Yue quickly picked up. And the moment she did, she froze.
April's frantic sobs echoed from the phone. "M-M-Miss Yue! Help! Mommy's sleeping and hurt all over! She came back home from work, and then...!"
Yue quickly pulled out a pen and paper. "It's okay, April. Where do you live? I'll be right there."
"U-Um...! I-I-I don't know! W-We live by a park. T-There's an ice cream shop nearby. I...! I don't...!"
Yue closed her eyes, trying to rein in the panic welling up in her chest.
That didn't help. It didn't narrow it down at all. And judging from what Serena had told her... it seemed like her 'boss' hadn't taken kindly to Serena resigning. Which meant that April and Serena were in danger. But... how could she...?!
At that time, Alex's voice echoed. Calm and clear amidst the chaos. "Elm Street. It's downtown by the Dairy Queen. The park is Greenhill Park. And April's house number is 1411."
Yue blinked and looked at Alex. "How do you- No." She shook her head.
The reason how and why Alex knew that could come later.
For now...
Yue looked at Alex and said, "Are you sure, Alex?"
"Certain." Alex responded in a calm tone.
One that was TOO calm.
Not like a kid's at all.
...But Yue couldn't blame him. After all, his best friend and his best friend's mom was in danger.
So instead of questioning him, Yue nodded and said, "Get dressed. We're going."
She quickly calmed April down, told her to lock the doors and block them with chairs and wait fifteen minutes.
"O-Okay, Miss Yue. H-H-Hurry! Mommy said the scary men might be coming too...!"
Yue felt a shiver over her heart. But she nodded and forced herself to calm down. "Okay, April. We're coming. Stay safe. Promise?"
"P-Promise!"
After that, the line went dead.
Yue grabbed her purse, keys, and after a bit of hesitation, a knife from the kitchen.
Alex was already dressed and ready to go.
Yue blinked, surprised at how fast he changed. But she shook it off and said, "1411 Elm Street, right?"
Alex nodded, his expression strangely blank. "Right. Ten minutes from here max. At this time of night, no traffic. We can get there in five."
...Odd. Too odd.
It seemed like there was a lot about her cute nephew that Yue didn't know.
But she set aside the questions for now.
After all, Alex was Alex. And she knew he loved her. That was enough.
Adjusting her purse over her shoulder, Yue opened the elevator and said, "Then let's get going."
===
A blur of activity. A rush through the darkened streets.
Through it all, my mind remained calm. Cold.
Auntie Yue didn't see them or notice, but I'd lined my clothes with weapons. A pair of kitchen knives, her rope dart, and a simple wooden spoon.
After all, I had already assessed the situation.
From the moment we had met April and Miss Serena in Jack-in-the-box and I got the gist of Miss Serena's situation, I'd made careful probes to get information about where they lived.
I knew the context of where we were. I knew the mess that Miss Serena was in too.
Auntie Yue didn't say it. But it was clear that this was a situation where an upset pimp didn't want his 'asset' getting away.
Suddenly, April's situation in the future made sense. At some point, 'something' must have happened to Miss Serena.
But it wouldn't happen again this time.
My backpack was packed. First aid materials were stuffed in them, along with ointments, bandages, painkillers, and more.
Auntie Yue might be smart, but she didn't know how to handle a situation like this.
I, for better or worse, did know what to do since I'd done a stint as a criminal defense attorney in my past life before transitioning to corporate.
'Good thing I kept up with my training.'
From 4-8 AM, then 5-9 PM. 8 hours of training per day. And every day, consistently, since I had woken up as a child again.
Not just strength training. Never strength training.
Violence.
Always violence.
Striking things with my bare fists, legs, feet. Using weapons.
My training had been combat training from the start.
63 days of training. 504 hours of dedicated combat training and violence.
And ONLY from this lifetime.
If we paired it with the training in my past life, which I could use since I had finally calibrated to my current body...
Well.
This was a time before DNA evidence was widespread, before cameras were conclusive evidence, and before gang activity had settled down.
In short...
'A perfect swirl of factors to murder scumbags and get away with it.'
Auntie Yue pulled her car to a stop in front of 1411 Elm Street. A rundown rambler with flaky light green paint. "Is this the one, Alex?"
"Mmhm." I nodded, remembering April's ramblings about her house. "That's the one. There's the flower pots up front too... though it looks like they were knocked over."
Auntie Yue nodded and parked the car. After that, she grabbed my hand and said, "Stay close. Okay, Alex? Promise."
She was terrified. Auntie Yue's face was pale and her eyes were wide. She was doing her best to stay composed... but her youth was showing.
I smiled calm and said, "It's fine, Auntie. Let's go get April and Miss Serena."
"Right. Right." Auntie Yue let out a slow exhale and said, "Let's get them out of here." With a determined look, she subtly palmed a knife from her purse and slowly advanced.
I stayed close at her side, slowly scanning the area.
It was quiet.
But that was the problem.
At this time of night, and since it was the tail end of fall, there should be the sound of crickets and other bugs.
But there weren't.
That implied there had been a flurry of activity recently. Enough to make even nature pause.
I hummed and walked beside Auntie Yue, following her lead.
She quietly walked up to the front door and called out. "April? Sweetie? It's Miss Yue. Are you safe?"
Muffled sobs echoed, followed by the sound of wood scraping on the floor. A few clicks later and the door opened, revealing a terrified April. "M-Miss Yue...! Alex...! Mommy's... she's not moving...!"
Auntie Yue flinched and quickly went inside. "Take me to her, April. I'll help your Mommy. Alex. You know how to call 911, right?"
I nodded. "I'll handle it, Mom. You take care of April and Miss Serena."
My deliberate use of 'mom' seemed to calm Auntie Yue down. Just as planned.
"Right. Right." Auntie Yue nodded and said, "I'll take care of them."
I handed Auntie Yue my backpack.
She blinked and said, "What's this for?"
"First aid, Mom. Come on..."
Auntie Yue blinked. Then she let out a relieved smile. "...You're getting SO many gifts later, Alex." After that, she rushed off with April towards wherever April had taken Miss Serena.
Meanwhile...
I saw a glint of light in the distance, hidden in the shadows.
Without hesitation, I flicked my wrist, sending a ropedart towards it.
A sickening thud and a gurgle.
I flicked my wrist again and pulled it taut, letting a soft 'snap' echo. Then I unwrapped it and pulled the rope dart back, wiping the blood on the ground.
'One.'