There were only... two children left.
Mr. Liaison's chances were indeed running out.
Fern put the gun back on the table, lit a cigarette, took two puffs, then crooked a finger at one of his men, signaling him to pass the cigarette over.
When Mr. Liaison took a drag, his whole body seemed to relax considerably.
He inhaled deeply and forcefully, taking each drag very slowly. Before the fire reached the butt, the cigarette holder had already begun to grow hot.
He needed cigarettes, nicotine, even alcohol! Fern had someone give him another cigarette, then said calmly, "There's no deal. I ask, and you answer."
"You can try lying to me. Maybe that'll work out better for you than making a deal."
Mr. Liaison looked deeply at Fern. He knew this man was a devil! And behind this devil stood an even greater, more terrifying devil.
He wanted to ask, Aren't you afraid of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the military?
But after his family members had left him one after another, he had completely regained his composure.
He glanced back at the two children, who had been scared senseless, then turned his head around again.
"I used to be a soldier, but..." He shook his head. "I couldn't remain in the military. Some of my contemporaries did, though."
"He found me and used a favor to get me to resume the investigation into you."
"I agreed."
"Because I'd done it before, when Mr. Truman made the request. Nothing happened then, so I thought this time would be the same..."
Fern stared at him for a long while before shaking his head. "Things always happen that exceed our ability to control them, don't they?"
Without waiting for Mr. Liaison to answer, he pressed on. "Tell me that federal serviceman's