Afraid of being implicated, Ares took Hill to a nearby cafe. He had plenty of money now, so he ordered one of everything edible on the menu. Just as all the food arrived, Woof woof woof! Dopey suddenly started barking furiously. Three young men were walking towards them, greed shining in their eyes.
"Hey kid," said the one with a tattoo of an axe on his forehead. "You're so rich, how about you lend us some?"
"Why should I? You're not my sons," Ares replied.
Another man in a black hat said viciously, "Are you tired of living?"
Hill, scared, glanced at Ares. "Just give it to them. You have so much money."
"How much do you want?" Ares asked, looking up at the three of them.
"One thousand shillings," the man in the black hat said quickly.
Ares smiled. "Alright, I'll give you five thousand shillings, but you have to do something for me."
"What is it?"
Ares stood up, walked to the door, and pointed. "There's an institute over there. I need you to pick up a few people and figure out a way to hold off anyone chasing them."
"What kind of people? Why are they being chased?"
"Are you in or out? If not, get lost." As he finished speaking, the little dog immediately bit one of the men on the leg.
"What do the people you want us to pick up look like?" the tattooed man asked.
"Two men, two women. One of the men is over two meters tall, and one of the girls is very beautiful. You'll recognize them as soon as you see them."
The three of them took the thousand shillings and actually went. Ares waited until evening, going to the restroom five or six times, but still saw no sign of their return. He started to get anxious and prepared to go himself.
Inside the institute, Number Two was furious that she couldn't find Daechir. She had already killed several people and was now in a standoff, holding eight hostages. Beyondbear was in charge of guarding the hostages. Number Three was calmer. He suggested, "We should be holding some of their senior staff hostage. These are just ordinary employees."
"I know, but the important ones have probably gone into hiding," Number Two replied.
"Stay here and don't move. I'll go look for them myself," Number Three said.
"Alright!" Number Two nodded.
Ares walked to the front of the institute. The three men were long gone. A large crowd of police had surrounded the entrance, and he worried about how Number Two and the others would get out. Just then, a police officer walked towards him. "What are you looking at, kid? It's dangerous here, leave quickly."
"Sir, what happened?" Ares asked with feigned innocence.
"There are three people inside holding hostages, and I've already..." Before he could finish, a loud BOOM echoed as a large hole was blown in the other side of the building. A moment later, a dozen or so people burst out. Number Two cleared the way, radiating a murderous aura. Number Three was carrying someone in his arms, and Beyondbear had the hostages. The three were surrounded by their captives.
Ares's heart leaped with joy. He said to the officer, "The bad guys are escaping! It's so scary! I have to get out of here."
He ran to the convertible and waited. Once Beyondbear had loaded all the hostages into the back of the truck, Number Two started the engine. Ares followed. Thankfully, the car had an autonomous driving mode; otherwise, he wouldn't have known what to do. Number Three laid the person he was carrying down flat. Beyondbear asked nervously, "How is she? How's Daechir?"
"She needs an energy sphere to wake up, and it will take half a year for her to fully recover."
"Then give it to her."
"I'm sorry, my energy sphere is not compatible with hers. We have to go back to the Eagle's Nest."
Four police cars were hot on their tail, and shaking them was a serious problem. Beyondbear stepped up. "I'll stop them." Number Two immediately stopped the truck. Beyondbear got out with all the hostages, and they formed a line across the road.
Ares and the others made it back to the Eagle's Nest without any trouble. Number Two ran to Tunnel Nine to get an energy sphere and fed it to Daechir. A short while later, she slowly woke up. The three shots from last time had hit the central part of her brain. Now, there was a large hole in her face, a terrifying sight. Daechir touched her face, then gritted her teeth and said, "I... will... kill... Vega."
Her speech was slurred, and Hill couldn't understand her. "What did she say?" she asked.
Ares, wanting to joke around, tried to scare her. "She said she's going to eat you."
Hill jumped. "Why? I didn't do anything to her."
For Daechir to fully recover, she had to go to the Isle of the Gods, and even then, it depended on whether the nutrient pod was still there. Ares's goal in rescuing her was to get the time machine. Now that his objective was achieved, he asked, "Can you help me get the time machine out of Tunnel Nine?"
Daechir turned to him. She only had one eye left, but you could still see the fury in her gaze. "What are you planning?"
Ares felt a twinge of fear. "I rescued you," he said timidly. "Consider it a thank-you gift."
"We'll talk after I've fully recovered. I'm not considering it now." The next moment, she glanced to her left. "You stole Number Three, too?"
"You're injured right now, so it's best he stays with you," Ares replied guiltily.
The group soon parted ways. Number Three and Daechir went to the Isle of the Gods. Ares, Number Two, and Hill stayed in the Eagle's Nest. They went out to play every day, driving around the nearby towns.
Beyondbear was captured by the police and sentenced to thirty years in prison. When Ares heard the news, he muttered to himself, "Finally got rid of that tall guy. What an annoying fellow."
Six months passed. Vega still hadn't found her baby. Deeply disappointed, she prepared to leave this place of sorrow.
Daechir made a full recovery. Just as she was thinking about going to find Vega, Ares found her first. "Can you fulfill your promise now?" he asked.
"Will you not stop until you've taken everything from me?" Daechir retorted coldly.
"Are you going back on your word?" Ares demanded anxiously.
"I advise you not to get any ideas about the time machine. The consequences will be severe."
"Don't try to scare me. I just want to go see Mr. Ronnie. I'll come right back after I see him. Can't you just..." Before he could finish, Daechir suddenly struck, lightly tapping him on the head.
Seeing this, Number Two and Number Three cried out, "Daechir, what are you doing?"
Daechir didn't answer. Instead, she quickly pulled out a short blade and slashed it across each of their necks. Thump! Thump! Two round heads fell to the ground. Hill, standing nearby, was scared out of her wits and turned to flee.
"Don't be afraid," Daechir said. "I won't kill you. From now on, you'll stay with me."
Ares was only knocked unconscious. Daechir pointed at him and said, "He's not dead. Watch him. He's very useful to me."
Hill stopped, her heart calming slightly. "Why did you kill Number Two and Number Three? They saved your life."
"They were my robots to begin with. Their mission is complete, so it was time to dispose of them."
Daechir told Hill to look after Ares, then strode out. She intended to find Alice and Vega.