Chapter 105 The masquerade (2).

Words : 1113 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

The laughter crackled through Carlos's earpiece. "Pfff, hahahaha!" Rex's voice cut through, practically dying with amusement. "And here I thought you were going as her partner, but no, you're just the bodyguard! What a promotion, huh?" Carlos rolled his eyes, his hand subtly adjusting the communicator to mute Rex's laughter. "Ha-ha, hilarious," he said, his voice flat and biting. "This arrangement works better for everyone, so shut up already. We're going in." With a firm tap to the device, Carlos switched it off, cutting Rex's chuckles short just as they approached the mansion's entrance. The guard at the door was a burly man, more muscle than manners, and his eyes drifted rather unprofessionally toward Cleo's body. She was dressed to perfection, wearing a flowing white gown trimmed with golden accents that caught the dim light like molten fire. Her mask was a work of art, a delicate bird design that covered her entire face and added an air of mystery. Carlos, by contrast, looked plain and deliberate in his standard black suit and a half-face mask that left his mouth uncovered. His entire ensemble screamed "bodyguard" with just a hint of "don't mess with me." The guard barely tore his eyes from Cleo to talk, " Your invitations, please." Without hesitation, Carlos stepped forward, deliberately positioning himself between the guard and Cleo, cutting off the man's wandering gaze like a slammed door. "Here are our invitations," Carlos said, his voice deep, professional, and utterly uninterested in nonsense. The guard examined the invitations with the practiced eye of someone who didn't care much but needed to pretend otherwise. Satisfied, he stepped aside. "Enjoy your evening, ma'am," the guard said, his voice dripping with feigned politeness. As Cleo and Carlos walked past, the guard couldn't resist the urge to steal another glance at Cleo. But instead of the graceful curve he was hoping for, his view was obstructed by Carlos's broad, square butt. "Ugh," the guard muttered under his breath, annoyed, as Rex, perched on a nearby rooftop, quietly marked him in his sights. Through his binoculars, Rex smirked. "That one's definitely on my list," he murmured. he murmured, several tentacles slithering toward her without hesitation, brushing her shoulders and curling around her arm. "She's... very beautiful." The girl flinched slightly at his touch, her smile faltering, but her father beamed like he'd just won the lottery. And then, in an instant, everything changed. From her position in the shadows of the mansion's upper floor, Cleo pressed a command on her wrist device. Her voice was calm and detached as she muttered, "Well, then... let the main event of the masquerade begin." Every light in the mansion went out at once, plunging the grand hall into complete darkness. Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd as panic began to set in. "What is happening?! " the mayor yelled, his voice echoing angrily through the pitch-black hall. His tentacles writhed in agitation, their movements barely visible in the faint light from the rain-streaked windows. The guards sprang into action, rushing toward the mayor from all corners of the room to form a protective circle around him. Weapons drawn, their eyes darted around the shadows, searching for any sign of an intruder. Outside, the faint rumble of engines grew louder. Dozens of city guard vehicles were speeding toward the mansion, their sirens cutting through the rain-soaked night. Above them, military transport ships roared through the storm clouds, converging on the mayor's location like predators closing in on prey. Cleo's voice cut through the chaos, low and icy. "Kill all the guards." The command was absolute, and from the shadows of the grand hall, dozens of glowing red eyes flickered to life. For a fleeting moment, the guards glimpsed the glint of sleek, metallic shapes of the phantoms, their razor-sharp blades glinting faintly in the darkness. Enjoy more content from empire And then, in the span of mere seconds, the room fell silent again. One by one, the guards collapsed, lifeless, their bodies crumpling to the polished marble floor with barely a sound. The Phantoms had struck with surgical precision, their movements too swift and calculated for anyone to comprehend. The guests, blissfully unaware of the carnage in the shadows, continued to murmur nervously amongst themselves, their fear focused on the darkness and the missing lights. Not a single scream broke the eerie calm. From her vantage point, Cleo marked the mayor's location on her HUD. Her system confirmed that the guards were neutralized, and her Phantoms had already begun sweeping the mansion for any remaining threats. With cold precision, she stepped into the grand hall, her heels clicking softly against the floor. The sound was barely audible over the storm outside, but to those who heard it, it might as well have been the toll of a bell. The mayor's tentacles twitched nervously as Cleo emerged from the shadows, her white dress now illuminated faintly by the dim emergency lights flickering back to life. Her golden accents glinted like the edge of a blade, and her bird mask made her look like some vengeful phantom of the masquerade. "Who... who are you?!" the mayor demanded, his voice trembling slightly despite his attempt to sound authoritative. His protective circle of guards was gone, and he was all too aware of it. Cleo didn't answer immediately. She stepped closer, her gaze locked on the mayor like a predator sizing up its prey. Her hand hovered over the controls on her wrist, ready to deploy the next phase of her plan. Outside, Rex chuckled softly to himself as he watched the chaos unfold through the scope of his rifle. "And it is because of this situation that I love that woman," he muttered, the rain rolling off his hood as he adjusted his position. Perched on the rooftop, rain dripping off his hood, Rex adjusted the scope of his rifle, the faint glow of its targeting system casting a golden light against his face. Below him, the patrol cars of the city guard rolled into view, their flashing lights cutting through the stormy darkness as they approached the mansion in a tight formation. "They're here," Rex muttered to himself, his tone laced with anticipation. His finger hovered over the trigger, steady and precise. He exhaled slowly, letting the rhythmic patter of rain fade into the background. His scope locked onto the lead vehicle, focusing on the driver through the supposedly "reinforced" crystal windshield. Without a hint of hesitation, Rex lowered his finger and squeezed the trigger.

Chapter 105 The masquerade (2).

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