Chapter 499 - 499: A Conversation with the Dark Lord

'Think, Elle… what should I ask him?'

The Dark Lord only gave her three chances to ask three questions. She also didn't guarantee if he would answer her truthfully or not. But one thing was for sure, he would be assessing her through these questions.

She knew that the Dark Lord was a wise and very meticulous person. Just one mistake in front of him, he would figure it out right away. She needed to be careful when asking him a question.

Senator Mondragon was just looking at her with intrigue. He was smiling as he waited for Elle to throw her first question.

After much thought and careful consideration, Elle asked Senator Mondragon.

"The death threat… was it true or it was just for show to get the sympathy of the public so that it could help you boost your name to help you win in the coming presidential election?"

Senator Mondragon chuckled the moment he heard that question.

"Before I answer that, I'm gonna ask you a question first. Why did you suddenly think that?" Senator Mondragon was clearly testing her right now.

Elle frowned, wondering if she asked the wrong question or not. But she wanted to confirm it. According to Erick's team, the description of the sniper that day at the RC convention center had some resemblance to Kevin Azumi.

If that was the case then Elle could conclude that the death threat was just for show because Kevin Azumi was working under the Dark Knight Organization. There's no way he would hurt the Dark Lord.

But Elle was also in doubt whether the Azumi Twins had an idea about the real identity of the Dark Lord or none.

"Because I can see that you are a very powerful man aside from being a public servant. You have men like them. So I don't think that you will be worried about a simple death threat from an unknown source. You seem to be a more dangerous man than other presidential candidates." Elle answered him truthfully.

"The men who captured me and took me here. They didn't look like normal bodyguards. They are highly armed and having a strong built for a trained fighter just like in those action movies I watched," Elle added to elaborate her reason.

Senator Mondragon let out another chuckle before finally answering Elle.

"It's both yes and no." He said nonchalantly.

"Yes and No?" Elle couldn't help but frown. She was intrigued by his answer.

Senator Mondragon picked up the cup of coffee on his table. He took a sip first before putting it down again as he looked at her eyes meaningfully.

"Yes that it was for a show but no, it is not about getting the public sympathy. My name and reputation are already clean in the eyes of the public so I don't need to do that anymore." he paused for a moment, assessing Elle's reaction. He could see that she was confused.

"That death threat is just a diversion. It is also part of my alternative plan. If the other presidential candidate is stronger than me then I should eliminate the hindrance to my goal." He smirked at Elle.

"If I am already receiving death threats then I will be the one who will be less suspicious if one of the candidates suddenly dies during the campaign period."

Elle was rendered speechless after hearing that. She didn't expect that Senator Mondragon would be honest in answering her question. It seemed that he was really trying to see what would be her reaction after hearing this from her.

Of course, Elle knew how to play along with him. She pretended to be shocked and astounded.

Elle smiled at him awkwardly before saying, "Senator Mondragon, you are just kidding right. You are not that bad to the extent of killing someone just for the sake of winning the election, right?"

He laughed again. "But you said I am dangerous. Why are you shocked by that statement? Can't you believe it?" 

The Dark Lord was really clever. He was now using Elle's words against her.

"Yeah, I said you are dangerous but I didn't say that you are a bad person. Dangerous is different from bad," Elle said, smiling sheepishly at Senator Mondragon.

'He gave me an honest answer. Now, there's no way he will let me leave this place alive. I believe that his answer was true. He is not lying. He is planning to kill another presidential candidate who is his strongest competitor.' Elle thought to herself.

Elle's eyes widened in realization but she was able to conceal her emotion right away. The Dark Lord was so desperate to win the election so that even the government would fall under the Dark Knight's hand. 

Elle was snapped out of her train of thoughts when Senator Mondragon spoke once again. "Ok, proceed to your next question."

She immediately faced Senator Mondragon with her serious expression. "Will you kill me after knowing about this?"

Now, it was the Dark Lord's turn to be speechless by Elle's frankness and her straightforward question.

"Do I still have to answer that? Hmm. what do you think?" Senator Mondragon smirked at her once more. He seemed like he was enjoying this conversation.

"Well, based on my assumption… since I am a reporter and knowing all these pieces of information might get you in trouble in the future… so I am sure that you will not allow me to leave this place alive unless you will cut my tongue," Elle answered him with humor.

Senator Mondragon didn't confirm nor deny her assumption. He just nodded his head while rubbing his chin. "So, what's your last question?"

"What are you planning to do with Erick?" Elle tried her best to maintain her composure. But knowing the Dark Lord's strategy in the past, he won't hesitate to kill people especially those who knew the existence of the bio-weapon facility.

Senator Mondragon stared at her meaningfully. "Hmm, I have the same response for that. Do I still have to answer that? Hmm. what do you think?" The Dark Lord repeated his response to her second question.

Elle just fell silent. She decided not to speak further. When the Dark Lord noticed that she had no plan to continue this talk, he just asked his men to bring Elle back to her prison room.

Elle just followed them obediently. While they were walking in the hall, Elle didn't expect to bump into someone… someone who was very familiar to him.

"Dr. Gomez?"