"This guy has some nerve!"
"Look—if you don't run now, you might drag Chi-Yu down with you!"
A group of homeless people hurried out of a dark underground passage, their footsteps splashing through shallow water pooled along the cracked concrete floor. Their faces were tense and panicked as they scrambled away from the dim tunnel.
No one dared stay behind.
Inside the poorly lit passage, the sounds of violence echoed repeatedly.
Two men wearing crude masks were beating a middle-aged man in a suit who lay helpless on the ground.
"I really don't have any money left!"
The man cried out desperately, but the masked attackers didn't slow down.
"You think we're idiots?" one of them sneered. "Your suit alone is worth plenty. Looks like you're asking to die."
He kicked the man hard in the head.
The blow left the victim dizzy and barely conscious.
One of the criminals finally crouched down and began tugging at the man's clothes. He ripped the expensive suit jacket off his body and began tearing open the lining, clearly searching for hidden cash.
God knew how long the two of them had been lurking around this area waiting for someone who looked like a worthwhile target.
Most of the homeless people wandering nearby were poorer than they were.
But their gang hadn't received instructions from their bosses for a while, and none of them dared wander outside their assigned territory to commit crimes.
This underground passage was already one of the most remote corners of the East End.
Eventually the masked man stood up again.
"Fuck!"
He cursed loudly and kicked the man in the chest.
The blow landed directly on the upper abdomen.
"Ugh—!"
The victim retched violently.
"This guy really doesn't have any money."
"Damn it," the other criminal muttered irritably. "We've been laying low for days. We don't even dare rob the stores anymore. I still don't understand why the boss told us to operate in the East End."
He spat on the ground.
"Those people from the Judgment Council are way scarier than Batman."
"There are rumors going around the underground world," the other one replied quietly. "People say the Judgment Council might've left the East End recently. That's the only reason we dared come out tonight."
"Yeah, but what if we run into them?" the first man said nervously. "Those guys are worse than us. They kill people without blinking. Honestly, I'd rather get arrested by Batman."
They both looked down at the man curled up on the ground.
The victim didn't dare move.
One of the criminals spat again.
"If you're broke, why the hell wear clothes like that?"
Splash.
A faint sound echoed through the tunnel.
The quiet noise of someone stepping into shallow water.
The masked criminal frowned.
"Huh? Didn't I tell you bums to get lost?" he shouted angrily toward the darkness. "Who the hell came back? Got a death wish?"
Thinking one of the homeless people had returned, he walked toward the shadows while still cursing.
But when he finally saw the figure crouching in front of him, his eyes lit up.
Not a homeless man.
A new victim.
Luck had practically thrown another fish straight into his net.
He pulled a dagger from his belt and walked forward confidently.
"Hey, buddy," he said coldly. "Hand over whatever money you've got. I won't repeat myself."
He pressed the dagger against the man's neck.
The stranger didn't move.
As if trying to intimidate him further, the criminal pushed the blade slightly forward.
The dagger pierced the skin.
A thin line of bright red blood slid slowly down the blade.
"…?"
Behind him, his partner looked over in confusion.
Then his eyes widened.
The mysterious man suddenly sprang upward.
Before the criminal could react, the stranger clamped down onto his partner's neck.
The attacker froze.
The second criminal's instincts immediately screamed that something was wrong.
"Oh shit!"
He drew his dagger and rushed forward.
But before he could take more than two steps—
His partner's body collapsed backward.
The man instinctively caught him.
The moment he saw the wound on his friend's neck, terror exploded in his eyes.
A chunk of flesh was missing.
Blood sprayed out violently, splattering across his face.
He looked up in horror at the mysterious man standing in front of him.
Half of the stranger's face was soaked in blood.
The criminal screamed and ran.
But the mysterious man was faster.
He moved like a shadow.
In one leap he sprang off the wall and tackled the fleeing criminal to the ground.
A short scream echoed through the tunnel.
Then silence returned.
Not far away, the middle-aged man in the suit lay trembling on the ground.
His entire body shook uncontrollably.
Because of the darkness earlier, he hadn't clearly seen what happened during the attack.
But the horrifying scene was enough to terrify him completely.
He didn't dare breathe.
He lay completely still, pretending to be dead.
After witnessing the mysterious man's frightening speed, he had already given up any thought of running away.
Inside his mind, he prayed desperately.
He even prayed for the Judgment Council to appear and save him.
Footsteps approached slowly.
The mysterious man stopped beside him.
"Hey," the stranger said casually. "I saved you, didn't I?"
The man slowly raised his head.
When the stranger stepped closer, his blood-covered face became visible.
The man smiled.
Two sharp fangs gleamed in the dim light.
"I—I'm not with them!" the victim stammered quickly.
His voice trembled as he begged.
"I know," Kyle said with a soft chuckle.
He leaned forward slightly.
The moment he prepared to open his mouth and transform the witness—
His ears twitched.
A faint sound echoed from the tunnel entrance.
Kyle closed his mouth immediately.
His expression turned blank.
"Is there another exit here?" he asked calmly.
"Yes!" the man answered quickly. "Over there. That tunnel leads out too."
He pointed toward a pitch-black corridor deeper inside the underground passage.
The man had already assumed Kyle would kill him the same way he had killed the two criminals.
But instead—
Kyle turned and disappeared into the darkness.
The man stared after him in confusion.
He had barely begun to relax when a new figure appeared silently in front of him.
No footsteps.
No sound.
The figure carried a longbow across her back.
A quiver of arrows rested beside it.
A sword hung at her waist.
Her slender, curved silhouette made it clear she was a woman.
"Let him escape again," she said coldly.
Another figure approached from behind her.
This one carried two swords across his back.
"This guy seems to have extremely sharp hearing and perception," he said slowly.
....
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