However, the location where Vivi was left Lance speechless.
It was an exclusive club.
When Lance and Ethan arrived, they found Vivi sitting under the stage, watching... a striptease?
In a rather luxurious private room, Vivi was the only audience member. The room was adorned with dim lights and elegant decorations, creating a strange yet captivating atmosphere. Dry ice fog floated in the air, adding a mysterious touch to the ambiance.
The two graceful female dancers moved to the languid rhythm of the music. Their movements sometimes stomped firmly, sometimes swayed gently, their bodies twirling in soft motions as if dancing among the fog. Although they performed unabashedly, the dance did not feel vulgar.
On the contrary, there is an inexplicable elegance, like a ballet wrapped in subtle sensuality. Nothing feels dirty or evil, just a captivating femininity, alluring without losing decorum.
Vivi, with a black wig covering part of her face and a low-cut black dress, looks like a graceful and slightly flirtatious black swan. As Vivi waves at Lance, a mischievous smile adorns her face. "You're late; I was in training."
Lance's mouth moves, almost unable to speak. "Are you training them, or are they training you?"
Vivi chuckles, her voice sounding like the tinkling of water. "Darling, you are so boring."
"Don't you already know?" Lance pouts, throwing his suitcase onto the sofa with a rough motion. "It's over. Albino is outside. Albino has something in that suitcase, something enough to force Wolf out."
"Very good, darling." Vivi's eyes sparkle, full of satisfaction. "We have bankrupted Wolf. That man will run back to New York with his tail between his legs."
"When?" Lance asks in a flat tone, though there is an undeniable curiosity that he cannot hide.
"Definitely soon," Vivi replies with a smile, a smile full of victory.
Vivi takes a small box from the side, pulls out another syringe from within it, and hands it to the weary-looking old agent. "Ethan, you helped Lance catch Albino. This is what I promised you."
The syringe contains the second-stage treatment that Vivi has prepared for Ethan. The deadly disease Ethan suffers from cannot be cured with just one injection, but this is an important step toward hope. However, the side effects of this drug are so severe that Ethan is afraid to continue using it.
Ethan hesitates for a moment, his gaze rolling between Vivi and the syringe in his hand. But finally, he takes a deep breath and injects the drug himself.
Vivi merely smiles faintly, as if satisfied to see Ethan accept his fate. She then hands a check with a substantial amount of money to Lance. "Darling, this is your gift."
Lance then takes the check containing the amount of money and casually says, "Now it's only half done. If in the end you can't catch Wolf, won't your money be wasted?"
Vivi gently wraps her arms around Lance's neck, her breath slowly brushing against his ear. "I believe in you. I will definitely catch Wolf."
After a brief pause, Vivi asks in a soft voice full of curiosity, "What happened at the hunting ground? Why was there such a commotion?"
Lance shrugs nonchalantly and says, "It wasn't me making the noise, but a group of ninjas from Japan who got into trouble with the killers there. I happened to run into them at the right time."
Vivi furrows her brow, a sign that she feels something is off. "Japanese ninjas? Are they troublesome?"
Lance does not tell Vivi about Kagenobu Yoshioka, but simply replies in a calm tone, as if he doesn't care much: "A group of people wanting to go to New York to seize gang territory has nothing to do with your CIA."
The Hand is a very troublesome organization, but what Lance said is not wrong. Dealing with them is the FBI's job, and it indeed has nothing to do with the CIA. Moreover, they are a group of lunatics who consider human life nothing more than a tool to achieve their goals. They will do anything for their ambitions. Even if Kagenobu Yoshioka is an internal agent, Lance does not want Vivi to get more involved in this dangerous affair.
"That's good." Vivi nodded, still fully trusting Lance.
Lance fell silent for a moment, his eyes slightly vacant, pondering before finally saying, "Your job is too dangerous. If I had the chance, I would give you a 'charm'..."
Vivi's eyes sparkled, a curious expression adorning her face. "Those little magical things?"
Lance smiled, chuckling softly. "All magical weapons require magical power to activate. However, after my research so far, I might be able to create a weapon that can also be used by Muggles or ordinary people. But... for now, I don't have the right materials. You'll have to be a little more patient."
...
...
...
Vivi's "training" was so effective that Lance felt like he was being squeezed dry.
That morning, when Lance woke up from his bed, Vivi had long since left. Only silence greeted Lance in the villa.
After Lance took a shower and finished his breakfast peacefully, he stepped outside to his small garden. In his left hand, Lance held a thick book, while his right hand carried a steaming pot of freshly brewed tea. The steam was still rising, adding warmth to the cool morning.
"Good morning, Hildr," Lance greeted casually.
Brynhildr, the intelligent being who was Lance's companion, turned slowly to look at him. Hildr was not placed in the villa's garage, even though there was space available. Brynhildr was not an inanimate object, and Lance knew Hildr would not be comfortable confined in the narrow darkness. This spacious little garden had become Brynhildr's favorite place to rest and enjoy freedom.
Brynhildr looked at Lance with an attentive gaze and said, "It seems like you're in a good mood."
Lance chuckled softly, his eyes sparkling. "The past few days, luck has really been on my side. I've had a lot of good things happen, so it's only natural that my mood has improved."
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