~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 40 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After rummaging through his belongings, Henry pulled out all the cash he had on him and handed it to Charlize Theron. "Go to the UK and find Cruella. If that doesn't work, contact me first, then head to France and find Givenchy.
"Settle down with them for now. I'll resolve the visa issue as quickly as possible. For work matters, contact J.J. Harris—she'll handle it for you. Take care of yourself. Don't let anything happen."
There was still a tiger waiting to pass quarantine, and the root of this issue was clearly within the United States, not abroad. So Henry didn't choose to leave with Charlize.
Some things didn't need to be said aloud. Among the options Henry gave, there was no suggestion for Charlize to return to South Africa to find her mother—precisely to avoid bringing trouble to her family.
Whether it was Cruella de Vil or Hubert de Givenchy, their reputations acted like a protective barrier, enough to make ill-intentioned people think twice before crossing the line.
Though this might be seen as shifting trouble onto others, neither Henry nor Charlize had a better solution—unless they escalated things into full-scale war.
For now, they could only hope the other side intended to obstruct them through administrative means, not escalate further.
Judging by the airport police's behavior, they were simply following procedures and had no "extra assignments." Otherwise, they would have forcefully prevented Henry from speaking with Charlize before she was taken away.
It seemed that Henry's decision to support Blade and other vampire hunters from the shadows—rather than personally escalating the conflict—had been a wise one. His small moves hadn't been detected, which prevented the enemy from going straight for lethal measures.
Their conversation was brief, focused only on key points. Finally, Henry said, "Call me when you arrive. Let me know where you are."
"Okay."
Watching the girl being escorted away, Henry turned back and rejoined the line, waiting to enter the country—without any special privileges, nor forcing his way through with his abilities.
At the same time, he thought this didn't feel like the vampires' style. Could it be those humans who attached themselves to vampires, believing they were superior to the kine?
This kind of tug-of-war was the most troublesome. It wasn't something he could solve by simply going out and killing more vampires.
For now, Henry could only settle Katy first, then find channels to gather information.
But when it came time for Katy to pass quarantine, Henry couldn't help but laugh in anger.
Missing paperwork, deliberate obstruction—it all pointed toward an attempt to have Katy deported on the spot.
If Katy had been a pet imported from abroad, such nonsense might have been somewhat understandable. But this tiger had originally departed from the U.S., gone to France for work, and was now returning home.
Even if a tiger didn't have nationality, if it truly didn't meet entry requirements, it wouldn't have been allowed to leave in the first place.
After a long round of back-and-forth with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the situation dragged on—until Katy herself found a solution.
And her method was surprisingly simple:
Cause chaos.
She shook the cage violently, biting at the iron bars. When that wasn't enough, she rammed it, widening the gaps just enough to extend her paw outward, as if ready to strike.
CBP officers were used to dealing with animals like large dogs at most—and their equipment reflected that.
Faced with a tiger, they had no choice but to call in zoo professionals. But those experts would take time to arrive—and the increasingly deformed cage offered little reassurance.
Several tranquilizer darts meant for large dogs were fired, but Katy dodged them with ease. The few that hit didn't even seem to penetrate her hide—they just hung loosely from her fur.
And it wasn't just one tiger causing trouble—
Her agitation set off the entire quarantine warehouse.
The presence of a top predator was enough. With just a display of aggression, Katy sent smaller animals into a frenzy—barking, screeching, and slamming against their cages.
Birds, too, began crashing wildly inside their enclosures, trying to escape. A few even knocked their cages over and flew loose inside the warehouse.
In short, the place descended into total chaos.
A staff member, unable to endure it any longer, ran out and whispered the situation to the supervisor at the counter.
The supervisor, who had been playing bureaucratic ping-pong with Henry, put on a stern expression. "Mr. Brown, your wild animal appears insufficiently trained and is causing a disturbance. I can allow you into the warehouse—please assist in calming it down."
Henry didn't take the bait. He replied coldly, "All my documentation complies with California law. If you'd just release my animal star, none of this would be happening. On what grounds should I calm it?"
"Do you know the worst-case scenario?" the supervisor said. "If we determine the animal poses a threat to human safety, I have the authority to order it put down."
Henry's tone sharpened. "Go ahead and try. I've already declared that this animal star was working in Paris and earning income. It's simply returning after completing its job.
"If your errors lead to it being killed, you'll be liable for my financial losses. Feel free to gamble on whether Stark Pictures' legal team can win that lawsuit."
There was a reason Henry kept emphasizing "animal star" instead of "pet."
One had economic value. The other only incurred maintenance costs.
With Katy's earnings records—and the job offers Henry had turned down—any competent lawyer could ruin the careers of whoever signed off on or carried out such an order.
At that moment, a perfectly timed tiger roar echoed from inside the warehouse, shattering whatever composure remained among the officers. More personnel fled the scene.
Whether it was Henry's threat or Katy's roar that did it, the once-arrogant supervisor finally gave in. Irritated, he stamped the clearance documents and handed them over.
"Let him take the tiger. But I warn you—if your animal causes any damage, you'll be held fully responsible!"
"Send it in writing. My lawyers will respond," Henry replied evenly.
Following the quarantine officers inside, Henry was greeted by a cacophony—dogs barking, cats yowling, and various smaller animals making a chaotic din.
Katy's cage was visibly warped. The largest gap between the bars was wide enough for half her head—and a claw—to reach through.
Given a feline's flexibility, once the opening reached the width of her whiskers, she could slip out entirely. And she was very close.
Henry stepped forward, pressing a hand against her head to calm her. "Good girl. Well done. I'll give you something extra when we get home. Or… see anything you like here? I can knock it out and stuff it into your cage."
The supervising officer, who had followed in intending to regain some dignity with a few harsh words, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine—and decided to say nothing at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~