I stood behind the wall of the old building, my heart pounding wildly. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to stay calm, even though adrenaline was pumping hard through my entire body.

I had to know what Felix was doing in a place like this.

My eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for a gap to see inside. Finally, my gaze landed on a small window on the side of the building, half covered by a piece of rotting wooden plank. I stepped slowly, careful not to make a sound, and peeked through the crack in the window.

***

What I saw made my body tense up.

Inside the dimly lit warehouse, illuminated only by a faint hanging lamp, stood two burly men. They wore sleeveless shirts that showed off the large muscles on their arms. In each of their hands, they held large, gleaming meat cleavers that shone sharply under the light.

The atmosphere inside felt chilling, filled with the smell of frozen meat and old, settled blood.

Then, Felix emerged from the shadows, stepping calmly and confidently towards the two men.

Without a word, without warning, Felix raised the firearm in his hand and aimed it directly at one man’s head.

BANG!

A gunshot exploded, shattering the silence.

The man fell instantly, motionless. Blood trickled slowly from his head, forming a puddle on the concrete floor.

I flinched, my breath catching in my throat.

Felix... just killed someone without hesitation.

The second man reacted quickly. In a spontaneous move, he threw his meat cleaver at Felix with full force.

Felix dodged swiftly, his body bending to the side, but the knife was close enough that the weapon in his hand was knocked away, sliding into a corner of the room.

The large man didn’t waste time. He immediately ran quickly towards Felix with clenched fists, ready to attack with full force.

Felix took a step back, then with a quick, precise movement, he kicked hard into the man’s stomach.

WUSH!

The kick hit its mark perfectly. The large man was pushed back, almost losing his balance, his breath choked from the hard blow to his gut.

Incredible, I thought to myself. Felix... he’s like a trained killing machine.

But the man wasn’t done yet. Gasping for air, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small pistol.

BANG! BANG!

Two shots rang out in quick succession, bullets speeding towards Felix.

But Felix moved faster, his body lowering, rolling nimbly to the side, avoiding the bullets by a hair’s breadth.

How can he move that fast?! I marveled, both amazed and astonished.

Felix glanced quickly around him, his eyes catching something, a small knife hanging on the wall near a meat cutting table.

Without hesitation, he grabbed it in one swift motion, then with a powerful, spinning movement, threw it with perfect precision.

THWACK!

The knife shot through the air and embedded itself right in the large man’s head.

The man’s body stopped moving, his eyes wide open, then he fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

***

Silence returned.

Felix stood in the middle of the warehouse, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His hands were still trembling slightly, but his expression remained cold and controlled.

I was still frozen behind the window, unable to look away from the horrifying scene.

This... this is the reality of the world of hitmen. The real world.

Suddenly, Felix turned his head towards the window where I was hiding.

His eyes stared directly at me, as if he had known all along that I was there.

In a calm but firm voice, he said, “Just come out. I know you followed me, Kai.”

My body froze.

There was nowhere left to hide.

I took a deep breath, then slowly emerged from my hiding spot and walked towards the warehouse door. My hands trembled as I opened the door and stepped inside.

Felix stood with his hands on his hips, looking at me with an unreadable expression a mix of disappointment, anger, and a little worry.

“Alright,” he said flatly. “What made you follow me here?”

I swallowed, trying to form words.

“I... I couldn’t wait any longer, Felix,” I answered hoarsely. “I want to meet Draco quickly. I want to avenge Ben. Every day I’m tormented by my own anger. I couldn’t just sit in that apartment, waiting without doing anything.”

Felix let out a long sigh, his gaze softening slightly.

“Kai, I understand how you feel. But—“

Before Felix could continue, a loud noise from outside cut him off.

VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!

The roar of motorcycles two, maybe three approached the warehouse rapidly.

Then, the sound of gunfire.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Followed by loud shouts from outside the voice sounded like Felix’s driver.

Felix immediately turned towards the door, his expression turning serious.

“So they’ve finally shown themselves,” he muttered sharply.

He looked at me with a warning gaze. “Get ready, Kai. This is the consequence of you following me.”

I felt panic wash over me, my heart beating frantically. My body trembled, my hands turned cold.

But instantly, the system’s voice echoed loudly in my head, urgent, full of warning.

///

[Threat Detected... Multiple Targets... A Thief... Response...]

///

My curse was reacting to the approaching threat.

I looked at Felix, then towards the warehouse door that was about to be breached by the arriving enemies.

This is it. This is the moment.

I took a deep breath, clenched my fists, and prepared for my first real fight.

TO BE CONTINUED