"I'm all right," Theo tried to reassure.
"This is strange; why did the window suddenly break?"
"It seems like someone threw something towards the window."
While others were confused about what was happening, Kate's attention was focused on the large rock lying not far from Theo. There, a sentence was written: 'Your life will end tonight.'
The sentence was written in red ink that seemed to be blood. Simultaneously, the rock became the center of attention for everyone inside.
"They must not have gotten far!" Kate murmured. Though soft, Theo could clearly hear her voice because she stood right beside him. Without hesitation, Kate immediately ran out of the club. Simultaneously, all members of the Infero Ravens followed her.
What was she going to do? Theo couldn't stay still. He rushed out with them, but Berta and Jim tried to stop him.
"Where are you going?" The question came from Berta and Jim as Theo almost reached the exit.
"I'll be back in a moment." Theo ran again, trying to catch up with Kate, who had already left with the Infero Ravens.
*
The pace of Kate's steps quickened as soon as she spotted a man dressed in black running with all his might. The man seemed highly suspicious as he sprinted towards a dark alley. Not only that, but he occasionally glanced back, as if ensuring no one was trying to follow him.
No doubt, he's the one! Kate is running even faster. Right when the man realized Kate was tailing him, he also sped up to avoid being caught by her. Unfortunately, he was unaware of whom he was up against.
You're trying to escape from me? Don't think you'll get away! Kate grinned. Her hand moved, pulling a small dagger from a hidden pocket in her pants. In one swift motion, Kate threw the dagger, calculating her target precisely, and with a single throw, it struck the man who had been running in front of her.
Stab!
The dagger plunged right into the man's calf. He grimaced as something suddenly pierced deep into his leg. His body collapsed instantly, accompanied by the pain that surged through his leg. "Argghh..."
The man clutched his leg where Kate's dagger was lodged. He intended to pull out the dagger and run again, but Kate, now closer to him, leaped and collided with his body. Simultaneously, with Kate landing on top of him, she delivered a punch to his face, causing the man to groan in pain.
Kate grabbed the man's shirt collar, staring at him intently. "TELL ME WHO SENT YOU!" she yelled.
"I won't—"
Thwack!
Kate landed another punch on his face, preventing the man from refusing to answer her question. "Don't make me repeat my question, or you'll regret it!"
Damn. Despite being a woman, her punches felt excruciating. The man tried to endure the tremendous pain on his face, which had already been hit twice by Kate. He truly didn't expect Kate's punches to be so painful. The man attempted to stay calm. Shortly after, he defiantly looked back at Kate. "If I don't want to say it, what are you going to do?"
Kate grinned. His words only fueled her anger. "So, you want to challenge me?"
Kate's hand moved, reaching for the handle of the dagger still lodged in the man's leg. As soon as the man realized Kate's hand was approaching the dagger in his leg, his facial expression turned pale, and his heart began to feel uneasy. Kate tightly gripped the handle of the dagger. Her gaze didn't shift from him. "Then don't blame me if you lose one of your legs."
Kate gave a small push to the dagger in her hand, causing the blade to penetrate deeper into the man's leg. He grimaced in pain at her action. "ARGGHH! STOP!"
He struggled with all his might, attempting to roll Kate over and change their positions. This way, he could break free. Unfortunately, Kate was more agile than he anticipated. As the man rolled his body, she effortlessly replicated the move, putting him back under her control. This time, in a more disadvantageous position. The man now lay face down, while Kate sat on top of him, one hand restricting his movements. She pinned his hands and pulled his hair forcefully.
The man attempted to strike with his free hand, but unfortunately for him, Kate effortlessly evaded each of his attacks. "You still won't tell me, huh?"
Kate tightened her grip, causing the man to scream in pain. Simultaneously, other members of the Infero Ravens arrived, panting heavily. "Miss Kate!" they shouted as they halted, trying to catch their breath.
Kate remained unfazed, ignoring them and maintaining her focus on the man in her hold. "I WILL NEVER TELL YOU!"
"You've chosen a difficult path. But, lucky for you, in recent years, I haven't killed people like you. It seems you might be the first in a while. Congratulations!" Kate released her grip on the man's hair, shifting her hand to retrieve another dagger from her pocket. She leaned in, directing the dagger toward his neck.
