Mindsight… Ethan… is dead.
As his body falls to the ground in an instant. A bullet had pierced his head the moment his guard dropped.
The hero's blood flows and flows. It spreads across the floor, even seeping outside into the rain. The rainwater carries it toward the sewage, where the red slowly mixes with the dark water running through the drains.
The man who shot him steps forward and reveals himself—it's none other than Shen.
He holds the gun, confusion flickering across his face before a smirk forms. Even in death, he mocks Ethan.
"Bet you didn't see that coming…"
The entire house is in shock. Connor is stunned as well, but beneath it, a quiet sense of relief lingers in his chest—that Ethan, the man who was about to expose everything, has finally been silenced.
Shen takes further precaution. He shoots Ethan's hat multiple times, destroying it with three bullets.
Connor, despite the relief, forces himself to stand and shouts at Shen.
"What have you done, Shen?!"
Ryan collapses to the floor along with Kathleen. Both of them stare at the man who was going to help them—who was going to fix everything—now lying dead with his lifeless eyes still open.
Ryan's voice trembles.
"Mom… Dad… do something… I can't ignore that… that's… that's blood…"
Shen smiles at the situation, but when his eyes fall on Connor, there is nothing but anger. He suddenly punches Connor in the face, sending him crashing to the ground.
"YOU LEFT US THERE!" Shen roars.
Connor drags himself across the floor toward Kathleen, repeating the same words over and over.
"SORRY! I WAS SCARED! SORRY! I WAS SCARED!"
Ryan and Kathleen exchange a look—they have no idea what he's talking about.
At that moment, Jin enters, a bloody katana in his hand.
Ryan and Kathleen both move back in fear at the sight of him.
Jin grabs Shen's arm, forcing the gun down, his eyes look here and there inside the room before landing on Ethan's body.
"Wha—who the hell is this?"
Shen grins and answers casually.
"I saved Connor's ass. That guy was a hero. That thing over there—his hat—it was transmitting data to the EPS."
Jin's expression darkens. His gaze shifts to Connor, filled with anger.
"You are a liability to the Marauders. You have no usefulness. And you left us there because you got f*****g scared? You dumbf**k."
Connor slowly gets up, then drops to his knees before Jin, lowering his head.
"Please… forgive me…"
Ryan watches this, his chest tightening. Seeing his father like this fills him with sadness—but also rage. Rage at the fact that he's kneeling before the same people who just killed a hero in front of them.
Yet… he stays silent.
Because of the situation.
The bedroom door creaks open. Rose peeks outside—and screams.
Shen instantly points the gun toward her.
But Ryan rushes forward, covering her eyes before she can see anything. He pushes her back into the bedroom and locks the door from the outside.
Seeing all this, Jin tells Connor to get up and hands him blue notes of cash."This is 1250 gems. Half of what we agreed upon."
Connor looks at him with fear—and a sense of betrayal at not receiving the full amount.
Connor looks up, fear and disbelief mixing in his eyes.
Jin continues,
"I… am forgiving you. Because this situation is already too messy. But your punishment is this—you only get half the money. That's still generous, considering the assignment wasn't completed."
He pauses, then adds coldly,
"And you will dispose of this body yourself. We are not helping you anymore..."
Connor's eyes widen as the weight of those words sinks in.
Shen scoffs.
"We should just kill the whole family. Come on!"
Jin shoots him a sharp look.
"I am not a maniac like you. Killing with a gun, without honor? That kind of thing comes back to you. And when it does… it comes back to the Marauders. You understand that?"
Ryan can't hold it in anymore.
He steps forward, his voice shaking with anger.
"You're making us the criminals?! Dad didn't kill him! It was Uncle Shen!"
Connor stands in despair, his head lowered. Jin and Shen completely ignore Ryan's cries and everything he says.
Ryan shouts louder this time, his voice breaking.
"I am saying something! We didn't do anything! Our family has nothing to do with this! LEAVE US ALONE!"
A bad feeling settles in Kathleen's chest as Ryan raises his voice.
Shen finally turns his attention to him, a smirk forming on his face. He walks forward, stepping past Connor—who still hasn't lifted his head—and stops in front of Ryan. Slowly, he crouches down.
"This is your fault. I saved you from being tricked. Don't you get it? What was your name again? Ruan—?"
Ryan snaps back, anger flaring.
"It's Ryan! Uncle Shen—"
Before he can finish, Shen's expression hardens. In a sudden burst of rage, he swings a punch at Ryan.
Ryan sees it coming—somehow—and instinctively steps back.
The punch misses.
"WHAT!?"
Kathleen gasps, panic surging through her.
"STOP IT!"
Shen's irritation spikes. He immediately raises the handgun and points it straight at Kathleen.
Connor finally reacts, snapping out of his daze at her voice.
"I'm sorry, Shen! I'll do better next time! I won't make the same mistake again!"
Shen smiles faintly, his finger tightening on the trigger.
"Oh, you will. Because if you make the same mistake again… after her, it'll be your turn."
Connor's voice cracks as he shouts,
"PLEASE LEAVE, SHEN!"
Jin watches, clearly annoyed, but doesn't step in.
"Shen… you idiot."
Shen's grip tightens even more at Connor's words.
Ryan watches everything unfold—then suddenly drops to his knees behind Shen.
Shen notices and pauses, confused.
Ryan lowers his head and begins to plead.
"Uncle… please… just leave. Leave us alone for today—please. I'm begging you… I can't take this anymore. I'm sorry… for Father, for everyone. I don't know about your boss or anyone else, but I'm sorry to them too. I'm asking for forgiveness—for my family… on their behalf. Please… put the gun down…"
Shen stares at him for a moment… then a proud smile creeps across his face.
"Now… that's it."
He stands up, stretching slightly.
"I guess we're leaving. I can't watch kids cry, Jin. Come on."
Jin looks mildly irritated. He grabs Shen and pulls him away, hitting him lightly on the head as they walk out.
Connor watches them leave, but just before stepping out, Shen turns back with a warning.
"Your family is causing us far too much trouble—more than any I've ever seen. Keep watching them, Connor. Keep your eyes peeled. Stay alert."
Jin adds his own warning as he drags Shen outside.
"Hey, Connor… be grateful Shen killed that Ethan guy today. You won't be that lucky next time. We caught him off guard—he was a detective. Who knows what he had up his sleeve… some kind of trump card? What if he was an awakened one… huh?"
They both leave.
Silence falls over the house.
A dead body lies on the floor, blood still spreading slowly.
Kathleen stands frozen, her voice barely forming words.
"What… what now…?"
Ryan remains on the ground, still kneeling, his eyes fixed on nothing.
Connor walks toward the door and glances outside.
The rain has stopped.
"Kathy… the rain… it's stopped…"
There's a strange hint of relief—almost happiness—in his voice.
Kathleen looks at him, confused. A dead body lies in their house… and yet he sounds pleased.
Connor walks over to Ethan's body. Then he turns to Ryan.
"Hey, son… Ryan… can you help me carry this body?"
His eyes look unhinged and smiling.
Ryan looks at his father in complete shock, his eyes filling with tears as the weight of what he has just been asked to do sinks in.
"WHAT!?"