THE EXILED LORD

CHAPTER 9

Luca arrived at Mad Tiger's hideout, according to the address he had obtained from Wilson Brown.

He had imagined that it would be a quiet and silent infiltration, instead the scene before him was a mess.

The entire place was swarming with military personnel, it was surrounded.

Dozens of heavily armed soldiers were stationed outside, their faces dark with frustration.

Their rifles trained on the seemingly impenetrable structure ahead. Spotlights illuminated the building, their beams slicing through the darkness like blades.

A few vehicles were riddled with bullet holes, and the tension in the air was suffocating.

At the forefront stood Marina, her sharp gaze fixed on the dilapidated mansion in front of them. Her subordinates shifted uneasily as she clenched her fists.

"Four hours," one of them reported grimly. "We've been attacking for four hours, but we've made zero progress. The bastard's defenses are impenetrable."

Marina exhaled sharply, her patience hanging by a thread. "Four hours?” She snapped. “And you’re telling me that a pack of trained soldiers can’t take down one damn criminal?"

The subordinate hesitated. "Mad Tiger isn't just any criminal. He’s an A-class—"

"Shut up!" Marina snapped, her anger barely restrained. "Are you all waiting for him to invite you in for tea? If you can't get the job done, then what good are you to the military? You all are useless, good-for-nothing beings."

One of her lieutenants swallowed nervously before responding. "Mad Tiger is classified as an A-class criminal, Commander. His defenses are unlike anything we’ve encountered before. Every time we advance, his countermeasures push us back. We can't break through his perimeter."

Deep down Marina despite being the warrior goddess was nervous about the whole situation, thus it was her first time dealing with an A-class criminal, so far it is proving to be an utter failure, but she just couldn't bring herself to admit defeat.

“Make sure you all are ready, eyes fixed, let nothing escape your attention, should we find a weakness, we must be ready to take hold of the situation, is that clear!”

“Yes commander!” Her subordinates chorused.

Then, suddenly, a soldier sighted a man on the war front and exclaimed.

“Wait! Who is that guy… how is he there?!”

One of the soldiers murmured, and soon, whispers spread through the ranks.

Marina turned towards where the murmurs were emanating from and she couldn't believe her eyes.

Standing calmly in the midst of chaos, dressed in casual attire with not a single trace of tension, with his usual air of effortless confidence, was Luca.

'Wait isn't that Luca? What the hell is he doing here?’ She thought.

Her blood boiled instantly. "You again?!" She bellowed.

Luca arched his brow and retorted; "Yes, it's me again."

Marina stormed toward him, not caring about her subordinates looking at her, she blurted out;

"I swear, if you’ve been following me…"

Luca gave her a sidelong glance, unimpressed by her words, he blatantly uttered;

"Don’t flatter yourself, not everything's about you, warrior goddess."

"I wouldn’t waste my time trailing after someone who can’t even handle a criminal even with her entire team."

Marina's jaw clenched at his mocking tone and blurted out; "Then what the hell are you doing here if you aren't stalking me?"

"I could ask the same thing. But judging from the fact that you’re still standing outside, I take it you haven’t accomplished much." His gaze swept across the scene. "Four hours, was it? Pathetic."

That struck a nerve in Marina that her temper flared up, but before she could lash out, Luca continued lazily, "This is supposed to be your grand operation? You’ve got an entire unit, and you’re still stuck at the doorstep for that long?"

Her subordinates shifted awkwardly, feeling the sting of his words.

Marina’s eyes flashed dangerously. "You think you can do better?" Marina’s jaw tightened. "You think this is easy? A-class criminals are…"

Luca interrupted, his voice laced with amusement,

"Only good for scrubbing toilets in my opinion, you already visited the Quarry, so you understand what I mean. If you can't handle one, I can only imagine how useless the rest of your troops must be."

A ripple of tension passed through the soldiers, some exchanging uneasy glances.

Luca wasn’t just mocking them, he was dismissing them entirely.

Oh? Then why don’t you show us how it’s done, Mr. All-Knowing?”

Luca smiled and said; "Nah! Not my problem."

Marina scoffed, crossing her arms. “I knew it. All talk, coward!”

Luca, unfazed by Marina's words, let his gaze sweep across the perimeter.

He was only there to find an easy route to get in or infiltrate Mad Tiger's residence.

It only took a second before he found what he was looking for—a vulnerability in their blockade.

A blind spot, somewhere Mad Tiger's men had overlooked, it was a perfect entry.

He smirked, after finding it, which was something that had eluded them.

He turned to leave. “I didn’t come here for you, anyway.”

Marina frowned, caught off guard. “Liar!”

He looked over his shoulder and uttered;

"Believe whatever helps you sleep at night!

Marina’s temper flared up, "Enough! Get him out of here!" she ordered.

Her subordinates hesitated. "But, Commander…"

"Now!"

Luca sighed and took a step back. "No need to trouble yourselves, you already have a lot on your plate to deal with, I’m already leaving." His lips curved into a smirk. "Unlike some people, I don’t waste my time on lost causes."

Then, without another word, he walked away.

Marina's eyes narrowed. Was he truly leaving, did he really not come for her? Or was he up to something? But before she could dwell on those thoughts, Luca had turned on his heel and disappeared into the shadows.

Minutes later, in a secluded corner of the compound, Luca moved like a whisper against the wind. With effortless agility, he leaped over the wall of Mad Tiger's residence slipping inside undetected.

While Marina continued barking orders just outside the perimeter, completely oblivious to the fact that the man she had just dismissed was already inside.

Luca chuckled to himself as he surveyed the surroundings.

"Some warrior goddess, you are" he murmured. "All bark, no bite."

To him, titles are meaningless if one can’t back them up with skills.

And with that, he stepped into the lion’s den, completely undetected, he continued to walk deeper into the lair, ready to hunt down Mad Tiger on his own terms.