Chapter 365 One Million for a Ride
The moment Zara pulled back the white sheet, something unexpected happened.
Hubery's face was pale, but otherwise he looked as though he were merely asleep.
The faint bluish discoloration that appeared after death had already begun to show, and Zara was just about to examine it more closely when his eyes suddenly snapped open.
He stared straight at her.
Zara fell silent.
Anyone else would have been scared out of their mind. The female officer behind Zara saw it too, and even her professional training could not keep her calm.
She screamed on the spot. "A ghost! It's a ghost!"
Hubery was not a ghost, of course.
His body was already stone-cold, and he had not even formed a spirit after death.
Zara merely raised an eyebrow. "What do you think you're doing? Dead men should act dead. Lie back down."
Hubery fell silent.
The thing controlling his body stared at Zara, its gaze turning dark and sinister. "If you had come sooner, he wouldn't have died."
It was still Hubery's voice, but it sounded eerie now. Beneath it was a faint, shrill edge that unmistakably belonged to a woman.
The female officer's heart could not take any more. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Zara broke into a smile. "Well, look at you. Controlling a corpse from a distance. That's not bad."
She continued, "But you chose to kill him, so don't try to make it my fault. If you've got the nerve, show your face and come after me yourself. Don't go after the people around me. Because if you actually hurt any of them, this is going to end very badly for you."
The thing wearing Hubery's face gave a sinister smile. "Valerius may not be able to deal with you, but I have plenty of ways to do it. Do you really think Earth's restrictions apply to me? They don't. This is a war between two worlds, and you have no right to interfere."
That immediately told Zara something.
"Oh..." she said slowly. "So what exactly do you suggest?"
This woman was apparently even more powerful than Valerius.
The smile on Hubery's face widened. "If you insist on interfering, then just wait. I know where you are now, and I'll come find you soon. There's no need to rush. None at all."
With that, his eyes closed, and his body dropped back onto the table.
This time, he was truly dead.
Zara clicked her tongue.
There were surveillance cameras in the morgue as well, so she assumed the police had already watched the entire scene.
A corpse suddenly opening its eyes and speaking was not something any normal person could easily accept. It looked like Allen would have to help clean up the mess again.
As for how the woman had taken Hubery, there had been cameras in the underground parking garage, but none of the incident appeared in the footage. Either someone had deliberately blocked the cameras, or the woman herself had prevented them from recording her.
Hubery's girlfriend did not appear in the footage either, even though she insisted they had encountered the woman in the parking garage.
Not long after Zara left the police station, Allen called her. His voice sounded close to breaking. "Boss Lady, what the hell happened over there? How did a corpse suddenly start talking?"
The entire police station was in chaos.
"Relax. It's a minor problem," Zara said. "You've dealt with far worse than this, so why sweat the small stuff? She can control corpses from a distance. She's probably from the other world. Apparently, she still hasn't learned her lesson and wants to come after me."
The moment Allen heard that the woman was targeting Zara, he had to admit that he felt considerably more relieved.
After all, attacking Earth and attacking Zara were two entirely different matters.
If Earth was in danger, Zara might refuse to help, and even if she did agree, she would charge them an outrageous amount of money.
But if someone came after Zara personally, she would definitely handle it herself.
Zara truly had no idea who the woman was. She had appeared out of nowhere without leaving any useful clues.
So Zara contacted her ever-reliable source, Winfred.
Lucian's Beloved Zara: What else has come over from the other world recently?
Winfred: I... I'm not really sure.
The evasive answer immediately told Zara that something was wrong.
Lucian's Beloved Zara: Tell me now, and I'll pretend you never hid anything from me. This thing has already gone after my family and is using them to threaten me. That's way over the line.
Winfred: I really don't know! I only heard that something extremely dangerous had arrived. That's all I know. We don't even know whether it's connected to the Imperial Clan or the mystic beasts.
Lucian's Beloved Zara: Can't you people just carry out your shady little schemes in peace? Why do you have to keep dragging me into everything?
Winfred: ...
All right. Winfred was officially useless to her now.
Since he did not know what the newcomer was, there was no point asking him anything else.
Zara rubbed her chin, then called Lucian.
He did not answer the first time.
An uneasy feeling immediately crept over her, so she called again.
Fortunately, he picked up on the second attempt. "What is it? I'm in a meeting."
Hearing that same irritating voice eased Zara's mind a little. "Nothing serious. I just wanted to ask whether anything supernatural has happened around you lately."
Lucian fell silent.
After considering the question for three seconds, he answered with complete seriousness, "Ever since I met you, something supernatural has happened around me every day. You'll have to be more specific."
Zara paused. "That was uncalled for, Lucian. Anyway, some idiot has decided to come after me, and she's threatening to hurt my family."
"Then you should warn your younger siblings. What does that have to do with me? Am I part of your family?"
"You're my fiancé, Lucian!"
There was another moment of silence before he sighed. "Is it too late for me to terminate that arrangement?"
"I'm afraid so. She may already know about you. I suggest you come to my place tonight."
Lucian frowned. "You can't handle her?"
Was there actually someone this woman could not deal with?
"I can handle her," Zara said with a click of her tongue. "The problem is, I don't know who she is. How am I supposed to deal with someone I can't even find?"
Lucian fell silent again.
For the first time in a while, the domineering CEO felt genuine concern for his personal safety.
After thinking it over, he checked the time. "I have two meetings tonight, so I may finish late. I'll come over afterward."
Zara added unnecessarily, "Try not to run into her on the way."
Lucian paused. "You make a good point. Come pick me up."
Zara stared at the phone in disbelief. "What?"
She almost could not believe what she had heard.
"Lucian, you're the president of a multinational corporation. Don't you have any dignity left? You're actually asking your fiancée to come pick you up?"
Lucian remained perfectly calm. "Yes. My life may be in danger, and you're the safest person I know."
By now, he had completely given up trying to preserve his pride in front of Zara.
What good was dignity if he ended up dead?
Zara hesitated. "Well..."
"One million dollars," Lucian said.
"Lucian, wait for me. I'll be there on time tonight!"
Lucian sounded satisfied. "I'll be waiting at the office."
Then he ended the call.
Zara stared at her phone.
Something about their relationship felt seriously backward.