79 No Way Back

Boom!!

Wood shards flew around him as Edward smashed the table where John sat before, splitting it in two. This caused those who were secretly watching him gulped nervously, abandoning the thought of observing him any more than this.

"Honor? Don't make me laugh. We all are just a bunch of killers. There's no honor in killing people for money." muttered Edward loudly as he clenched his fist.

He strode away, leaving the bar while the others stepped away, avoiding any contact with him. Edward planned to get some mission after meeting with John. But after what just happened, he didn't have the mood to do it anymore. As he walked through the hallway, another footstep accompanied him, following Edward's pace.

"It's okay, Edward. Don't mind him, he didn't know what he was saying." said a small boy who looked a bit younger than Edward.

He was covered in blood from head to toe, but strangely, no one seemed to be bothered with it, even when it was still dripping fresh on the ceramics floor. It was Michael's.

Whenever extreme emotion like sadness or anger took over Edward's mind, the shadow of Michael from back then always appeared around him with the same appearance that he had when he died. Edward didn't halt his stride even for a bit, because he was too used to it. It happened too many times already.

"I think people were starting to forget you're just an 8— No... 10 years old," said Michael. He moved closer to Edward's sides and whispered, "Everyone, including yourself."

Edward suddenly slowed down his stride. The wall he put up high around him seemed to tremble because of Michael's words.

"Shut the fuck up..." muttered Edward.

"You could have stopped, Edward. It's not like it's your responsibility either," said Michael. "Why are you trying so hard?"

"I don't have time for this, Michael," muttered Edward, ignoring whatever Michael was trying to convey.

"You said, as long as you get stronger, the world would stop turning against you. As long as you don't involve yourself in this world's matter, you won't get hurt anymore," said Michael. "But is it worth it, Edward?"

"Shut! Up!" yelled Edward, startling the passerby. Noticing that he just attracted more attention to himself, Edward hastened his steps.

"Go away, Michael. I really don't have time for this shit," said Edward, glaring at Michael's blood-covered eyes.

"Of course, you don't. All of your time, that you could've spent with your family, finding new friends, or following your dreams, were all focused on making yourself better and stronger," said Michael, following Edward who seemed to ignore him as he continued walking down toward the front entrance.

"At the end of the day, will you even remember why you wanted to get strong?" continued Michael, "Or maybe, it's already forgotten."

Edward couldn't hold it back anymore and just ignored the passerby's weird glance, "Don't you have anything better to do instead of nagging me? Why do you even keep following me when you're already dead?"

"But, I don't have anywhere to go," answered Michael, stopping on his track. Edward pushed the double door open went out. Michael was still standing on his spot while looking at the back of Edward who was slowly concealed by the closing door. And Michael then said, "Don't you remember? You're the one who asked for me to stay."

'Huh.'

Edward turned around, however, Michael wasn't there. It was finally quiet. The turmoil inside his heart, compared to the time when he met John, felt a bit calmer. Edward touched his chest with his hand and asked himself, 'I did everything to ease it, but why is it still hurt?'

It was then that someone tapped his shoulder, snapping him from his depressing thought. Looking over, Edward found that it was an old man with a trimmed ashen mustache and hair. He knew the old man. He was the usual messenger that delivered missions from one of his loyal clients.

"Mr. Killswitch, Mr. Fisk is waiting for you at the restaurant. He has something for you to do." said the old man in the black suit.

"Wilson Fisk? I thought he would never show his face to me. What made him change his mind this time?"

The old man just smiled and answered, "Oh, you must jest, Sir. He was just too busy working at his new business, having no time to humor his best agent."

'Yeah right, what business took two damn years to finish.' thought Edward.

Without complaining, Edward followed after him into a car. As Edward went inside, a familiar voice resounded in his head.

[I suggest you to stop dealing with Wilson Fisk's business, Sir.] said, Regina.

"I know what I'm doing," whispered Edward. Most of them might be a dirty business, but it made huge bucks which also translate to his Mercenary Points. And the EXPs it gave were much bigger than what he usually gets from random Missions. He didn't care what Wilson wants from him, or the consequences of his actions, as long as he could level up a bit faster to face the next Main Quest.

[Why not take a day off and think about John Wick's words, Sir?]

"Stop mentioning that man, Regina. I don't want to hear anything about him," said Edward.

Regina didn't say anything else, but somehow, Edward could feel her disappointment and a little bit of sadness. What is this feeling? Why he could feel it? Ever since the last time he passed out in Raccoon City, Edward could feel traces of what Regina felt whenever they spoke with each other. But he just ignored it and didn't mention them to her. He thought that it was just part of her new features installed by the system.

======

Inside a spacious restaurant filled with empty tables and chairs wherever the eye could see, a bald stocky man was sitting alone and having dinner while his bodyguards watching the surrounding from faraway. His white suit blended in with the table cloths and the color of the wall. Every kind of delicacies was sprawled on top of his table, but unlike his looks, he still retained his manners and ate quietly just like a noble in a castle.

