Once the nanny took Xiao Bao to sleep, the three people sat down in the living room. Akira was so nervous that she fidgeted constantly as she waited for the hard conversation to begin. She felt like her heart was in her throat.

"A few days ago, I got an email from Kaito. It is not my regular email, so I only check up on it on occasion." Hu Lei explained.

She did not use the old email account because it belonged to her assassin past. However, she could not neglect it because she used it to correspond with some people in the shady networks. She kept some of her old connections in case of an unexpected situation.

She was surprised to get an email from Kaito.

"What did it say? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Akira asked angrily.

"We needed to verify the validity of the information." Hu Lei did not mind the outburst. "We cannot afford to react without taking into account the validity of the information. Keep in mind that there is a mad member of the IHA after you."

Akira calmed down. She knew she was going crazy for nothing. Hu Lei and Zhong Feng were doing their best to find Kaito and bring him to her. She had never felt so useless. Despite her abilities, she did not belong to the dark world of assassins and mercenaries and dark deals, so she could not do anything to help.

But she just missed Kaito so much. She could not express the pain of searching and finding nothing. She could not believe that she had known him for only a short while. She just wanted him. She willed herself to be stable.

"Can I see the email?" She asked.

Hu Lei checked her phone and tapped a few times before handing the email to Akira. She looked with anxious eyes as if hoping to see Kaito through the words. She brushed over the contents quickly. She sighed in relief when she realised that he was alright.

She could not help but feel wronged that the first person he thought to contact was Hu Lei. However, when she saw the final footnote asking Hu Lei to make sure nothing happens to her, she was also a little touched. But still angry.

The general gist of the letter was that Kaito was taken by his maternal family to a reclusive place and held prisoner. However, he did not know the precise location. He was not in danger, but he would be forced to fight. The details were lacking regarding the fight.

All in all, Kaito seemed fine.

"What is 'that place'?" Akira asked as she returned.

"Have you heard of a place called Martial Island?" Hu Lei asked.

Akira shook her head. She would remember a place with such a unique name.

"On the night that Kaito lost contact, he called and asked about Martial Island. It seems that the place is related to the investigation he was conducting on his uncle. Since the place has something to do with his maternal family, it is probably the destination of the items you found in that port." Hu Lei explained.

"You knew where he was the whole time?" Akira yelled out.

Hu Lei's face did not change. "We still don't know where he is. You are a hacker. You can try to find something on Martial Island if you can. All we have is a name. Do you know if it is a real place? It could be simply a moniker for something else."

"But it is a real place," Akira said, her voice becoming a little lower.

"Yes. But our confirmation came with this email. For the last few weeks, we have been trying to find out everything about the name, but I can assure you, this place is a deep secret." Hu Lei responded.

In truth, she understood Akira's anger and hidden concerns. But she also realised that the two of them were radically different in one thing. They processed emotions differently. While Akira looked cold on the outside sometimes, she was quite fragile once she opened up.

She was emotional and reacted to things based on her feelings. Hu Lei could understand Akira's fear of betrayal and unwillingness to compromise. Despite everything strange about her upbringing, she always looked at the world in a black and white way, even though she did not want to.

Therefore, Hu Lei tried to handle her with kid gloves and respond to her concerns. She could only try to reassure her instead of giving her the cold hard facts about the secrets of the underworld.

"Still, you should have told me." Akira was a little deflated and hurt.

"I am sorry. I thought I was acting in your best interest. It is more frustrating to have a name and no direction for a search. You would probably stay up all night trying to think or find something new. Right now, you need to prioritise your health." Hu Lei said.

The room became silent.

"Do you have a lead?" Akira asked.

"That's what we wanted to talk about. We have found a lead and intend to take a trip to see if it will pan out. Right now, we can only get information about Martial Island from someone who knows about it." Hu Lei's eyes concealed a sparkle.

"You know someone who knows about it?" Akira sat up straighter.

"If we did, do you think we would be taking this long?" Hu Lei asked.

They had considered all options and tried to monitor everyone who could give them information about Martial Island, including Kaito's uncle, Takahashi Senzo. However, there was no indication of anything more than the knowledge of the name. No one had concrete useable information.

According to Zhong Feng's findings after digging into everything about Takahashi Senzo, he realised that the collaboration between him and Martial Island was not as close as it seemed. Everything he transported was handed over to a mysterious company for shipping.

Their best bet was finding the Chairman of the International Health Alliance and finding out the boss behind them. That boss had to be someone related to Martial Island. And most likely, he was someone from that place.

"I am coming with you. If this lead could get to Kaito, I want to be there." Akira declared.

Zhong Feng and Hu Lei looked at one another.

"There is one more thing." Zhong finally spoke. "I have managed to track the specific kill order on you."

"Impossible. I have already searched the dark web without success." Akira shook her head.

"Most of these sites cannot be found or hacked except with certain knowledge or a special identity. And even then, it is difficult to gain trust or information. You have probably learned ethical hacking. If you want to survive in a dark world with your skills, you will need to look beyond the norm." Zhong Feng added.

Akira felt like she had been lectured. "So, who is after me?"

"The who is not important. The how is the most critical." Zhong Feng said.

"What do you mean?"

Zhong Feng frowned as he looked at the young woman with some concern in his usually cold eyes.

"As you have found out, the original order for your hunt was placed by a certain member of IHA. Based on the investigations from the international court, he is a deeply disturbed man. He has done many heinous things, but there is no evidence. There is nothing to justify why he decided to come after you." He paused.

"You should also already know that the mercenaries who attacked were live-streaming their attacks on you for him to watch. The problem is that the person who took the task was not only allowing that man to watch. They also sold a special code for other people to watch the hunt."

"From what I have gleaned from the available limited information, that person is using you as a stepping stone for launching his live streaming site for people to watch gruesome things like murder. You are now a popular figure on the covert app, Watch. A lot of people are interested in seeing your death."

Akira felt a cold shiver, but she suppressed it. "I just need to lay low, and they will lose interest."

Zhong Feng was silent for a while. "The thing is, a lot of people have contributed to paying off mercenaries to hunt you down. In simple terms, even if we could force the original poster to withdraw the order, there is enough money to keep mercenaries happy for a while."

"Additionally, there is a dead pool in place." Zhong Feng finished with a sigh.

"A dead pool?" Akira repeated incredulously.

"Yes. People are betting on when you will die. The stakes are quite significant, although, for these people, it is probably about the thrill of winning more than money. In essence, people are highly invested in your death. Therefore, you cannot act carelessly." Zhong Feng's tone was a little harsh.

"And it seems you have already been sighted in Supreme City. This information has been shared through some mercenary sites, including the prizes for inflicting damage. A lot of unsavoury characters will likely be heading to the city. The hunt will probably resume with vehemence."