Under the leadership of the Bruce Family, Orson entered the room where Pokpung and her group were being held.
"What should we do with them?"
Blank asked Orson, looking at the group of masked assassins kneeling before him, bound tightly.
"Why isn't she bound?" Orson tilted his head, looking at the guards. "Is she that special?"
Pokpung was shackled to a water pipe in the corner of the room. She was holding a bottle of water and, upon seeing Orson, didn't show any panic. Instead, she leisurely sneered at him.
"What's her deal?"
Blank questioned the guards from the Bruce Family, clearly dissatisfied with the situation.
Even though Pokpung had quite an influential background, being one of the heirs of NSK Enterprises Group, and holding considerable sway in both the NUK military and political circles, she had crossed a line. She had infiltrated the US and attempted to assassinate key figures like Radiant Shuttle—an act that surely violated military boundaries.
"Kill me? If you dare, that would be quite interesting."
Pokpung laughed maniacally, glaring at Orson with deep hatred, exuding an aura of someone who would make sure he paid if she didn't die.
"Emma, the Consul of Shalint is on his way. He's specifically coming to vouch for this woman. We're just following orders," said a burly man with a deep voice, a figure who had a certain amount of authority within the Bruce Family.
Blank shook her head as she looked at Orson and said, "I know this doesn't sit well with you, but I believe they'll offer compensation. After all, they are in the wrong here. As for the assassins you wiped out, they're dead and gone."
"Emma, why do you remain so deluded? Are you this afraid, this fragile?"
Orson stretched and sat on a metal stool, crossing his legs and watching Blank with a mocking look.
"What's wrong with me? How big of a grudge do you hold against me, and why do you keep targeting me?"
Her words struck Blank's nerves, and anger began to bubble up within her. She had been called foolish earlier, and now Orson was mocking her once again. She couldn't understand why he had been so antagonistic toward her. Was it because he liked her?
For a moment, Blank shuddered as a terrifying thought crossed her mind, but she quickly suppressed it. She wouldn't care about such a thing!
"You don't know how strong you truly are. You disappoint me," Orson murmured softly.
Blank's face changed as she stared at him in disbelief. She didn't understand why he would say such a thing. She realized that since their first meeting, Orson had always spoken to her like someone who had known her for a long time, as if he were guiding her, making her feel a constant unease deep in her spine.
"He looks down on me, just because he's a trial-taker?" Blank thought. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had become prey for someone who was just toying with her.
"I usually don't like to be so harsh with women, but go ahead, Blank, release the demon inside you," Orson said, his voice low, smiling at her.
Blank locked eyes with him, feeling an unsettling sense of her inner bloodlust rising.
"I... I have no obligation. I'm just here to protect you in secret..."
Her voice faltered as she thought about Orson's strange methods. She realized that she had no business protecting him. She quickly changed her words, "Your sister and your friends..."
"It's good that you care, my No. 1 bodyguard. Unfortunately, it's still not enough," Orson said, smiling darkly, standing up and whispering in her ear, "No matter how much you try to put on a brave face, you can't escape my eyes. You may come from a family of assassins, but you've never killed anyone, have you?"
Blank trembled as a chill spread over her. Orson's words pierced her fragile heart.
She had been born with exceptional talent for assassination and was once hailed as the Bruce Family's greatest genius in a century. But only she knew she was nothing more than a delicate flower in a greenhouse—bright and beautiful on the outside but fragile inside. The kindness she had inside her was her biggest obstacle.
The Bruce Family was one of the Ten Overlords of the US, a secretive blade that dealt with matters the public couldn't know about. She was supposed to be the sharp edge of this blade, the tip of the spear in the family's dark dealings.
But she had failed, and the pressure had been passed onto her two older brothers.
That was why Blank had been assigned to work for the military, acting only as a bodyguard to important figures. It was the Bruce Family's form of protection, but also a form of marginalization.
Orson didn't care about her thoughts. He took off the masks from the assassins and smiled gently, "Do you want to live?"
The golden-haired leader was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded.
He had seen firsthand the way Orson handled things—it was nothing short of a miracle... no, it was like dealing with a god.
"K.D., let them go," Orson shouted, knowing that K.D was monitoring the situation through surveillance equipment.
"Let them go? Aren't you worried they'll seek revenge on you or your people?" Blank asked, surprised.
"Why worry? If assassins disappear without a trace in the US, it's easy for people to think they were just tourists," Orson replied with a grin. He looked at the assassins and added, "Take down their sponsor, and let them spread the word that I, Orgod, am merciful. Won't that be better?"
Blank stared at him, unable to speak.
Indeed, eliminating a few assassins wouldn't solve much, but eliminating the sponsor would be a completely different matter.
"So devious..." Blank shuddered, realizing why this man could make even the Heaven Demon bow down to him. He was utterly ruthless.
"Send them back to their country," K.D's voice came through the speaker.
With a loud clank, the iron door opened, and the golden-haired assassins stood frozen in place. Were they really being let go just like this? No need for the international police? Or was there some catch—like death beyond the door?
"Please make some space."
Orson smiled at the assassins, the situation unfolding like a strange performance.
"Your gentlemanly manners impress me. I, Nicholas, will spread the word of your greatness!" the golden-haired leader said with a trembling voice.
"Gentlemanly manners…"
Blank lost the ability to speak, feeling her limbs grow cold, not daring to look directly at Orson's calm yet chilling gaze.
"What... what are you going to do?"
Pokpung looked at Orson, her heart suddenly gripped with fear.
She had been crazed just a moment ago, but now, with death staring her in the face, her fear had returned.
"Enter, Blank!"
Orson's voice rang out like a grand theatrical performance, "The first thief of the Slaughter Guild, the invincible God assassin, the Dragon Slayer."
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
Blank's beautiful face was filled with confusion until Orson took a step back, laughing at her from the threshold, "Oh, and the Avenger, who would stain their hands with blood for their family."
Blank's hands trembled, realizing that she had become the object of this young woman's assassination plot.
She knew she was a dead woman.
"What is the Bruce Family doing? Do they want to start a war? She's the daughter of Kim Yong-jae, one of the heirs of NSK Enterprises Group!"
Just then, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a suit stormed into the room.
"Consul Shalint, please stop!" a member of the Bruce Family stepped forward to block him, but two bodyguards from Shalint's side pushed them aside.
The Bruce Family's members, due to his diplomatic status, couldn't take any drastic measures.
Consul Shalint glared at the group and shouted, "If Kim Soo-jeong comes to harm, they will use it as an excuse to start a war! Who will bear the responsibility for this?!"
"This damn Shalint is a troublemaker."
In the monitoring room, K.D couldn't stay calm any longer. He quickly rushed over.
Though he knew Shalint was closely connected to NSK Enterprises Group, he didn't have any evidence of bribery.
Now, with Shalint stepping forward to protect Kim Soo-jeong, K.D realized the situation was becoming very complicated.
Orson stepped forward, blocking the iron door, and said with a smile, "If it's necessary, I'll take the blame."