Ghost Billionaire
Chapter 86: Ignorance

Chapter 86: Ignorance

"Let him go," the newcomer said. This time, it sounded more like an order than a request.

This time, the blue suited man snorted. Then the man’s fingers uncurled at once. Matthew dropped to his knees, coughing hard as air scraped down his throat. He pressed a palm to the pavement, struggling to steady himself, then looked up—and froze.

Dr. Muni!?

What is this? Why is he—

Matthew swallowed. What is going on here!?

Dr. Muni stood a few paces away, coat buttoned, expression unreadable. The air around his sleeves shimmered faintly, bending the dim light as if heat radiated off invisible coils. A Nexian! A Veined Nexian.

Before Matthew could find his voice, the man in blue scoffed. "Why bother with a fledgling who’s barely awakened?"

Dr. Muni did not spare Matthew a glance. "Is this your territory?" he asked, calm as a lecture hall. "I don’t recall granting you entry."

"I can go wherever I want to," The blue-suited man’s jaw tightened. "Besides, I was only eliminating a witness."

"Wrong answer." Dr. Muni’s tone never rose. "You are not local. If you kill here, not even your grandfather will shield you from the questions I’ll ask."

The blue-suited man’s nostrils flared. Then he gave a curt harrumph, turned on his heel, and blurred into the shadows. The lights on his arms faded as he vanished.

The oppressive air immediately eased by a fraction. Matthew drew a shaky breath, fingers at his bruised throat. Dr. Muni finally looked down at him.

"Can you stand?" he asked, as if the last minute had been nothing more than a classroom exercise.

"I—"

"Were you alone?" Dr. Muni looked around. "There is no need to worry about your company. I shall not kill."

Matthew blinked. What did he mean? "I’m alone," he answered. Dr. Muni gave him another look, as if trying to read his mind for any lie.

"Very well... follow me."

"I—" Matthew swallowed. "What about my car?"

Dr. Muni paused. "You’re worried about a car?"

"It’s brand-new..." Matthew explained. The old man snorted.

"Do you not know the rules of a field?"

Matthew feigned ignorance. Denying knowledge was easier and cleaner. "I—what’s a field?"

Dr. Muni frowned. For a moment, Matthew wondered if the man knew he was lying. The ghost girl mentioned about Nexians that could read minds. What if ...

No. Impossible.

"Show me your car," Dr. Muni said, gesturing toward the curb.

Matthew rose slowly, neck still sore, and led him down the sidewalk. The truck sat twenty meters away. Glass grit crunched under Matthew’s shoes as they reached it. He unlocked the doors. Dr. Muni took the passenger seat without hesitation. Matthew slid behind the wheel.

"Brace yourself," the old man said.

Matthew gripped the steering wheel. Dr. Muni clapped once. The windshield rippled, as if the glass turned liquid. For a heartbeat, the street outside twisted—storefronts bent, colors smeared—then everything snapped back. A delivery truck behind them blared its horn, pulled around, and sped off. Matthew realized the truck rested on the side of the road, hazard lights blinking.

"You stopped here when the field formed," Dr. Muni said. "Drive."

Matthew adjusted the mirror. "Where to?"

Dr. Muni raised an eyebrow. "Where you planned to go, the black market."

Matthew stared, wondering how he knew. Can he really read minds?

"What are you waiting for?" Dr. Muni asked.

"I—"

"A Nexian would only visit this side of town to go to the black market. Now drive."

Matthew nodded and eased into traffic. Now that he was moving, he could focus on the ghost girl mumbling beside him.

"He’s a Veined Nexian," she whispered. "Very strong. How did I miss him? How is this even possible? He felt human to me. Completely human."

Matthew kept his eyes on the road. A Veined Nexian... So Dr. Muni in his past life was a Nexian too. Dr. Muni was the one who introduced Lenox to the black market.

"That man sensed my presence. He knows I’m here, but can’t pinpoint my location. I’ll see you back at the mansion. Be careful, don’t trust him. And you still owe me my body." With that, the ghost girl left. Again.

"..."

"Explain how you became a Nexian," Dr. Muni broke into his thoughts.

Matthew blinked. "A what?"

The old man studied him. "That field reacts only to Nexians."

"I don’t know what that is," Matthew said, shifting to the next lane.

Dr. Muni watched him for a long moment, then faced forward. "We will talk later."

Matthew gripped the wheel tighter, headlights cutting the dark streets toward the hidden bank entrance.

He parked in the dim side lot behind the old bank. He slipped on his mask and tugged up his hood. Dr. Muni pulled a plain black half-mask from his coat pocket and secured it.

Inside the bank’s service door, they took the hidden lift. Metal doors opened onto the familiar underground concourse. Traders and guards drifted past under yellow lamps. Dr. Muni lifted two fingers, then turned left. Matthew kept pace.

They crossed a narrow bridge to a small wooden sign that read Spring Study Teahouse. Dr. Muni stepped in first. An attendant appeared. The old man slid a round bronze token across the counter. The attendant bowed deeply, motioned them up a stairwell, and led them to the third floor without saying another word.

Soon enough, a paper-screen door slid aside. A single low table and two floor cushions waited. The attendant closed the door from the outside. Then silence settled between them.

This time, Dr. Muni removed his mask and set it beside the teapot. Matthew did the same, but remained standing.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked.

Dr. Muni’s eyebrows lifted. "Sit," he then poured two cups of tea, set one in front of the opposite cushion, then spoke. "If I meant to kill you, we wouldn’t be in here," he said. "When my field snapped shut, your lungs would have collapsed, and nothing of you would have reached this table."

Matthew stared at him, eyes wide. Is something like that even possible?