Chapter 204 - Rescue Mission

At around midnight, Elle arrived in the main headquarters of Skull Gang. Black Shadow was the one who captured Charles and she confirmed it after calling James this afternoon using her burner phone.

As expected, the security was heightened since they were expecting Catseye to arrive at any moment. Elle was wearing her assassin's uniform, all in black. Several weapons like guns, poison needles, and daggers were tucked and hidden in her clothes and body.

Her assassin clothes helped her to camouflage in the dark. She was able to infiltrate the enemy's territory easily without alarming the men guarding the area as she was an expert in this field.

There were lots of Skull Gang members scattered in the area. They were highly armed and alert. After several minutes of carefully scouting the surroundings, Elle successfully sneaked inside, avoiding the security cameras.

She was able to knock down several guards quietly. She didn't waste any more time as she headed straight to the secret dungeon for Skull Gang's prisoners. They often used it as a torture area.

There was a high possibility that Charles was being held captive there. Fortunately, Elle already had an idea about the floor plan of Skull Gang's main headquarters. She used her hacker's skills to get access to the floor plan. She studied it very well this afternoon.

Even though the headquarters was a very large villa she was still able to locate the secret dungeon in just a few minutes without any hassle. She surveyed the surroundings for a couple of minutes.

'Something is off. There are only a few men who are guarding this area. If Charles is here, they are supposed to guard it carefully. Are they confident that it will be hard for me to find it or this is just another trap?'

Elle was contemplating whether she would go or not. However, she didn't have time to think twice. In the first place, she already anticipated that there would be a trap. It was a huge risk but she had no choice but to take it for the sake of saving Charles.

She had nothing to worry about. She already made precautionary measures before she went there. Using her very refined moves and speed, she dashed forward and attacked the five men who were guarding the entrance.

She threw four daggers in one swift move. With her hundred percent shooting precision, she was able to hit them at their necks, thus killing them in an instant. Only one man remained standing. However before he could react and make some noise, Elle shot him using her gun with a silencer.

"D*mn. I should have used the gun in the first place instead of using the daggers. Stupid." Elle scolded herself as she picked up her daggers out of her victims.

Once she was immersed with her thoughts her body was used to throwing daggers just to release her tensions.

Elle made a body search for those dead men lying on the ground, looking for the keys. Seconds later, she found it. Her worries deepened when she held the keys. She had a nagging feeling about this.

'If I were them, I won't allow the guards to take hold of the keys. They just make my life easier. This is really a trap. Something is waiting for me inside.' she sneered at that thought.

After gathering her thoughts, she breathed in deeply and entered the dungeon. It was well- lighted inside. Cameras were also installed around. 

'If anything goes wrong, I can still proceed to plan B. This is not the time to worry. I need to see Charles if he is just fine.' She thought to herself, even though she doubted if he was alright but all she was hoping was that he was still alive.

Every step she made, her heart was pounding in restlessness. She was very anxious about Charles's condition. Several minutes of walking and searching, at last, she found the room where Charles was imprisoned.

The terrible sight of the man who was bathing with his own blood, tied down in a chair and currently unconscious, made Elle go weak at her knees. The shock and worry were written all over her face. Her body trembled both in fear and rage.

Elle's heart seemed like being stabbed a thousand times… no… it's a million times, just looking at Charles's current state. The guilt was consuming her. She was blaming herself that this thing had happened to him because of her.

Charles was the one who bore the brunt of James's wrath on behalf of Elle. He was tortured to the extent of almost losing his life. He was badly injured. By just seeing his wounds, Elle could guess he had experienced hell in the hands of Skull Gang.

He was bleeding too much with different wounds on his body. He was not wearing anything on his upper body. The blood on his nose and lips already dried up. His handsome face was swollen from the beatings. His entire body was covered by bruises and fresh cuts. 

He was in a terrible state right now, barely alive. Elle ran immediately towards him, her tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Charles… wake up!" She called him, gently shaking him to wake him up but she got no response.

She started to untie the rope which was binding him on the chair using her dagger.

"C-Charles, I am sorry. This is all my fault. I failed to protect you." Elle ground her teeth.

