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"Are you the owner here?"
The woman spoke to Peter.
"Yes, I am. Is there something I can help you with?"
Peter sized her up before responding.
"I'm looking for Todd Burley. Do you know where he is?"
"Actually, I've been wanting to know the same thing."
Peter shrugged and said, "If you manage to find him, maybe you can let me know as well. Also..."
He paused, narrowing his eyes slightly as he asked, "Given what happened at the bar today, may I ask, ma'am—why are you looking for Todd Burley?"
Peter suspected that this woman might be connected to Todd Burley's disappearance and possibly the person who was burned to death in the bar.
"That's none of your business."
Realizing she wouldn't get any useful information from Peter, the woman shook her head in disappointment and turned to leave.
"You wouldn't mind if I offered you a drink, would you, ma'am?"
Peter picked up his glass and gestured toward her.
"Right now, it's not just the police looking for my manager. I imagine there are a lot of other people after him too. Maybe if we talk, we could both gain something from it."
The woman considered this for a moment.
After a brief silence, she nodded and walked over to sit beside Peter.
"You're interesting. Not afraid of trouble. Most people would stay far away from a situation like this, let alone try to get involved."
She showed a flicker of interest in Peter.
"I'm kind of used to trouble finding me," Peter shrugged and extended a hand. "I'm Peter Podrick."
At the gesture, the woman raised her brow slightly. "I'm Diana. Diana Prince."
Hearing the name "Diana Prince," Peter was visibly stunned.
This woman—was the Wonder Woman, Diana Prince?
One of the Trinity of the Justice League?
The superhero as beautiful as Aphrodite, as wise as Athena, faster than Hermes, and stronger than Heracles?
She's already made her debut?!
He looked her over again with new eyes.
As for beauty, well, he'd never seen Aphrodite, so it was hard to judge.
She definitely had a strong, athletic build emphasized by the leather outfit—but compared to Heracles? That might be a bit of a stretch.
Diana noticed Peter's brief pause and had no idea he was mentally critiquing her looks and physique.
She hesitated before asking, "Have you heard of me?"
"No, I don't think so."
Peter pulled himself out of his thoughts and replied, "Just reminded me of something."
Unbothered, Diana nodded. "So, Todd Burley. Since he's your manager, you two must be fairly close, right?"
"Not really. I may own the bar, but I don't come here often."
Peter shook his head, then asked, "But I'm curious—did he get into trouble with someone?"
"Yes. He messed with people he never should have. They've been looking for him relentlessly. If they catch him... I don't imagine it'll end well for him."
Peter nodded. "Like that customer who got burned to death?"
"Something like that. He's in serious danger right now."
Peter's interest was piqued. "And what about you, Miss Diana Prince? Why are you so determined to find him before they do?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you that—at least not yet. It's for your own safety."
She gave him a protective look. "Sometimes, the less you know, the better."
"That's debatable."
Peter raised his glass and took a slow sip of his Long Island whiskey.
Realizing she wasn't going to get the information she wanted from Peter, Diana offered a few parting warnings—urging him not to get involved—before rising and leaving.
Peter remained seated at the bar, watching her retreating figure. He gestured to the bartender for a refill of iced tea.
Nightfall.
Heavy, rhythmic music throbbed from the back entrance of a nightclub.
It was a dark alley, filled with shadows and faint neon light spilling in from the street.
Wrapped in a black trench coat, Todd stepped out from the long shadows.
He was dressed head to toe in black—trench coat, leather shoes—and even though it was midnight, he wore reflective sunglasses.
Just as his black shoes stepped onto the metal staircase leading to the club's back door, Todd's eyes shifted subtly. He had noticed someone.
A man with obsidian-black skin crept out from behind a dumpster.
The large man wore an open black vest, exposing his sweaty chest and sparse chest hair.
A sliver of light leaked from the door at the top of the stairs, now slightly ajar.
The man followed silently, treading carefully as he approached Todd.
Though nervous, Todd forced himself to stay calm and acted unaware, continuing up the steps.
When the attacker finally made his move, Todd was ready.
The man drew a knife from his waist and lunged for Todd's arm.
