After the warm liquid was injected into his body, Leo felt as if his blood was boiling. This was also his first time using the newly developed drug created by the organization.
Suddenly, he found himself able to adapt to the darkness. The pain from his wounds faded, and his dark gray pupils filled with manic fervor.
Ritsu was considering capturing him alive when Leo, who had been hanging his head, suddenly moved.
And his speed had doubled.
Like a lion spotting prey on the savanna, he lunged straight at Ritsu.
"!"
Reacting instantly, Ritsu rolled backward. The entire glass display case shattered under the impact. Leo paid no attention to his right hand being torn open by shards of glass. He ripped off his night-vision goggles, revealing a ferocious expression, and let out a beast-like growl.
His consciousness was slipping, his mind no longer under his control.
All Leo could think about now was tearing apart the man in front of him, the one obstructing him. It was as if a voice kept screaming in his head,
'Kill him. Kill him. Kill him now!'
Ritsu was just about to steady himself and raise his gun when Leo charged again like a madman, completely fearless of the bullets fired from the muzzle.
He actually caught a scorching bullet with his bare hand. Ritsu could even smell the burnt flesh from the heat.
What exactly had been injected into his body? How could it turn someone into a mindless beast?
And in such dim conditions, how could he still pinpoint his position so accurately after removing his night-vision goggles?
Leo lunged forward and grappled with him. Pinned to the ground, Ritsu struggled fiercely. His gun was already out of bullets, and he had no chance to reload.
The man's strength was overwhelming, just resisting him took everything he had.
When his limbs proved ineffective, Leo tilted his head and bit down viciously on Arsène Lupin's wrist.
The intense pain made Ritsu grimace.
"Shit!"
He drove his right leg upward and kicked Leo off him. Otherwise, his wrist might have been bitten clean through.
Ritsu quickly scrambled to his feet, retrieved his fallen pistol, and holstered it. If bullets couldn't harm him, then close combat was the only option left.
Drawing a dagger, he gripped it tightly, no longer holding back his true strength. This wasn't the time to underestimate his opponent, any hesitation would only put himself in danger.
He couldn't fall here.
There were still people waiting for him to return.
"Bring it on. I'm waiting!"
Shifting his center of gravity forward, he pushed off his right foot and slid a large step ahead. Instead of using his most proficient Jeet Kune Do, he chose a straight punch from karate, maximizing striking force at distance.
The powerful blow landed squarely on Leo's chest, sending him stumbling backward several steps.
Strange.
Given Leo's earlier agility, that punch shouldn't have connected. Ritsu had planned to follow up immediately, leaving no room to dodge but now he hesitated, puzzled.
Leo staggered back and collapsed onto the ground. His gaze dulled as he stared at the floor. Blood surged from his mouth, filling it with a metallic taste.
The frenzy in his eyes vanished, replaced by overwhelming weakness and a sluggish, delayed mind.
What… was happening?
Why had his body suddenly become so weak?
Could it be that the drug's effect lasted only this long?
Damn it… they hadn't explained the side effects clearly, leaving him in such a disastrous state!
Enduring the sharp pain in his chest, Leo slowly forced himself to stand, gritting his teeth.
"You'll die a dreadful death if you go against us."
"Next time we meet, I'll kill you."
The moment he finished speaking, the sound of shattering glass rang out.
Ritsu's attention was drawn away for a split second but by the time he realized it was a feint, Leo had already thrown a flashbang to the ground.
When Ritsu's vision recovered, Leo had already broken through and escaped.
"…"
So capturing him was no longer an option.
He hadn't expected Leo to still have tricks up his sleeve, he had underestimated him.
Ritsu walked over to the glass display case and held the ruby up to the moonlight. As expected, it wasn't the Pandora gem the organization was searching for.
Frowning, he looked down at his right wrist. The bite was deep, and the bleeding hadn't stopped.
He'd need to go to a hospital.
Taking advantage of the lingering effects of the anesthetic gas, he quickly left the Brussels Museum. For now, getting treatment at a nearby hospital took priority.
Naturally removing his disguise, Ritsu concealed his injured wrist and hurried to the emergency department of Brussels University Hospital.
The blonde female doctor on duty gasped when she saw the depth of the wound.
"Oh my God! How much does this guy hate you to bite you this hard? Did you do something terrible?"
Ritsu had no intention of explaining, so he simply put on a helpless smile and pretended not to understand English.
"Sorry, my English is poor. I cannot understand."
"Oh, my poor child."
Because the bite was deep, there was a risk of tetanus bacteria proliferating upon exposure to air. To be safe, the doctor administered a tetanus antitoxin injection.
At the same time, the diligent doctor used exaggerated gestures, and even barking sounds, to ask whether the person who bit him might have rabies, worried he wouldn't understand.
Seeing Ritsu shake his head, she continued bandaging the wound while expressing sympathy for what he'd gone through.
She was truly a kind and empathetic doctor. Thinking about how he had deceived her made him feel a little guilty. After his treatment, Ritsu left Brussels University Hospital.
Standing by the roadside, he took out his phone. With his left thumb, he swiftly composed an email and sent it to Vermouth.
[Macallan: Carmen Lucia is not the Pandora gem we're looking for. I failed to capture or eliminate the target, Leo, but I discovered something interesting.]
In the United States, it should have been around five or six in the morning. Vermouth, who had been filming overnight on set, happened to be on break. She stared at the message for a while before replying.
[Vermouth: Oh? He actually managed to escape from you? Now that's interesting. What did you find?]
[Macallan: The target Leo was no match for me initially. But after injecting an unknown drug, his physical potential seemed to be unleashed in a short time. Not only did his strength increase, but his reaction speed and agility improved dramatically, like a bloodthirsty beast.]
Reading the message, Vermouth frowned. The Boss's concerns had finally come true.
At this stage, the only thing they could do was quietly dismantle whatever connection existed behind this.
[Vermouth: That's very useful intel. You're not injured, are you?]
Ritsu glanced at the wound on his right wrist. After typing a short reply, he hailed a taxi to head for the airport.
[Macallan: No. I'm heading to the airport. Goodbye.]