novelraw Chapter 840: Why So Proficient?
Chapter 840: Why So Proficient?
The three-headed monstrous dog was continuously sniffing the ground, slowly moving forward. It was equipped with a massive ring, connected to chains, which were held by a muscular man in a wrestling mask. This three-headed dog was, of course, Qiqi, sent by Charlotte to search for the missing three-star demon, Halffu.
Suddenly, Qiqi stopped, and the wrestling-masked man looked around in confusion.
They were near a residential area for middle-class families, currently positioned outside the garden fence of a two-story house.
"Is this where Halffu last disappeared?"
The wrestling-masked man stared strangely at the seemingly ordinary house before entering. However, after walking around inside, he found nothing special.
The only noteworthy thing was that the male homeowner had recently reported a complete set of expensive suits stolen and was currently installing a surveillance system; otherwise, nothing significant was happening.
Qiqi, however, had a strong urge for fresh blood, so the wrestling-masked man had no choice but to drag Qiqi out forcefully.
Just then, a woman was walking towards them.
She wore black knee-high boots, paired with a deep blue vintage-style zippered wool cloak. Her face was obscured by large round brown sunglasses, making it difficult to discern her features—yet her visible figure could only be described as perfect.
That was quite the fresh blood meal... the wrestling-masked man mused. But this wasn’t the right time for Qiqi to eat; he still had the task assigned by Charlotte."Let's go, Qiqi." The wrestling-masked man pulled on the three-headed dog.
They had a magic spell applied that made them nearly invisible, and besides, if a demon didn't want to be seen, ordinary people couldn’t perceive them.
As the wrestling-masked man led Qiqi past the woman, her gaze seemed to overlook them—just as they were about to brush past each other, the sound of her boots striking the floor suddenly stopped.
"Is this a descendant of Cerberus?" the woman’s voice said.
The wrestling-masked man froze... this woman could see him and Qiqi! He quickly turned around and saw the woman examining Qiqi.
"I just ran out of materials last time," the woman said lightly, before looking at the wrestling-masked man. Her lips, painted bright red, curved slightly, "Actually, I intentionally didn’t remove any trace... that three-star demon."
"Who are you?!" The wrestling-masked man instantly sensed grave danger.
The woman slowly waved her hand, and a flash of black light zipped through the air. Both the wrestling-masked man and the three-headed dog Qiqi suddenly became motionless.
In that instant, their bodies split into two halves—yet, despite this, there was no outpouring of blood.
The edges of their severed bodies were unnaturally smooth, and the wounds had charred, sealing their blood inside.
The woman smiled slightly, removing her large round brown sunglasses, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes... the club’s maid.
Yōu Yè looked at the four dismembered bodies on the ground, lightly biting the end of her sunglasses frame, and narrowed her eyes with satisfaction. "That should last for several days."
---
This kind of filthy flesh and blood could never enter the kitchen of a maid with obsessive cleanliness—so they were processed in a five-star restaurant in the city.
While it was enough just to cook the meat thoroughly (after all, it wasn't for the master), the choice of this particular restaurant was naturally due to the maid’s personal preference—ordinary kitchens were too messy and dirty.
The strange pieces of meat were placed on a clean kitchen countertop, while the chef standing beside them remained completely still—even though these meat chunks looked like the hearts of some creature, still beating, and the blood flowing from them was an unusual deep green, he was unfazed.
“Same as usual, once it’s processed, I’ll come to pick it up... Hmm, let’s make stew today.”
Only after hearing this did the chef silently lift the basin containing the meat, turn, and walk into the processing area. He then picked up a kitchen knife with a vacant expression and began cutting the meat piece by piece.
After instructing the head chef, the maid left the restaurant through the back door.
She walked alone on the streets of Rio, stopping at fashion boutiques that piqued her interest, stepping inside to browse and try on clothes, but she didn’t buy anything.
She quietly sat in a small shop recommended by a food magazine, watching the pedestrians outside, and no one approached her... because she wouldn’t allow any stranger to sit next to her.
It felt like a long time since she had such leisure, quietly enjoying her own time.
