Mocha's Phone Call

"Roxxon, Oracle, Fox Broadcasting, AMD—they're all such good partners of mine!"

"When are they planning to take my life?"

"To give them a grand finale, I'll have to cooperate with them properly!"

Ryan asked with a hint of mockery in his voice.

He would not spare a single one of the forces plotting to kill him!

Oh, and Hydra had to be included as well.

However, Hydra was currently hidden beneath the cover of the global organization S.H.I.E.L.D. If he exposed them himself, it would draw too much attention. He would have to wait for Tony's operation before making preparations...

"The preliminary plan is set for one month from now."

Sebas tilted his head slightly as if listening, then answered.

A month? That long!

Ryan frowned at those words.

"Sebas."

"I am here."

"Send word to Demiurge. Leak part of the information to Annie without leaving any trace."

"I think starting with Britney Joz would be a good choice. Annie has probably been itching to kill her to the point of going mad."

Ryan's eyes flickered as he spoke.

The earliest assassination plan those fools had devised against him was still a month away. Where was he supposed to find the mood or time to slowly entangle himself with them?

If Annie took revenge first, perhaps it might even force those bastards to move their plan forward.

"But Lord Ryan, would it not be inappropriate to send Miss Annie?"

Sebas hesitated. Even with Demiurge's protection ensuring that no accident could occur, having the sister of the Supreme Being and the princess of Nazarick act personally made them seem far too incompetent.

"You think I wanted to?"

Ryan rolled his eyes irritably. If that little girl had not insisted, would he have made such a decision?

There was simply no other choice. Otherwise, which one of his subordinates could not handle something like this?

"Forget it. If she insists on taking revenge personally, then let her. Maybe after killing Britney Joz with her own hands, she won't want to kill anyone ever again."

He spoke words he did not believe himself and sighed softly.

Ever since Annie was young, he had wanted to correct her clearly abnormal way of thinking, yet he had never succeeded, even now. At this point, he had completely given up.

Besides, compared to those problem children in Nazarick, Annie's personality was already quite normal.

"Yes, I obey."

Having heard Ryan's explanation, Sebas bowed slightly.

"I'm still at ease when you handle matters. But Ashe should also be notified about the plan... Forget it. I'll tell her myself when the time comes," Ryan said with a frown.

Although after Nazarick's transmigration, his focus was no longer on the Haulers Group.

Ashe had been a subordinate he had personally discovered. Though her loyalty might not compare to the people of Nazarick, Ryan still did not wish to treat her poorly.

To keep her from overthinking things, it would be better to explain it to her in person.

And Uncle Mocha was another headache. He still did not know how he would...

Ring ring ring...

A phone began to ring. Ryan, who had been deep in thought, picked it up and saw the caller ID, and his heart gave a jolt.

If there was anyone left in this world who could make him feel afraid, it was the Mochas.

The elderly couple had no children. Not only had they helped him immensely when he was at his weakest, they had also treated Annie and him as their own younger relatives all these years. He, too, regarded them as elders.

Now that they were calling, there was no need to guess that it concerned the morning meeting.

He was probably about to get another round of lecturing.

After signaling for Sebas to leave, he answered the call with a toothache.

"Uncle Mocha, what do you need me for? There's a lot going on at the company right now. When I have time, I'll..."

"I'm at the company right now. And John told me that besides someone named Sebas, you do not even have a single bodyguard at your side."

Mocha's faint voice came through the phone. Ryan's body stiffened, and he gave an awkward laugh. "Ahem, really? Things have been so busy lately that I got confused and even my words..."

"Come to my house now. There are some things I need to discuss with you properly. I've already called Annie to notify her. Be here before eight tonight!"

The call was disconnected, and the voice that had barely suppressed its anger vanished with it.

Ryan expressionlessly slipped his phone into his pocket. After a long while, he suddenly sprang up from the sofa.

"Damn! What the hell? I actually got scared by a rotten old man."

He was clearly a Supreme Being who could wipe out a city with a wave of his hand, yet he was afraid of an old man's invitation!

But...

Thinking about the scene he might face shortly, Ryan sighed.

As long as he still saw himself as a person, then regardless of what status he attained, he still had to respond appropriately to the concern of elders close to him. Rather than think about useless things, he might as well consider what excuse he could use to muddle through later.

"Lord Ryan, are you going out?"

Sebas, who had been waiting outside the door, stepped forward upon seeing Ryan's attire.

"Yes, have David prepare the car..."

Ryan stopped halfway through his sentence. Right, he had forgotten. David had not followed him today and should still be at the company.

"If you wish to travel by car, perhaps I can serve in that capacity."

Seeing Ryan's embarrassment, Sebas bowed slightly.

"Drive? When did you learn how to drive?"

How had he not known that Sebas had learned to drive?

"In my spare time, I gathered online tutorials for skills a butler should possess. If it is merely driving, there should be no problem."

Sebas looked utterly confident.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Sebas nodded calmly.

"All right, then you can... give it a try?"

Ryan's tone carried a trace of doubt. Learning from videos alone did not sound particularly realistic, but Sebas had always been extremely steady. Perhaps it was worth trying.

After obtaining Ryan's approval, Sebas headed for the garage. Ryan followed him outside just in time to see Sebas skillfully drive the car out.

"You really can drive!"

Startled, Ryan got into the car and silently complained to himself. With talent like that, Sebas surpassed him by more than eighteen streets.

The vehicle drove steadily along the road, and before long, they arrived at their destination.

As Ryan stepped out of the car and saw a silver-white sports car parked nearby, his expression paused slightly.

That was Annie's car. It seemed she had already arrived.

"Greetings, Lord Ryan."

A sudden voice rang out from the shadows. Ryan turned at the sound.

"So it's you, Demiurge. Your current appearance really does resemble a demon hunter from an ancient lineage!"

Ryan's eyes lit up at the sight. The aged, resolute face, the ancient fantasy-style battle attire—everything perfectly matched the image of a demon hunter he had described.

"I am honored by your praise, but the reason I was able to disguise myself so well is entirely thanks to Lord Ryan's description!"

Demiurge was delighted and answered respectfully.

"Heh heh."

Ryan gave a dry laugh. What did any of this have to do with him? Why did he not remember ever saying what demon hunters should wear?

"Ahem, you've worked hard during this time. But I have something to do now. We can talk when there's time."

He did want to speak with Demiurge, but it was almost eight. He had better not make the old man angry today.