You know that’s not what I want,” Griffin pretended to be icy.
“What do you want, then?”
“I’m just a poor, lonely old man.”
“This store is all I have in the world.”
“You have… your life.”
Sidlin finally sensed something was wrong.
At the same time, he thought of the recent newspapers.
The man before him seemed to be an accomplice in the assassination of Councilor Davide.
Then, he remembered something else.
The seemingly frail businessman immediately sat upright.
“Here’s my life, do you want it?”
“Let’s see if you’re capable!”
Sidlin began to speak with a sneer, but before he could finish, he was struck on the neck with the butt of a gun by Edward, who had sneaked in from the backyard, and immediately, the old businessman passed out.
Griffin and little Bansey were stunned.
This was a bit too easy, wasn’t it?
Both were prepared for a fierce fight.
“Mask, got it,” Edward stated clearly.
It wasn’t until then that the tense duo realized Jason was gone.
Where had Jason gone?
A block away from White Pepper Street, on Black Pepper Street, Walker looked through his binoculars at the dense smoke in the distance, closely observing Sidlin’s store’s display window.
Although the distance was significant, this was a good angle.
He could see the Snake Whip Chrysanthemum clearly.
Muttering the language of flowers represented by the Snake Whip Chrysanthemum, Walker frowned.
He instinctively turned to send out the message with his radio.
But just as he was about to turn—
The sound of swallowing saliva emerged right by his ear.