"Dee3, where can I get one? Is it an innate curse tool or a curse core?" I eagerly asked Dee3, only to figure from her expression that she was reluctant to answer me.
"I can’t tell you because I know for sure that they will not sell it you regardless of the price you offer and...and I’m afraid you will rob them just like you raid the secret Base Wulfric’s arsenal," Dee3 caved to my big bright eyes and answered, only to make things ten times worse for me, as Agent Manhunter exclaimed in shock, "Ace raided what now?"
"I’m sorry," Dee3 said, hurrying into the ground below. Just when everyone thought that she was going to crash, a huge stone arch gate formed within the ground surface, horizontally, and Dee3 vanished into it, hiding in her dungeon.
The day she moved into the Lansky Manor’s servant villa, she had moved her dungeon into the ground below Lander Estate unnoticed, which was one of the reasons why I made Janice hand the curse array core to Dee3.
"Holyshit, my uncle was right and not just trying to frame you out of spite," Janice exclaimed, recalling the argument her uncle had with Brigadier General Kerrigan and her, where she pulled no stops to defend this little thief.
"I thought you knew. At least you acted like you did when it came up last we spoke," I did not deny, knowing it would be hard for them to get Dee3 to testify against me or use my words against me. As long as they can’t put me at the location of the crime and find the stolen goods, I was golden.
"How could I have known? That’s one of our country’s top-secret bases. I just thought if anybody would be so daring, you could be one of them," Janice defended. Meanwhile, EAD Matthews, Sugarmite, and Manhunter surrounded us, blocking my escape routes.
"Young man, I got you now. But never in a million guesses would I have guessed that I would get you because you couldn’t help but brag about your deeds, that’s just unlike you. Or did all of it get to your head?" EAD Matthews said with a wide grin as if Christmas had come early this year, just for her.
"Yea!" Sonia cheered in sheer joy and begged aloud, "Ma’am, let me cuff and drag him to the joint. I promise to wash your family’s cars for the rest of my life."
"Ma’am, I will be your family’s immortal car washer!"
"Sonia, stop it," Ava cried, feeling betrayed by her friend and mother targeting Ace, which was the real betrayal, considering the latter had no feelings for her and the former cared enough to tolerate and cover for her every little mistake.
"Unless you guys changed your minds about the loot division, you better move," I warned, prepared to showcase my legal prowess right here and now.
"Ace, you can’t talk your way out of this one. Your raiding the secret Base Wulfric allows us to make a Curse Terrorist case against you. Meaning, you have no rights in our country—" Agent Manhunter smugly began, but I cut in, saying, "That is only if you manage to make that case against me and prove I am guilty. If you guys prefer to make a joke of yourself, I don’t mind seeing you in the martial court."
Agent Manhunter didn’t lie, just skipped over a few key and important information to scare me into confessing. I am pretty sure if I hadn’t interrupted her, her following words would be, ’Make it easy on yourself and confess.’ She couldn’t be more obvious; this was the oldest trick up every investigator’s sleeve. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t just facing me but my squad of toy summons.
"Listen here, you little piece of—" Manhunter shouted with a vein popping out on her forehead. She didn’t actually lose her cool; she was just following the follow-up to her obvious trick when running into a know-it-all suspect, screaming in their face until they had enough of her spit shower and confess. However, EAD Matthews cut in, "Stand down, agent."
"Ma’am, I heard them loud and clear—" Manhunter argued only to find Matthews’ gaze turn stern, warning her not to make her repeat herself.
"Ma’am, give a few seconds with his partner, that butterfly winged girl, I will get her to confess their crimes." Manhunter didn’t back down, instead doubled down, thinking, so what if she couldn’t get the boy to break, she knew she could get the girl to break. All she needed was permission to get the girl in custody by any means necessary.
"Manhunter, let it go. You are making it worse. Just go and help others deal with the evacuation aftermath," Special Agent Sugermite whispered to her fellow agent. Though Manhunter had no idea who Dee3 was, Sugermite did.
Agent Sugarmite knew enough to cover for their country’s unsung legend. The only reason Dee3 was able to hide beside Base Wulfric and treat it like her backyard garden to survive by harvesting supplies from it was because of agents and soldiers like Agent Sugarmite, who believed Dee3 didn’t belong on the most wanted list and that their country wasn’t fair to her.
Dee3 was a controversial name in our Country’s curse community. Most of the working class and management thought she was a hero, while most of the leadership thought she was their tool; she had no right to rebel or be on the run. Fortunately for Dee3, the leadership didn’t like to get out of their cosy offices, otherwise they would have caught Dee3 long ago.
Marcus, the Sky-tier agent of C.I.B., was proof of this statement. Despite his ambitions, he didn’t bat an eye at finding Dee3 here out in the open. But he did not acknowledge her presence and acted like she didn’t exist. To save himself from any future scrutiny. His reasoning for his actions was simple, handing in Dee3 might get him close to the leadership, helping his ambitions, but that would turn him into a pariah among the country’s curse community. The price was too high for him to pay. Therefore, he felt it was better to stay away from this even if it meant him pretending to be deaf, dumb, and blind for the entire period of the operation.
Seeing the attitude of the high-ranking C.I.B. personnel towards Dee3, I finally began to understand Matthews reaction when she spotted Dee3 with me. She even managed to sell it as if she were doing me a favor. I wasn’t angry, but impressed. Lesson learned.
Seeing even Sugarmite step in to ask her to stop, Manhunter realized she failed to see something important that they saw and instantly went silent, choosing the way out given to her by her senior, she quietly left.