"OI! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE RUNNING?!"
The shout, in Chinese, cut through the noise of the neon-drenched city. It was heavy with rage, the voice of someone hunting a target with a deep-seated grudge.
A young man ran, gasping for air. His breath was heavy and ragged. He collided with a sea of people who didn't give him a second glance. Sweat poured down his forehead while his eyes scanned frantically for an exit. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.
"DON'T RUN! GET OVER HERE!"
A second shout followed, closer this time. In a moment of desperation, the man veered into a narrow, dim alleyway—a dark space wedged between towering buildings that seemed forgotten by the city.
Four figures emerged from the shadows. Each held a machete that glinted sharply under the faint light. They moved like hungry predators, tracking their prey with steady, certain steps.
The man being hunted looked young, but his face was deathly pale from exhaustion. Every second was a gamble for his life. The alley had now become a silent stage for a grim confrontation.
His breathing grew shallower. Every gulp of air felt like it was slicing through his lungs. His energy had reached its limit. With the last of his strength, he lunged behind a pile of old crates and pressed himself against the damp wall. In the darkness, he could only pray that the night was black enough to hide him.
-----
Minutes passed in agonizing silence. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed. Step by step, they drew closer, bringing the threat of death. Before long, four black shadows appeared at the end of the alley.
"A dead end? Dammit... he's vanished!" one of them spat, grunting in frustration. They swept the area with their phone flashlights, but only trash and empty walls were visible.
Another man, built like a tank, slammed his machete against the ground. "If I find him, I'm hacking his head off!" His voice boomed with vengeful intent.
"FOUND YOU!"
Suddenly, the crates were kicked aside with brute force. They pounced, dragging the man out and slamming him onto the ground. One of them pinned his chest down with a knee, making it hard to breathe. A small knife was drawn, its tip pressed firmly against the young man's cheek.
"Where do you think you're going, huh?" he asked with a sneer.
The man pinned to the ground couldn't find his voice. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Fear had stripped him of every ounce of courage.
"He's crying, boys! HAHAHA!" They erupted into laughter. To them, his tears were nothing but entertainment.
"Do you have any idea how much you ruined our party? You let the woman we were supposed to kill escape. And then you thought you could take us on? How pathetic! You make me sick!" the man barked, his voice dripping with contempt.
The man holding the knife began to carve into his victim's cheek slowly. A searing pain radiated across the young man's face. His tears mingled with the grime of the earth. He pleaded, but his voice only echoed in vain through the silent alley.
"Please, don't do this! What you're doing is wrong! You're trying to kill an innocent girl! I won't let you!" the man cried out in sheer desperation.
"UGH!"
A heavy punch landed on his stomach, sending him into a fit of coughing. Wei Qian—the man with the knife—began to rain blows upon him. One of the others reached out, smearing the blood flowing from the victim's cheek onto his finger.
He licked the blood greedily. "Ahh... your blood tastes good. I want more," he whispered in a chilling, raspy voice.
The knife was pressed deeper into the cheek, tearing through the flesh. "NO! STOP IT!!!"
Wei Qian raised his knife. His expression turned feral as he signaled his companion holding the machete. It was time to end this kid's life.
The man lying on the ground was helpless. His body felt paralyzed. He could only close his eyes, surrendering to the inevitable arrival of death.
Suddenly—BANG!
A deafening gunshot shattered the air. Everyone froze. Their brains scrambled to process what had just happened. In that same instant, one of them collapsed to the ground.
"Eh? Han?"
His friends stood stunned. Xu Ren approached Han Ruo's body and shook him violently. "Oi! Han Ruo! Wake up!"
Han Ruo didn't move. His eyes were wide, staring at the empty sky. Blood began to form a crimson pool beneath him.
"Wei Qian..." Xu Ren called out, his face deathly pale. "What... what happened to him?!"
"He's... he's dead."
Wei Qian's world seemed to grind to a halt. His friend's blood began to soak into his own shoes. He looked down, staring at the blood with a hollow gaze.
"You two..." Yi Han, standing beside Xu Ren, suddenly spoke. His eyes weren't on Han Ruo's corpse, instead, he was looking up. "There's someone else here... they have firearms!"
Wei Qian looked up. On the roof of a small building not far away, eight figures dressed in all black were visible. Their faces were shrouded in darkness. One of them was calmly reloading, preparing for the next shot.
The man who had been lying on the ground had already lost consciousness. Silence fell over the scene, broken only by the whistling wind and the distant hum of vehicles.
