I Have to Kill that Man!

This will be the end for you and the beginning for me! Theo clenched both of his hands, ready to deliver the final blow.

<00:31:10 >

Creak!

The door opened. Berta and Jim appeared with shocked faces, witnessing the chaos. Not only did they see the Bloodhound Cartel and Infero Ravens, but they also spotted Theo standing amidst the turmoil, looking equally disheveled.

On the other side, Dante rose from his position and prepared to attack Theo. However, his assault halted as the police siren blared. Everyone immediately stopped and turned towards the source of the sound.

"POLICE!"

"DAMN! WE'RE GETTING OUT OF HERE!" Dante shouted to his henchmen with a panicked expression. He quickly ran, with some of his henchmen trailing from behind. The remaining members assisted their seven unconscious friends.

"It's not over!" Dante glanced at Theo and left him with the others. The Bloodhound Cartel fled in the direction of another alley. Theo intended to pursue them, but Berta and Jim approached him anxiously, causing him to halt. Theo stopped in his tracks, letting Dante and his henchmen escape.

Darn it! They got away! Theo cursed in his mind, feeling frustrated for failing to defeat Dante and his henchmen. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Why are you daydreaming?"

Theo snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing Jim and Berta, who now stood near him with worried expressions. "I'm fine."

"Oh my, you're injured! Let's go to the hospital. You need immediate treatment." Berta noticed wounds on Theo's body. He suddenly became aware of the pain.

"Sshh…" Theo winced, trying to endure the pain.

While Jim and Berta were busy expressing concern for Theo, Alessio was gathering his strength. Some Infero Ravens members approached him, checking on the condition of their boss.

"Are you guys okay?" Rossi suddenly arrived from the direction of the siren they heard earlier, instantly grabbing everyone's attention. They all turned towards the source of the sound. "What happened? I was shocked to see so many injured people along the alley. In a panic, I called in the special unit to come and evacuate them."

"You mean, you called the ambulance?"

"Yeah." Rossi shifted his attention to Alessio and his henchmen, inquiring about their conditions. Seeing their significant injuries, Rossi promptly asked them to join him so that the special unit could promptly treat their wounds. He also requested that Theo come along.

*

<Ding! >

<Quest: Cripple the enemy!< p>

"In the game of life, enemies come fiercely,

Hidden riddles, face them one by one.

The light of your eyes is like a deadly sword,

Paralyze them, fight one by one."

Category: Sub

Difficulty Level: A

Completion Requirements: Cripple all members of the Bloodhound Cartel (7/13)

Time Limit: 1 hour 

Reward: 500,000 coins for every enemy you successfully cripple!>

<Sub Quest failed to complete!>

<Your current coins are: 4,591,000C>

Theo paused as he looked at the system screen that appeared in front of him. The coins in his balance did increase, but because of the sudden ambulance siren, he failed to complete the quest. Theo sighed heavily.

I was almost able to complete the quest just now. But because of the siren sound from the ambulance, I failed to complete it.

<Injuries found on your body. The system automatically restores condition to its original state!>

<Recovery started...>

<Recovery complete!>

"If it turns out like this, I won't know when I can meet them again," Theo murmured softly. His attention suddenly shifted when he heard the sound of the door opening. He looked up towards the source of the sound and found Alessio standing there, gazing in his direction. Theo fell silent, exchanging a gaze with him. Theo's facial expression looked puzzled as he saw Alessio suddenly coming to meet him like this.

"Are you okay?" Alessio asked as he walked towards him. Make Theo snap out of his reverie.

"I'm fine," Theo muttered quietly. Alessio then took a seat on another empty bed near Theo's. He sat at the edge of the bed, facing Theo. "I really didn't expect you to suddenly show up and fight like that," he commented.

Theo became more curious about Alessio's true intention for coming. "What do you want to say?" Theo asked, unable to conceal his curiosity.

Alessio, hearing his words, could only smile while gazing at Theo intently. "Turns out you're not one for small talk, huh?"

"I just don't want to waste time. Besides, you were coming here for a reason, right? What's your purpose in meeting me?"

