Chen Hao's POV
{A Few Weeks Ago...}
{Blazing Flame Dragon Military Force. 10AM}
{Marshal Office...}
"Marshal! There's new information from our men. Apparently, the spies from country C have infiltrated the country,"
"Spies? How many?"
"There are about three of them. They were last seen at a bar located deep in the city," the lieutenant explained.
Seated behind a massive desk, the Marshal turned his gaze toward the lieutenant, whose voice faltered under his stare.
"Do I hand this case to the General?"
"There's no need. I'll handle it myself,"
"But Marshal..."
"Make arrangements; I'll be disguising myself as an employee from that bar. It's better to catch them all at once before it becomes public,"
"I understand, Marshal. I'll prepare immediately," The lieutenant saluted before exiting swiftly.
I rose from the leather chair and walked toward the large fish tank at the corner of the office. Slowly, I scattered some fish food into the water, watching the calm ripple.
There was no real reason for me to take on a mission this trivial. But it beat sitting around, signing documents all day.
Besides, it gave me something unexpected: a new identity, Chen Hao, a thirty-year-old, mute and a bartender.
The first week at the bar was uneventful. No sign of the spies. But I did discover a hidden talent: I was good at mixing drinks. Surprisingly good.
The second week passed the same way. Nothing interesting. Just broken men crying into whiskey and women showing up repeatedly... drawn in, no doubt, by the new, godlike bartender.
Me.
Their stares were... bothersome. But being mute worked in my favour. They didn't know sign language, and I wasn't about to write down a conversation.
Then came the third week.
They arrived.
Three men, their accents off just enough to raise suspicion. I served their drinks while discreetly listening in. Bits and pieces of their conversation were proof of their agenda... but I needed more.
Should I drug their drinks? Force a confession? I didn't have my firearm. A public arrest wasn't an option.
"Chen Hao!" A voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I shot the speaker a sharp glare. He flinched.
Realizing it was my boss, I forced a smile as I approached him. He visibly relaxed.
"Haha! Your gaze scared me for a second." He said, laughing, his hand resting on his round belly.
I nodded, nonchalant.
"You should take the trash out. Hurry!"
I frowned slightly, glancing back toward the spies. Still talking.
Fine. I'd be quick.
That was the plan, at least... until I stepped out the back door and nearly collided with two men carrying a young girl. They were rushing in my direction.
There was no other exit... only the bar behind me.
And that child?
Ah! Kidnappers!
"Get out of the way, else I'll stab you!" One of them growled, flashing a penknife. He lunged.
Without wasting much time, I grabbed his wrist mid-strike and flipped him over my shoulder. He crashed to the ground with a grunt.
The second man froze. Then he dropped the girl and turned to flee.
One of my men appeared, blocking his path. A swift kick sent him flying into the dumpster.
"Are you alright, Marshal?"
"..."
I didn't respond. Instead, I knelt beside the girl. She looked shaken, but unharmed.
I glanced towards the alley where the kidnappers had come from. I could sense more movement.
"Go!" I ordered.
"Yes sir!" My man saluted, then dragged the unconscious bodies off and vaulted over the fence.
I carried the girl inside and untied the ropes binding her hands and mouth.
"I'm fine. Mommy will come for me," she said, calmly.
I hadn't even asked. Why did I save her? I didn't have a history with children. They tend to cry and scream, which annoys me a lot.
But this one... she doesn't seem scared of those kidnappers.
I brushed her hair back and parted my lips to say something when the door, crashed open. I instinctively shielded her, thinking it was the other kidnappers.
A woman stormed in. Her guards raised their weapons... aimed at me.
She thought I was the kidnapper since they found the little girl in my hand.
She even ordered my death without questioning me.
Should I beat them down and run away?
Yes. That doesn't sound like a bad plan.
Then the child's voice cut through everything.
"Don't kill Papa!"
...
Papa?
Who?
Me?
Just like that, I became her Papa because I saved her. Did I make a mistake?
I thought her mother would be furious.
But I was wrong. I hate being wrong.
She brought me to her home, even in my filthy bar uniform, and had me sit on her spotless white couch. She didn't recoil. She didn't question me.
She focused only on her daughter.
Why did that bother me? Why was I disappointed?
Didn't she find me attractive enough? Or... I wasn't her type of man. She's practically different from the women I've met before. She doesn't do anything to gain my attention at all, yet every slight movement from her draws my attention to her.
The women at the bar drooled over me, but she didn't even spare me a glance. When she found out I was mute, she didn't pity me.
'Fuck!'
She was driving me crazy already.
"Come back tomorrow at noon" was what she said before I left the estate.
My estate.
Since she lived here, I could keep an eye on her. A slow smirk crept across my lips as I stepped through the gate.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and slid the green dancing button on my phone before placing it on my left ear.
"Marshal! What do we do with the men we caught earlier?"
"The kidnappers?"
"Yes sir!"
"Kill them!"
"Marshal...?"
"They dared to lay their filthy hands on my daughter, so they deserve to die," I said, fingers brushing through my hair. "So give them the most gruesome death."