The next day after the meeting between Lord Yin and Saif al-Rahaman, Noah was lying in his old, dull apartment room, staring at the ceiling, clearly bored and still filled with guilt. He thought about going to Ron's house to investigate but was scared that the neighbors would call the cops on him, as he had already gone there multiple times—yesterday and today. Emma had gone to work.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Noah flinched but anxiously opened it. As he did, he saw a man—a fat, middle-aged, bald, messy, and tired-looking man who was wearing only shorts and an undershirt. Noah knew who he was: his not-so-friendly neighbor who lived in room number 26.
Noah sighed and said, "Alfred, right now I'm not stealing your Wi-Fi again."
Alfred pulled out a mini speaker that was attached to Noah's door.
"I just want to say that this was attached to your door," he said in a monotone, bored voice.
Alfred walked back to his room, yawning and without any concern. Noah, however, was aghast. He went inside and locked the door. He was disturbed by the fact that he and Emma had never been safe from the beginning. Someone had been listening to their conversations all along, and Noah knew who they were.
Noah immediately pulled out his phone and called Emma, but she didn't answer. He tried messaging her, and finally, Emma replied. She typed that she had important work to do and wouldn't be answering for some time. Noah tried to warn her, but it was too late—she was already offline.
Noah was petrified, staring at the mini speaker trembling in his hand as his mind went completely blank. The only thing he could hear was his heart beating at breakneck speed. His face was soaked in sweat. He grabbed a knife from his kitchen and rushed toward the door, feeling an ominous presence in his apartment.
Noah stepped out of the apartment, hiding the knife in his pocket like a psychopath—indeed, he looked like one. He started walking down the street, staring at everyone with a frightened, wary expression. People around him felt unsettled by his stare and began distancing themselves from him.
As he walked, he came across construction vehicles and police officers. The entire area was blocked by barricades and tape. An officer approached him.
"Sir, construction is still ongoing after the Freedom Tower attack. You'll need to go another way," the officer said.
Without saying a word, Noah walked away. After some time, he pulled out his phone and tried texting Emma about everything, but she was still offline. He noticed a trash bin beside him that was damaged and lying on the ground, with trash spilled out. Suddenly, it struck him—it was the same trash bin he had seen during the Freedom Tower attack.
Noah was slightly amazed by the coincidence. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, and he saw that Emma had replied. He frantically tried to open the message, but before he could, his phone switched off.
Frustrated, he was about to throw his phone, but he calmed himself by remembering his financial condition. As he stared at his switched-off phone, he noticed something in its reflection. A figure was standing behind him—it wasn't a normal figure. It was a masked figure wearing a red cloak.
Without thinking twice, his body darted in the opposite direction. He instinctively clenched the knife in his pocket as he ran.
The masked figure behind him walked calmly. Noah was blocked by a wall but noticed a wire net to the left that was cut in the middle, with a dumpster inside. Without hesitation, he hid inside the dumpster.
The stench inside was overwhelming. Noah struggled to breathe as he heard footsteps slowly approaching. He froze completely. His face was drenched in sweat, and now the smell wasn't the only thing threatening to kill him.
After a minute or two, the footsteps faded. Noah climbed out of the dumpster, trash clinging to his body, leaving him filthy and reeking.
He felt momentary relief, but when he turned to run, he saw something he hadn't expected. Two more masked figures were waiting for him, like predators waiting for prey to leave its hiding hole.
He tried to run, but the first masked figure appeared behind him. Horrified, Noah stepped back and tripped over an orange juice can, crashing to the ground.
He crawled backward in fear, but it was useless.
"Any last words?" said the masked figure, now pointing a gun at him.
"I don't know… I don't know why you want to kill me… But this is how I end… I always tried… I always tried my best to be a good person. I was always blamed even when I wasn't wrong, but I stayed silent because I didn't want to make others sad… I was always treated as inferior because I was kind… Is it really fair?" Noah said, on the verge of breaking into tears.
The masked figure showed no emotion and replied, "Are those really your last words?"
Noah sighed, accepting his fate.
"I just want to ask… Is Ron alright?"
"Ron… that guy? Well, I'm sorry to announce that he's probably dead," the masked figure said as he prepared to pull the trigger.
That was enough to break Noah completely. His mind echoed with one sentence: You could have saved me. The guilt and despair silenced him. His tears stopped, and he became like a living corpse.
The masked figure pulled the trigger—but Noah grabbed the can he had tripped over and threw it. The bullet collided with it and was deflected. The masked figure was distracted, and before he could react, Noah drew his knife and stabbed him in the neck, dragging the blade across. The masked figure collapsed as blood poured from the wound.
The other two masked figures were stunned by their companion's death and by Noah's sudden transformation. Noah stared at them. His eyes were pitch black, like a void. The last spark of hope had vanished. His face was emotionless—no enthusiasm, no smile.
Noah charged at the remaining two figures. One shot him in the elbow, but it didn't stop him. Before the shooter could fire again, Noah slashed both of his eyes horizontally. Noah grabbed his gun and shot the last masked figure in the hand, then stabbed his fallen enemy repeatedly with brutal force.
The final masked figure, injured in the hand, tried to run, but Noah shot his legs.
"I want to ask you something," Noah said coldly.
"Was your organization responsible for the Freedom Tower terrorist attack?"
"Yes… please don't kill me," the terrified masked figure replied.
"What is your organization's name, and where is Ron?" Noah loaded the gun and aimed it at him.
"Our organization is called The Balance of Red. Only the superiors and our leader, Lord Yin, know where the island is. When we leave the island, we're given anesthesia… Please don't—"
Before he could finish, Noah pulled the trigger. The body collapsed.
Suddenly, he heard police sirens, followed by a voice:
"Put your hands up! It's the police!"
Police officers surrounded Noah. Their sirens blared as multiple officers got out of their cars and pointed their guns at him. Then he saw Emma. She stood frozen, both hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Noah—his hands and knife covered in blood. She couldn't believe that the man she knew was him.
"Why did you…" Emma whispered as her voice broke.
Noah opened his mouth but said nothing, staring at Emma emotionlessly.
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Lord Yin and Saif al-Rahaman stood inside a mysterious tent, both holding guns. A masked figure approached and whispered something into Lord Yin's ear.
"I didn't expect Noah to be… that interesting," Lord Yin said, clearly intrigued.
"Tell the superiors to follow my orders and contact me while I'm in Somalia."
He paused.
"And keep Ron alive."
He gave his orders and then looked forward at a weak Muslim man standing before him. He shot the man.
"Almost all Somalian bases are yours, Saif al-Rahaman. Just don't forget our deal," Lord Yin said.
Saif al-Rahaman grinned widely in pleasure.
"Yes. I didn't forget."