Chapter 255 - Sentient Retires

Edward was calm. They didn't send too many pursuers and he could make use of the situation to his advantage. Unlike Anastasia, Leah was merely a rich heiress with no connections to the underworld. The men she employed were mostly mercenaries. Edward could use his connections with the Interpol to buy their loyalties.

A black sedan arrived in less than fifteen seconds after Julian drove away. Edward wasn't trying to escape them so he waited to save these guys the trouble of planning an ambush.

At once, four men got out of the car, including the driver and Edward scrutinized them from head to toe. While they looked like they were decent mercenaries for hire, they were still amateurs in Edward's eyes. If he were to fight them seriously, none of them would hold for more than ten seconds. Yet, that wasn't his objective today.

"Are you the one that Leah Yuan hired?" he got straight to the point. There was no merit in beating around the bush with them, he was pressed for time to make his disappearance from the scene.

The leader stiffened and Edward sighed. Giving in to provocation was as good as a confirmation. How amateur-like. These mercenaries were no cause for concern. He didn't even have to bargain with them, he just needed to threaten them to do what he wanted.

"Listen up, I'm not in the mood to discuss things with you. You just tell your employer that you've taken care of me and accidentally killed me but the body has been dumped into the ocean with weights and we'll both part on amicable terms. Alright?"

In Edward's opinion, it wasn't a bad trade. However, things never went smoothly when concerning people with lesser brain cells.

"What did you say? I think you're asking for it. Boss, let's give it to him good!"

Edward rolled his eyes when four grown men came charging at him. In ten seconds, there were four dull thuds and only the sound of groaning and coughing in the alley. Leah must have been a really desperate person to pay absurd amounts of money for trash like them. He was wrong about them being mercenaries, these men were just small-time hired thugs. Edward didn't even bother being polite with them, he simply pulled out a phone, snapped a picture of their faces and showed them his Interpol ID.

"Just so you know, you don't do as I said, all of you will find yourselves in jail. I have no time to deal with you so begone before I change my mind."

Whimpering and shaking with fear, Edward made them call and report to Leah what he wanted them to say. Thankfully, the leader was a good enough actor whose voice didn't shake while his goons looked like they were going to pee in their pants. After the call, Edward socked them in the face once each for good measure and threatened to appear before them if things went wrong. The men scrambled and crawled away like bugs and Edward watched them reverse into the narrow wall in fear before driving the car away.

Satisfied, the spy smirked. His job was done and the spy sent a text to HQ and his father. At the same time, he checked for Elfie's reply about the phone number. This was one side he never wanted Scarlet to see, hear or know about. He wanted to always be that reliable and gentle person in her eyes and not this cold-blooded spy who was capable of sacrificing lives in order to complete his mission.

Edward: Did you get inside his phone?

Elfie: Yes, it's full of glorious dirt! We have numbers, names, location and history. He must have really wanted you to die tonight that's why he was so confident in giving you something precious.

Edward: If you have everything, I'm heading back to work on the rest of the data. After today, Eddie is no more and this number is going to be shredded. Don't contact me here again and let Danny know the outcome.

Elfie: Got it. Also, your girlfriend and her sister are going to pose for some pictures for their new product launch. Do you want me to steal some photos for you? 

Edward was walking down the stairs to the train platform and tripped slightly when he read that last message. Thankfully, he had good reflexes and caught himself on time before rolling all the way to the bottom.

One side of his mind wanted the pictures no matter what to get him through the remaining days he had to spend apart from her. He missed her like crazy and now that the mission was officially over, he could afford to dedicate 90% of his waking time to thinking about her.

Before he reached home, Edward made a quick detour to get rid of his work phone after closing down the bank account and erasing his history. He sat outside a convenience store for about an hour until the HQ resolved everything before he received a call from his father on his personal phone.

"Ed?"

"Yes, dad?"

"Well done, you're officially off the case."

Edward blinked. Off the case?

"What are you talking about? This is only the beginning! We haven't gotten to the bottom of it all where they hide their base of operations and what they are dealing with in the warehouses! I've only gotten the name of their partner and not much evidence of the shady business, I can't stop now! I still have one more week, I can-"

"Edward. Your mother told me that you have a girlfriend. If you're serious about her, you should start thinking about your future as Edward Bayon and not Agent Sentient. There is a reason why spies retire, it's a blessing for those who work in this line."

Edward felt bitter at that. "But you're still working in the field, how's that fair? If I didn't seek you out so desperately, would you have never returned home to see me or my mother again? Why do you get to keep the best of both worlds and tell me that I can only choose one?!"

Mr Bayon didn't speak for a while and let his son vent it all out. Edward was still as emotional as ever. It was one of the reasons why he was given the code name Sentient. His son might be an excellent spy but unlike other spies who had killed their hearts to function no different from a tool for the nation in the name of justice, Edward still had opinions and followed his own set of justice. The Sentient was one agent everyone hoped would retire because he carried all their feelings, hopes and dreams of what resembled a regular life.

"My orders still remain unchanged. As for the matter with your mother, she understood that some secrets were not meant to be told. That was why I chose her, a selfish woman who was able to continue clinging onto the hope and fantasy of a family. She wanted a child to remember me by and pour her love to so that she can complete her dream of having a family so that was what I did. Don't misunderstand, it isn't as if I married her without love. I just thought that through her I could find my heart. Unlike you, Sentient, we don't have opinions, only orders and duty."

Covering his face with one hand while holding his phone to his ear, Edward bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. The orders didn't change but he knew his father had the right idea. Unlike others, his name was Sentient because he was that one dark horse in every mission. Nobody could predict his actions or work with him in a team because he had a tendency to run with his heart more than his head although he was smart and talented.

When a spy can no longer abandon a person's life, they must retire in order to not jeopardise the success of the team's mission. Unlike his father who could abandon him and his mother at any moment if required, Edward couldn't do that to Scarlet. If she needed him, he would be there for her. He knew that he had to retire, his time as a spy was over.

"Yes, sir..." he forced the words out painfully as if walking on blades.

Mr Bayon didn't say much and merely thanked him for his efforts before telling Edward to report to the usual lookout point to turn in his ID by the end of the month. There would no longer be a need for Sentient in this world and with that, Edward was finally free to live his life the way he wanted it to be.

Feeling hollow and numb for the rest of his journey back, Edward wondered what he was going to do now that he no longer had an identity and a purpose. Subconsciously, he looked at his screensaver wallpaper of him and Scarlet on their very first date. He wondered what Scarlet was going to do after her revenge on Anastasia was over. Was she going to be lost like him or did she already have something in her sights? Was there a place for him in her future?