"Who... who are they, Wei Qian?" Yi Han asked, his voice trembling with terror.
"They... they are the Vigilantes! RUN!!!" Wei Qian screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Vigila—?"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!!
A barrage of gunfire rained down on the alley without mercy. Yi Han collapsed instantly, his body shredded by the hailstorm of bullets.
Wei Qian tried to flee, but the alley was a dead end. He attempted to find cover behind a rusted dumpster, but several shots caught his leg and back. He stumbled and was forced to crawl in agony.
Beside him, Xu Ren also fell. Xu Ren's blood splattered directly onto Wei Qian's face.
"STOP! DON'T SHOOT ANYMORE!!" Wei Qian screamed hysterically. He didn't want to die. He couldn't bear to see his friends die so brutally.
The shooting stopped instantly. An oppressive silence returned. Wei Qian crawled slowly toward Xu Ren's body, hugging him tightly while sobbing.
"WAKE UP, XU REN! WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!" he wailed. His hands were drenched in his friend's blood. "I HAVE NO ONE LEFT, DAMMIT!!"
Thud... thud... thud...
The sound of footsteps echoed from the end of the alley, which was now shrouded in thick smoke. A figure emerged, dressed in all black, walking calmly toward Wei Qian. He looked down slightly, his hands expertly loading a bullet into a small pistol without a hint of hesitation.
"W-WHO... WHO ARE YOU?!" Wei Qian screamed through his tears.
The man raised his head. Without a single word, he fired a shot directly into Wei Qian's shoulder.
Wei Qian tumbled backward. His shoulder was shattered, shredded by the bullet. His agonized screams pierced the silence of the alley as blood spurted violently, soaking the ground. The mysterious man remained indifferent. His face stayed stone-cold, devoid of any emotion.
Wei Qian glanced around. The eight black-clad figures who had been on the rooftops earlier were now descending one by one. They moved silently like shadows, approaching with synchronized, rhythmic steps.
The mysterious man stood directly over him, pressing the muzzle of his pistol against Wei Qian's forehead.
"Where is Liang Zhenwu?" The question shot out, hard and icy.
Wei Qian's head spun. He was dazed, losing too much blood. "Who... who is Liang Zhenwu?"
"Still acting even after being shot multiple times?" A woman's voice interjected from behind. Her thick Mandarin accent was unmistakable. She wore a thin smile—one that didn't reach her eyes.
"Aww, don't be so harsh, Zhuan Liangfen. You're looking quite scary," she added, stepping down with a calm, graceful air.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Zhuan Liangfen countered cynically, his gaze never wavering from Wei Qian.
"What are you talking about...?" Wei Qian groaned, his face drenched in blood.
"Wei Qianlong, 34 years old. Your criminal record is a filth of rape, murder, and kidnapping. But I'm curious—how does trash like you still walk free as if the law doesn't exist?" Zhuan Liangfen's voice cut deep. Every word was an indictment that couldn't be denied.
Wei Qian fell silent. His tongue felt heavy. He could only groan in excruciating pain.
"If you tell us where he is, we won't kill you."
Hearing that promise, a spark of hope ignited in Wei Qian's heart. "Really?! You won't kill me?!"
"Yes," Zhuan Liangfen replied curtly. "Just tell us, and you won't end up like your friends."
"Fine! I'll tell you!" Wei Qian didn't think twice. His life was worth more than his loyalty. "Liang Zhenwu has already fled to Korea with the rest of his team. But... he didn't tell me which district he was heading to."
The moment the confession left his lips, Zhuan Liangfen pressed the pistol back against Wei Qian's forehead. Wei Qian's eyes widened in horror.
"No! I confessed! Don't kill me!" Wei Qian screamed hysterically.
"True, you did confess. I appreciate your honesty. But..." Zhuan Liangfen paused, his eyes gleaming with a cold light. "...your crimes are far too filthy to be left alive."
BANG!
A single shot ended Wei Qian's life. Zhuan Liangfen stood tall, looking down at the corpse without a shred of guilt. He then turned toward the victim whose cheek had been carved—the young man who was still unconscious.
"Take this kid to the hospital. Make sure he gets treated," Zhuan Liangfen ordered his subordinates. They moved swiftly to carry the victim away.
Zhuan Liangfen then looked at the woman beside him. "You, Yong Mei An. Inform Joo Hyun about Liang Zhenwu fleeing to Korea. Speak to him in Korean."
