That afternoon, Rig and the other three from Hexion received a discreet message from an insider: Yeri Zhi had just left the school grounds.
Normally, they didn't tail her when she was safely inside the campus. But ever since the attempted hit on both their boss and his girlfriend, Shin Keir had been nothing but paranoid. He'd given them strict orders: Whenever Yeri Zhi leaves school, don't let her out of your sight.
And so, the four of them mobilized.
They arrived at the school gates and tracked her to a nearby café, where she entered with a female friend. Rig nearly choked on his spit when he realized what was happening.
"A mixer?" he gasped.
Pablo buried his face in his hands. "We're all dead."
Thankfully, the event was a bust. Yeri exited the café shortly after arriving, her expression unimpressed. The team collectively exhaled, then quietly debated who would break the news to Shin Keir.
Just when they thought their shift was done for the day, they spotted her again, this time walking out with two familiar figures.
"Her cousins," Rig muttered, peering through. "From the profiles, one's Jj Zhi, and the girl's that Venice Ryung."
The team followed from a discreet distance.
As the four entered the summer night market, the guards fanned out through the crowd. Lights twinkled overhead, children giggled by candy stalls, and fragrant smoke curled from the grills.
Rig stopped by a booth where kids were scooping tiny fish with paper nets. "Won't they die if you leave them in plastic like this?" he asked, half-genuinely curious.
Pablo smacked the back of his head. "Focus. You're not here to adopt guppies."
"Then why the hell am I wearing a mask?" grumbled the guy with a full-face tiger tattoo.
Rig chuckled, eyeing the demon mask he wore. "Trust me, it's less terrifying than your real face. Without it, we'd get arrested for 'public menace.'"
They observed as Yeri, Jj, and Venice sat at a skewer stall. The team took positions nearby, blending in, even grabbing some food while keeping their eyes peeled.
"Not a bad gig," the bald guy, Lilo, muttered as he chewed.
"Lilo, cover me for these skewers? I forgot to withdraw," Rig said, licking his fingers.
"Forgot or planned it?" Lilo shot back, unconvinced.
But before Rig could reply, Pablo nudged them sharply. "They're moving."
Rig and Lilo scrambled to their feet, still arguing, until everything changed.
The crowd shifted. A ripple of unease passed through the market, followed by scattered screams.
Then chaos.
People ran. Panic broke loose. Screams turned to roars of terror. The atmosphere turned electric, heavy with fear.
The tattooed man reached for his gun.
"Don't be stupid!" Pablo hissed, slapping it away. "You want to shoot someone in this mess and cause more panic?"
"Where are they?! Where did the three go?!" Rig shouted, twisting his head around.
The flood of bodies surging away from the danger pushed them back, scattering their formation. People shoved each other, some fell, others screamed.
"Forget the other two. Just find Miss Zhi and get her out of here!" Pablo barked. He stood on tiptoe, scanning the shifting sea of heads. "They can't have gotten far!"
"I just called the Boss! I don't think he heard me!" Rig clenched his jaw and pushed through the crowd, elbowing aside men who used their size to shove past others. He even kicked one who tried to grope a girl in the confusion.
But no matter how far they pushed or shouted, there was no sign of Yeri.
"Split up!" Pablo ordered. "You've all got weapons, if you run into the shooter, don't hesitate!"
—
Meanwhile, Yeri stood frozen.
The deranged man—eyes wild, smile twisted, was nearly on them. Just a few feet away.
Jj's arms suddenly wrapped around her, shielding her without hesitation.
But to Yeri, this was opportunity.
With Jj distracted and Venice cowering behind her, Yeri could activate her ability. If she locked eyes with the gunman, just for a second...she could force him to turn the gun on himself.
She didn't know if it counted as murder. At this point, she didn't care. It was self-defense. Survival.
One meter away, the madman grinned and mouthed something.
Yeri narrowed her eyes.
"Pretty."
Was he talking about the blood pooling at her feet? Or the trembling little girl beside her?
He lifted the gun, aimed at them.
But before Yeri could act—
Bang!
A shot rang out from behind.
The madman jerked, blinking in surprise. He touched his chest as if confused, then looked down at the spreading red stain.
Jj looked back. Someone had taken the shot for them. But before he could exhale in relief, the danger wasn't over.
The madman didn't collapse. He smirked, no trace of panic or fear. From his loose jacket, he pulled out a small black sphere.
Yeri's blood ran cold.
A bomb.
Jj's instincts kicked in or perhaps it was the rush of adrenaline, he lifted Yeri with one arm, still holding the terrified child, and used his other, dragging Venice like a dead log.
The man who had fired earlier shot again, this time hitting the madman's hand but the lunatic didn't even flinch.
