Chapter 1 – "The Quiet Man"
Harrison City's air was always gray.Even when the sun shone, the city remained veiled in a dull haze.The streets were filled with muffled noise, and people moved through life avoiding one another.
This was a city where you had to learn how to survive.
Vincent Kang was well accustomed to such an environment.
He ran a small repair shop in the outskirts of the industrial district, living a quiet life.To others, he was just a silent Asian mechanic.Office workers passed him by, and only the nearby construction workers occasionally used his shop.
He wanted this.A quiet life.
But the world had no intention of leaving him alone.
9:00 AM.
Vincent opened the repair shop as he always did.A worn-out radio on the counter played a faint jazz tune.He slipped into his work overalls, grabbed an oil-stained wrench, and lost himself in an engine.
This was his ordinary life.
"Don't you ever get bored living like this?"
A voice from the neighboring café.
Rachel, the owner, stood at the door, holding two cups of coffee.
Vincent glanced up briefly before returning to his work.
"...It's not bad."
"Really? You sound like someone who drinks the same coffee every day."
She smirked, placing one of the cups on his desk before casually walking away.
Vincent picked up the cup.
It was warm.
He planned to spend another quiet day.But that afternoon, he was forced to make a choice.
"Hey, you bastard! Are you deaf?"
A small convenience store across the street.
A group of men were harassing the store clerk.Three—no, four of them.
Their exhausted expressions made it clear they weren't new to this.One of them had already leaned over the counter, grabbing at the register.
Vincent ignored them.
"It's not my problem."
He turned back to his engine.But his hands hesitated for a moment.
Was this really not his problem?
"Please... Don't do this. There's a CCTV here..."
The clerk's voice trembled.Then one of the men laughed and grabbed something from the shelf.
A glass bottle.
And without hesitation, he swung it toward the clerk.
CRASH!
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the store.
Vincent's eyes flickered.He let out a slow breath.
"I could ignore it. But they crossed the line."
Vincent put down his tools.Slowly, he stood up.
As he stepped outside, one of the men smoking near the entrance scoffed.
"What the hell do you want, Asian boy?"
Vincent didn't answer.He simply stared.
One of them chuckled and stepped forward.
"Oh? You wanna get your ass kicked too?"
Vincent remained silent.
He was calm.Quiet.
But—
In the next instant, that silence exploded.
THUD!
His fist slammed into the man's stomach.It wasn't just a punch.
It was precise.Calculated.Perfectly executed.
The man doubled over and collapsed.
The others recoiled in shock.
"What the fuck?! Who is this guy?!"
Vincent didn't answer.
In a split second, he assessed the situation.How many were left, where they stood, if they were armed.
He had already decided the outcome.
One of them swung the broken bottle.Vincent tilted his head just enough to dodge, grabbed the man's arm, and twisted it.
CRACK!
A scream of agony erupted.
The third guy lunged.Vincent swept his leg, knocking him off balance, then slammed him headfirst into the counter.
THUMP!
The man crumpled unconscious.
In mere seconds, three were down.
The last one took a step back, eyes wide with fear.
"Y-You… You're a fucking psycho!"
Vincent just looked at him.
The man hesitated, then turned and ran.
Silence filled the store.The clerk had collapsed to the floor, trembling.
Vincent stood still for a moment before slowly turning away.
It should have been over.But then—
"T-Thank you... But who… who are you?"
Vincent stopped.
"...Just a passerby."
Without another word, he walked back to his shop.
But he already knew.
This wasn't the end.
They would come back.Men like them never let things slide.
And Harrison City—It would never let him live in peace.
"I wanted a quiet life. But the world wouldn't let me have it."
Chapter 2 – "Dreams"
Fire.Gunfire.Screams.
Vincent Kang stood in the heart of hell.
He wore tactical gear, rifle in hand.His squad moved like shadows, each step precise and deliberate.Their mission: extract the hostages and eliminate the targets.
"Target building, 50 meters ahead. Enemy armed and stationed."
A voice crackled through his earpiece.
Vincent inhaled sharply.
"We move."
He took the lead, entering the building with surgical precision.Corpses of fallen enemies littered the floor.
"We are justice."
That's what he once believed.
But—
At that moment—
"Is this… justice?"
A voice whispered in his head.He turned.
Blood pooled across the floor.A body lay motionless.In its hand—
A toy gun.
"...!"
Vincent's hands trembled.
"Target neutralized. Area secure."
His teammate's voice came through the comms.
But he could feel it.
His throat was dry.His breath, uneven.
"What have we done?"
The world around him began to shatter.
Gasping.Sweat dripping down his forehead.
Vincent bolted upright in bed.
Darkness.Through the window, Harrison City's neon-lit night pulsed faintly.
He exhaled deeply, staring at his trembling hands.
The sensations were still there.
"...It was just a dream."
But he knew.
It wasn't just a dream.
It was a memory.
He dragged himself to the bathroom.
In the mirror, he saw himself.
The shadows beneath his eyes.The exhaustion carved into his face.
He pulled off his shirt.
His body bore the marks of the past.
Bullet wounds.Knife scars.Burns from explosions.
His fingers traced each one.And with each touch, the memories came rushing back.
Fallen comrades.Missions completed.Betrayals suffered.
And the undeniable fact that—he survived.
But survival wasn't always a blessing.
His voice echoed in the empty room.
"What we did… was it ever justice?"
The shower ran.
Scalding water cascaded over him.He pressed his palms to his face.
The dreams never left.
He whispered, almost to himself—
"It should have ended."
But he knew.
The past.The wounds.The memories.
They would never let him go.
"The war is over. So why does it still rage inside me?"