Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 197 A Warning from the World Dominator
Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is also a famous tourist destination.

According to the intelligence Roberts possessed, a young man named Uberto Bruni was originally born in Italy, but later moved to the Netherlands after his mother remarried following his father's early death. After his mother's death, he lived alone.

To many who knew him, he was a quiet and withdrawn honest boy with average grades, no friends, and no discernible interests. But no one would have imagined that he would become a "terrorist."

"He's such a kind kid. He often comes to visit this old woman who has no one to talk to. He's just a bit withdrawn, which I was worried about before, but I never expected... Sigh, it must be the people online who led him astray. He's still young, that's why he went astray..."

In a cabin next to Bruni's former residence, an old woman sat by the fireplace in front of Roberts and his companion, wiping away tears and sighing.

According to official sources, Bruni is a terrorist operating in the Netherlands, and Roberts is meeting with insiders as a tabloid reporter.

Looking at the old lady in front of her, Wendy also expressed her deep regret at the right time, while trying to get more information out of her. Her eyes were teary and red-rimmed. An uninformed person would definitely think that she was overwhelmed with emotion, but only Roberts knew that this was just her disguise.

Their working partnership has always involved Wendy handling interpersonal relationships and intelligence, while Roberts handles combat-related issues. While Wendy is trying to extract more information, Roberts is looking out the window at the former site of Bruni's house not far away...

A dilapidated wooden house, now a ruin with burn marks everywhere, was reportedly destroyed by a violent explosion in its basement. Inside the basement, which was about the size of a football field, a large number of electronic components were found, suggesting that a massive server warehouse once existed there.

For months now, the area has been under tight police control, with armed soldiers on guard. To Roberts and some others, this level of force far exceeds what is considered "responding to a terrorist attack," and seems more like an attempt to conceal some deep-seated secret...

"This is not an easy task."

Suddenly, an idea popped into Roberts' mind: from the mysterious orders from the secret order to the tension at the national level, and even the unusual atmosphere revealed in every detail, everything was constantly reminding Roberts that this matter was anything but ordinary.

He began to wonder if he had inadvertently drawn into some significant vortex...

……

After searching Amsterdam for several days, the two still found nothing, only vaguely sensing that the hacker named Bruni had eventually gone to the Americas across the ocean. Just then, food ran out, so Wendy decided to go to the supermarket with Roberts to buy some groceries.

"If Bruni went to America, where do you think he would hide?"

Wendy pushed the shopping cart, casually tossing items from the shelf into it, and then asked Roberts behind her.

Roberts looked at the can of beef in front of him, hesitated for a moment, put it back on the shelf, and then said.

"If I were Bruni, I would choose a remote place to hide, preferably one with poor transportation, poor communication, and no internet."

Both Wendy and Roberts clearly understood how easily information could be stolen in this world. In the past, they had repeatedly used information such as the internet and shopping lists to successfully locate their targets.

Television, the internet, telephone... these can all expose your information.

While high levels of informatization have made people's lives more convenient, they have also allowed the tentacles of prying eyes to penetrate into every corner. Even if you don't use these tools, people still need to eat and drink, and as soon as you try to go out shopping, information about your shopping will be captured.

In this modern society, the only way to avoid being searched is to go to an extremely isolated and backward place, a place where you have to walk to get around and shout to communicate. Only in such a place can you avoid being discovered to the greatest extent possible.

“Indeed, as a top hacker, Bruni couldn’t possibly be unaware of this, but… what if he hadn’t done so?”

As Wendy spoke, she inexplicably turned to look at Roberts behind her.

Roberts stood there, pondering the possibility. As a top hacker, Bruni should have been aware of the possibility of information leakage, but what did it mean if he hadn't?

The fear of information leaks stems from a fear of the unknown. What if he wasn't worried about anything unknown...?

"Ah, I need to go buy some things. You can wander around here for a bit."

As if suddenly remembering something, Wendy said to Roberts.

"What do you want to buy? Can't I go with you?"

Roberts said casually.

However, Wendy paused for a moment, then chuckled inexplicably, walked closer to her partner, and whispered something in his ear in a seductive voice.

"Some...woman's own items, so, would you be interested...accompanying the lady?"

Accompanied by a faint fragrance as his body drew near, his warm breath gently brushed against Roberts' temples, making one inexplicably itch.

Roberts instinctively turned his head, only to see Wendy beside him gently brushing her slightly disheveled long hair aside, covering her mouth and smiling at him with a mischievous grin, as if she had successfully played a prank.

Roberts frowned, looking at Wendy in front of him, and said.

"Then go by yourself, and come back quickly."

Wendy, meanwhile, stared intently at Roberts, as if she had sensed something. A smug smile crept onto her lips, and she walked away with a cheerful gait.

Watching Wendy walk away, Roberts muttered something to himself.

"This little girl...where did she learn all this?"

