Chapter 20: Never Come Back

If the building in front of him was what David thought it was, it would be useless no matter how many days he spent trying to gather intel from the outside. His best bet would be to casually stroll inside and try to find clues.

After all, if someone were to find him regularly loitering outside this building, they would surely find him suspicious. And he didn't even want to know what the outcome of that would be. Thus, David decided to enter the building straight away.

He took a few deep breaths and looked in both directions before crossing the street. He found that a flight of stairs led to the entrance of the building and four men with vaguely threatening auras were standing guard at the bottom, dressed in fine suits.

David calmly climbed the stairs and walked toward the entrance. When he saw that the guards hadn't stopped him at all, he became confident that things would go as planned. Subconsciously, he strutted in with wide strides, hoping to get as many clues as possible.

However, in less than five minutes, two men in black suits opened the door to the building while carrying David, who seemed slightly bruised and haggard, between them. The next moment, they chucked him down the stairs and, without casting another glance in his direction, turned around and went back inside.

When the people inside had realized that David was there to investigate, instead of hire them, they'd decided to deal with him then and there. They were already letting him off easy, seeing as David was still breathing.

David got to his feet and dusted off his clothes. He looked at the entrance of the building with a wronged expression. His overconfidence and arrogance had really gotten the better of him earlier.

The guard looked at David from head to toe and sneered, "Get lost, punk. You're lucky they let you go, this place ain't for the likes of you."

David involuntarily clenched his fists. The way the guard looked at him in disgust had really angered him. Over the past year, he had worked his ass off to get to where he was today, and now he was being looked down upon by a mere security guard. How could he not be furious?

He gritted his teeth and began, "Fuckin' hell, what do I need—"

Before he could finish his question, the guard came closer to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Ugghh." David grimaced in pain as he felt his shoulder blade crack a little. Before he could say another word, a terrifying aura washed over him and he looked at the guard, who was looking back at him through narrowed eyes.

"Piss off and never come back," the man coldly muttered as he withdrew his killing intent. David's back was drenched in cold sweat and his knees started feeling heavy. He had never felt such pressure before; the guard's aura had even suppressed his breathing, causing him to gasp for air.

Only when the guard turned and walked back to his position was David finally able to breathe. He dropped to his knees and took large mouthfuls of air. He looked back at the guard, who couldn't even be bothered glancing at him.

'This man is dangerous!' David thought in fear. The guard was definitely the strongest person he had ever come across. He got back to his feet, cast one last look at the guard, then turned around to leave. He had confirmed his speculations: the Cosmopolitan was indeed the right place!

If just the people standing guard outside were already this strong, what about the people inside? When David thought about that, his lips involuntarily curled up into a grin.

'Could the world of magic really exist?' He was ecstatic at the thought. He planned to report his findings to Nico. Of course, he would only tell him about the mysterious party's connection to the Cosmopolitan; he wasn't foolish enough to talk to his boss about magic.

As he thought about his next move, he turned the corner and left the place. Meanwhile, from the forty-sixth floor of the Cosmopolitan, the girl with red eyes saw David leave as she clenched her fists. In the end, she closed her eyes and sighed, "Not yet…."

...

The following day, David called up Nico first thing in the morning and said, "Boss, there's been some development in the investigation…. Yes…. Alright, I'll meet you at your house then."

He quickly got ready and hailed a cab to Nico's place in Queens. After paying the driver, he entered the house and saw Nico was already waiting for him in the living room, wearing a silk bathrobe and reading a newspaper.

"Morning, boss," David greeted and sat down on the couch across from him.

Nico closed the newspaper and looked at him with a smile. He then took a sip of his coffee and asked, "So, what'd you find?"

David thought of the right words to say. After all, he didn't want to disclose too much, and he definitely didn't want to talk about how he had been beaten up by someone. A few moments later he solemnly said, "According to my investigation, there was a fight between at least two people. It seemed to have started in the Javits Center.

"I believe there must've been a robbery there, but strangely enough there wasn't any official news regarding it. The fight continued for a few blocks. Once again there was no evidence, only reports of the people at the scene. And finally…."

"And finally what?" Nico asked in anticipation. From what he was hearing, he could tell that the party, or parties, involved had tremendous backing if they could remove all physical and digital evidence.

David continued, "And finally, the trail went cold at a place called the Cosmopolitan."

'The Cosmopolitan Club!' Nico was greatly taken aback, but quickly managed to rein in his surprise. He looked at David and feigned ignorance. "What's that? And where is it?"

David looked at his boss deeply, but in the end, disclosed the location of the mysterious building. After making some small talk, he finally got up to leave.

Nico approached him and patted him on the shoulder. "Good work, kid. I'll make sure you're greatly rewarded."

"No problem, boss." David nodded with a smile. With that, he turned around to leave. However, a few steps later he turned around and reminded, "Boss, the guards there told me never to come back. For some reason, that place feels a little… dangerous."

Nico nonchalantly waved his hand. "Of course, of course, fuggedaboudit."

David nodded and left the house. He called for another cab and got inside. After instructing the driver to head to Hell's Kitchen, he looked out the window lost in thought. 'Boss definitely knows about the Cosmopolitan… but what the hell even is that place?'

He could think of only one person who might know. After all, they were a self-proclaimed rumormonger. And that was precisely where he was going. About an hour later, the cab stopped in front of a butcher shop. David got out of the car and knocked on the shop's front door.

It was still early in the morning, so the shop wasn't open yet. Annoyed, Bobby opened the door and shouted, "Look at the fucking time, the shop's closed—" However, the words got stuck in his throat when he saw who it was.

He looked around the sidewalk a few times, then gestured for David to come in. A few minutes later, David found himself inside a cold storage room after he told Bobby he needed to speak about something very important. He looked at Bobby and asked, "Have you heard of… the Cosmopolitan?"

Bobby's eyes narrowed when he heard David ask about that place. He looked at him for a long time, then finally nodded. "Only rumors."

"What is that place?" David immediately asked, his eyes shining with a hint of expectation.

Bobby took a deep breath and solemnly said, "That place… is a den of assassins!"

[Countdown: 284 days…]