“But…”

　　Are you done yet, Miss Bennett? Even Xianglin’s Wife wasn’t this full of grievances.

　　“Sorry…”

　　Grace Bennett apologized to me a bit dejectedly, then asked, “Little Emily’s safety won’t be a problem, right?”

　　“With me watching, nothing will go wrong. But starting tomorrow, for the next six months, unless absolutely necessary, don’t leave the house. I’ll set up traps around the building, so basically, it’ll be foolproof.”

　　“Not leaving the house for six months!? How is that any different from hiding in a shelter?”

　　“That’s why I said you might as well just go to the shelter.”

　　Grace Bennett was so angry she was grinding her teeth.

　　When I discussed this issue with Old Master Bennett before, I already felt this family was unbelievably stubborn. They want both safety and freedom—where in the world can you get such a good deal!? For a million a week, I’ll do my best, but even human effort has its limits. And if you think a million a week can buy my absolute all-out effort, that’s just a joke!

　　I copied a video from my phone and sent it to Miss Bennett’s personal computer.

　　It was footage I collected during my brief encounter with Raven in the New Territories: Raven and the EPU troops fighting in the forests of the New Territories, annihilating a thirty-man squad in three minutes and seventeen seconds.

　　The cameraman was an EPU sniper, who was shot dead by Raven’s sniper at the very start of the battle. The camera on his rifle faithfully recorded everything that happened afterward.

　　It looked just like a fantasy movie.

　　A grayish-white stone giant rampaged through the woods, wantonly crushing EPU soldiers. Blood and flesh flew among the lush trees, severed limbs everywhere. The EPU’s proud energy armor was like paper under the stone giant’s onslaught, while the soldiers’ counterattacks bounced harmlessly off the giant’s rocky shell.

　　Only rocket launchers and armor-piercing rounds could chip off a bit of stone, but the stone giant would merge with the earth and quickly form a new rocky shell. Lacking heavy weapons, the EPU soldiers couldn’t inflict any real damage. Their only armored vehicle was smashed to pieces by a boulder hurled by the stone giant. The EPU soldiers had no choice but to retreat.

　　Then came the slaughter by Raven’s sniper. As the soldiers fled, they kept dropping one by one. The sniper changed positions rapidly, making it impossible to tell real from fake, and no one knew how to hide. By the end of the video, the thirty-man squad was completely wiped out.

　　“By the way, that squad was EPU special forces.”

　　Grace Bennett’s face was already as pale as paper.

　　This was not the world she knew.

　　“That giant… is it a creature from the New Territories?”

　　Miss asked me cautiously.

　　“Frankenstein, Raven’s breacher, a mutant. His ability is petrification. Codename: Mountain Giant. He’s basically a walking tank.”

　　I closed the video and said, “The only ones who acted in the video were Raven’s breacher and sniper. The assassin and the mastermind haven’t even appeared yet. Videos of those two are hard to find—I only have written information.”

　　“The assassin’s real name is unknown, codename: Faceless Man. He’s a master of disguise, rarely appearing with the same face. Besides that, his trap skills, close combat, marksmanship… all top-notch. He’s even successfully assassinated heads of state.”

　　“The last one is Raven’s core, the mastermind Tannis. He’s never appeared on the front lines, and his combat ability seems average. But every one of Raven’s operations and development strategies is devised by him alone—a classic example of the brains ruling the brawn.”

　　“Raven doesn’t act often, and the chance of all four appearing together is even lower. The most recent recorded incident… was in the New Territories, where they orchestrated a conflict between EPU and the Free Alliance’s troops. Over a thousand casualties, an EPU brigadier general was killed, and by the way, the Free Alliance’s New Territories Development Minister’s entire family died from stray bullets.”

　　Grace Bennett was shocked: “That happened last year, it was in the news… Raven was behind it!? How do you know?”

　　“Everyone in the circle knows. Besides, I was the one who killed the Free Alliance’s development minister.”

　　That offhand remark made Grace Bennett’s face turn even darker.

　　“War dog?”

　　Suddenly I remembered, Ethan Ford seemed to have warned me that the The Bennett Family hates the Free Lancers the most.

　　I really am good at digging my own grave.

　　Grace Bennett didn’t say another word. She told me she’d discuss it with Emily Bennett later, then kicked me out.

　　What a pity—I hadn’t even told her yet that I’d quietly charged the cost of trap materials to her account.

Chapter 7: Behind Every Successful Man, There’s Always a Superstitious Woman

　　At dinner, Grace Bennett told me she’d help Little Emily take a leave of absence tomorrow.

　　Should I call this a pleasant surprise?

　　I’d already decided to slip something into The Bennett Family’s Little Sister’s food to make her have to stay home, but now it seems unnecessary. No matter how stubborn the The Bennett Family is, they wouldn’t risk their own lives. After watching the Raven video, I bet they won’t sleep well for days.

　　After dinner, the Butler took me to choose a bedroom.

　　As a personal bodyguard, on duty twenty-four hours a day, living at the Bennett Residence is only natural. When I picked up Little Sister from school this afternoon, I’d already asked the Butler to fetch my luggage from home—a black shoulder bag with all my essentials, my standard kit.

　　Carrying my bag, I followed the Old Butler, listening to him recount the brief history of this building. It was rather boring.