In the past, there was a time when she was keen on wandering around during her free time... During that period, the club hadn’t changed owners yet, and the previous owner was constantly changing addresses.
But gradually, she lost interest in those activities... more and more, she found herself quietly sitting in the dimly lit lobby, waiting for different guests to arrive.
Everything was silent.
Everything was silent.
Everything was silent.
“Miss, do you need anything?” A staff member approached with a professional smile.
“Do you have any recommendations?” She smiled slightly, “I read in a magazine that this restaurant is quite good.”
The staff member quickly replied, “Then you can try our cocktails. Our boss spent over half a year perfecting this recipe for his wife’s 40th birthday, and it has received great reviews.”
“Then please get me a glass.”
Everything... began to make a sound.
---
Caroline woke up after three in the afternoon—this was actually her normal routine.
So, instead of feeling unusually fatigued, she felt as if she had returned to her daily life.
But as her gaze shifted, when she saw "Arnold" leaning by the window and looking outside, she snapped back to reality—still stuck in this dreadful situation.
However, she couldn’t let this “Arnold” realize that she had figured something out. So Caroline ruffled her messy hair, yawned, and slowly said, “Aren’t you going to class?”
“Arnold” shook his head and suddenly said, “The weather outside is quite nice. Would you like to go for a walk?”
Caroline looked at “Arnold” with confusion and hesitated, “Go outside? Didn’t you say it’s pretty dangerous out there?”
“Arnold” replied, “You can’t just stay here all the time.”
He walked in front of Caroline, smiled, and said, “It’s been several days since anyone has come looking for you. I think it’s safe for now... Come on, I’ll take you to a nice place.”
Caroline hesitated for a moment but then nodded, “Let me take a shower before we go?”
“Arnold” readily agreed.
Once inside the bathroom, Caroline quickly climbed up to the sink, opened the ceiling, and retrieved paper and a pen from above—she had hidden them there when she returned home early in the morning, before “Arnold” came back.
She quickly wrote a line on the notebook, tore it out, crumpled the paper into a ball, and stuffed it into her pocket.
As she was leaving, Caroline said to “Arnold,” “By the way, could you take out the trash… don’t you men have this habit?”
“Arnold” was taken aback, watching Caroline approach the trash can and start tidying up. He blankly replied, “I guess you get used to doing things alone.”
“You can still live a more refined life even when you’re on your own,” Caroline said, picking up the trash bag and shrugging. “No matter who we are, right?”
“Arnold” suddenly asked, “What if it became two people?”
Caroline frowned and gave “Arnold” a puzzled look. “Arnold” shook his head and pushed the door open, “It’s nothing… oh, you should wear a hat.”
Caroline didn’t say anything. After putting on the hat, she grabbed the trash bag and followed “Arnold” out of the dormitory.
As for the presence of a woman in the male dormitory, the staff had long grown accustomed to it and no longer found it surprising. Caroline casually tossed the trash bag into the bin downstairs, glanced around, and quickly returned to “Arnold’s” side.
“Where are we going?”
“Arnold” naturally took Caroline’s hand, saying, “This feels more natural.”
Caroline looked at him and smiled, “Normally, I would charge for this.”
“Arnold” replied, “There’s a masquerade ball at the new auditorium in the school today. We can go and have some fun.”
“A masquerade ball?” Caroline exclaimed in surprise...
---
The clothes were provided by the university club, which included the drama society as one of the organizers, so students could borrow a lot of costumes.
Caroline looked around the large auditorium at the strange outfits of the men and women and gradually got used to it—honestly, she had been to quite a few places with large crowds like this before.
---
Nightclubs, parties at wealthy homes... For the students here, Caroline could easily be described as battle-hardened. However, for Caroline, attending these events was mostly just part of her job.
“Arnold” found a green bodysuit, complete with a red cape and a black eye mask, dressing up as Robin Hood.
“Come on, don’t just stand there, let’s go to the center,” “Arnold” said as he pulled the dazed Caroline toward the crowd.
At that moment, Caroline also chose a Catwoman costume; her already attractive figure looked even more alluring in the tight leather suit... with plenty of male attention filled with testosterone.
