"Why?" Ashen frowned and looked at Leeroy.

At times, he wondered why the Dark Lord had chosen Leeroy over the others.

Leeroy was always aloof from the mission they had at hand.

All that Leeroy cared about was the killing.

"Yeah, why? We should be having our revenge against those bastards," Leeroy said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Because it's better for us to try and get to the First Awakened or Apex demonic beast here in the East Battle Administration Area while they deal with the Apex demonic beast in the West Battle Administration Area."

Ashen reminded him of their mission.

He pointed to a posh-looking building and said, "There it is.

"We will stay here and lie low for the time being.

"Lin Fan is supposed to meet us in the Golden Hill cemetery on the fifth of the month, which is tomorrow."

Ashen didn't want to risk contacting Lin Fan after what had happened in the West Battle Administration Area.

So, he stuck with the pre-arranged timing and location with Lin Fan.

If Lin Fan showed up, that meant that he had succeeded.

On the other hand, if he didn't, it would mean that Lin Fan had failed.

And without the tissue and demonic beast core from the Apex demonic beast in the West Battle Administration Area, they would have to try and kill the First Awakened or Apex demonic beast before Igor could make them stronger.

After the defeat by Lukas and his teammates, Ashen had grown more wary.

He preferred to get more powerful first before they met Lukas again.

Leeroy, however, didn't think as much.

He stretched his body and let out a yawn.

One night of doing nothing seemed boring to him.

But he kept quiet as he tried to figure out some 'fun' he could have while waiting.

"Lin Fan was the one who thought that we would really help those kids if he got us what we want?" Leeroy asked with a smirk.

Ashen nodded his head.

Leeroy let out a burst of laughter and said, "I still remember his face when I pretended to care about the kids, giving out treats to them.

"Too bad he couldn't back out anymore when he found out who we really were.

"If not, it would certainly be a pleasure to kill all the kids."

"Enough." This time Ashen stopped Leeroy instead of Risa. Listening to Leeroy's banter finally got to him.

Risa was standing behind them with his usual quiet demeanor.

The three of them kept quiet, took out their counterfeit IDs, and walked over to the lobby counter to check in.

...

Hazel paced around, looking out of the window on and off.

Anxiously checking every so often on her screen for the location of Lukas and the others.

The other staff in the hotel shook their heads when they saw her doing so.

"Relax, Lukas will be fine.

"The man can finish off an Apex demonic beast on his own.

"You know what that means, right?" One of the staff placed her hand on Hazel's shoulder and said.

"I guess you are right." Hazel let out a sigh.

She also knew that, but she just couldn't stop herself.

The staff then leaned closer and whispered, "So, did both of you..."

Hazel nudged the staff with her elbow and said, "None of your business.

"He's not local, and I might have been too direct."

"You need help with that? I have some tricks from when I got my husband to say yes." The staff beside Hazel said with a wink.

The others heard what Hazel and the staff were discussing, and they tried to gather around for more gossip.

Vroom.

To their disappointment, Hazel stopped the conversation and walked towards the entrance when she heard the van's puttering engine.

Lukas and the others got out of the van, unaware of what had transpired.

They got into the hotel, and Hazel greeted them enthusiastically with a smile.

"How was your day?" Hazel asked before they went to their rooms.

"We did some sightseeing and had some fun, I guess." Riley shrugged and said, "Do you know where the Golden Hill cemetery is?"

"Golden Hill cemetery?

"That's some distance away from here.

"It's where the veterans and those that perished under the demonic beast hordes are buried.

"Hold on."

Hazel ran to the counter and took out a map.

She used a pen and marked where the Golden Hill cemetery was.

After she passed the map to Riley, Lukas and the others came close and had a look at the location.

The Golden Hill cemetery was far away from anything else.

There were no buildings or residential areas near it.

It would take them at least three hours of traveling to reach it.

"Looks like a great place for some hanky-panky," Rex said.

"Or dealing with terrorists like the Shadow Lotus," Emma rolled her eyes and said.

"Thanks. Let's discuss this in Riley's room," Lukas said.

He had heard some cars approaching the hotel with his exceptional hearing.

The others nodded, and they proceeded to walk up the stairs to their room.

Hazel glanced at Lukas while he walked further away. He seemed so determined for someone so young, she thought.

"Any rooms available?" An old man's voice disrupted her thoughts, and Hazel turned to the entrance.

There was an old man with three other men standing at the entrance.

The old man was thin, with a walking stick in his hand.

A single glance at the old man would give you chills from his small but menacing eyes.

The three men standing beside him were just as menacing, with piercings and tattoos all over them.

"I'm sorry, but the rooms have been fully booked. You might want to check out...." Hazel tried to get them to leave.

But one of the men barged to the side of the lobby and said, "What are these then? They look empty and unoccupied to me."

"Oh, these rooms are hot and stuffy. They might not be the best experience for guests. I don't recommend them."

Hazel cooked up an excuse and tried to persuade them.

They were, however, strangely persistent about staying in the hotel.

The old man glanced at one of his subordinates, and the subordinate took out a stack of cash and slammed it on the counter.

"We want four rooms for the night."

"Let me get them ready." Hazel didn't want to jeopardize Lukas's mission, so she tried to accommodate their request.

She thought to herself silently that she would keep them under constant surveillance.

And if they tried anything funny...

The old man narrowed his eyes at Hazel, tapping his hand on the walking stick as thoughts went through his mind.