“We are out,” Kay shouted at the other men, and the other crew were excited as well.
The relief in his voice was sharp, almost explosive, like something that had been held back for too long had finally broken free.
Then, Maria spoke, “I don’t think Celine will let me go that easily.
She must have a plan.
Maybe we shouldn’t follow the routes because she might do something.
Since she owns this territory, she might know places we’ll pass, so let’s change route.”
Her voice cut through the brief celebration.
Calm, but urgent.
It carried the weight of experience—of someone who understood how dangerous Celine could be.
Her eyes scanned the road ahead, not with hope, but with suspicion.
Wax nodded.
“I think you are right.
Let’s change the route.”
There was no hesitation in his agreement.
That alone said a lot.
Wax wasn’t the kind of man who second-guessed easily, but when he did listen, it meant he trusted the warning.
As they were about to change, several cars overtook and surrounded them, leaving them cornered.
It happened fast.
Too fast.
Engines screamed from both sides.
Tires screeched.
One moment the road was open, the next it was sealed shut like a trap snapping closed.
The vehicles boxed them in with precision, cutting off every possible escape route.
Kay mouthed, “oops.”
Maria said, “Told you.
I know something is off.
She will never corner herself like that.
She will always have a backup plan.
That’s what I have noticed about her.”
Her tone didn’t carry pride—only confirmation.
This was expected.
That was the frightening part.
“So what are we going to do?” Kay said.
“I think we have to surrender for now and wait for the backup, because of this lady here,” Wax said.
“Ah!” Kay lamented.
“But that’s the normal thing.
We have to think about others,” Wax said.
The frustration in Kay’s chest tightened.
His fingers twitched.
Everything in him rejected the idea of surrender.
It felt like defeat, like handing control back to the enemy after fighting so hard to take it.
Then several guards came out of the cars, and the leader guard spoke up: “Come out now and surrender, for you have been surrounded.”
The doors of the surrounding vehicles opened in unison.
Boots hit the ground.
Weapons gleamed in the light.
Their formation was disciplined, confident—too confident.
And Kay felt belittled.
He wanted to fight.
He wanted to punch that smug face of that guard.
*Who does he think he is?*
But Wax held him back.
“Do not do anything irrational.
Let’s just buy time for ourselves.
And maybe if we are able to sneak Maria out of this place, then you can fight and kill assholes.
But remember, they have weapons with them.
And they won’t take a second chance because they know they can’t come at us hand to hand.
So know what you are doing to avoid escalating things.”
“Okay, bro, I get it,” Kay said.
“Now let’s come out.
We must protect her.”
“Okay, bro,” Kay replied.
They came down from the car, raised their hands, and surrendered.
The leader guard told them to bring the lady forward.
The air outside felt heavier.
Colder.
Every movement was watched, calculated.
Fingers rested near triggers.
One wrong step could end everything.
But they’d been through a lot to save this lady, and they couldn’t just hand her back to them.
Maria stepped forward.
“Maria, come back.
Where are you going?” Wax said.
She spoke lowly, “Buying time.”
And they seemed to get her, but still acted.
“No.
You know what we’ve been through to get you out of there.
You want to go back?
Do you think we have that kind of time?
Come back.”
And she said, “What do you want to do?
Do you want me to suffer?
You have been surrounded.
What do you expect?”
Then Kay remembered something.
He swiftly rushed to the car, picked up a round object, and held it firmly behind him.
His heart was racing.
The sound of his own pulse filled his ears.
Everything slowed down.
The distance between him and the guards felt longer, heavier.
Every second stretched.
The leader guard laughed.
“Finally, you know who is stronger.”
Kay said, “Yeah, I know who is stronger.
You guys are just a multitude while we are few, but we are stronger than you.”
The leader guard was enraged.
He shouted, “Attack!”
That’s when Kay struck the round object on the floor.
Everywhere became smoky.
The guards couldn’t see anything.
The smoke spread instantly, thick and suffocating.
Vision vanished.
Shouts erupted.
Confusion took over.
Kay grabbed Maria and dashed out to the bush.
They started running.
The other men went separate ways, with the thought that one of them must locate the backup.
Branches scratched against their skin as they forced their way through the wild growth.
The ground was uneven, with roots rising like traps beneath their feet.
Meanwhile, Alex was still losing his mind.
For the first time, he felt weak.
He was just a rebellion to his father, chasing his career without strengthening himself, without building power like other men do, without building an underworld group.
Now look—when it was time for him to protect the one he loved, he was useless.
“No.
I can’t sit here and let her die.
What should I do?
I’m going to my uncle first.
He must have found a new idea.”
Then he rushed to Mister Thompson and knocked.
“Uncle, uncle, any news yet?”
“Yes, there’s news.
They were able to reach me for three minutes, and I’ve sent backup.”
“You sent backup and you didn’t tell me?
Why won’t I chase after her?
Why won’t I go protect her?” Alex shouted at his uncle’s betrayal.
“You can’t fight.
You’re useless.”
That kind of struck him.
“Useless?
Yes, you’re right.
Useless to my mother—I couldn’t save her before she died.
And my father also died.
And now I’m putting someone in danger.
Truly, I’m useless.”
Mister Thompson shook his head.
“That’s not what I’m trying to say.
I’m saying you can’t do anything in this situation.”
“No, I get it.
I’m useless.” Ah—he screamed and started scratching, rubbing his hair wildly.
The room felt too small for his grief.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, like he couldn’t get enough air.
Mister Thompson couldn’t watch it.
He walked quietly towards Alex and struck him on the neck.
Out cold, he fainted.
“Nate, the butler,” Mister Thompson said, “take him to one of the bedrooms and let him sleep for a while.
He’s overcome with grief now after losing three people in a row.”
“Yes, Mister Thompson.”
Kay and Maria were still rushing for their lives.
Not like Kay was running for his own life—but he had to make sure the person they were protecting was safe.
So he ran.
His legs burned, but he didn’t slow down.
He couldn’t.
The guards recovered and chased after them.
The leader guard ordered, “Follow different directions.
Just make sure one of you brings the girl back.
Forget about those guys.”
“Yes, sir.” The guards also rushed toward their direction, three by three.
It seemed that the leader guard, too, was following the path Kay and Maria had taken.
So he also ran.
Run.
Everybody was running.
One running to catch, one running for backup.
Then—*poof*—Maria fell down.
The plants tangled around her, and they wouldn’t let go.
Kay turned.
“The fuck, are you okay?
Can you move?”
“I scraped my knee.
I can’t stand,” she said.
“Ah, why does such bad luck happen to me?” Kay muttered.
“Alright, you know what?
Let me carry you on my back.”
Then he bent down.
Maria climbed on.
She was shaking.
“Since you scraped your knee, I don’t think we can run much,” Kay said, breathing hard.
“We should find somewhere to hide and protect ourselves.”
Branches snapped behind them.
Footsteps.
Close.
Kay’s eyes darted left, right.
Then he saw it—a dark gap between two thick trees, half-covered by vines.
He didn’t speak.
He just ran.