But he missed—Todd dodged swiftly, leaning against the railing.
With a flash of cold light, a sharp knife appeared in Todd's hand.
He slashed wildly like an artist frantically painting a canvas.
But the attacker wasn't easy prey either. He struck Todd's wrist hard with his elbow, sending the knife flying.
It clattered to the metal steps and vanished from sight.
At the same time, the nightclub's back door creaked open, and the deafening music surged out like a tidal wave.
Enduring the pain, Todd lunged forward and grabbed the Black man's head with both hands, as if he were about to devour a giant hamburger.
In the next second, he actually bit down—like a zombie—sinking his teeth into the man's nose.
"Ahhh!"
The Black man let out a painful, miserable scream, and the knife in his hand clattered to the ground.
Blood splattered across the walls and the steps, and the man howled in agony.
Just as Todd was about to subdue him—
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots rang out in their ears.
Startled by the gunfire, Todd looked up at the steps, only to see a new figure appear at the top—a junkie, skinny as a monkey.
He wore a knit cap pulled low over his freckled face, and a smoking .38 revolver was clutched in his hand.
Two bullets had struck the wall nearby with a dull thud.
Seeing the gun, Todd instantly stopped biting.
Freed from Todd's teeth, the injured man immediately clutched his mangled, bloody face and slowly crouched down to search for his knife.
"F*ck! Damn it!"
He cursed through gritted teeth, hissing in pain.
Just as the two were about to finish off the now-surrendering Todd, a sudden whoosh cut through the air.
To Todd's astonishment, the two men who had been attacking him suddenly turned on each other in a violent frenzy.
The crazed Black man lunged at the junkie with his knife.
In the darkness, his snarling, contorted face made him look like a skull smeared with lipstick.
The junkie was stabbed in the shoulder, and blood immediately soaked through his clothes.
But he seemed numb to the pain. Clenching his jaw, he pulled the trigger right at the other man's head.
Bang!
With a sound like bones shattering, the Black man's skull burst open like kitchen slop hurled by a chef. Blood trickled down his face in winding streams.
Todd stood frozen in place, utterly shocked by the scene unfolding before him.
He took a step back, watching the dazed junkie and trying to make a run for it—only to turn around and find Peter standing right in front of him.
"B-Boss?!"
Terrified, Todd stumbled backward from the cold expression on Peter's face.
Peter grabbed him by the collar and hurled him to the ground.
Thud! Todd landed hard.
"Todd, you really made me work to find you—and gave me quite a few surprises along the way," Peter said, looking down at him. "Looks like we need to have a serious talk."
After failing to find him at home, Peter had used runes to track Todd's aura and finally located him here.
When he arrived, he saw the two men attacking Todd, so he quickly inscribed a rune to cast an illusion—causing them to turn on each other.
Seeing Todd looking like a lost soul, Peter calmly asked, "Something this bad happens in the bar, and you, the manager, are hiding? I hired you to manage this place—this is how you repay me?"
"Boss, I-I didn't mean to. I had to hide… or they would've found me!"
"Who?"
"I-I don't know. But they're not human!"
"Do you have something that belongs to them?"
Peter frowned and questioned him.
"Yes—I mean no! I don't! They're trying to get information from me. They want to know someone's whereabouts."
Just as Todd finished speaking, footsteps echoed down the alley.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The footsteps came from the other end of the alley. Todd quickly stood up and hid behind Peter.
Under the dim lights, the figure approaching became clearer.
"Mr. Podrick."
Wrapped in a cloak, Diana looked Peter up and down. "We meet again."
"What a coincidence, Miss Diana."
"Mr. Podrick, you know I've been looking for him. Could you hand him over? I promise he'll be safe."
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
Peter shook his head. "He's my manager. Even if I'm a little disappointed in him, I still have to ensure his safety."
Diana didn't take Peter's words seriously.
She assumed he was just an ordinary person—and with her supernatural powers, she didn't think she needed to waste time talking.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Diana teleported to Todd's side and reached out to grab him.
Boom!
But in the very next second, Peter caught her wrist in a firm grip.
Stunned, Diana was thrown backward with a loud thud.