But there was also a strange feeling that the little girl who used to run around beside him and call him "Brother Roberts" in her sweet, childish voice... seemed to have really grown up, had her own little thoughts, and even he could hardly understand the secrets hidden in her heart.

He shook his head and ignored it, wandering around casually until he unknowingly walked to an area selling televisions.

Looking at those ultra-thin televisions with huge screens displaying entertainment programs, Roberts examined them carefully. There weren't such clear and large televisions when he was a child, which made him feel a little sentimental.

"Technology is developing so fast."

As he spoke, he tried to leave, but a voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Yes, technology is developing so fast."

It was a clear, calm female voice.

A strange sense of danger surged within him. He abruptly turned his head, looked around, and found no one there. The television section was deserted; the supermarket was nearing closing time, and nobody would be there anyway.

Apart from the television sets in front of him and the women displayed on them, there was nothing else in the entire area.

woman?

Suddenly looking at the dozen or so television sets in front of her, all of them displayed the same image: a blonde woman leisurely combing her hair. Even though Roberts wasn't familiar with television programs, she could vaguely sense that it was the famous entertainment program host from earlier, and her gaze... was undoubtedly fixed on her.

"What's wrong, Mr. Roberts? Haven't you been trying to follow me around?"

On the television screen, the blonde woman casually spread her hands and chuckled as she spoke.

But Roberts didn't show any surprise. Instead, he was surprisingly calm. He frowned, and no one knew what he was thinking. Then he took out a small scanner-like device from his body and began scanning himself.

"No, you're overthinking it. There's no tracking device on you... no listening device... and you won't find what you're looking for on this TV... Give up, it's nowhere to be found."

It wasn't until Roberts started trying to check the television that the blonde woman on the screen shook her head, dissuading him from doing so...

"Bah..."

The hand that touched the television suddenly felt a jolt of electricity, and the hand instinctively loosened its grip. Along with the electric current, the image on the television screen also shook, and the blonde woman in the image shrugged helplessly.

"If you had listened to the advice, this wouldn't have happened."

After confirming that no listening devices or similar items could be found, Roberts calmly asked the image on the television screen.

"who are you?"

"You've already guessed it, haven't you? I am the Uberto Bruni you're looking for."

"But the information says you're a man."

"It's just modeling, it's such a simple thing."

Faced with Roberts' questioning, the blonde woman couldn't help but laugh.

As she spoke, the woman on the television screen lit a cigarette, exhaled a long puff of smoke, and wore a contented expression. Then, her deep blue eyes glanced at Roberts in front of her, and she sighed.

“Poor Roberts, you still don’t realize what a huge vortex you’ve been caught in.” “I’m a mercenary, all I need to do is complete my mission.”

Roberts said calmly.

Although he appeared calm, he was actually prepared to deal with any unexpected situation. He did not believe that the target he was pursuing had come to him just to have a heart-to-heart talk.

Is he going to beg the Secret Order for mercy? Or does he mean something else...?

Roberts was weighing the options in his mind, concluding that dialogue would be the most beneficial course of action for the current situation.

"You don't understand anything at all. You're like a pawn in chess, driven forward by its master to lure the opponent's knight into attacking. You're just a worthless piece of cannon fodder, completely unaware that you're just bait."

On the television screen, the blonde woman chuckled and casually stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray.

"But a soldier can become a queen, can't he?"

Roberts calmly replied that in international Go, a pawn cannot turn back and can only move forward, but the pawn that reaches the bottom can be promoted to become the most powerful piece on the board—the queen.

Meanwhile, out of sight of the woman on television, his hand, tucked into his pocket, was secretly trying to press something.

“I’ve already said that if you had listened to my advice, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

Looking at Roberts in front of her, the blonde woman on the television screen sneered.

Suddenly, Roberts felt a sharp pain in his hand, which was in his pocket, and had to pull it out, taking with him a small object... a metal object whose outer shell was covered with a layer of black smoke under the stimulation of a strong electric current.

"After the discharge limit is lifted, even a small pager can release a surprisingly large current instantly, right, Roberts?"

The blonde woman looked at Roberts in front of her and said.

Roberts looked at his hands and saw some tiny, arc-shaped cuts. Although they weren't serious, they made his hands numb and unable to exert any force.

"Can a soldier be promoted to empress? That makes sense, which is why I came to find you."

Looking at the woman on the television screen, Roberts seemed to be able to sense the calmness and solemnity of the woman's true self behind her appearance.

What exactly is your purpose in contacting me?

Ignoring the numbness in his right hand, Roberts asked calmly.

In Roberts' view, Bruni in front of him did indeed possess abilities beyond comprehension. Although he didn't know if it was a supernatural power, he was clearly not as harmless as the information described.

"Please don't misunderstand, I don't actually have any ill intentions towards you. In fact, I think we should be companions."

As she spoke, the blonde woman on the television screen looked at the man in front of her and continued.

