Their plan

Following the short conversation, Alice shared the location of her people, where the dullahans were hiding, and the escape routes her team had already covered. She loftily said she would handle the enemies inside and asked Yvonne and David to deal with any dullahan who slipped away from her team's eyes.

Without another word, she wished them good luck and walked toward the middle warehouse, where the enemies and the three-headed dullahan waited to ambush her. Leo watched her until she vanished, then sighed with relief.

I can tell when people use their abilities or experience to pressure others, but this woman has something else. Her arrogance and confidence ooze out naturally. Now that she's gone, let's rethink our mission.

Given the plan, Yvonne and David would work with Alice's people to secure every dullahan. The objective was to catch them alive, which made this harder, since dullahans could kill themselves more easily than humans.

Is that so? I didn't know that. Does it mean the dullahan who killed me could have suicided after killing me? But why would he do that? What made him do it? Eh, mulling over it won't do me any good. I'll just end up with more questions and theories.

Meanwhile, Yvonne told David, "We'll cover the riverbank area."

"Kay. Go wild, Yvonne," David said, then left with his people for another area.

Now, it was just the three of them. Leo knew they would soon join Alice's team, so he asked what bothered him.

"Don't tell me we're the only ones available. Isn't our group too small?"

"I alone can track all of them, as long as Alice wounds them first," Yvonne replied. "She has a team that enables her ability, so we can trust her to injure every dullahan before they start fleeing. David only needs a single glance to mark his enemies, and his range is probably larger than mine."

"Oh," Leo said, surprised.

Yvonne went on, "So, we weren't chosen because of short manpower. Also, I do have a terrible track record with partners. Most died. Zeke was bold enough to become my partner, and you can't escape me, Leo."

Her words sounded more intimate when she spoke to Leo, but Zeke proudly raised his chin and ignored the difference in her tone.

Leo glanced at Zeke. Did this idiot really become her partner even though he knew about her partners' deaths and track record?

Leo had already died once, so he treasured his life. Even if he was in a dangerous job, he wanted to enjoy life and live as long as possible.

Yvonne opened her car's trunk and took out something like a large black gym bag. She tossed it to Zeke, who caught it smoothly and slung it over his shoulder.

Then, the three headed to their spot, where other hunters waited. On the way, Yvonne explained their personal plan.

She said, "You'll fight a dullahan on your own, Leo. In the river."

"Huh?" Leo blurted.

"We'll throw one of them into the water, then Zeke will store your head in this bag. Your headless body will follow the dullahan underwater. It's night, so it'll be harder for anyone to see what happens there. You'll also release your darkness to cover the water's surface. With no head, you won't need oxygen and can fight as long as you like. It's tough to fight underwater, so treat it as extra training. Just don't let the dullahan escape. Don't disappoint me."

Come on now! What do you mean, don't disappoint you? I've only sparred with Zeke and landed a few hits on dullahans we caught together! Now you want me to fight underwater with barely any battle experience? Throwing me into the deep like this makes me see you in a different light, Yvonne! I'll remember this and go hard on you in the future. Fuck!

Leo grimaced at the thought of their "personal" plan. Zeke looked at him, as if telling him not to disappoint Lady Yvonne. Leo glared back. Sparks flew between them.

Soon, Yvonne's group met with Alice's team, and each person received an earpiece. These supernatural items didn't need a microphone and picked up voices on their own. They could be turned off or on with a tap and connected to different channels with a single thought. They were convenient for missions like this.

Leo leaned against a wall and stared at the middle warehouse from a distance. Everyone else was in position. He glanced at the river and grit his teeth.

Suddenly, the sound of battle drew his focus back to the middle warehouse. All its windows flashed white, with beams of light streaming outside.

Did she drop a flashbang in there?!

This light had to belong to Alice. Leo wasn't sure what her ability was, but her white attire suited those bright rays that kept glowing even after the warehouse lights went out. Screams echoed from inside, and then the doors burst open as wounded dullahans poured out.

They were all headless and had large wounds in their armor. Blood gushed from those wounds. Looking up, Leo saw Yvonne standing on the roof of a nearby warehouse. Her long hair swayed in the breeze, and her dark eyes shone. She curved her lips into a sneer.

You may be sexy, but I won't forget this!

Her voice rang through his earpiece. "Two dullahans are heading your way, Leo, Zeke."

Ah shit, here we go.