"I've never seen a fish hooked faster than this." Beelzebub said thoughtfully, "Or more precisely, the fish was not caught at all, but jumped on the boat on its own." ”

"If that's not something to be happy about," he added, "it's a big shark." ”

"It doesn't matter," Dr. Hopkins said pleasantly, "with proper handling, it's as delicious as shark." ”

When they returned to the villa, the two boys were told to go to bed after a glass of hot milk, and tomorrow morning Hopkins had something to say to them, Catherine had already returned to her room, and Hopkins had made himself a glass of turquoise vermouth, which he gave to Sean while sipping a cold liquid with a metallic taste. Battier made a phone call - today's progress was beyond the expectations of the casino owner, in his vision, Ivan? Sergeyevich would probably have to observe the last two or three days before approaching Hopkins, during which time Hopkins had to try to make himself tasty enough to make Ivan lose his vigilance and suspicion as soon as possible as a senior member of the northern gang - they carefully analyzed Ivan's character, he was a petty, greedy, narrow-eyed, unethical and humane subordinate, and the attendants of the heavenly palace called him a miser - he never tipped even if he won money, and if he lost, then he would look for a play" Fake gamblers" women or barmaids who don't want money, and he doesn't forget to beat them into pigs' heads after ravaging them to his heart's content, and he often invites "friends" who never cast a word in the casino to overeat in the high-end restaurants attached to the casino (these are free), and forces the casino's mall to give gifts, shirts, belts, tie clips...... He wants everything.

He wins not only in the casino, but also in the gamblers, and in this respect he has a way that can almost be said to be the exact opposite of his nature - he never picks the nouveau riche who is stupid and knows at a glance that he is trying his luck in Las Vegas for the first time, and he prefers those who are similar to him. A clever guy with quick hands and feet, he even played a game of Russian roulette with a local gangster - in a somewhat unusual way, Ivan took out a total of thirteen revolvers, each with a bullet in it, and a special person rotated the cylinder, and then they picked one out of it - no one died, but the local gangster spent a lot of money to keep Ivan shut, and the current gangsters are not as impulsive and belligerent as they used to be, But it would be quite inappropriate to let people know that they are afraid of death in front of an enemy who can be said to be an enemy. That would make his subordinates, peers, and superiors doubt his reliability and loyalty.

Ivan also won the money of a casino regular, the son-in-law of a dictator of a small country, and a general. A cunning and shameless fox, but he still planted it in the hands of Ivan, who was supposed to stay in the heavenly palace for a month, but left in a week, because he was supposed to lose to Sean. Battier's money all went into Ivan's pocket.

Sean. Battier once secretly found a good card counter. In blackjack, he made Ivan lose half a million, and when he sensed that Ivan wanted to back down, he pretended to be clever enough to lose a little more. Ivan immediately ate the bait, and he thought that Ivan would continue to bet with him, which was a pity. Ivan never played at the table with him again—so, winning or losing, Hopkins had to make him lose his mind first. Only Ivan, who has lost his mind? Sergeyevich will spit out the profits that have been swallowed from the Heavenly Palace - it will be a powerful, irresistible blow that can directly hollow him out, viciously, Sean. Battier was still waiting for Ivan's entrails to make supper.

Anthony. Hopkins told Sean. Battier. He needed more money.

"How much?"

"Fifty million, or more."

"No problem." Sean. Battier said without hesitation.

"Can you get it ready tomorrow morning?"

