Chapter 242 Silent Strike
Hilda had been laying low for weeks. His main gig, Shark Live, was going through a forced restructuring. The investors, who used to be all smiles and handshakes, withdrew their investments one after another, very ruthlessly. His already shaky cash flow dried up completely, and if it weren't for his family's deep pockets, he wouldn't have been able to pay his streamers their bonuses, let alone keep the lights on.
Right now, Hilda was sprawled on his couch, looking totally defeated. Wearing just a pair of shorts and slippers, he was a far cry from his usual energetic self.
"You're letting yourself go, man," Thelonius said, frowning at Hilda from across the room.
Thelonius and Hilda went way back, all the way to their college days. He and Kaelen were practically joined at the hip, growing up together, sharing meals, and living under the same roof. They were so close that people who didn't know them often thought they were a couple. Naturally, they ended up at the same university.
Hilda liked to joke that Thelonius was Kaelen's biggest fanboy. In truth, Thelonius was more like Kaelen's mouthpiece.
"Letting myself go? What else am I supposed to do in this situation?" Hilda shot back, his voice full of despair. "My career is toast! Done! All those years of hard work, down the drain!"
"You can still bounce back!" Thelonius couldn't stand to see Hilda like this, but he wasn't as blunt as Kaelen, so he tried to be encouraging. "It's just a three-month restructuring. Yeah, you'll take a hit, but you can rebuild after that!"
"Even if I manage to get Shark Live back on its feet, three months is more than enough time for LiveWave to solidify its position," Hilda countered, sounding defeated. "Oliver and Penguin Company are pouring resources into it like there's no tomorrow. Oliver alone can bring in a ton of revenue for them. And my top streamers? Gone! Poached! I've lost any chance of catching up to LiveWave!"
"So what if you're not number one?" Thelonius argued.
"If I'm not number one, then what's the point of any of this?" Hilda shot back.
"Don't be so dramatic." Thelonius sighed.
"I'm not being dramatic, I'm being realistic! The live streaming industry is headed towards a monopoly, it's just a matter of time. Turning a profit in this game is no walk in the park, and advertising is where it's at. Do you have any idea how many advertisers jumped ship the second Shark hit a rough patch? They all flocked to Oliver! He's practically printing money at this point!" Hilda spat, his voice thick with envy.
"This is all Skyview's fault!" Thelonius interjected. "If he were out of the picture, all our problems would disappear, wouldn't they?"
A strange smile crept across Hilda's face. "Speaking of Skyview, I heard Kaelen had a bit of a run-in with him at that Brighter Futures Gala last night. Apparently, he ended up shelling out two hundred million for a lousy USB drive. Talk about having money to burn! I can't even fathom having that kind of cash."
"Don't you dare mock Kaelen," Thelonius warned, his voice turning icy. "Skyview played him. That bastard deserves everything that's coming to him! And we're going to make sure he gets it!"
"Tell me about it. I've been sitting here twiddling my thumbs, waiting for news from that hitman," Hilda said with a shrug. "But the guy Kaelen promised is a no-show. My patience is wearing thin."
"Don't worry, they'll be here," Thelonius reassured him. Just as he finished speaking, Hilda's phone began to ring.
"Hello?" Hilda answered. "Wait, you're Silent Strike?"
"What? You're at the Summer Palace?"
"You need our help?"
"Alright, hold on, we're on our way!"
Hilda hung up, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"What's up?" Thelonius asked.
"Our hitman's here," Hilda announced, practically bouncing with excitement. "The hitman's waiting for us at the Summer Palace! Come on, let's go!"
"By the way, Skyview has a seriously skilled bodyguard," Thelonius added, his expression turning serious. "We need to meet this hitman. This could get messy."
Kaelen hadn't been all in on taking out Skyview before, so he hired a hitman with a pathetic 10% success rate. Hilda had no clue, but Thelonius was in on the whole thing.
This time, his mission was twofold: check out the hitman's skills and, if needed, pay them off and find someone else for the job. But if this hitman turned out to be legit, they'd figure out a way to separate Suzanne from Skyview, giving the hitman the perfect shot.
The Summer Palace.
It was a weekday, so the place wasn't exactly hopping. Aside from a few retirees getting their daily exercise, it was pretty much empty.
"Did the hitman say what they look like?" Thelonius asked, scanning the area. "This place is huge. How are we supposed to find them?"
"Yeah, she did," Hilda replied. "She said to look for a beautiful girl with a rose in her mouth. Very distinctive, very easy on the eyes."
"A female hitman?" Thelonius raised an eyebrow. "What is this, a movie?"
"Who knows?" Hilda shrugged, still in a sour mood. "But a girl with a rose in her mouth shouldn't be too hard to find."
Hilda spoke too soon. This so-called "easy on the eyes" girl was nowhere to be found. They scoured the entire area, but came up empty.
"You think we might have been had?" Thelonius finally voiced his suspicions.
"Are you looking for me?" a voice piped up behind them.
Hilda and Thelonius spun around in unison. But there was no one there.
A shiver ran down Hilda's spine. "Who's there?" he stammered, his voice trembling slightly. "Show yourself!"
"It's me, Silent Strike!" the voice chirped. "Why don't you try looking down?"
Hilda and Thelonius exchanged wary glances before slowly looking down. And then their jaws dropped.
Standing before them was a little girl, no more than four feet tall. She wore a simple dress, a large backpack slung over her shoulders, and a bright red rose clenched between her teeth. Her features were delicate, almost doll-like.
Hilda and Thelonius stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded. They had seen a lot in their time, but they had never, ever encountered a hitman who looked like they belonged in elementary school. This girl couldn't be older than six or seven. Killing? She probably had trouble squashing a bug!
"Little one," Hilda began, his voice softening instinctively. He might have been a ruthless businessman, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the child. "Are you Silent Strike?"
"Technically, Silent Strike is my online handle. As a professional, I don't divulge my real name," she replied matter-of-factly. "But I do go by Eulalia Thorne here in Golden Valley. You can call me Eulalia."
"Eulalia?" Thelonius echoed, still struggling to wrap his head around the situation. "You're telling us you're a hitman?"
"Of course I am. I'm the one you hired. My target is Skyview, right?" she said, her tone brooking no argument.
Hilda couldn't help but chuckle. "Eulalia, what kind of hitman are you? Have you been playing too many video games?"
"Look, Silent Strike," Thelonius interjected, deciding to take a different approach. "If you're really who you say you are, then consider our agreement null and void. I'm not going to let a little girl get mixed up in something like this. You're a sweet kid, and I'm not about to send you out to kill someone."
He glanced around, making sure no one was watching. "Go home, focus on your studies, and lay off the hitman act, okay? It's not safe for someone your age. I'll make sure you're compensated for your time, and we'll find someone else for the job."
Thelonius had a hunch that Eulalia was just a mischievous kid who'd somehow managed to register as a hitman on the dark web. It wasn't that far-fetched; some kids were whizzes with computers. This whole thing was probably an elaborate prank. He couldn't imagine this little girl harming a fly, and he certainly wasn't going to be the one to expose her to that world.
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