Jonas looked at the white-haired girl kneeling on the floor before him, her expression blank and clearly still dazed, and felt a little disappointed.
He had thought he could catch the game's protagonist outright, but apparently he had been expecting too much.
"Still, catching her was an unexpected bonus..."
Jonas muttered under his breath, his gaze taking on an inscrutable edge as he looked at the white-haired girl.
Amau Sueko was one of the Resistance Army's core members in the original story, as well as the character who initially guided the game's protagonist.
Capturing her was effectively cutting off the original protagonist's right hand, greatly reducing the threat they would later pose to the Wetting Conglomerate.
Although she hadn't caught what Jonas was saying, she noticed his gaze.
Amau Sueko tried to back away, but Jonas stepped on the hem of her clothes, forcing her to stop.
"You..."
The girl's heart had sunk completely. She knew she was probably done for today, but she hadn't given up struggling.
She raised her head and spoke as though she knew nothing:
"Who are you people? Aren't you afraid the Peacekeeping Forces will put you on their wanted list for breaking into a private residence?"
At those words, Jonas paused briefly before his lips curled into a grin:
"Sorry, the Wetting Conglomerate never needs a reason to act."
Before Amau Sueko could react, an intense tingling numbness struck her side. Almost instantly, she lost control of her body.
Electricity coursed through her, and Amau Sueko's consciousness began to blur.
She had wanted to stall for time, but he hadn't given her the chance.
Before her vision went completely dark, she saw young master Jonas remove his other glove and toss it beside her.
"Eiffel, take her back to the Wetting Conglomerate. I'll interrogate her myself."
His calm voice was the last thing Amau Sueko heard before losing consciousness.
Darkness... All around her lay bottomless darkness.
Blurry outlines emerged before her eyes, with what seemed like tiny flickers of fire glimmering in the dark.
Amau Sueko's consciousness gradually returned, followed by her five senses.
-So thirsty...
That was Miss Amau Sueko's first thought upon waking.
Then a harsh white light made her squint. She instinctively tried to shield her eyes with her hands, only to discover that they had been bound in chains at some point.
"Miss Amau Sueko, we meet again."
At the sound of that calm voice, Amau Sueko shuddered. It seemed to stir memories deep within her, and a trace of fear appeared in her eyes.
Then she saw the black-haired young man, his figure gradually merging with the suffocating presence she had seen before passing out.
She instinctively took two steps back, making the chains rattle.
"Jonas Wetting..."
Amau Sueko's voice trembled slightly.
Her memories from before she lost consciousness gradually sharpened, deepening her fear of Jonas.
"It seems Miss Amau knows who I am... Then there's no need for me to introduce myself."
Jonas looked into the white-haired girl's eyes. Just as he had expected, they were filled with fear.
"I wonder if you found my gift satisfactory?"
A sense of humiliation rose within her at those words, but she didn't show it. She merely bit her lower lip and stared resentfully at the black-haired young man before her.
She had indeed orchestrated the riot in the Alt District, and her original objective had been to target young master Jonas.
According to outside rumors, young master Jonas was thoroughly mediocre and had yet to join the board, leaving him with very limited resources at his disposal.
It was precisely this that had led Amau Sueko to choose Jonas as her first target, intending to squeeze a hefty sum out of him.
The early stages of her plan had gone well, and everything had developed just as she expected.
But just when she thought the outcome was settled, young master Jonas, who had seemingly remained on the defensive throughout, reversed the situation with lightning-fast moves. He even displayed foresight and a grasp of the bigger picture unlike anything Amau Sueko had ever seen.
Amau Sueko knew she had encountered the most troublesome kind of person, and the very kind she least wanted to face.
-A psychopath who played weak to lure in his prey.
Once she realized her predicament, the girl felt like crying, but no tears would come.
All her plans had rested on the premise that "Jonas couldn't respond in time." Who could have known that young master Jonas was nothing like the rumors claimed, and was even more capable than the vast majority of conglomerate leaders she had met?
Clearly, she had become the first "fish" young master Jonas had reeled in.
At that thought, Amau Sueko clenched her teeth and forced out a few words:
"Thank you for your... gift."
She knew that, under the circumstances, she could only accept defeat.
The fact that he hadn't killed her meant there was still room for negotiation between them.
Things hadn't reached the worst possible point yet. She still possessed "bargaining chips" that he needed.
As though confirming her guess, Jonas clapped his hands, stood up, and said:
"Since you know who I am, Miss Amau, I imagine you also know exactly what I need."
A glint flickered in the depths of his eyes:
"How did you obtain detailed data on the Alt District branch building?"
Amau Sueko froze at his words. Once they sank in, alarm surged through her. She forced herself to keep her expression steady as she answered:
"I obtained it through my own surveying and mapping."
-Clatter!
The chair toppled, sending the girl crashing to the floor with it.
Looming over her, Jonas leaned close to Amau Sueko's face, lifted her chin with his hand, and said with undisguised malice:
"You seem to have misunderstood something, Miss Amau."
The girl struggled, Jonas's figure reflected in her eyes. The sudden turn of events had thrown her into a panic, yet she had to put on an angry expression, as though hoping to intimidate him into going no further.
Looking at the girl before him, all bluster and no courage, Jonas felt a faint urge to torment her.
A cruel smile played on his lips. Reflected in the girl's eyes, he looked like a devil who could see into people's hearts.
"You're not someone I'm negotiating with. You're just bait..."
It was then that the devil voiced the thing she feared most:
"Do you think your companions will come to save you?"
Before you continue