"Roberts was born on April 13, 1961, in London, England. When she was 6 years old, both of her parents died in a vampire attack. She was then adopted by the Brothers John, an organization under the Presbyterian Order. After her excellent training, she became a member of the Brothers John after adulthood. She has an extreme hatred for vampires and has completed many tasks with great success. She is known as 'Ironheart'."

"In June 1986, when I was 25 years old, I met Betty, an English-American. We fell in love and had a daughter, Joan, in 1988. But in the same year, Betty died at the hands of a vampire, and I never recovered. I almost left the 'John Brothers' group, and it took me nearly ten years to gradually regain my former fame..."

Roberts' expression remained unchanged as he listened to those words, except for a barely perceptible twitch in his eyebrows when the name "Betty" was mentioned, all of which was observed by the blonde woman on the television.

“Mr. Roberts, I know you have deep feelings for the Hermitage, but if I may be so bold… do you really think the Hermitage is trustworthy right now?”

When the monastery was mentioned, the blonde woman inexplicably emphasized the word "now," as if she had some deeper meaning.

Roberts frowned, trying to figure out what Bruni meant.

"What do you mean?"

“Mr. Roberts, I understand that it is extremely unrealistic to expect you to believe someone you just arrested right now, but please believe in my sincerity. I have no ill intentions towards you, I have always held great goodwill towards you, and I have always believed that we should be partners with shared interests. Although you may not understand it now, you will eventually understand what I mean.”

On the television screen, the blonde woman spoke earnestly.

Roberts remained noncommittal, still trying to find any possible loopholes, and seeing that Roberts was unmoved, the blonde woman sighed and then spoke.

"Even if you don't consider us, you should at least consider your daughter, Joan."

Roberts' face gradually darkened.

"What do you mean? Are you threatening me?"

“No, Mr. Roberts, I didn’t mean to threaten you. I just suggested… for your daughter’s sake, you should perhaps go to Boston to see her now. Finally… be careful of Wendy, don’t trust her.”

The blonde woman looked at Roberts, whose face was gloomy, and suddenly said with a serious expression.

Watch out for Wendy?

Before Roberts could recover from his shock, a voice suddenly rang in his ears.

“Roberts…why don’t you help me pick out these stockings?”

Not far away, Wendy waved to Roberts, her voice deliberately carrying a suggestive tone that drew the attention of several people nearby.

When Wendy approached, she naturally took Roberts' arm.

Did you find anything you want to sell?

Looking at Wendy smiling beside him, Roberts wanted to tell her what had just happened, but the words inexplicably changed when they reached his lips.

"No, nothing was found."

Then he glanced at the television next to him, where the famous entertainment program host was putting on an exaggerated performance, trying his best to make the audience laugh. Everything that had just happened seemed like a dream.

Besides the arc-shaped wound on his hand and the pager covered in black smoke on the ground, he also had to make excuses like "the pager is broken" so that Wendy could put a band-aid on Roberts's wound.

……

Somewhere in New York, USA.

Watching Wendy and Roberts' actions on the screen in front of him, Bruni subconsciously started biting his nails, a habit that reflected his inner tension.

Before fleeing Amsterdam, he had to blow up the supercomputer in his basement, taking only the spare unit with him. As a result, limited by computing power, Tiramisu could no longer monitor every part of the world as he used to, but it was enough to monitor most important areas.

Within these key areas, Tiramisu could use all the networks to monitor all suspicious individuals, so Bruni could be at ease about his situation because he knew what the "agents" and "mercenaries" searching for him were doing. No one could sneak up on Bruni's vicinity without being detected by these countless surveillance cameras.

Even before fleeing Amsterdam, Bruni had already identified the emergency place where he should settle down. Mrs. Melissa was one of the people Bruni had prepared. Bruni had already calculated her personality and habits, and he knew that with Mrs. Melissa's personality and habits, it would be difficult for her to expose her whereabouts.

However, Bruni remained highly vigilant, because the Secret Order were not easy to deal with...

If that's all there is to it, he'll probably be discovered sooner or later.

In the online world, he is an anonymous world ruler who can secretly manipulate the entire world; but in reality, any well-trained soldier can subdue him.

Now, he can only rely on Roberts.

"Can a soldier become an empress...?"

Bruni murmured, staring at the screen in front of him.

As Bruni stated, he harbored no ill will towards Roberts. Having once ruled the world and knowing countless secrets, he was certain that Roberts and he were, in fact, partners with aligned interests. However, he had concealed many things from Roberts, including why he had chosen her as his partner in the first place…

The Hermitage.

This ancient organization, spanning nearly two thousand years, has a vast and intricate network of influence, but Bruni is by no means without means to fight them. Just as the reason he is relentlessly hunted by the Secret Order is because he knows things he shouldn't know...

In his hands lies the code left by Leonardo da Vinci, the key to unlocking the world.

(End of this chapter)