Chapter 17:HAHAHAHAHA!

In the confines of Miss Xuãn's apartment, the struggle between Grim and the remaining assailants intensified.

Li-Min, one of the attackers, cautiously moved through the apartment, gun at the ready. As he turned a corner, a hand suddenly reached out from the shadows, pulling him into the bathroom.

Grim, using the element of surprise, locked Li-Min in a chokehold.

Li-Min, gasping for air, managed to fire his gun, hitting Grim in the throat. Despite the gunshot wound, Grim maintained his grip.

In a desperate move, Li-Min managed to throw Grim over his shoulder and aimed his gun for a second shot.

Grim, however, quickly recovered and struck Li-Min in the groin, bringing him to his knees in agony.

The fight escalated, with Li-Min and Grim grappling fiercely.

Li-Min managed to bite Grim's hand, but Grim, unaffected by the pain, pressed on, attempting to use a toothbrush as an improvised weapon.

Li-Min, realizing the grave danger he was in, fought back with renewed vigour, kneeing Grim and landing a solid punch.

Grim, however, was not deterred; he quickly regained control, using the shower hose as a weapon to strangle Li-Min.

In a brutal display of force, Grim choked Li-Min with the hose, not relenting until Li-Min's struggles ceased, and his eyes lost the spark of life.

Grim finally lets go and lets him fall into the bath now filling up with water and blood.

Grim catches his breath quickly. His stamina quickly recovered.

With Li-Min defeated, Grim quickly searched the bathroom cupboard and then returned to the living room, where another assailant was attempting to revive Kim.

The final assailant, hearing the commotion, rushed up but slipped on the carpet.

Grim capitalized on this, blinding the man with Axe body spray and then unleashing a relentless barrage of punches.

Grim's fury was unstoppable. He struck the man repeatedly, each punch fueled by a mix of adrenaline and a fierce determination to end the threat.

One time, two times, five times, twenty times, sixty times...Grim didn't stop until he reached his 99 punch and finally held himself back.

The man had stopped breathing 50 punches ago.

After an intense flurry of punches, the assailant lay motionless, his life extinguished by Grim's relentless assault.

Grim, now standing amidst the aftermath of the brutal fight, looked at his bloodied fists.

There was no hint of remorse or sympathy in his eyes, only the cold reality of what he had done.

He picked up Miss Xuãn's phone from the table and headed back to the bathroom to wash the blood from his hands, his mind already racing with what needed to be done next.

....

Grim stood outside the closet, his face and clothes stained with blood.

Opening the closet door, he found Miss Xuãn huddled inside, her body trembling with fear.

"Miss Xuãn it's me, it's okay now, I've dealt with them." Miss Xuãn looked up and saw grim, his face showing no emotion like always, but this time blood was staining his face and clothes.

But it wasn't his blood.

Upon seeing Grim, her initial shock gave way to tears of relief.

She cried, clinging to him, expressing her gratitude and fear for what might have happened to him and her son, Cheng.

Grim, usually detached and unemotional, was taken aback by Miss Xuãn's reaction.

Out of all the reactions he expected, fear, disgust, trepidation...happiness and relief weren't one of them.

Her display of vulnerability and trust in him was unexpected, and he found himself at a loss for how to comfort her.

But he knew they couldn't stay here; they had to leave immediately for their safety.

"Miss Xuãn, we need to leave now. Whoever those men were, they were after you, and it's connected to your son Cheng. We can't stay here," Grim urged, his voice steady despite the chaos.

'No, I can probably already guess who those men were..'

Miss Xuãn, still shaken, nodded in agreement, trusting Grim's judgment.

Grim, realizing the urgency of the situation, decided to use a secret exit to avoid any further encounters with the assailants or their accomplices.

Guiding Miss Xuãn through the apartment, Grim led her to a hidden passage near the subway station.

He kneeled before a seemingly solid wall and pushed against it, revealing a concealed exit. Miss Xuãn followed him, amazed by his knowledge of such hidden pathways.

Grim then used a phone he had taken from one of the attackers to light their way through the dark tunnel.

He handed it to Miss Xuãn, asking her to hold it while he navigated through the underground route.

His enhanced memory, a possible side effect of his resurrection, proved invaluable as he recalled the contact details of Felicia, someone he knew could help them.

Dialling Felicia's number, Grim calmly explained the situation to Miss Xuãn, assuring her that he was seeking help from a trustworthy person.

After a brief, tense conversation with Felicia, punctuated by her exasperated outburst, Grim received instructions on where to go next.

Felicia's voice, though strained, carried a note of authority and concern.

"Be discreet, avoid cameras, and head to this address. Once you're there, don't move until I arrive. Is that clear?"

Grim affirmed.

With Miss Xuãn by his side, he continued through the dark, damp tunnel, following Felicia's instructions to the letter.

.....

(Back in Miss Xuãn's Apartment...)

The next scene unfolded in the aftermath of Grim's departure from Miss Xuãn's apartment.

The driver, who had been waiting outside, entered the apartment, only to be met with a scene of destruction.

The sight of his cousin's lifeless body on the ground sent a wave of shock and grief through him.

"No, no, not you..." he murmured, his voice choked with sorrow.

He knelt beside the body, tears welling up in his eyes as he mourned his loss. But his grief was abruptly interrupted by a cough from the other side of the room.

Kim, despite his injuries, was struggling to get up.

The driver, torn between his duty and his sorrow, hesitated for a moment before rushing to assist his boss.

As he helped Kim to his feet, the gravity of their failed mission weighed heavily on him.

"Leave the bodies. We can't afford to linger,"

Kim ordered, his voice laced with frustration.

Kim, still tasting blood in his mouth, instructed the driver to leave the bodies and make a swift exit.

Reluctantly, the driver cast one last look at his cousin before supporting Kim out of the apartment and into the getaway van.

Once inside the van, Kim wasted no time. He pulled out his phone and dialled a number with unsteady hands, his voice strained with pain.

"He's... he's not human. He took bullets and kept coming," Kim reported, his voice a mix of awe and fear. "The kid had some kind of regenerative power."

He reported the incident and his failed mission, describing Grim's appearance and his seemingly supernatural ability to regenerate.

Kim's report piqued the interest of the person on the other end of the line.

...

Meanwhile, the Boss, the same man Cheng had spoken to a week earlier, was sitting in an underground arena, watching a brutal cage fight.

"Heh... heh heh...," he began softly, almost as if to himself.

The sound grew, "Heh heh... ha... ha ha ha..."

Each laugh was sharper, more erratic. Then, with a sudden burst, his voice boomed, "HA HA HA HA! HAHAHAHAHA!"

He threw his head back, the laughter now uncontrollable. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA! AH, HA HA HA HA HA!"

The report from Kim brought a twisted smile to his face, and he erupted into maniacal laughter.

His amusement was a stark contrast to the bloody dogfight happening below.

Composing himself, the Boss issued a simple command to Kim to return to base and recover.

As he ended the call, his gaze shifted to an ancient Chinese sword displayed prominently in the room.

The Boss's eyes glinted with a mix of excitement and euphoria.

"Grim, oh Grim, it seems you've been quite busy," the Boss mused aloud. "Gaining powers, causing my people problems...but even immortals aren't unkillable."

With a sense of anticipation, the Boss stood up, the ongoing death match now forgotten.

He reached for the ancient sword, feeling its weight and power in his hands.

As he left the arena, he ordered his men to summon Cheng, his tone conveying a sense of dark intent.

"Bring Cheng to me. It's time we had a little talk about loyalty."