The Strongest Curse Master

After showing my face to my parents and relatives, I planned to check on Danny to ensure he didn't feel left out because of the events today, only to find that he had barred his door with his drawer to spend a quality time with his beloved Esmeralda. Seeing that he was doing fine, I didn't intrude and left quietly and headed to the local C.I.B. branch headquarters.

Thanks to the old curse fighter planes from the secret Base Wulfric, I fed the Speclimes, Specroll brought me to my destination within 15 minutes. Actually, it took me five minutes trying to convey to Specroll how to take off midair ensuring my safety.

First, we climbed sky using the curse exo-armor and then, in the midair, Specroll transformed from exo-armor into the curse jet gen-VI around me, such that I would be seated and secured in the jet's cockpit after it transformed and started its engines mid-fall. We repeated the same in reverse order once we reached the city outskirts, not wanting to trip any alarms. So, to be exact, the trip from the town to the city only took eight minutes.

I can't help but sigh, thinking that it would have taken a lot less time if we had a few more minutes to steal the next-gen curse jets back at the Base Wulfric. I guess I will have to visit the base again when I have the time. This time I will be more thorough.

Maybe even consider opening a secret base within the secret Base Wulfric. After all, about one third of it was still neglected. It was a robust secret base, but its massive size had become its one flaw. Besides, my goal wasn't to mooch off them, but to steal their curse tech.

They had a lot of curse techs that they didn't even know they had. These unaccounted curse techs would serve as good raw materials for Dame Wasp and Speclimes to build tech from their native comic verses.

Just as my thoughts began to wander as I sat in my luxury penthouse that I booked using cold cash from the 9Ks' drug money in a five-star hotel about half a mile from the local C.I.B. branch headquarters, the status screen opened before my eyes. It was a status update from Emi, who was infiltrating the local C.I.B. branch headquarters to steal Mr. Birdie's curse prosthetics using her talisman and curse clout following Matthews' plan way ahead of the time Matthews mentioned in the plan.

[ —Status Screen—

Emi: Master, I'm in the Property and Evidence Room. Matthews' plans were accurate and really helpful. I wonder if it would be easier if we executed the heist at the time she mentioned.

Ace: With your ninja expertise, talismans, and the curse clout, you don't have to worry about being seen, but navigating through the variables and finding the target.

Ace: Besides, it's hard to believe Mathews didn't have other agendas or failsafe in place when she gave us this information. We just need to act before even she realizes.

Emi: Master, quick, share your sense with mine. There are so many useful and rare things here. I can't believe they just let them eat dust.

Ace: Emi, don't let greed distract you. It could be the actual trap set by Matthews. Just get Mr. Birdie's curse prosthetics and I will recall you.

Emi: Roger that.]

I had a feeling that Matthews had something planned, but it wouldn't come into play as long as I didn't go off script like aiming for the other items in the evidence locker. It was not about her finally getting me, but about her ensuring the sanctity of the evidence stored there.

Considering what she had come to learn about me and my immense wealth recently, she wouldn't just hand me the keys to the treasure trove locked away in the evidence locker without any failsafe in place. Yes, she wanted to help Dee3, but she had to be smart about it.

It was no secret that C.I.B auctions and sells every piece of loot and evidence that it didn't need. So, the only reason these pieces of evidence were stored and not auctioned was that their specific cases were closed yet. So, a missing evidence could spiral into trouble, more than she signed up for, down the line.

With Emi having completed the most difficult step of the heist, I got up on my feet, planning to check out of the restaurant. As much as I wanted to use the room for a little adult playtime with DD and Emi, I didn't want to delay giving Dee3 and the cyborg animals the good news in person.

Reaching the lobby on the ground floor, I head toward the reception desk to check out. But just then my curse smartphone rang. It was a text from the C.I.B. asking me to visit the local C.I.B branch headquarters to pick up my curse user registration card. That was quick considering I had just recently submitted Lyra and my registration form with Layla.

Or was this an arrangement made by Matthews to give me a solid reason to enter the local C.I.B. branch headquarters? I got to say she was through. However, that was unnecessary considering Emi just reported through the status screen that she got the items and asked me to recall her.

'Recall,' I mentally commanded, deciding to pay a visit to the local C.I.B. branch headquarters to collect my curse licence and, if possible, even Lyra's while I'm at it.

Checking out of the hotel, I walked to the local C.I.B. branch headquarters. Though it was half-a-mile away, thanks to the city layout it was almost a mile away. Still with my current physical stats, I would reach my destination in the time I waited for the hotel to arrange a cab for me.

Reaching the local C.I.B. branch headquarters, a huge awaited me. As I crossed the street, I saw Agent Marcus head out of the building as if he were getting off work just like any other day.