Chapter 24

At midnight, the dim streetlights flickered as snowflakes danced in the air. A truck broke the long silence, its engine rumbling through the darkened neighborhood.

"Fuck! Delivering goods in this freezing weather!"

"Well, you know how it is these days. There's this savage guy around here who's been killing our brothers. The higher-ups are too busy to deal with him right now, so we're stuck making deliveries in this nasty weather, hoping he takes the night off."

Thud, thud, thud! The sudden knocks startled the two men, who quickly shrank back before realizing it came from the cargo hold. One of them pounded on the side of the truck.

"Fuck! The cargo is fresh; stop messing around!"

He seemed to be warning the people in the cargo hold. The noise inside quieted down, and the driver smirked lecherously.

"How about we switch places later, and I warm up in the back?"

"Screw you!"

...

Soon, the truck rolled into a pitch-black factory. Muscular men approached, one of whom, a blonde, eyed the man in the passenger seat.

"No trouble on the way here, right?"

"Nope."

Two men approached the cargo hold. When they opened it, their faces froze, and they began trembling. Their reaction caught the attention of everyone else. The blonde quickly went to see what was wrong, his expression turning grim.

"What happened?"

The two men responsible for the delivery sensed something was off and rushed to the back. Before they got close, the blonde punched them down.

"Fuck! What's your problem?"

"My problem? You idiots almost got us all killed! Do you know whose goods these are? They belong to the Masked Company!"

The blonde continued beating the two men, calling his subordinates to join in.

Fifteen minutes later, the bruised and battered men were dragged out of the cargo hold, kneeling beside it. They looked pale as they saw the empty truck.

Clap, clap, clap!

The clear sound of applause echoed in the empty factory, drawing everyone's attention, including the blonde. The newcomers, led by a man in a clown mask, made everyone uneasy. The kneeling men began sobbing and begging for mercy.

Wearing a red-and-white clown mask, the leader, followed by a group of masked individuals, approached the blonde.

"Boss, this is all their fault! They lost the goods. We did everything according to your orders!" The blonde gritted his teeth, trying to hide his fear.

The clown masked man patted the blonde's shoulder, walked past him, and looked at the two kneeling men.

"Boss, please forgive us!"

The men kept begging, their foreheads bleeding from repeatedly hitting the ground. The clown masked man slowly pulled out a butcher knife, caressing its sharp edge.

"You..."

The next moment, the blade flashed.

The blonde clutched his throat, feeling the hot blood spray through his fingers. His eyes widened as he watched the man turn back.

"Fuck!"

He wanted to curse, but only air escaped his throat. Amidst the ensuing screams, he saw his subordinates being slaughtered by the masked individuals. The scene was gruesome. The two kneeling men collapsed, trembling, unable to speak.

As the blonde breathed his last, a burly man in a bear mask wiped the blood off his long knife. Another man in a snake mask approached the kneeling men, who tried to crawl away in terror. But the next moment, a shadow flashed past them.

They turned to see a man in a black trench coat and fedora slowly releasing the snake masked man's neck.

Thud! The masked man's lifeless body hit the ground, leaving the men in shock.

"The Judge?"

The clown masked man cautiously stepped back, eyes fixed on the newcomer.

"So, you're the ones abducting girls? The Masked Company? What a joke."

"Fuck! Die!"

The bear masked man charged at John with his knife. Despite the size difference, the result was unexpectedly swift. John's lightning-fast punch shattered the man's neck, accompanied by a loud crack.

Gunfire erupted as the masked individuals fired at John. But he remained untouched, his figure blurred by his high-speed movements. Bullets whizzed past him. Spotting the clown masked man fleeing, John dashed forward.

"Fuck!"

"Die, monster!"

Five minutes later, John held the clown masked man by the throat. The man glared at him, even as his life faded.

John removed the mask, revealing a face marred by burns and scars. The man had no skin left.

"You will die, Judge! You kn—"

Snap!

John snapped the man's neck, tossing the body aside. He turned, surprised to see Detective George.

"Don't move!"

George stared at John, noticing a flash of red in his eyes. John moved with incredible speed, dashing past George and knocking over an officer at the door. The officer reached for his gun, but George stopped him.

"Detective?"

"Do you want to die?"

George glared at his frightened subordinate, then examined the bodies. John had killed them instantly, their faces covered in blood.

"What kind of monster is this?"

George looked up at the snow-filled sky, his expression grave.

(End of Chapter)