While delivering a spoonful of mixed berry mousse, a creamy dessert and a delicious combination of sweet and tart, an old man accompanying a rather short man completely hidden inside his black helmet and white coat, walked toward him. The bodyguards tensed immediately, but then calmed down after looking at the familiar old man.

As they parted to give way for the two, Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin greeted, "Ahh... look who it is. Mr. Killswitch, I'm a fan of your works."

"I'm not an artist though. My works only circled around killing or some other shit, which sometimes includes the former."

"Exactly," replied Fisk, smiling.

Edward who knew nothing of what Wilson was plotting, nor did he care about it, asked, "So, what's the occasion, Mr. Fisk? It's pretty rare to see you these days. Or rather, isn't it the first time we met?"

"Straight to the point. Just as how others describe," said Wilson, putting down the spoon and fork in his hand and before wiping his mouth with a tissue.

Curious, Edward asked, "And what did they say about me?"

"Not much of a talker, but easy to speak with," replied Wilson.

"Weird. I usually heard midget bastard, or miserable fuck." said Edward.

"Interesting, and who called you like that?" asked Wilson once again.

"Dead men," replied Edward.

Wilson laughed right after hearing the answer. Edward could see his bulging but toned abdomen shaking as Wilson slammed the table multiple times. It was pretty disgusting to see but scary.

'Geez man, calm down. You're going to spill back your chewed food.' thought Edward.

"I apologize, I wasn't laughing at you or the thing they called you with," said Wilson, after calming down.

Edward just shrugged, urging him to explain why he was called this time. The old man he came with then walked toward him and gave him a photograph of a man after being suggested by Wilson. There was nothing unusual from the picture of the man. He just looked like a small news reporter, with glasses and notepad. He looked both familiar and unfamiliar to Edward. He didn't know him but felt like he saw him somewhere before.

"Is it an assassination?" asked Edward, ignoring the identity of the man.

"Well, I don't really care about him. All I need is what he's currently holding. Once you had it, silence him forever." said Wilson, giving a knowing glance before gesturing at the old man again. After receiving a second photograph, Edward finally understood that Wilson wanted him to retrieve a piece of information. And it seemed it was not just normal information if he wanted the owner to be silenced forever.

The thing is, he could mobilize anyone using his authority, but seeing the current situation, it seemed that Wilson Fisk was purposely hiding this thing from the others, especially from his rivals in the High Table. It interested Edward, but not big enough for him to jeopardize the given mission.

"You know where I could start?" asked Edward, putting both photographs inside his inventory.

"He was last seen in Queens. He knew I was coming, so he made some preparations and decoys to hide himself and his family so that they looked like they were going somewhere unknown. Little did he knows that it was useless." said Wilson Fisk, enjoying the struggle of the little fish, before standing up and walking past Edward. "Call me or the old man after you're done. I want you to find him as soon as possible."

Ping!

<You just received a new mission. Please check the details at the Mission Tab for more information.>

Ignoring the notification, Edward took the address from the old man before vanishing into smokes, startling the bodyguards. Wilson was long gone, so he didn't get to see Edward's little demonstration of power.

Two hours later, after combing through one building after another, Edward finally arrived at a dilapidated three stories building. He closed his eyes and scans the ins and outs of the apartment building. He instantly found his target in one of the flats on the third floor.

'1 man, 1 woman, and a little girl.' thought Edward, as he stood in front of a door.

Except for the man who was trying to hear any sounds behind the door, the two were hiding in a secret compartment inside their room.

Tak Tak Tak.

Edward knocked at the door. Although he knew his target was hiding behind the door, Edward waited patiently. He didn't want the man to call the cops, forcing him to move straight to step 10, the killing. It was just too tiring to clean them later.

After what seemed like a whole day, suddenly, the door slowly opened as a man peeked in between the gap. He asked, "Wh...who are you?"

"I'm here to get Wilson Fisk's stuff. Does the name ring inside your head?" asked Edward.

"Shit!" the man panicked and tried to close the door, but Edward just put his hand on the surface of the door, preventing it from moving.

"Look man, just give me what he wants before someone gets hurt. And in your case, someone close to you." threatened, Edward, glancing at the spot where the girl and the woman were hiding in.

The man suddenly froze as he looked behind him. In the corner, his wife was hiding while holding his sleeping daughter. He knew what Edward was trying to say. If Wilson really tried, he actually didn't need to use Edward's hand. His own subordinate alone was enough to do it, but he wanted this to stay confidential.

Slowly, the man let go of the door. Seeing that his target has given up on resisting, Edward came in and closed the door behind him. Now, the problem was mostly over, what's left was to handle the next problem. How to convince the man to give up.

Well, Edward didn't have to think much as his target actually made the first move. The man took out a stun gun shot him. Two needles flew, aiming for Edward's chest, but he just casually pinch the needles. The electric charge didn't faze him at all.

'In the end, everything came down to brute force.'

He knew it would be like this. He already saw the stun gun using his Radar Sense, but he didn't do anything until the last moment.

