"Hahahaha."
Uche's laugh rang out, loud and mocking, resonating through the room as he leaned back in the chair he was chained to. He laughed so forcefully that, if not for the thick iron chain restraining him, he might have toppled from his seat. His eyes glinted with amusement as he finally stopped laughing and fixed his gaze on Kante.
"You… actually think you can escape the curse of your bloodline?"
He sneered, pointing at Kante with a mocking grin.
"Even if you somehow take my organs, do you really believe you'd live a long, peaceful life?"
Uche's tone shifted suddenly, the humor fading, replaced with an eerie seriousness.
"Absolutely not. Because if you kill me and take my organs, I swear—I'll make sure you die miserably."
Now, it was Kante's turn to laugh.
His laughter echoed through the sterile room, and he gripped the medical tray for balance, nearly knocking it off the table.
"I had no idea you were such a comedian,"
He said between chuckles.
"Make sure I die miserably? Well, let's see you try—once I've killed you and taken what I need."
As his laughter died, Kante's expression turned cold. He glanced over to the old surgeon, who had been listening to their exchange with mounting dread. The old man shifted nervously, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.
"Shall we begin?"
Kante asked, his cold gaze pinning the surgeon in place. The old man's face paled, and he nodded quickly, fumbling to arrange the instruments on the tray with trembling hands. His thoughts raced, a silent prayer running through his mind:
'Oh gods, help me on this one. What will happen if people find out I'm helping Snowflake achieve immortality? Should I… should I kill him during the operation? But that bastard said he's rigged the house with explosives…'
As the surgeon continued his preparations, Uche struggled to maintain a confident expression.
He was trying hard to keep the confident look on his face, he was troubled inside. After the chilling revelation Snowflake had just let out, about his ancestors and how the name Snowflake had rise and came to be, Uche knew everyone who had heard the story won't make it out of here alive.
Snowflake couldn't afford the story to leak, especially his own identity, so he will spare no one in the room.
Uche was capable of breaking free from his bonds; he possessed the unnatural strength to shatter the chair if he applied enough force, though he'd likely injure himself in the process. But he hesitated.
His boss, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Kim's wife were Snowflake's captives, held as leverage against him. If he made a reckless move, Snowflake wouldn't hesitate to kill them. He couldn't bear the thought, yet the reality of their situation left him little choice.
He knew no one in the room would be spared after Snowflake got Uche's organs successfully, he would kill everyone including the surgeon and his boss with his wife, so if they're already ghost sitting on the chair.
'If they'll be dead anyway, why do I need to care.'
He glanced over at Mr. Kim and his wife, bound and slumped in their chairs, looking more dead than alive. Uche's gaze softened.
'I'm sorry.'
He thought.
'I can't let Snowflake have his way, or he'll plunge humanity into darkness. Just think of this as a sacrifice for your race.'
Taking a deep breath, Uche focused his energy. He'd hoped Mira would come to his rescue. But as reality settled in, he knew he couldn't wait. He had to act. And he had to act now.
Although, he isn't sure if he would win a fight against Snowflake - a seasoned killer - someone who was born and raised to kill, and kill only. Winning against such a person would be difficult, but he knew Snowflake cannot kill him.
A sharp cracking sound echoed through the room as the metal chair splintered beneath him, snapping into two pieces that clanged loudly as they hit the floor. Both Snowflake and the surgeon whirled around, stunned, to see Uche rising from the wreckage, the thick chain still wrapped around his wrists but dangling loose from the shattered chair.
With a growl of frustration, Kante backed up, moving swiftly to where Mr. Kim and his wife were bound, his hand finding a scalpel on the nearby tray. He pressed it against Mr. Kim's chest, making the old man jolt awake in terror.
"One more step, and they're dead,"
Kante warned, his voice low and menacing, pressing the blade just enough to draw a thin line of blood.
Mr. Kim gasped, looking at Uche in panic.
"Uche… please, don't do anything rash… Listen to him. He'll kill us if you don't."
Uche's heart twisted with guilt, but he took another step forward. Kante snarled, driving the scalpel deeper into Mr. Kim's chest, making him cry out in agony.
"I'm sorry, boss,"
Uche said quietly, his voice filled with resolve.
"Think of it as a sacrifice for the greater good, for the sake of humanity, I can't let this monster get what he wants. If I do, the world will be at his mercy."
With that, Uche shrugged off the remains of his broken chair and wrapped the loose end of the chain around his fists, creating a makeshift weapon.
Kante laughed darkly, the sinister sound sending a chill through the room.
"Oh wow, I thought you're planning to escap."
He sneered.
"But it seems you actually want to fight, then bring it on."
Kante spat, stepping forward, his voice a taunt.
"Let's have some fun, shall we? It would be nice to warm up before getting your organs."
Kante grinned, producing two short whips from his pockets—the same whips he'd used to torment the old surgeon.
Without a moment's pause, Kante cracked the whip in a brutal arc aimed directly at Uche's head, the force of the swing nearly tearing through the air itself. Uche barely managed to dodge, sidestepping just enough as the whip missed by mere inches, snapping back with a hiss.
Seizing the opening, Uche countered with a powerful kick that landed squarely in Kante's chest, sending him stumbling backward into the operating table. Instruments clattered to the floor, and the table itself cracked under the impact. Kante recovered quickly, rolling to the side just as Uche brought the chain down with a powerful swing, narrowly missing him. The chain struck the floor with a deafening thud.
Meanwhile, the old surgeon had taken advantage of the chaos, quietly moving to untie Mr. Kim and his wife from their chairs. His hands still shook, but he worked quickly, glancing nervously at the combatants.
Kante rose to his feet, breathing hard but grinning with a twisted excitement.
"I underestimated you,"
He admitted, dusting himself off as he steadied himself.
"I didn't realize you were this good. Alright, let's make this a little more interesting. Show me what you've got."