Cat and Mouse Game

Luthor Manor was silent and mysterious in the dead of night.

By the early hours, the servants had long since retired, and the lights had gone out with them.

Only silence filled the vast manor.

An SUV sat quietly outside the iron gates. The Old Butler held a lead box in both hands as he walked step by step into the manor.

The elegant old man failed to notice the shadow that flashed past behind him.

He crossed the quiet hall, his leather shoes making faint creaking sounds against the oak staircase.

The Old Butler arrived on the second floor and headed for the room by the balcony on the left.

"Young Master." The Old Butler raised a finger and lightly knocked on the door.

A lazy voice came from inside. "Come in."

The Old Butler gently pushed open the door. The room was unlit. In the darkness, Jino lay on the bed in a short-sleeved shirt. Seeing the Old Butler enter, he smiled and sat up. "Did you bring it?"

"Yes."

Jino pointed at the table.

"Put it on the table. You can go rest."

The Old Butler set down the lead box, turned, and left.

Click.

The door closed, and Jino walked toward the lead box.

He gently lifted the lid with his right hand. The green gemstone inside gave off a deep, dim glow, and under the light of the gemstone necklace, Jino's face gradually turned pale.

Weak. Powerless. Like a fish out of water.

"Kryptonite."

Jino's expression was complicated. Enduring the weakness, he snapped the lead box shut.

The lead box blocked the Kryptonite's effects, and the feeling of collapse faded away.

He gently set the Kryptonite on the table, but an unusual sound reached his ears.

The sound was nearly imperceptible, but Jino, with his extraordinary gifts, still heard it.

"Interesting."

A smile curled across Jino's lips as his gaze shifted toward the wall at the foot of the bed. Beyond it was the rooftop outside his room—a suitable place to hide.

Was it an assassin sent by the assassin website, curious about this matter?

Or were they planning to rob the robber?

Jino rolled his neck, producing a series of cracking sounds.

"I specifically had the Old Butler drive around the area a few times before coming back, but we still couldn't shake this 'tail.'"

Jino's expression remained calm as he slowly walked toward the wall where the sound had come from.

As he drew closer, with only one wall between them, Jino took a deep breath and held it.

He focused all his attention on his ears.

Jino tilted his head slightly and slowly closed his eyes.

Breathing. Breathing. As his mind settled, everything around him seemed to have been paused.

The sound of wind gradually rose in his ears.

He heard it.

He heard—

the cold night wind striking the glass, whistling through the cracks.

Lex's thunderous snoring next door.

Several maids downstairs, still awake in their room, discussing their ideal future partners.

But amid all those sounds was a slow, steady heartbeat.

And the owner of that heartbeat was separated from Jino by only a wall.

"Just as I thought." Having fully confirmed that he was being followed, Jino smiled.

He gently raised his right hand and made a fist, then curled his index finger and lightly tapped his knuckle against the cold wall.

Tap, tap, tap.

The muted sound echoed. Jino heard the heartbeat quicken slightly before swiftly returning to normal.

It seemed the other party did not think he had discovered her.

This assassin was extremely confident in her abilities.

Laughing inwardly, the young man tapped on the wall and recited in a sing-song, poetic tone, "Little pig, little pig, let me come in~"

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in~"

Outside.

The cold wind blew against Talia as the skilled assassin silently listened to the sounds inside.

Long before arriving here, the well-traveled Talia had recognized the Luthor Family crest hanging on the ancient castle.

That's a line from "The Three Little Pigs." A memory flashed through Talia's mind. When she was little, her mother had told her that story.

Disdain flickered in Talia's eyes, and a mocking smile curled across her lips. "I never thought the Luthor Family's direct heir would be an idiot who liked fairy tales."

A little disappointed, Talia heard the voice chant again, "You swear by the hair on your chin that you'll never open the door?"

Talia remained silent, quietly stamping the label "idiot" onto the Luthor Family's youngest son in her mind.

The voice fell silent for a moment. Then its sing-song tone gradually deepened:

"I'll smash with all my strength."

"Smash even harder!"

"Smash your house down!"

Talia could even hear a savage undertone in that voice.

"What is he trying to do?"

"Is he some kind of lunatic?"

Talia frowned deeply, immersed in her own thoughts.

She did not think she had been exposed. She possessed the world's most powerful breath-holding technique and the finest infiltration skills.

But then—

Bang!

The thick concrete wall exploded apart. A fist smashed through it, leaving a bowl-sized hole in the solid surface.

"What!?"

Talia's eyes widened as a sense of absurdity rose within her.

Were her eyes playing tricks on her?

She had actually seen a fist punch through a solid concrete wall!

Talia's heart filled with shock. The arm slowly twisted, its fist opening into a palm. Then, like a sharp blade slicing through soft tofu, the thick, powerful arm slashed fiercely downward.

Crash!

The concrete wall tore apart as if it were made of paper, countless chunks and fragments scattering everywhere.

A gap half a meter wide was torn straight through it.

Before Talia could recover—

Smack!

A handsome face suddenly appeared in the crack in the wall.

Amid the pitch-black darkness, the face seemed eerie and mysterious. Its head tilted slightly to the left, blue eyes coldly fixed on Talia as it said in a ghostly tone, "Here's Johnny~"

"Ah!"

At the sight of that suddenly appearing face, even Talia—who had endured countless assassinations, received top-tier training, and considered herself an assassin among assassins—could not help letting out a scream. Her somewhat harsh features filled with fear.

Negative Emotions from Talia al Ghul +5, +5

Boom!

Jino shoved forward with both hands, and the already ruined concrete wall came crashing down.

The tremendous commotion also alerted the others in the castle.

Countless lights flicked on, driving away the darkness.

Noisy voices echoed through the castle.

Under the bright moonlight, a tall, powerfully built figure looked down at Talia from above. The oppressive aura it exuded made Talia hold her breath unconsciously.

His handsome face was full of ridicule.

Jino stared at the green-eyed woman before him and spoke his first words since they had met. "Hello there, little pig!"

Damn it. Talia stared at Jino's body, which looked as though it had been forged from steel and radiated raw power. Having witnessed him shatter a concrete wall with his bare hand, the cunning woman immediately realized she was no match for him. I have to feint and escape!

With her plan decided, determination flashed in Talia's eyes.

With a flick of both hands, the woman drew two gleaming daggers from her sleeves.

Whoosh!

Like a gust of cold wind, Talia lunged at Jino at high speed, the two daggers striking upward and downward toward his throat and heart.

But to Talia's surprise, he merely stood there without evading.

"Hmph!" The woman snorted coldly. Just as she was about to reach Jino, she leapt up. Her long legs lightly stepped against the rooftop, and using the recoil, Talia dropped down from above.

The wind howled past her ears.

Talia tilted her face up at Jino, lips slightly pursed as she looked at him like he was a fool. She gave her first response since their meeting as well: "Idiot."

PS: A tribute to the iconic scene from The Shining.