Immortal In A Death Game-Chapter 175: No Good Deed Goes...

"The... Hospital found you? How?"

<The how isn’t important. And before you get any ideas, no, I didn’t tell them nothing, honey. I’m running a business here. And that business is keeping my mouth and my pussy shut. Although I am still getting to the pussy part. Pft.>

Adam waited for the forger to stop giggling at his own joke, and as soon as he was done, Adam sighed and said, "Thank you."

<Oh, honey. Don’t thank me yet. The smear campaign happening to you right now? That’s their doing.>

Adam blinked. "How... do you know that?"

<I tapped them when they left. And honey, I am telling you they are mad as fuck,> the forger clicked his tongue several times. <So, if you see or hear something about you having different identities, I wanted you to know it wasn’t me who gave them that info.>

"Do you—"

<Someone’s calling you from France.> The forger cut him off.

Adam’s phone showed an incoming call. The forger chuckled.

<Let’s talk again soon, hotshot. Don’t forget me now that you’re famous.>

The line went dead, and Adam immediately accepted the incoming call.

<Adam!>

He nearly dropped the phone from how loud Clementine’s voice was.

<Adam?!> Clementine’s voice burst through the speaker. He could also hear Sylvie whispering in the background.

"...Hello?"

<Adam. Hello? How are you? And don’t mind the media circus and all the nonsense they’re spewing.>

"I... don’t," he sighed. Everyone he knew in life seemed to be calling him because of what was happening. "It doesn’t bother me."

<Good. Because that’s nothing. My sister’s name gets dragged through the mud every other week, and she’s still—seriously, Sylv, why don’t you tell him that yourself? Why am I the one talking?>

Adam could hear Sylvie trying to shush Clementine.

"I can hear you both," Adam muttered.

<See? He says he can hear you, Sylv. Stop acting like a teenager, merde.> Clementine groaned, and Adam could hear her stomp her foot. <Anyway, I didn’t expect you to join the RLRD. In fact, that’s the last thing I ever expected you to do.>

"It wasn’t planned," Adam said. "It just... happened."

<Sylvie used to be part of France’s RLRD,> Clementine continued. <She left. Even with all her strength, they kept her on a leash. She could clear Leaks, but only the ones they approved. Only when they allowed it.>

"I... didn’t know that."

<Hmhmn. Join my guild instead and come back to France. America isn’t the only place that needs Adam the Endless. You’d help people here, too. People who would actually appreciate you, we’ll make sure of that.>

"That..." Adam glanced up at the RLRD building, and everyone was still running around and seemingly trying to find a way to help him.

"I’ll... think about it. The people here are good to me."

<We’ll treat you better.>

He didn’t really know what to reply to that. And so, instead, he chose to change the topic. "What about Endless Holdings? The police said I own it. And my old apartment building... and the neighborhood."

<Oh. That.> Clementine sounded almost bored. <We purchased it the moment we saw the destruction you were causing from the satellite.>

Adam blinked. "You own a satellite?"

<We own a few here and there. And don’t think much about it, we’ve done that several times whenever Sylvie accidentally uses too much strength. Ah. What do you mean don’t tell him that? This is my phone. Shoo. Go!>

<Anyway,> Clementine went on, <Yes. You’re the legal owner now. Endless Holdings. The surrounding properties. Do what you want with them.>

"I don’t know the first thing about running a company."

<We’ll assign a liaison. They’ll manage operations, scale it, whatever you need. Anyway, I just called to check up on you.>

"Thank you."

<Actually, it was Sylvie who wanted to check up on you but was too shy to call. Seriously, you’d think this was a different woman from the one who licked your fa—>

And then, the line went dead. Adam stared at the phone for a few moments, then sighed as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

The Hospital. It would seem they changed tactics, Adam. I suppose it makes sense; you dragged them out into the open. Maybe now they’re trying to drag you back down? Creating this... weird narrative of you eating babies.

Anyway, Adam—they’re right, you know. As much as you like these people, and how you treat them as your friends... if the RLRD doesn’t want you clearing Leaks, then you don’t belong here. Sorry, Adam.

"Hm..." He checked his free status points again... then tightened his grip on the Shion.

If the RLRD intended to restrain him from clearing Leaks, then their partnership wouldn’t last much longer. He walked toward his motorcycle, parked beside Leona’s car.

He remembered their talk as he placed his Shion on the saddlebags, but before he could actually strap it to his bike—

"Adam!"

Sabrina’s voice boomed from the building.

He looked up, and she was waving urgently from the door. After a second’s hesitation, he grabbed the Shion and headed inside.

The moment he stepped through the doors, he felt it—the quiet.

No one spoke. No one even glanced at him. They were all staring at the television.

"What’s going on?" he asked.

Beatrice, who was closest to him, didn’t answer and instead just pointed at the television.

And on the screen was a familiar face.

Grace. The third Grace. One of the women he’d rescued from the smugglers. The other women were there, too, standing behind her as they held hands.

<...not a monster.> Grace’s voice trembled—but did not break. <I still remember it so clearly, how he saved us from that dirty... from that dirty place. If he didn’t do that, we’d all be dead by now... or worse.>

Oh...? It would seem one of your good deeds is finally paying off, Adam. Bravo.

<I... didn’t understand it back then—why he chose not to come back with us to the city,> Grace continued.

<Now I know why. Why he seemed so lonely, why he seemed so afraid... It was because of this Hospital.>