"I want to thank you for helping me earlier."

"Oh, that's no big deal. I have a personal issue with him, and I couldn't just stand by and watch you in trouble back there."

"Moreover, I want to tell you something else. Seeing your fighting style and how you use your abilities, I feel like I misjudged you before."

"How did you originally judge me?" Theo raised an eyebrow.

"At first, I thought you were just a weak and incapable servant. But after seeing what happened earlier, I feel like I was wrong about you. It turns out you're skilled in combat; you even overwhelmed Dante and defeated his henchmen."

"So, his name is Dante, huh?" Theo mumbled quietly. He just learned that the man who stabbed him twice was named Dante. The leader of the Bloodhound Cartel, who had stabbed him twice and was a subordinate of Zach, his sworn enemy, said, "You only found out his name now? Didn't you say you had a personal issue with him?"

"Yes, but I didn't know his name was Dante. Oh! So, what do you actually want to tell me?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to join the Infero Ravens."

"What?" Theo was stunned by Alessio's words. He couldn't believe that the leader of the Infero Ravens himself was asking him to join their group. "You're inviting me to join the Infero Ravens?"

"Yes. I hope you consider it because I can see that you have potential with your combat abilities. With your skills, you could greatly contribute to the Infero Ravens."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in joining the Infero Ravens. I learned martial arts to protect myself, not to join groups like Infero Ravens or the like."

"Think it over. I don't want you to make a hasty decision because, you see, even though we're gangsters, our operating system is different from that of other gangs. Besides, our boss would be thrilled to have someone as talented as you joining us."

"But I'm really not interested. Sorry."

"Just so you know, I'm a persistent person. Take your time to think about it. That's all I wanted to say to you." Alessio stood up from his seat and left Theo, who remained silent while watching him go.

He's really stubborn. Why would he think that I'm suitable to join the Infero Ravens? Theo shook his head slowly. Alessio's sudden request for him to join the Infero Ravens was truly perplexing.

"Theo!" His attention shifted when he heard Rossi's voice. The man entered, with Jim and Berta accompanying him.

"How are you feeling?" Berta asked.

"I'm feeling better."

"The wounds aren't too severe, right?" Rossi confirmed. Theo nodded in response.

"What happened? Why did you get involved in that fight earlier? You really worried us!" Jim sighed heavily. His face showed genuine concern for Theo.

"I was just taking a short break. Then suddenly, I heard loud noises from outside. Initially, I just wanted to make sure what was happening, and I ended up in that fight."

"You should have immediately gone inside or called the police!"

"I didn't think that far because I was too shocked."

"Never mind, the most important thing is that he has been well taken care of by the doctor, and the issue has been resolved, right? The most important thing now is that you're safe. Next time, don't involve yourself like that again," Berta concluded.

"By the way, why did Alessio come to see you earlier? Are you having trouble with him?" Rossi asked.

"Did you encounter them?"

The three of them nodded.

"No, he just made sure I was okay."

*

Creak!

Dante forcefully opened the door and stepped in with several of his henchmen. After hearing the siren earlier, they panicked and fled the battlefield, leaving it like scaredy-cats. Some of his henchmen laid their unconscious comrades on the sofa before sitting on another one to rest. Everyone inside winced in pain; their appearances were disheveled, and there was so much blood soaking their bodies.

"Darn it! Because of the siren, we had to abandon the fight!"

"I feel like a coward."

"That's because we're now wanted by the police. If not, we wouldn't have to run like that!"

Dante slammed the table in front of him, creating a loud noise that startled everyone. His face showed extreme frustration, and he was grinding his teeth. "I don't understand how he could become so strong. He pushed me repeatedly until I was overwhelmed. Could it be that after the incident at the hospital, he learned martial arts? I couldn't even trace his whereabouts after he escaped. But it's impossible for him to become strong in just a few months, right? Especially since I already stabbed him, and he was severely injured." Dante muttered quietly.

"If the boss finds out about this, it will be a big problem. I have to resolve this issue quickly and kill that man, so the boss won't be angry with me."

***