"Of course." Battier said on the other end of the phone. With a low and regular noise like a tide, he was in his office and bedroom: "I have received a report from the manager, I really didn't expect it, I thought it would be at least two or three days before Ivan notices you, dear old friend, twenty-five years later, I am so glad to see that you are still charming." ”

"I thought you knew that money is to me, you, and Ivan what blood is to sharks," Hopkins walked to the balcony, the evening breeze was cool, the moonlight was bright, the swift clouds cast shallow shadows on Hopkins' pale and thin face and the balcony floor, the ghoul's keen nose smelled the scent in the air, and there was one or several laurel plants nearby, it had a mellow aroma that could easily distinguish it from other plants: "Battier, under what circumstances do you think sharks will jump on board automatically?" ”

Sean. Battier hesitated for a few seconds before hesitatingly giving an answer: "Food?" ”

Normally, sharks jump on boats for bait or mistake people on fishing boats for seals or big fish, Hopkins thought, "Great white sharks and other groups of sharks also perform what is called a natural jump, which is a jump with no apparent motive and we can guess that it may be to communicate or show its superiority or status, like a human standing on a high ground or walking in front of it — the jump tends to be very high, and they will keep their mouths shut at that point." ”

"Don't worry," Hopkins said, "maybe tomorrow your troubles will be solved." ”

"By the way, look out for those two cute lads - I mean, red hair and green eyes."

***

The Tower of Babel, the "hospital" of the institution, an artificial miracle on top of a natural miracle (a massive rock thirty stories high), has risen to its feet after unimaginable torture and destruction, still gray, tall, square buildings with glass windows.

Once horribly exposed to broad daylight like a dissected abdomen, "Area G" was repaired before all the buildings were noticed, and for the first time, it was empty, and the "patients" who had managed to escape the smoke-filled corridor but not the boulder were caught by the "hunters" and sent to "H" Section, the institution's research department, where they provided all the information they knew and didn't know, not much, and most of them are useless.

After that, until now, many of the agency's "hunters" are still struggling in various parts of the Western Continent, just to make up for this "big leak", you know, everyone killed by the escaped criminals will be the responsibility and burden that the agency has to face, and the agency's public relations staff has been transferred three full batches.

"So...... What about those people? Glegri. Corso asked curiously.

The doctor in charge of receiving him didn't know whether to say it or not, Glegri. Corso smiled at him and pointed to the small sign he wore on his collar, sapphire blue, indeed, in the doctor's notice, this gentleman could be said to be of a very high rank, and he could know things that ordinary "hunters" could not know: "They have been laid to rest." After being thoroughly researched and utilized, "they could not have been left behind." "It's too dangerous, and there's also an element of anger in it, and the repercussions of this riot have affected even the highest levels of the "institution".

The rules and regulations of the "institution" have become stricter, and now there are very few residents of Area G, only a few of the strangers who have been repeatedly determined to be weak but of considerable value can be locked up here, and the rest will be brought into the institute, where they will be controlled by drugs and physics, their diet will be kept to a minimum that will allow them to survive, excretion will be disposed of by instruments, there is no **, there is no human rights, and everything that will be considered a possible danger by the researchers of the institution will be forcibly deprived of it in the first place.

For example, her abilities come from her voice, and she cannot have her vocal cords cut off or her tongue gouged out until the end of the study, so the researchers had to do the same thing as the previous "Sages" - prolonged artificial deep sleep to keep her awake when needed.

"What a sleeping beauty," Glegri sighed, the subcutaneous bleeding caused by the Ebola virus on Xiren's body had disappeared due to recovery, and when she slept quietly with her hands at her side, she looked really pure and pitiful, and there was no indication that this young woman was a madman who wanted to murder tens of thousands of people in one go, and almost succeeded: "When will your research end?" There's something about Xiren. ”

"You want to buy her back?" The first time he did this, the doctor shook his head: "No, her ability has been mutated twice, and the harm is too great, she can't live." ”

"It doesn't matter," said Glegri, "as long as it's complete, I know a very good team of taxidermy." ”

The doctor shook his head slightly, he had seen many perverts, and a necrophile was really nothing unusual.

But Grigley clearly felt that he had to explain: "Before it is all over, I want to see my little Xiren, and I have to tell her what the end is—where she came from, go back." ”

He smiled: "The witch doctor of Lake Victoria is looking forward to my little gift. ”