Matt took a deep breath.
He had thought he was prepared for Derrick's strange ability to make people open up and reveal their secrets yet somehow, he'd still fallen victim to it without even realizing it.
Having already spilled so much, Matt decided to stop beating around the bush and get straight to the point. "We discovered that the organization was called the Hand, and its members were ninjas from Japan who were proficient in various fighting styles and weapons. Our investigation was quickly discovered, and we found ourselves being chased by a large number of ninjas.
"In the end, I managed to escape, but Erica was captured. I couldn't save her in time..."
Matt clenched his fists and turned toward Derrick with a serious expression. "That's why I hope you'll come with me to rescue Erica. Those ninjas are no easy targets, and rescuing Erica on my own will be extremely difficult. I need your help..."
[Title Trigger!]
[Thieves don't leave empty-handed — available to complete]
[Unlock condition: Steal assets belonging to the Hand worth a total of 30 million USD (0/30,000,000)]
[Title obtainable after completion: Super High School Level Thief]
The system suddenly appeared, announcing a new achievement task.
Derrick was delighted. He immediately stopped paying attention to Matt and focused on the mission details.
Derrick lowered his head and pondered the task. At the moment, he couldn't see any obvious difficulty with it. An organization of that scale must have assets worth 30 million but the real question was, would the Hand's ninjas give him enough time to search at his leisure?
"...Mr. Derrick, are you listening to me?" Seeing Derrick suddenly fall silent, Matt couldn't help calling him.
Derrick snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "I'm listening. So, you're hiring me to help rescue your mistress."
"Ex-girlfriend," Matt corrected him.
"Potato Potahto."
Derrick smiled faintly. "In that case, Lawyer Murdock, how much are you planning to pay me?"
Hearing this, Matt suddenly looked a little embarrassed. "Uh, I was planning to offer 200,000 USD..."
The reason Matt looked so awkward was that he'd just overheard Derrick's conversation with Weasel. He knew Derrick had recently completed a commission worth five million USD. Compared with five million, his offer of 200,000 USD suddenly seemed pitifully small.
"Lawyer Murdock, don't you run a law firm? Are you not getting any cases?" Derrick asked in surprise. He thought lawyers in America could make a fortune, so he'd assumed Matt would be fairly wealthy.
Matt explained helplessly, "Our firm's main purpose isn't to make money, so we don't earn much beyond what's needed to keep it running."
"I see." Derrick cheerfully continued, "However, Lawyer Murdock, you might not know who you're dealing with. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm the ace mercenary of this bar, and my current mission success rate is a perfect 100 percent."
"On top of that, I hold titles such as one of the Top Ten Outstanding Mercenary ever, Most Handsome Mercenary, and a brilliant bilingual mercenary... So, do you understand what I'm getting at?"
Matt shook his head and answered honestly, "I don't quite understand what you're getting at, but I can tell you made those titles up yourself."
"I've practically spelled it out for you, and you still don't get it? What kind of lawyer are you?" Derrick looked at him as though he were hopeless. Then his expression turned serious. "What I'm saying is that 200,000 USD isn't enough. You'll have to offer some more."
Matt was speechless.
'Couldn't he have just said that from the beginning?'
Matt sighed. "Sorry, but that's everything I have. If I had more time, I could try to raise some additional money, but Erica is in danger at every moment. I don't have much time left..."
"I see... Well, since we do know each other, I'll give you a discount."
Derrick narrowed his eyes and looked at Matt with a mischievous expression. "However, you have to promise me one thing first. If you agree, I'll accept the commission!"
Although Matt couldn't see Derrick's expression, his keen senses told him that the man in front of him was radiating a ton of malice.
Suppressing his urge to stay as far away from Derrick as possible, Matt tried to remain calm. "What is it? Tell me first. Even if we're saving someone, I won't agree to anything illegal."
"Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me? Why do you always assume I'll ask you to do something illegal?"
Derrick innocently defended his reputation before continuing, "I promise it's something trivial. It won't violate your morals."
Hearing that, Matt secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After thinking for a moment, Matt nodded. "All right, I agree. We'll set out to rescue Erica tonight?"
"No problem."
.
That night, in Hell's Kitchen.
At the agreed-upon time, Derrick reached the meeting point wearing a black mask.
It was a dark alley. Derrick got out of the car and cautiously called out, "Lawyer Murdock, I've arrived at the destination. Can you hear me? Over."
"Stop shouting. I'm here." A steady voice came from above.
Derrick looked up and saw Matt standing upright on the roof of a low building, wearing Daredevil's dark red suit. He looked like a devil lurking in the night, sending chills down the spines of criminals everywhere.
There was a very slight addition Derrick had requested Matt added to his attire tonight.
Matt's hands trembled as he tried to suppress the uneasiness rising inside him. "Mr. Derrick, there's something I need to ask you. Why did you make me smear glitter powder all over my suit?"