Freddie sighed and nodded. “My daughter is more important than my life. As long as she still lives, I don't care what I need to do.”
Zeke narrowed his eyes. “You don't regret turning your daughter into a zombie?”
“Not at all.”
“I see.” Zeke nodded. “Go and complete your mission now. Don't worry. I may not be able to promise much, but I can assure you that I'll protect your innocent daughter.”
“Thank you, Great Marshal!” Freddie then turned around and entered the bamboo forest.
There were around thirty bamboo buildings deep inside the forest.
Three men were drinking coffee inside the one in the middle, which also happened to be the fanciest-looking bamboo building.
Those three men were none other than the executives of the Netherworld. They were Daemonium, Warren, and the leader of the Seventh Branch, Mahazael.
Mahazael and Daemonium used to be disciples under the same master. After entering the Netherworld, both of them expanded their influence in their own ways.
Mahazael took a sip and spoke. “My right eyelid had been twitching lately, Daemonium. I wonder if this means something bad had happened.”
Daemonium furrowed his eyebrows. “The base has been operating smoothly. I don't think anything bad is happening here. What's the situation with the Village of Livestock, Warren? Any incidents?”
“Freddie's the one in charge of the Village of Livestock, and he hasn't reported any abnormality. He should be harvesting the matured cursed parasitic worm in the village today,” Warren answered.
Daemonium nodded. “Remember to ask him about the situation there when he returns. The Village of Livestock must remain untouched.”
“Understood!”
“One more thing. I've asked you to bring me news about Zeke. How is that going?”
“After he last appeared in Corleon, I haven't been able to find him at all, Godfather. He left no clues for me to follow.”
“It's not important whether you can track him. The most important thing is that he doesn't find out about our base. Our research is about to succeed. We can't let anything happen in this crucial period.”
“Relax, Godfather. I know how important this project is to the Netherworld. I'll be extra careful,” Warren reassured sincerely.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All three of them abruptly tensed up when they heard a knocking on the door.
They couldn't help it. The research was in its final stages, which was why they were very sensitive to even the smallest disturbance.
“Who is it?” Daemonium asked.
“It's me,” Freddie replied.
Warren let out a sigh of relief. “He's Freddie, the guy responsible for the Village of Livestock. He's probably here to give us the cursed parasitic worms.”
“Let him in then.” Daemonium waved.
Warren opened the door and stared at Freddie. “How did it go?”
Freddie nodded. “It went smoothly.”
“Come on in.” Warren stood to the side to let him in.
Mahazael asked, “How's the situation with the Village of Livestock?”
“The cursed parasitic worms in the Village of Livestock are all growing well. Only one worm matured today. Two more will be maturing in two days,” Freddie replied.
“Nothing unusual happened in the Village of Livestock, I hope?”
Freddie's heart almost leaped out of his chest when he heard that. Why is he asking me that question? Is it because he knows about my deal with Zeke? No, that's impossible. They never leave the base. Any contact with the outside world is done through me. There's no way they would know what happened beyond the base. Perhaps it's just a coincidence? Okay, okay, I have to stop thinking about it now and show my usual poker face. All right, here I go.
“I've yet to find anything unusual in the Village of Livestock,” he answered emotionlessly.
“Good, that's good. Where's the matured worm you brought with you?”
Freddie pulled out a small bamboo cage. “The maturity on this particular cursed parasitic worm is pretty good. Please take a look.”
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