Chapter 62: Brothers

The snow continued to fall steadily past midnight, showing no signs of stopping.

Even the surface of the sea seemed blanketed in white.

Sitting in the third-floor grand conference room of the Prohibition Bureau, one had a direct view of this peculiar and breathtaking sight through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

Evelyn Court, the newly appointed Prohibition agent, sat right by the window, gazing at the scene.

He watched for a long time, until the door of the conference room swung open and someone stepped inside.

The newcomer slowly walked over to his side, gazing out at the snowy scenery together with him.

"Dealing with the aftermath must be quite troublesome, right?" Evelyn finally broke the silence, turning his gaze toward the man beside him.

This man was none other than Marvin Prius, the Director of the Winster Prohibition Bureau.

He indeed looked somewhat exhausted, unable to resist resting his forehead in his hand.

And he had every reason to be exhausted. Too many people had died at the Prohibition Bureau today, yet nothing had been accomplished. It was an unmitigated disaster.

The payout for death benefits alone would be an astronomical sum, not to mention the responsibility he had to shoulder—even though Lewis, the chief commander of this operation, was already dead.

"Lewis is dead. What are you thinking?" Marvin asked after a brief silence, looking over at Evelyn.

"I am thinking that this is actually a good thing."

"Because he was a fool?"

"Not just that. He also fulfilled his mission. Now, it is time for us to proceed to the second phase of our plan."

"Oh?"

"On my way here, I read through Winster's reports from the past two months. Lewis certainly managed to offend everyone for us, but he also tested everyone for us. Now, the entire layout of Winster City lies within the palm of our hand."

With that, Evelyn turned his head to look back at Marvin.

"And, I have also discovered something else."

"What is it?"

"Your target, from the very beginning, was never Ethan Poleta at all."

"Then who is my target?"

"Ethan Poleta is indeed a great entry point, though his resilience slightly exceeded expectations. Even now, however, I still believe that continuing to target Ethan Poleta is the best course of action. He is the strongest gate in Winster's underground fortress. Once he is eliminated, the entire fortress will collapse. Then, we can push straight to the center of the fortress—which is your true target... Sandro."

As the name Sandro slipped from Evelyn's lips...

Marvin stopped staring at him, turning his gaze instead toward the sea outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

At that moment, the rotating beam from the coastal lighthouse swept across, casting shifting shadows on Marvin's face and making light and dark dance across the lenses of Evelyn's glasses.

"It truly was the right decision to have you transferred from the capital, Evelyn Court. The most outstanding graduate of the Special Operations Department of the Capital Metropolitan Police Department in the last three years, possessing an exceptionally high IQ and a talent for macro-level manipulation. It took you only half a year to purge the underworld of Red Rock City, earning you the moniker 'The Governor of Red Rock.' Upon returning to the capital, you were promoted to Chief Inspector—making you the youngest Chief Inspector in a decade. So, my dear Chief Inspector, do you know what kind of person Sandro is?"

"Sandro is a riddle. Based on existing intelligence, it is practically impossible to find any weaknesses in him. Ten years ago, he completely ceased all external activities. He has no family, no mistress, and seemingly no hobbies... Quite the underworld saint, isn't he?"

Evelyn also looked out toward the sea.

Following this sea northward all the way to its end, one would find Sandro's estate.

Perhaps Marvin had established the headquarters of the Prohibition Bureau right here precisely to keep a constant watch on that underworld saint.

"For two months, I have kept my eyes on him. Yet no matter what happens in the outside world, he never makes a move. I consider myself a seasoned hunter, but this is a prey unlike any I have ever seen," Marvin said slowly, before finally adding, "Tell me about your second phase."

"It's very simple. First of all, Lewis died at just the right time. His death is a key."

Evelyn gestured with his hand to outline the shape of a key.

"What kind of key?"

"The key to unlocking Winster's underground fortress."

When the snow covered the ocean, it also blanketed the rooftops, the ponds, the fountains—everything within the Poleta family estate.

The snowfall was heavy tonight, so after the dinner ended, Vilon and Palen decided not to leave and stayed overnight.

They had tactfully excused themselves right after finishing their meal.

Because they knew very well that the time that followed belonged exclusively to the brothers.

A pair of brothers who had been separated for twelve years.

Ethan and Vincent were currently drinking by the snowy balcony.

Outside the window lay the lawn and the pond, now completely blanketed in white.

"Ethan, do you remember? One year when we were little, Winster had a snowfall just as heavy as this. We were having a snowball fight outside when we accidentally shattered a window, disturbing Father. He was holding a meeting inside at the time, and he stormed out in a rage, demanding to know who had thrown it."

"I remember. Actually, I threw it, but Second Brother, you took the blame for me, and ended up getting a severe lecture from Father."

Ethan searched through the memories of his predecessor, and indeed, such a memory existed.

Seen in that light, Vincent had been a good older brother from a very young age.

"So, Vincent, where on earth did you go all these years? Why are you only coming back now?"

If Vincent had returned sooner, perhaps Ethan wouldn't have to be sitting here right now, but would instead be an art student in the capital, enjoying university life.

That would have been an effortless life.

Yet perhaps, Vincent might have died alongside Leonardo on that fateful night.

"Ethan, I cannot tell you where I went or what happened. But trust me, I am forever your brother, I will only ever help you, and I will never do anything against the interests of the family."

Vincent looked at Ethan, his gaze deep and resolute.

"Trust me, will you?"

"Alright, I trust you, Vincent."

Ethan looked at him, then raised his glass to toast his brother.

The two men drank their wine in a single gulp.

The next instant.

They simultaneously sensed someone approaching in the snowy night outside the window.

What Ethan sensed was a wave of intense malice, prompting him to draw his newly crafted Ebony.

Yes, in fact, he had intended this all along when designing that pair of guns—Ebony and Ivory.

As for Vincent, he threw the door open and charged straight out.

Ten seconds later, out in the snow, Vincent and a thoroughly startled uninvited guest named Kray were locked in a fierce brawl.

Meanwhile, Ethan put his gun away with a speechless expression.

"Kray, I told you, next time use the front door! Why won't you listen?!"

"Come on, it's snowing heavily out here, I wanted to get inside faster! And you, Vincent, I am your Uncle Kray! Is this how you welcome me after all these years apart?"

Kray pointed aggrievedly at his face, where a distinctly red mark bloomed—the souvenir of a punch delivered by Vincent.