After releasing Charles from the rope, Elle tried again to wake him up. She was now put in a difficult situation. It looked like Charles was too weak and it was impossible for him to walk with these severe injuries. She couldn't carry him without being found by the guards.

Feeling helpless, Elle couldn't help but hug Charles. "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry." Her tears just poured down like raindrops while saying those words.

Then she heard footsteps, many footsteps coming to their direction. Seconds later, she heard the deep familiar voice of a man.

"A very touching scene. Is this the infamous assassin Catseye? Wow. I am in awe. No one told me that you are capable of feeling some kind of emotions. You are becoming emotional. I think you are still human despite the fact others called you devil." he laughed with mockery.

Without even looking, Elle already knew that the person talking was James. Elle wiped her tears using her bare hands and held Charles's shoulder to steady him as she let the unconscious Charles leaned his back on the chair.

After doing that, she quietly turned around to face the newcomers. She saw James, standing at the entrance of that room. On his right side, Black Shadow was also standing silently with an indescribable expression while Spike was standing on James's left side.

Aside from those three men who were familiar with Elle, there were also several men holding firearms which were already aimed at her direction. She was completely surrounded by Skull Gang members.

Despite the fact that she was already cornered, Elle was still very composed as she looked at them with her cold dark eyes filled with burning fury.

A wicked smirk flashed on James's handsome face. He was rejoicing inside, finally, he was able to catch Catseye. Elle was right. This was a trap. They intentionally left a few men as guards in the dungeon in order to lure her. They were just hiding and waiting for her to come.

The moment she attacked those guards, James and others already noticed her presence. Now, she looked like a trapped sheep in the middle of the wolf's den.

"Welcome to Skull Gang Headquarter Catseye! Don't worry, I will give you the most memorable accommodation as you stay here." James continued to speak, trying to intimidate and scare the assassin in front of him.

Elle remained silent. She never responded to James's provocation. She was still wearing her mask that's why he was not able to recognize her yet.

"Finally, I will be able to settle the score with you. Killing my father was your greatest mistake. I'll make sure to collect your debt." There was a hint of resentment and hostility in his voice.

"Oh, did you remember what my sister told you before? She wished you to have an ugly death right? I am here to fulfill that." James's lips twitched in a triumphant smile.

Just thinking of so many ways to kill the assassin before him, he was getting excited and enthusiastic. He could finally get the revenge he wanted.

Then he averted his gaze to Charles. Elle reflexively shielded Charles and extended her arms on her sides to cover him out of James's line of sight. Seeing her reaction, James spoke again to mock her further.

"Oh, that partner of yours, he was really a loyal dog. Is he your lover? He is hell-bent in protecting you. He told us that he would never talk and betray you even if we kill him." James let out a sinister laugh after saying that.

"Honestly, I was surprised when I saw him. I didn't know that your accomplice was just lurking around us. He owns a Cafe. The funny thing is I am a regular customer of that Cafe without knowing that he is my enemy."

The truth was James ordered his men to give him much more intense and severe torture because of Elle. He couldn't accept the fact that his enemy was very close to Elle. Just thinking that this dangerous man was capable of hurting Elle anytime, he had the urge to kill him.

Unknown to James, he was wrong to think that Elle was just an innocent person who just happened to be connected with Charles because of work. He never suspected her. That was his biggest mistake.

'So he recognized Charles.' Elle thought to herself. She was wondering what would be his reaction once he found out that she was Catseye.

For the past few weeks, her relationship with James had improved. They even became friends. She also felt his sincerity when he showed some concern for her. That's why, at this moment, she was thinking about what he would do after this confrontation.

She knew that in this situation, her identity would be revealed to James. It was an unavoidable situation.

Meanwhile, Black Shadow was just silently observing on the side. He still found Catseye very amusing. She didn't cower in fear even though she was already cornered like this. And she didn't even look surprised as if she already anticipated this to happen.

'What is she planning? What will be her next move? I wonder if she can still escape this.' Black Shadow thought to himself.

He was thinking hard when suddenly he heard James's voice.

"Black Shadow, Spike! Capture her and remove her mask. I want to see the face of the person who killed my father."