"Even though you try to conceal everything, you forget that the tattoo on your nape is the symbol of your messenger!" Kate whispered right into his ear. The man's face grew paler. He fell silent without resisting, then slowly turned his head, looking at Kate through the corner of his eye.
There, he could see Kate with a terrifying gaze, a look reminiscent of a psychopath who had no qualms about taking lives with her own hands. "Goodbye, and enjoy your journey to hell!"
Slash!
Kate slashed the man's throat with her dagger. The cut was enough to claim his life. With that, the man dies, blood seeping out onto the quiet night street. Once the man ceased to move, Kate rose from her position and approached the Infero Ravens, who were not far away.
"What happened while I was gone?" Kate asked, staring at them with a serious expression. The entire Infero Ravens fell silent; they dared not say anything, knowing that if Kate found out what had happened, they would face her anger twice—both from Kate and Alessio. The man would also be furious because they dared to speak when explicitly forbidden.
"Morgan!" Kate addressed the man there.
"M-miss Kate, that..." Morgan hesitated with his words. He was genuinely confused about what to say because, to be honest, they were all forbidden to speak by Alessio.
Just before Kate could get an answer, Theo arrived and tried to inquire about what was happening. But his expression changed instantly upon seeing the corpse of one of the Bloodhound Cartel members lying on the ground. "Wh-what happened? Who killed him?" Theo asked, looking at them with a sense of unease.
"I did," Kate calmly responded.
"What? Y-you? But why would you..." Theo was genuinely shocked by her statement. He was so taken aback that he couldn't find the words upon hearing Kate's confession. Theo grew more panicked; he was afraid this would escalate into a larger problem that could involve the police. On the other hand, he couldn't comprehend why Kate faced the situation so calmly. She didn't seem to feel guilty at all about what she had just done. "What should we do now? What if we become fugitives once the police find out about all this? It's going to be a big problem!"
"You don't need to worry about that," Kate said, trying to reassure him.
"Why are you talking like that when you just killed someone? Don't you feel guilty at all?" Theo was scolded unintentionally. Infero Ravens was instantly surprised by Theo yelling at Kate. No one had ever dared to shout at her, not even Alessio.
"Feel guilty? Do you think the Bloodhound Cartel felt that way when they killed our members?" Kate turned the question around, emphasizing every word.
"Y-you—"
"Listen! If you want revenge, you can't afford to be foolish and weak! And if you really want to be a member of the Infero Ravens, you need to prepare yourself because, in the future, you'll see more of this happening in front of you. Or maybe, someday, you might kill with your own hands! This is just the beginning, Theo." Kate stared sharply at Theo. The man standing before her could only stay silent without uttering a word. Kate's recent words, for some reason, left Theo completely speechless.
Kate shifted her focus. "Let's go back! There's another important matter I need to attend to."
Kate walked away, leaving Theo behind. The other members of Infero Ravens quickly followed her from behind, while Morgan approached Theo to persuade him to leave.
"Why did you let her kill him?" Theo asked as Morgan tried to get him to leave as well.
"Miss Kate knows what she's doing, so you don't need to worry about this."
"Why are you acting just like her? Do you share the same thoughts with her? Retaliating against them by doing the same to their members?"
"That's what revenge is, Theo. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
"So, you mean life must be paid with life?" Theo was truly taken aback by their thoughts. Even though he had thoughts and desires for revenge, Theo never considered going as far as killing them. He only wanted to beat them until he felt satisfied, and the idea of killing them never crossed his mind, even after they had stabbed him twice and almost costing him his life.
"Listen, Theo, Miss Kate is doing this as a warning to the Bloodhound Cartel. It's a sign that they shouldn't mess with the Infero Ravens because the Infero Ravens are back, stronger than ever. And besides, that's not the only goal for doing all of this."
"What do you mean?" Theo furrowed his brow. He really didn't understand Morgan's words.
System detects a potential threat!> Theo widened his eyes as the system screen appeared before him. Simultaneously, Theo and Morgan could hear the faint footsteps of a group of people approaching their direction. Damn, they're here! ***