Chapter 13: The Past, Part 9

Ryder recovered from the initial shock when Marius violently shook his body and even slapped him pretty hard just to get him to his senses.

When the car pulled over in front of the hospital, Ryder dashed inside like a madman and went straight to the emergency operating room, where he spotted Mr. Kim outside waiting anxiously while pacing back and forth.

"How are they?" Ryder inquired anxiously. He was still panting and sweating profusely.

"The operation is still going on. Let's wait for the doctor to come out." Mr. Kim replied and guided him to sit down.

"What happened exactly? I was just talking to Mama a few hours ago. How did they get into an accident?"

Mr. Kim begins to explain. "Master and madam went shopping around 5 p.m. to buy a gift for you. However, something came up, and one of the company employees called the chairman and said that there was an emergency at the company that needed their presence and an urgent decision. They went first and asked me to wait for the things they had already purchased and follow them after. But a few minutes after they left, the chairman phoned and notified me about the two black vehicles following them.

I called backups; however, when we arrived at their location, we saw Chairman and Madam's car not far away from the roadside that flipped due to the strong impact. They collided with a mixer truck. The mixer truck driver wasn't there anymore when we got there. The driver and the bodyguard died on the spot."

Mr. Kim wasn't done explaining yet when the door of the operating room swung open and the doctor came out.

"I am very sorry, child; we did our best. Please accept my heartfelt condolences." The doctor declared, "I'm sorry." He repeated himself and excused himself.

Ryder felt like heaven had completely turned its back on him. He stood there frozen, his hands trembling dramatically. "Why? Why is this happening to my loved ones?" He uttered it bitterly.

The pain was so cumbersome that he could even feel it physically. He slumped on the floor and cried his heart out. Marius, Luke, Riley, and Dylan tried to comfort him, but Ryder doesn't have the plan to stop. Mr. Kim just watched them sympathetically. He pitied his young master and his friends. losing his parents the second time around. His heart is bleeding for his young master.

After a few minutes, the door opened again, and four hospital staff members came out pushing two stretcher beds covered with white sheets. Ryder hugged them and broke into tears. "Mama, Baba, please come back; how can you leave me? How am I supposed to live now?" Ryder cries, but no one can bring their lives back. He has to grieve again for the second time and go through the same grievous mourning process.

"Sir, please, we have to take them to the mortuary." One of the hospital staff members intervened nicely as they were blocking the hallway. Unwillingly, Ryder let go and trod behind them, following them solemnly to the mortuary.

The following day, the news of the deaths of Chairman Xiao and Zoe of the Xiao Empire spread throughout the country like wildfire. They were well-known businessmen, so the news spread throughout the whole country, especially in the business world. However, Ryder didn't hold a funeral publicly and even denied all the people who wanted to pay respect for the deceased. Reporters and paparazzi swarm nonstop every day in front of the Xioa Empire main building, trying to get a scoop of news regarding Jackie and Zoe's real cause of death and a glimpse of the newly introduced CEO. Thus, Ryder decided to conceal his face from the public. Unnecessary attention frankly irritates him.

"Are you sure about that, boy?" asked Master Chow when Ryder requested an audience and made a deal with him.

"Yes, master," the determination and fury in Ryder's voice ignite. The desire to avenge his loved ones is burning within him.

"Can you even kill? You are all aware of our line of work, right?" Master Chow asked one more time to confirm.

"Yes, and I am fully aware, I'll do anything to hunt that spawn of a devil down and punish him with my own hands along with his entire minions."

"If you are that determined, then let's begin your training." Master Chow commented with a grin of excitement plastered on his face. And Ryder began his tough training to become one of Master Chow's exemplary agents until he received his first mission.

Despite being busy with his other identity,

Ryder began managing the Xiao Empire with the help of Mr. Kim and his friends. Ryder always refused to show his face to the media, so no one knew the face of the new CEO of the Xiao Empire, not even his board of directors. Ryder always wore a mask whenever there was a meeting or gathering associated with the business industry. People came up with their own speculations and began spreading rumors about him. Some say he's ugly and has an unsightly scar on his face; others call him a weirdo.

There are a few people in the company who keep trying to take him down and want to expose his identity. But with Ryder and the help of his friends, they could always easily shut them down. Ryder solidified his position in the business world. He's known as the mysterious, cold-blooded CEO. No one dared to be on his bad side, as he is ruthless towards their competitors and even towards his own disloyal people. He once shot the leg of his employee, who ran away after selling some company information to his foe. and that serves as a warning to everyone. Despite all the nicknames people gave him, no one knew his true self behind that black mask.

Behind his cold and cruel demeanor, however, there are some things that have never changed. Ryder never forgot his promises to his parents. His mom and dad, his baba and mama, and to all the people who risked their lives seeking justice

He vowed these to himself and his deceased loved ones. He will destroy them all at any cost. If the law of this country cannot provide him with the justice he seeks for his cherished loved ones, he will make his own rules and follow his own law. As he declares vengeance against Roue Chen and those lawless people who succumbed to greed and power, a sense of vengeance burns through his entire being.

After three years,

Beijing News: The Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's National Committee has died. According to the forensic expert, the chairman was killed instantly by a rare type of bullet recovered from his forehead. According to eyewitnesses, the chairman attended a party last night, and all the guests were surprised when the chairman suddenly fell to the ground, and a figure wearing black robes and a black mask threw black roses at the chairman before it vanished into the dusk.

"Serves you right," commented the man in front of the monitor while dabbing his fingers on the keyboard.

Ugh! "So annoying," grumbled the other man sitting on a couch wearing sweatpants and a bunny hoodie sweater. They were in the basement, playing video games on their phones. "Can you turn that thing off?" "It's so noisy." He complained

The shorter man holding his fan just mimicked him and turned off the television. It's Luke and Ryder.