"In here I thought that we could have a normal talk," said Edward, dashing to the man's side.

Puok!

He launched a punch to the man's abdomen. The punch caused the man to float slightly, and then Edward grabbed his face, slamming him to the wooden floor. He spat up some blood, but Edward judged that he'll be okay because he didn't aim for any sensitive spot.

"Now, can have a proper talk?" muttered Edward.

The noise from Edward's abrupt attack caused the girl who had been sleeping in her mother's embrace awakened. The moment she saw his father laying down on the floor, she called for him.

"Dad!"

Her mother panicked and covered her daughter's mouth to shut her, afraid that Edward would aim for them if he noticed their hiding place. Of course, Edward didn't care about it. His only purpose coming here was retrieving certain information from the man under his feet. Everything else was just a weed in a Savannah.

But the thing he heard next was not something he expected at all, and it came from the girl. It was a whisper, but since he got Radar Sense, his hearing improved so much that he could hear the whisper from across the room.

"Mom, why did the Angel came here. Why he hit dad?" asked the girl.

The nickname, Angel With Guns, was something that the survivors from Raccoon City called him. Nobody else knew what it means or who it was referring to. Not because it sounded lame or anything, it was because the Government tried everything to cover up the tragedy as a normal virus outbreak. Though, Edward sometimes wondered what the hell a normal virus outbreak was supposed to mean.

'Raccoon City's survivors?' thought Edward. 'No wait, it's not that.'

Now he understood why the man was so familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. He saw him in RPD's cell room once when he wandered around at night. He was the one that Chief Irons lock inside the ballroom because he knew a thing or two about Umbrella's involvement with the outbreak. He should've been died, trapped in the damp cells, if not for Fury being interested in his knowledge.

'But the Raccoon City Event ended two years ago. There's no need to dig anything else from that event. Why Wilson Fisk wanted something from him?'

Now, the information also intrigued him. This information that even Wilson Fisk wanted to hide from everyone.

"I... I'll give it to you. But please, spare my family." said the man, taking out a memory card from a camera.

But something was bugging his mind. He glanced at the girl who was in her mother's embrace. She was terrified. The idol she looked up for, the one she believed would protect him from the monster in the closet or the nightmares came into her house, didn't look like how she imagined him to be.

Through the eye of the girl, Edward saw it. He saw how much of a monster he is now, and how much unnecessary blood was spilled by his own hand. He felt ashamed of what he becomes and he didn't like it. But nothing could be done about it, and he wondered if he would even stop doing it.

Leaving the thought for later times, Edward put the card into his inventory and released his grip on the man's face. The moment he let go, the man ran to his family's side. Calming them and act as a shield between them and Edward

"You... got what you want. Please leave us alone." said the man, nervously, while mustering courage in front of his family.

"Ahh... that's right..." murmured Edward. He slowly walked toward them. Now that he already got what he needed. It was time for cleanups. He glanced at the man's little family, and sighed, "It really is annoying."

======

20 minutes later.

Edward was laying down on top of a moving bus. Resting his steamy mind. On his hand was a signed golden contract which was usually used to automatically record a mission when he got one from his client. But there was another use for it, for example, he could use it to silence someone from uttering any word about the memory card and the information he just gave Edward. According to the contract, if it was breached, the one signing it would not only lose his life, but also his daughter's and wife.

[Why you spare their life, Sir? Killing them all would have been the right choice. What if Kingpin knew about it? Not only that the mission would fail, but it would also be counted as breaking the rules in the Mercenary System.]

"Like I even care. Besides, he only wants me to silence him," replied Edward.

[What's your next plan, Sir?] asked Regina, who seemed glad that Edward made that choice.

"Going back to the X-Mansion. I'll submit this card tomorrow," replied Edward, taking out the memory card and observing it. There was nothing odd, it was just a normal item. However, no matter how curious he was, he couldn't check the information recorded inside. One of the rules in the Mercenary System prevented him from digging his client's secrets. Basically, the system is telling him to ask no question, and don't put his nose where it doesn't belong.

[Then, are you interested in shopping, Sir?] asked Regina.

"Why so sudden?"

It was then that the bus passed a tailor shop and the bracelet glow with a warm light. A blonde girl came out from the shop while giggling. Her golden hair was standing out so much that any men or boys passing by would give a glance or two at her.

'Sherry? Why is she here?' thought Edward, while jumping off the bus's roof. But he couldn't go to her. The previous encounter still bugging his mind. The glare of the terrified girl couldn't leave his mind as he keeps recalling it, on and on.

Edward closed his eyes and slapped his face with both of his hands, clearing his muddy minds. Once he was done, he started walking toward Sherry who seemed oblivious of his existence and still laughing at something. But Edward was forced to stop himself from going any further because a man came from inside the shop and walked beside her.

Of course, Edward didn't stop because he was surprised or jealous, but because of the identity of that man was the uncle who he never met since two years ago, Chris Redfield.

As if feeling that someone was looking at him, Chris turned around. But there was no one there because Edward already hid himself under the dark shadow of the alley and left.