Chapter 53

"I said..."

Vladimir, disguised in a mask, walked down the street, staring with dead fish eyes at Defoe, who was walking ahead of him, intently making a list.

At this moment, Defoe was also wearing a mask, so his original appearance was no longer visible.

"Isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to come out at this time?"

Defoe didn't even look up: "What's wrong with it? Everyone needs to eat, isn't purchasing supplies a normal thing?"

Vladimir walked listlessly, raising his eyelids to glance at Defoe: "I'm not talking about whether or not to eat, I'm talking about the bait."

"Sending the two of us out into the street at this time is like they didn't even bother to throw out the bait properly. Only a fool wouldn't see through such a deliberate act."

Defoe was shocked: "What? Are we two bait?"

Vladimir: "..." Very well, it seems he's an idiot.

Does this guy really think they came out to purchase supplies?

Vladimir struggled for a while before barely managing to resist the urge to pull out his weapon and make a hole in Defoe's head to see if there was anything inside.

Having recovered from his listless state, Vladimir took out a plush toy and started biting it in annoyance.

"Damn it! I tolerated Christie saying she wanted to stay and meet old friends. But now she's sending me out as bait! How infuriating!"

The key issue is that Vladimir couldn't refuse. Because if he did, Verne would deduct his allowance... well, I mean, his purchasing funds.

He, Russia's most wanted criminal known for his child pornography, is now bowing down to money.

At this moment, Defoe calmed down slightly and began to look at Vladimir with suspicion.

"Are you sure you're not lying to me? You have a criminal record."

Vladimir retorted irritably, "They've already sent me out, what other possibility is there? Don't you know how much trouble I can cause?"

"Do you think Christie would be so stupid as to send me out along with someone as weak and incapable of intimidating anyone, unless it was intentional?"

Defoe was shocked and pale from morning till night: "Isn't this just a disguise, even using a painted mask?"

Vladimir was practically in tears: "That's why I, with my clearly defined features, came with you! Don't even mention hiding it, Christie was afraid people wouldn't recognize me!"

Defoe was no longer listening to Vladimir and was muttering to himself, "Christie and Verne clearly told me that you were sent with me because of your transport capabilities..."

Vladimir let out a disdainful snort.

"That's what they told me too, but I bet they didn't spend more than three seconds making up their excuses—I just look like I'm twelve, but I'm not really twelve. I'm not that easy to fool!"

Defoe, feeling insulted: ...Damn it, I can't argue with that at all.

Having vented his anger, Vladimir angrily bit the doll in his hand and glared ahead with furious eyes.

Suddenly, Vladimir stopped in his tracks.

Defoe, starting to tense up, quickly turned to Vladimir: "What's wrong?"

"Delete the indecent language!" Vladimir cursed expressionlessly. "Are these guys dogs?"

Vladimir, who used the appearance and voice of a young girl to hurl profanities, had his face full of displeasure.

He was extremely unhappy and has now completely ruined his public image.

As he spoke, Vladimir angrily threw the doll he had been tormenting all day away.

The doll drew a diagonal line in mid-air before being stopped by a hand.

There was no time to observe; all that could be seen was the uniform belonging to ASA. A flash of light appeared on the doll in an instant, triggering a violent explosion.

Defoe trembled. "How did you find out just now?"

“Haven’t you noticed how eerily quiet the streets are? It’s the same here, so obviously that they’re not even bothering to hide it anymore.” After throwing a dart out, Vladimir’s emotions visibly calmed down, and he even had the composure to glance sideways at Defoe. “Calm down, this is the daily routine of a wanted criminal.”

"Even a wanted criminal's daily life wouldn't be like this!"

Just as the two were arguing, a figure emerged from the smoke of the explosion.

The figure moved as before, one hand blocking his face, but countless growths and cracks appeared on his arm. At this moment, his arm seemed to be more robust than a normal person's torso.

With the unnatural bulges and cracks on the arm, it didn't look like a human arm at all. Instead, it was an abnormal structure of countless arms growing together, no longer deserving to be called a human body.

That was Balzac.

Vladimir was remarkably calm, even calm enough to want to swear.

"Why has even the 'Monument Valley' been dispatched?!"

Almost instantly, Vladimir grabbed Defoe beside him: "Defoe, retreat!"

However, Defoe did not answer him, but instead collapsed to the ground.

Vladimir stared blankly at Defoe on the ground, then blankly at Balzac, who was walking slowly toward them.

Finally, Vladimir blurted out the swear word.

He, Vladimir Nabokov, the "Baby Lover," had just been sent out to probe the enemy's situation, only to unexpectedly run into Balzac, the "Monument Valley," one of Europe's top combat forces.

Meanwhile, Defoe, who was supposed to be using emergency escape techniques, was somehow knocked unconscious.

All he could say was that he didn't lose unjustly.

Looking at Balzac, who was half-squatting in front of him and waving his ASA credentials, Vladimir nodded sadly.

Fortunately, we had a backup plan.

—If someone is out probing the enemy's situation, wouldn't it be incredibly unprofessional not to carry three or four miniature cameras around their neck?

Thus, before the UN arrived in Yokohama and World War II broke out, Vladimir was captured again.

Oh, and it even came with a Defoe plush toy.