Chapter 54: Protection Fee
"Goddamn it!"
Inside the hidden laboratory, Luther roared in frustration. His office was in complete disarray—chipped wood, a shattered chair, and papers scattered everywhere.
The cause of his fury? Something Strauss had done in the past few days. After Strauss and his people investigated Luther’s penthouse, he had been forced to go into hiding for his own safety.
During that time, he had sent Mauler to eliminate a loose end—those third-rate hackers in the Fringe.
But it turned out Mauler had fallen into a trap, set by an anonymous individual Luther didn’t recognize. And why was he so sure it wasn’t Shadow Thief, his usual enemy? Because Shadow Thief didn’t have the skill to pull off something like this ambush.
After all, even with all his security-breaching talents, Shadow Thief was just that—a thief. The man was never a warrior or an assassin. Sure, there was that one time Shadow Thief pulled off an assassination, but that had only worked because Luther had severely underestimated him—and Shadow Thief had been unusually lucky.
After that incident, Shadow Thief never came close to replicating such a feat again.
But the one who ambushed Mauler? He was professional, decisive, and ruthless. He’d prepared in advance, knew their route, and timed the attack perfectly—leaving Mauler with no opportunity to turn the tables.
To be fair, based on the footage provided by his spy, the report he read, and the analysis from the Echelon’s analysts, Luther concluded that if the man in black armor had fought Mauler head-on, there was a very high chance Mauler would have won.