Chapter 20: You look like *hit...

In the heart of Chinatown, the night was alive with its usual fervour.

The streets buzzed with energy, the nightlife was busy as always. Among the crowd, a lone figure with a long black trench coat and a hood moved with a distinct purpose.

"Mhhhh, mhhh, mhhhhh, mhhhh" he hummed to himself gently, as he made his way through the busy crowd.

Then as he was humming, he abruptly stopped and noticed a building with a graffiti- snake at the front.

The figure smiled under the hood and turned directly to the alleyway behind the building.

.....

In a dimly lit alleyway, the hooded man encountered an Asian man with golden teeth and adorned with rings, nonchalantly urinating against the wall.

"Huh, hey what are you doing, that door is off limits."

The man continued towards a staff-only door, ignoring the warnings from the man.

"Hey, I told you that's off-limits!" the man with the gold teeth shouted, his hand instinctively reaching for the gun at his waist. "You lookin' for trouble?"

Without a word, the hooded figure flicked his wrist. A knife, hidden until now, flew with great accuracy, embedding itself into the man's throat.

Gauchhhkkk!!!!

The attacker swiftly grabbed the stricken man, tossing him into a nearby garbage bin to muffle his dying sounds.

He then retrieved his backpack and meticulously stabbed its bottom to create an opening.

A stream of liquid began to flow, leaving a trail as he progressed towards the building's staff door, using the now-silent man's access pass to enter.

Inside, he systematically spread the liquid across the floor, ensuring maximum coverage.

Moving into the kitchen, he turned on all the gas stoves, letting the gas fill the air. He paused, holding a lighter in his hand, contemplating.

Deciding against immediate ignition, he disabled every fire alarm he encountered, ensuring no premature warnings.

Ascending the stairs to the upper floors, he entered a room bustling with unsuspecting men. In one fluid, practised motion, he drew a second knife.

The first man fell silently, a knife buried in his throat before he could draw his weapon. The second man turned, only to meet a similar fate, a swift strike severing his carotid artery.

The third and fourth men were upon him, guns drawn. Grim twisted, his movements a blur, disarming one while driving a knife deep into the other's chest.

As the last man fired, Grim was already upon him, deflecting the gun with one hand while driving his knife upwards under the man's chin with the other.

The room fell silent, save for the faint hiss of escaping gas downstairs.

Grim quickly surveyed the bodies, retrieving a phone from one of them. The phone revealed the location of the boss, a key piece of information.

'Found you...'

Just as Grim was about to walk to the balcony, he heard a weak voice from one of the men.

Turning around it was a bulky man, he had a distinct Snake tattoo on his neck.

"Ghhh, slae....you will die...gfahhh, you mo-ster...you will...always be...Ghhh..."

"A Monster..."

"..."

Grim was silent, he approached the body of the man he had known for over 10 years, one of the men who made his life hell.

All he did, was grab his knife and wipe the blood away with the man's corpse, and he followed through with that collecting all his knives.

Exiting the balcony, Grim finally tossed the lighter over the edge.

It ignited the trail he had left.

He had around 30 seconds before he needed to leave so he directly jumped from the balcony, avoiding the fire, and left the alleyway.

Boooooooooooooooom!!!!!

His actions resulted in a fiery explosion that rocked the building.

Outside, the explosion sent a shockwave through the crowd.

Panic ensued as people scrambled in all directions.

Amidst the chaos, Grim slipped away unnoticed, blending seamlessly into the dispersing crowd.

As the fire roared behind him, Grim's figure vanished into the night, leaving a wake of terror and confusion in the heart of Chinatown.

...

(Lower Manhattan - Syndicate headquarters...)

In a luxurious and highly guarded building, a group of men were patrolling the walls from outside, as they kept communications with the other guards, one of the men heard something and looked to his right.

Cawwwwwww!!

'It was just a Crow' He thought with a sigh of relief. He had been more paranoid ever since the building went on high-alert lockdown.

But seeing that nothing was suspicious he turned around not noticing the person right behind him copying his movements.

As he was walking Grim without him noticing then scaled the wall silently without alerting the guard.

He then saw some lasers in the garden, probably a security alert and he easily evaded all the people and lasers without being seen.

...

As Grim neared a particularly unguarded section, a sense of foreboding filled the air.

He came to a halt before a bleak, uninviting door, behind which he could hear the faint sound of crying.

A rush of memories flooded him, memories of despair and helplessness. He knew all too well who was on the other side.

With a gentle twist and a nudge, Grim unlocked the door and stepped into a room that once was his own personal hell.

The sight that greeted him was gut-wrenching – a frail figure, knees drawn up to the chest, weeping in a rusted cage.

"Cheng...you look like shit."

Lifting his head, eyes red and swollen"Grim? Is it... you?" He asked in disbelief, his face bruised and swollen.

Relief and confusion warred on Cheng's face. Grim, now stood before him as his unlikely saviour.

"Your mother is safe. The boss's threats were lies, Cheng."

Cheng's expression shifted from despair to a glimmer of hope, then to relief and finally shame.

Assessing the cage grim said."Let's get you out of here."

With a display of strength that defied his lean frame, Grim tore the bars apart, creating an escape route. Cheng, weak but determined, crawled through the gap.

"Grim, what about the other guards, how are we going to get past them?"

"This way. I know an exit."

They moved swiftly through the dimly lit corridors, avoiding guards and security systems.

Grim's knowledge of the headquarters was second to none, and with his memories, he knew the inns and out of this place.

Suddenly, a young boy, no more than ten, appeared before them, his eyes empty of hope. Grim stopped, meeting the boy's gaze.

"..."

"That's the boss's right hand, he follows the man everywhere he goes."

"..."

"Follow this hallway, then take the first right. Look for a painting of a woman with red hair. Break it. There's a tunnel behind it leading outside."

Cheng hesitated, torn between disbelief and the urgency of the moment.

"Aren't you...coming with me?"

"I have unfinished business here. Go now!"

Cheng nodded, understanding the weight of Grim's decision.

After Grim watched him disappear past the corner he turned back to the boy who bowed and started walking to someplace...

And Grim followed right after him." Let's get this fucking done then..." he said taking out his axe from his back and resting it on his shoulder.