His fingers unlocked the bomb.
And then—
An earth-shattering explosion tore through the night. Flames lit the air. The force of it sent a shockwave through the market, toppling stalls, lifting people off their feet, glass and debris flying.
Yeri's ears buzzed. She couldn't hear anything. Everything spun.
Her legs gave out. Her vision darkened. Smoke filled her lungs. She felt herself falling...
But before she hit the ground, someone caught her.
Strong hands gripped her shoulders.
"Yeri!" a voice called, muffled and distant, trembling with fear. "Yeri, stay with me!"
She wanted to answer. But everything turned white, and the last thing she felt was the warmth of someone pulling her close before darkness swallowed her whole.
---
When Yeri opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was a white ceiling, blurred slightly by her lashes. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled her nose. She blinked slowly, and as her vision cleared, she heard someone softly sobbing beside her.
Her fingers twitched under the blanket, and that tiny movement alerted the person.
"Princess! You're awake!" Madam Zhi cried, lifting her tear-streaked face. Her eyes were red and swollen, her makeup smudged. Even her usually composed expression was cracked with worry and exhaustion. She immediately pressed the nurse call button before brushing Yeri's hair back gently.
Yeri blinked again, sluggishly turning her head. Curtains surrounded the beds nearby, rows of them forming makeshift partitions. It wasn't a private room.
"Hospital?" Yeri murmured, her voice a little hoarse.
Madam Zhi nodded. "You're right. This is the closest hospital to the park. The emergency rooms are packed with victims from the night market attack. Your father has already arranged to have you, Jj, and Venice transferred to Neri Medical as soon as beds become available."
Yeri shook her head slightly. "It's okay. I was just curious." Her voice was faint, but steady. "Where's Brother Jj?"
Madam Zhi's eyes welled up again. She sniffled and reached for the curtain beside Yeri's bed, pulling it aside.
There, in the next bed, lay Jj, his arm in a sling, scratches on his cheek, a bruise on his temple but breathing and resting peacefully.
"The doctors said you both suffered only superficial wounds," Madam Zhi said gently. "How do you feel?"
Yeri swallowed hard. Her ears were still ringing, a dull buzz beneath everything. Her head throbbed. If she had used her ability… it might have been worse.
"I'm okay. Really," she replied quietly. "Brother Jj… he carried me and Venice. And also a little girl."
Before she could say more, a loud, piercing wail erupted from the other side of the room.
It was followed by a string of curses, then more sobbing.
The voice was unmistakable.
Yeri turned toward the noise with a blank expression. "Is that… Aunt Linda?"
Madam Zhi sighed, rubbing her temples. "Yes. Same condition as you and Jj. No serious injuries. But they say she suffered a severe panic attack. She woke up earlier and went into hysterics... screaming, kicking, lashing out."
Yeri didn't comment. She just looked back at Jj's sleeping form, grateful he was okay.
Above them, the wall-mounted television was playing the news. A grim-faced anchor delivered an update about the night market massacre.
Hundreds were injured. Dozens were hospitalized, some still in critical condition. The gunman was dead. And though many were wounded in the blast, no one besides those directly shot had died from the explosion.
Yeri stared at the screen, quiet.
"Mom," she said softly, "there was a little girl... and her dad. They were near us. The father was shot. Do you know if he made it?"
Madam Zhi shook her head gently. "It was chaos when we arrived. The hospital was already overwhelmed. You three were in separate rooms. It was your father who had everyone moved here an hour ago."
Yeri didn't ask any more questions. Her head was pounding now—the noise, the smell of antiseptic, the soft wails echoing through the room, it all blended into a dull ache.
She closed her eyes for a moment, just to stop the spinning.
Then, two uniformed police officers entered.
They scanned the room, checking clipboards, until one approached her bed.
"Excuse me, Miss. Were you one of the individuals near the blast site?" one officer asked kindly.
Yeri nodded, adjusting her posture. "Yes. I was."
They began asking questions—where she was positioned, what she saw, how many people were nearby.
"The autopsy revealed the shooter was already fatally shot before the bomb went off," said the second officer. "Do you happen to know who fired that shot?"
Yeri frowned slightly. She tried to remember. At that time, her eyes had been locked on the gunman, watching his every twitch, ready to use her ability. But she dared not turned to look behind her, letting her guard down.
"I'm sorry," she said slowly. "I didn't see who it was."
The officers nodded, understanding. They thanked her for her cooperation and were about to move on when—
"A-Ah! Officers! Officers!" a shrill voice called out.
Linda burst out from behind a curtain like a storm, dramatically waving her hands. "So? Have you found out who that lunatic was? Do you know what he did to my baby?! Look! LOOK what they did to my precious daughter!"