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Chapter 3 - Hotel

At that moment, we observe Nex and a girl seated at a table, a sandwich laid out before each of them. Just as Nex is about to pose his first question, the doorbell chimes. Nex rises to open the door, only to be enveloped in a tight embrace by an auntie who has just arrived.

"Auntie, gently, please!" Nex winces.

The auntie, however, remarks, "It appears you smoke cigarettes."

"No, no," Nex quickly denies.

"Then that's alright," she replies. At that moment, the uncle arrives as well.

He declares, "Finally, you've apprehended Dante!"

The three of them burst into laughter, while the girl watches them from behind, an odd expression on her face as they chortle.

"Who is this girl?" the auntie enquires. Addressing Nex, she continues, "Nex, you've found yourself a girlfriend and didn't tell us?"

Nex and the uncle exchange a glance; the auntie realizes the pair are concealing something.

She confronts the uncle, "Alex Walker, tell me quickly, what detail did you withhold from me regarding last night's raid?"

The uncle stammers, "Er... well, actually, it wasn't just Dante who was arrested last night."

FLASHBACK

When Nex forced open that room's door with a bullet, he discovered a girl on the bed, her mouth gagged with tape. It appeared she had been kidnapped. A moment later, a boy emerged from the bathroom. Nex spotted him, the boy spotted Nex. The boy was reaching for his gun when Nex shot him.

END OF FLASHBACK

We return to the present moment, the auntie speaking to the girl.

"How dreadful what happened to you; consider this your home," she soothes.

The girl, sobbing, replies, "Yes, Auntie."

Nex observes the scene, thinking, "How did the tears come so quickly?"

"By the way, child, what is your name?" the auntie asks.

"Celeste," the girl responds.

"Celeste... where are your family members?" the auntie persists.

"I have no one in this world," Celeste sobs.

The auntie comforts her, "Never mind, you may stay here as long as you wish."

"Will someone listen to me?" Nex interjects.

"Miss Sarah," the uncle calls out.

"Yes, yes, alright, I forgot," the auntie concedes.

We then see all four seated at the table. The auntie and uncle are busy consuming Nex and Celeste's sandwiches.

Nex speaks up, "The main point is that the man I killed..." (The uncle and auntie continue eating sandwiches) "...he was a friend of the Skyline Group's CEO. When I investigated that man, I discovered he was involved in providing nuclear submarines to Dante in Russia."

He turns to Celeste, "So, Celeste..."

Celeste replies, "You could have asked me all these questions at your headquarters."

The uncle explains, "Because there's a risk of information leakage from headquarters."

"Right, Celeste, first tell us how you arrived at that location," the uncle requests.

"I shall explain in detail," Celeste says. "When I was little, my father sold me. The people had connections to the underworld, so they purchased me. When I arrived there, there were many girls my age. We were all taught skills, like how to shoot a gun... essentially, assassins."

She continues, "Once we were older, people would buy us, so that assassins like us could ensnare their enemies using our bodies and kill them. Some people would buy us simply to fulfil their lust, or perhaps as assistant Some acquire me merely to sate their own desires; others, as an assistant. Such is my tale.Just then, Nex remarked, "I comprehend precisely what transpired with you."The aunt inquired, "Celeste, how do you feel about this?"Celeste replied, "Well, Aunty, whatever the case may be, we must always reside in the present."Nex then spoke, "You surely recall the nature of that locale—a sewer tunnel it was, yet never did water flow within. They had even fashioned certain areas themselves within.""An underground base," Uncle declared."Nex!" Uncle called out.Nex proceeded to call Akshit. A short while later, Akshit arrived with the entire city map and, after handing it over, departed from the scene. Nex then laid the city map upon the table and explained, "This map dates back to 1990, when our city's populace began to swell, and sewer pipes were laid. However, by 2010, those pipes had deteriorated, and the population had increased further, necessitating new pipes. By matching both maps—identifying where pipes were used and where they were not—we pinpoint the location."All four exclaimed simultaneously: "Skyline Hotel!"At that moment, Uncle voiced his intent: "I must meet Dante."Nex addressed the aunt: "Aunty, I require no fewer than one hundred commandos."Celeste promptly interjected, "Oh, take me along as well!"

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