Somewhere in the alleys near South Avenue
Rats scattered as Darius Cane walked through the alley, revealing heaps of leftover scraps littering the ground. Focused on the mission, Darius didn't let the disgusting sight bother him and kept moving.
As he made his way deeper, he noticed a group of men whispering in the corner. Confident in his skills, Darius pressed on.
The men turned out to be ruffians. They stepped out, surrounding him, brandishing concealed weapons.
Darius knew there was no easy way out of this. "I'm in a bit of a hurry," he said calmly. "You don't want this turning badly for you. I suggest you back off."
The ruffians laughed."Get a load of this guy!" one of them jeered.
Their leader, smoking a cigarette, flicked it straight into Darius's face. The cigarette burned against Darius's brown skin, but he didn't flinch — he only met the man's eyes with a cold glare.
"I'm warning you..." Darius said, his hands twitching near the weapons strapped to his back.
"Who do you think you are!?" the leader roared, lunging forward with a knife.
Darius easily sidestepped, grabbed his cane with his right hand, and struck with a precise, brutal blow — knocking the ruffian out in a single hit.
"Who do you think you are, huh!?" shouted another, and three more rushed him at once.
Darius dodged swiftly, weaving through their wild attacks. One by one, he struck them down with sharp, calculated blows, knocking each unconscious without hesitation.
Once the last thug hit the ground, Darius calmly re-sheathed his weapons. Without wasting a second, he continued his search — hunting for any sign of the kidnapped Nexlark employee.
---
Meanwhile, a few alleys away...
Jonathan had a lot of questions for Rebecca, but the red-haired woman ignored most of them. Seeing she wouldn't answer, Jonathan fell silent and scanned the dark, narrow alleys. Nothing stood out.
"Are you sure we're heading to the right place?" he asked.
"I'm sure. Stop asking questions," Rebecca snapped.
"Fine," Jonathan muttered.
As they moved, Rebecca suddenly pressed herself against the wall of a corner building. Jonathan followed quickly, watching two thugs walk by, smoking and talking loudly.
"What gives? The boss was mad we only got one of the targets," one thug said. "Even if we had both, Nexlark and the enforcers would've come for them."
"You don't get it," the second thug answered. "The woman's carrying data — stuff worth millions in the underground."
"Geez, I don't care about the money," the first grumbled. "If things get hot, I'm running!"
Jonathan didn't wait. He slipped from cover and rushed the thugs, ignoring Rebecca's sharp gesture to stop.
He knocked one thug to the ground, grabbed the man's knife, and pressed it to the other thug's throat.
"W-who are you?!" the thug stammered.
Jonathan leaned close."Who are you guys? Why are you taking innocent employees hostage?"
"Innocent? Nexlark's no saint," the thug spat. "I'm just doing my job!"
"What job?" Jonathan pressed.
"The one those fools failed to finish," he said. "I don't care about the details. I just want to get out of here alive."
"Then answer my questions," Jonathan said coldly. "And I'll let you walk."
"I don't trust you," the thug muttered. "But fine. If you let me go, I'll talk."
"The boss is at the Seventh South Avenue Bar. That's where they took your guy."
"That's close?" Jonathan asked.
"Yeah, around three hundred meters through that alley," the thug said, pointing to his right.
"Good," Jonathan said.With a swift strike, he knocked the thug unconscious.
Rebecca stepped out of hiding, arms crossed in irritation.
"That was reckless," she said.
"We have to take risks if we want to get him back," Jonathan answered firmly."Your friend's at a bar nearby."
"What if he was lying?" Rebecca asked, skeptical.
"He's not lying," Jonathan said with conviction. "I swear it."
---
Inside the Seventh South Avenue Bar
The boss of the thugs ordered the bar to close. The bartender and remaining patrons were forced out as his men guarded every entrance and exit.
Sitting at a table, the boss looked troubled. He knew he was close to achieving his goal — but the failure to capture the second target had already proven fatal to his plans.
"Damn it all!" he cursed, slamming his fists on the table.
His phone suddenly rang. He answered immediately."Yes!"
"By now, I assume you have the package we're looking for..." a calm voice said on the other end.
Sweat poured from the boss's forehead. "That... we ran into some problems. I'm fixing it. Give me a little more time!" he pleaded.
"You know the consequences of failure," the caller said coldly. "I'm sorry. Our transaction is canceled."
The call ended abruptly.
"Hey, wait! I can still fix this — HEY!!!" the boss shouted, but the line was dead.
Noticing his men staring at him, the boss snapped. "What are you looking at!? Guard the perimeter and don't let anyone through!"
Realizing he was running out of options, the boss decided to retreat to the basement. He ordered a group of thugs to guard the brunette-haired woman — the hostage — and then disappeared downstairs.
As the boss headed for the basement, a commotion erupted at the bar's left entrance. The thugs rushed to investigate — but stopped short when they saw a shadowy figure standing silently before them.
A smoke grenade clattered to the ground, hissing.
Thick smoke quickly filled the air, blinding the thugs.
Using the cover, the shadowy figure moved fast — taking down the thugs one by one with brutal efficiency.
Panic spread.
Some thugs tried to run but were struck by darts laced with tranquilizers. Within moments, most of them collapsed into unconsciousness.
Those who remained ran deeper into the bar, searching for their boss.
"Where's the boss!? They're here!" one thug shouted.
Seeing their leader nowhere in sight, many thugs abandoned their posts and fled the building in terror.
The once-fortified bar was emptied in minutes.
The shadowy figures swept inside, moving quickly through the smoke-filled room.
They found her — the brunette-haired woman — tied up in the back.
"Is this her?" one of the masked figures asked.
"Yes. It's her," another replied. "Shall we take her?"