System (3)

Chapter 14

Kai reached home, his mind racing with unease. Opening the door, he scanned his surroundings.

His small apartment felt eerily quiet.

To the left was the bathroom, and to the right, the kitchen, its dim light casting faint shadows.

Ignoring everything, he headed straight for the bedroom. The TV was on, the muted glow flickering against the walls.

On the bed, Mai sat with hollow eyes fixed on the screen. Her face was pale, her cheeks streaked with faint traces of tears, and her eyes red from crying.

Before anything else, Kai blurted, "Where's Elijah?"

Mai blinked, startled, and managed a faint smile. "Kai… you're back."

His frown deepened. "Where is Elijah?" he repeated, his tone sharper now.

Mai shook her head, her expression clouded. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Didn't he save you?" Kai pressed, his voice tense.

Mai hesitated before nodding. "I think it was him. It was so dark, I couldn't see clearly. But… those red eyes felt familiar."

She sighed, her voice trembling. "I ran while he was still fighting. I don't know what happened after that."

Frustration bubbled in Kai as he ruffled his hair and pulled out his phone. 'I shouldn't have sent him to help her. But I was too far away…' His thoughts spiraled as the dial tone rang in his ear. Each second felt like an eternity. 'Don't go down like this, Elijah. How am I supposed to keep going without you? How do I explain this to your mother?'

Just as his hope waned, the call connected.

"Hey, Kai," came Elijah's familiar voice, calm but tired.

"Elijah!" Relief flooded Kai's voice. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

A dry chuckle answered him. "I'm fine. Just sleeping… somewhere."

"Sleeping somewhere? What does that even mean? Get over here!" Kai demanded.

"Not a great idea," Elijah replied, his tone light despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Those guys might still be lurking around. Walking in the dark is too risky. I'll crash here for the night and come by in the morning."

Kai hesitated, his grip tightening on the phone. "Alright, but be careful."

"I will."

There was a pause before Kai added, "And Elijah?"

"Yeah?"

"…Thanks for saving Mai."

Elijah chuckled softly. "No problem, man. By the way, she was hurt pretty bad, so keep an eye on her."

As the call ended, Kai exhaled deeply, glancing back at Mai.

She was curled up on the bed, hugging her knees, her cheeks still flushed.

He crouched beside her. "What happened?"

Mai hesitated before speaking, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I was waiting for my dad, like always. He came late, as usual. We were on our way home when a small bus slammed into our car. Out of nowhere, these men surrounded us."

Her voice cracked, and she paused, her fingers trembling. "Dad… he tried to start the car, but it wouldn't budge. They shattered the window, dragged him out. He yelled at me to run… but then he… he pulled out a gun."

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she continued. "He managed to shoot two of them, but then… someone dodged the shot and…" Her voice faltered. "They cut off his hand."

Kai's jaw clenched as she recounted the scene. "And then?"

"They knocked him out. I… I ran. I didn't stop until I got here. That's when Elijah found me." Her voice trailed off, and she buried her face in her arms.

Kai sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. "What the hell did your dad get himself into?"

"I don't know," Mai whispered, her voice hollow.

Her tears had dried, but the weight of her grief was palpable.

Taking a deep breath, Kai dialed another number.

This time, it was Mai's mother.

The line rang a few times before she answered, her voice trembling with barely suppressed sorrow.

"Hey, Aunt," Kai began cautiously.

"I've got the package." He used the code word just in case the line wasn't secure.

"You don't need to use codes. There's no one here," she replied, her voice heavy with despair.

"What happened?" he asked, already dreading the answer.

"He's dead," she said bluntly.

Kai closed his eyes, suppressing a curse.

He glanced at Mai, who had curled up tighter, her head buried in her arms. "Did they come to the house?"

"Yes. They didn't do much… just threats. He handed over a suitcase to them. Then they killed him."

Her voice cracked. "I'm looking at his body right now."

"Is the police there?"

"They are. But only to clean up the mess." Her tone was bitter. "Kai, I'm hurt. Why would he do this? Why put us in danger? We were fine. And now he's gone. I couldn't do anything… I just stood there and watched…"

Kai clenched his fists, his voice steady despite the storm brewing inside him. "The world isn't safe, Aunt. But I promise, we'll make them pay."

"I don't care about justice, Kai. I want revenge.

I want to kill the bastards who tried to hurt my daughter.

The ones who killed my husband," she spat, her rage burning through the line.

"You'll get your chance," Kai said firmly.

"But don't act recklessly. Mai needs you."

There was a long pause before she sighed. "I know. Goodnight, Kai."

"Goodnight." Kai ended the call and turned to Mai.

"I know you're angry, but don't let it consume you. You're not alone in this."

Mai nodded weakly, her voice barely audible. "Okay."

"Get some rest," Kai said, standing.

"Tomorrow, I'll work overtime to set things straight.

We'll get our revenge.

We'll take this city back, one way or another. I promise you."

With that, he stepped out of the room and dialed another number. This time, it was Lucas at the fighting ring.