Not A Small-Town Girl

----

Emery remarked wryly, "Alright. There’s been a lot of

interest this year, but who knows how many people will

make it through?"

Danielle kept her eyes closed and didn’t respond.

“By the way, after Savannah got out, she resigned from St.

Katherine Hospital and went abroad. | guess you scared

her off," Emery reported as he drove.

"Send someone to teach Emma Harris a lesson," Danielle

said coolly.

“Who’s Emma? Did she offend you?" Emery asked,

wondering who else had the guts to provoke Danielle.

"You’re getting awfully chatty." Danielle rolled her eyes at

Emery.

Emery was slightly miffed, thinking, ‘Seriously, | just asked

a few questions...’

----

“Fine, I’ll shut up. I’ll take care of it," Emery said.

As the car pulled into the Black Web headquarters,

Danielle opened her eyes, grabbed her bag, and stepped

out.

“Ms. Darling, aren’t you wearing the mask?" Emery asked.

“They already know what | look like. What’s the point?"

Danielle replied, raising an eyebrow as if Emery had asked

a dumb question.

“Doesn’t that put you in danger?"

“Don’t worry. They won’t even come close."

Emery parked the car and hurried after Danielle.

At Black Web’s headquarters on the 20th floor, everyone

had already taken their seats in the conference room.

----

“Where’s Anonymous? Has she no sense of time at all?"

grumbled a young man with colorful hair looking like a

street thug.

“Nox, you only act tough when Anonymous isn’t around. |

bet you’d be all chill when she gets here," said a stylish

man with a skull stud earring.

Nox sneered. "Are you asking for a beating? | don’t mind

giving you a good workout." In a flash, he flicked a playing

card toward Xeno.

----

Just as théeard was an inch away

from Xeno’s throat, he caught it oO

effortlessly with two fingers. With a

flick afhis wrist, he sent the playing

seating straight toward Nox,

airaing for his head.

----

Both of them remained seated, but this deadly exchange

revealed the terror within the conference room.

Everyone else in the conference room was on high alert,

fearing that a hidden weapon would end their lives in an

instant.

Nox tilted his head to dodge the

playing card eno threw at him. The

two of thegYhurled various hidden ~

weapongal each other across the”

confererice room. Anyone whogiidn’t

Know better would have thought

these two were sworn enemies.

----

“Will the two of you cut it out? Do you want to die?" Sitting

between them was a woman dressed in black. She had the

vibe of a little witch with a venomous edge.

“Anonymous isn’t here yet anyway. It’s so boring to sit still,

Lilith. Do you want to join us?” Nox flashed a dangerous

smile.

Without warning, Lilith scattered a fine white powder into

the air, causing Nox and Xeno to scramble for cover,

quickly clamping their hands over their noses and mouths.

Poison was her weapon of choice, and she could strike at

the drop of a hat. No matter how vigilant one was, they

could still be caught off guard.

The conference room was in complete chaos, with

projectiles hurtling in every direction and the air thick with

poison.

The other Black Web members ducked for cover. They

could only dodge the attacks as they had yet made it to the

higher levels of the totem pole.

----

Meetings at k Web always had

them on edgé: One moment, the big

shots were, all smiles and jokes, and

the next, they could pull out a S

weapon and kill someone at thé

slightest provocation. It wasdike

ocho surrounded by devilsS