"Understood," Yong Mei An replied calmly. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
The line connected. The conversation shifted into Korean.
-----
"Huh? That's all the info he gave? Too brief," Joo Hyun grumbled on the other end. His voice sounded dissatisfied.
Joo Hyun stepped out of his car. He was currently in the heart of a busy Chinese city, brilliantly lit by neon lights.
"Don't you want to go back to Korea? Your own country... Besides, Liang Zhenwu is already there," Yong Mei An asked.
Joo Hyun remained silent. His eyes watched the bustling city while he gripped a water bottle in his hand. His gaze was hollow, drifting far away from reality. Faint light enveloped him as shadows of the past began to haunt him, Hyun Jin, Hae Rin, his mother, and Tae Rin.
"Joo Hyun! Joo Hyun! JOO HYUN!!!"
Yong Mei An's shouting broke his trance. Joo Hyun jerked. "Yeah?"
"Why the silence? Are you okay?" Yong Mei An asked worriedly.
"It's nothing. I'm fine," Joo Hyun replied, hiding the turmoil in his heart.
"So... are you going back to Korea?"
Joo Hyun was silent for a long time. He exhaled a heavy breath, laden with the weight of secrets. "Fine... I'm going back to Korea."
"Great! In that case, see you at the base. Bye, Joo Hyun!"
Joo Hyun climbed back into his car and started the engine. He sped away from the beautiful city, heading toward the base with mixed emotions. His return to Korea wasn't just to hunt an enemy—it was to face the destiny he had left behind seven years ago.
***
"Hyun Jin... Hyun Jin..."
The voice was deep, echoing as if it emerged from the depths of an abyss. Every time his name was called, the vibration pierced through his mind, burrowing deep into his consciousness.
One by one, the passengers inside the train vanished, like mist being sucked out of reality. Yet, Hyun Jin remained asleep. He didn't realize that the world around him was slowly transforming into something alien.
"HYUN JIN!!!"
A scream ripped through the silence, shaking the entire carriage. The gravelly voice came from nowhere, yet it sounded as if it were echoing from inside his own chest.
Hyun Jin jolted awake. His eyes snapped open.
"Huh?! What—?! I'm... I'm still on this train?"
He looked around frantically, confusion plastered across his face.
"THIS ISN'T A DREAM?! IT'S REALLY HAPPENING?!" he yelled instinctively. His voice was a mix of panic and disbelief. However, only silence answered him.
"Eh? Where did all the passengers go...?"
Suddenly, the voice returned. This time it was calmer, but as sharp as a cold blade.
"Hyun Jin... look behind you."
Slowly, he turned. His breath hitched. A blue screen was floating in the air—flickering faintly, reflecting neon light onto his frozen face.
[SYSTEM] THE SECOND GAME HAS BEGUN.
[SYSTEM] OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATE 6 MONSTERS – 0/6
[SYSTEM] THE GAME WILL ONLY END AFTER 6 MONSTERS ARE KILLED.
Hyun Jin swallowed hard, his throat feeling bitter.
"Monsters...? Where...?"
Before he could even take a breath—
KRAAK... KRAAK!
The sound of shattering glass exploded through the silence. The ceiling lights flickered unstable before turning a deep, blood-red hue.
The carriage windows burst inward. Wind roared in, screaming like lost spirits. From above the carriage roof, heavy footsteps thudded. Slow, but getting closer.
Hyun Jin looked up. His heart hammered against his ribs.
"What is that thing up there...?" he whispered.
He clenched his fists, taking a deep breath to gather whatever strength he had left.
"Fine... this isn't a dream. If this is a game, I'll play it until the end!" His gaze was now sharp, fixed on the ceiling. "No matter what... I'm going home!"
The train continued to roar through the dark tunnel, swallowing all light.
***
Joo Hyun drove through the deserted highway. The night wind gently blew through his hair, while the hum of the tires merged with the turmoil in his heart.
His left hand gripped the steering wheel tightly, while his right hand trembled slightly. His face looked calm, but his eyes held a thousand unspoken sorrows.
"Finally... I'm going home."
He took a deep breath. He pressed the gas pedal down slowly. The streetlights passing by the car cast shadows of a past that was still unfinished.
End of Chapter 3.
Author's Note:
Finally, Big Bro Joo Hyun makes his entrance! 🔥 But wait... he's been missing for a long time and now he's a cold-blooded vigilante in China?
Hmmm.. What actually happened 7 years ago🤔?.
See you in the next chapter ✌️.