“Mas-Que-Nada,” the music blared at the ball.
“Arnold” took Caroline's hand and spun her around in the crowd. He looked at her with a vibrant smile completely different from his usual demeanor, “Move! Yes, like that, don’t think too much.”
“Like this?”
“Faster, go faster… Yes! Let yourself go. Imagine you’re Catwoman, and I’m Robin Hood.”
“Oh… I can’t take it anymore, I’m feeling a bit dizzy, it’s too fast.” Caroline paused, leaning against “Arnold's” shoulder, “I haven’t exercised like this in ages.”
“Arnold” smiled slightly... The rhythm of the music suddenly slowed down, switching to a different tune.
Men and women in the auditorium began pairing up, no longer dancing wildly; they moved in an orderly manner, like bees guided by the queen’s signal.
“Arnold’s” hands naturally settled on Caroline's waist, beginning to sway gently.
Caroline smiled and said, “I used to think you were a bookworm, but I didn’t expect... you’re quite good at this kind of party.”
“Arnold” just smiled, “Actually, you suit this lifestyle pretty well.”
Caroline shook her head and quietly stayed silent.
“Arnold” asked, “If you were given a chance to have a new life, like this, would you be willing?”
Caroline looked up at “Arnold.” The soft music was stirring her heart, and perhaps due to the atmosphere around her, she found herself lost in thought about this question.
“Maybe we could go to a new place, a place where no one knows us,” “Arnold” said gently, holding Caroline close with a magnetic voice, “We can’t stay in school forever. If we run into Boston and the others out there, this joy will disappear.”
Caroline snapped back to reality. She didn’t struggle against “Arnold’s” gentle embrace but suddenly remembered that this guy used to be a dancer at the Karta club... Did he also whisper sweet nothings into Livia’s ear with this very voice?
“What about all the effort you’ve put in over the years if you leave?” Caroline asked. “Your degree, your job, your future... Would you be willing to give those things up?”
“No matter how unwilling I am, it’s still better than being stuck in endless trouble,” “Arnold” said with a wry smile. “I know, I’ve always known, as long as my brother is around, I’ll never be able to escape him. No matter how hard I try, as long as I have this identical face, people will always see me as him. But…”
He suddenly cupped Caroline's face gently, saying, “But if it’s you... if you’re with me... we...”
---
Gradually getting closer, gradually approaching.
Caroline suddenly felt her body tense up. At the moment "Arnold" got incredibly close to her, she instinctively pushed him away.
“Caroline…” “Arnold” gently called out.
Caroline looked down and said, “I’m sorry... I’m a bit thirsty. I... I’m going to get something to drink.”
After saying that, without waiting for “Arnold” to respond, Caroline quickly squeezed into the crowd, distancing herself from his line of sight.
---
—You can let a man kiss any part of your body, but your lips are off-limits.
Standing at the bar counter with drinks, Caroline subconsciously touched her lips, recalling what Nia had once told her.
“Are you feeling it?”
Suddenly, an inappropriate voice appeared right in front of Caroline, startling her awake—this hoarse, terrifying voice was unforgettable— it belonged to 403.
In front of her stood 403!
He was still dressed in the eerie attire from last night, like a character straight out of a horror movie.
Caroline looked around in panic, especially behind her, while 403 calmly said, “No need to be nervous. Don’t you see where this is? In this outfit, no one cares about me. The students here will just think I’m a person in a scary costume.”
Caroline paused, then sighed in relief.
403 continued, “Though it’s ironic, it’s precisely because of this that I can openly appear in the crowd instead of hiding in dark corners... No one will look at me with fear.”
His voice still had that raspy tone, but to Caroline, it carried an indescribable quality.
After a moment of hesitation, Caroline asked, “Did you... did you see my note and come rushing over? For what? Is it...”
She knew 403 was planning revenge but had no idea what exactly he intended to do. Just then, 403 suddenly grabbed Caroline’s hand and forcefully pulled her toward him.
Before she could react, he had already seized her chin with one hand and kissed her forcefully.
In the distance, “Arnold,” who was searching for her, happened to witness this scene. His pupils instinctively widened in shock!