INSIDE THE FACTORY
"H-hey, boss... These guys are fucking crazy!" whispered a man into his phone, his face drenched in sweat, trembling with fear. Both of his shoulders had punch tattoos. He was inside the factory, had entered a room where no one else was, frozen in shock by what he saw. "Are you there, man? What the fuck is going on, tell me—!!" The man on the phone was shouting when the call suddenly cut off. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON THERE?!" he yelled, slamming his fist hard on the desk, furious.
The trembling man had just seen something right before the call dropped—he couldn't even describe it to his boss. Several bald men, laid back like in modern barber chairs, their heads locked into strange machines that perfectly fit the shape of their skulls, connected with cables… Just as the man was about to explain it to his boss…
The man with the hat appeared in front of him. That guy appeared everywhere, what kind of shit was this? The trembling man instantly pulled out a small knife, but the hat man swiftly stabbed him in the heart and muttered to himself after noticing the tattoos, *Shit… Punchers, huh…*
He quickly pulled the knife out of the man's chest, took off his hat, grabbed the handkerchief inside, wiped the knife, and put it back into his pocket. Then, he called a few men to dispose of the dead body. After that, he walked around the factory for a while, reached a big table, picked up a cigarette pack and a lighter, and stepped out into the factory's courtyard. How could such a beautiful garden exist in an abandoned place?
The hat man took out his phone, opened his messaging app, and sent a text to someone named "Michael":
"Punchers sent a spy."
Meanwhile, the man who was on the phone with the dead guy pulled out his phone and texted a group of 30, maybe 40 people:
"Gather up, we're switching to Plan B. The spy has been eliminated."
He put on his jacket and started walking towards the exit of their base.
INSIDE DANTE'S HOUSE
After Dante arrived home, he locked the door and went straight to the bathroom to shower. His mind was racing…
*How much of the debt was left… 10, 12 thousand… Selina… Mom, Mom…*
JANUARY 1, 2023
It was past midnight, the new year had just begun… The woman who had taken the letter and gone home was simply watching the fireworks through the window… She was so still.
A few minutes after the new year began, the doorbell rang. Her daughter and son had already fallen asleep, and she herself was about to doze off. The sound startled her so much her head felt like it was about to explode. She was terrified. Maybe it was one of her husband's loan sharks… Maybe they came to kill her… The doorbell kept ringing, and the woman became even more frightened. She didn't open the door, instead, she hid her children and sat trembling on the couch near the entrance.
Suddenly— "BANG!"— the door broke down.
The man with the hat, the same one she had seen at the cemetery, walked in.
He turned to his left, saw the woman, and smiled.
"Where are your children?" he asked.
The woman screamed, "LEAVE MY CHILDREN ALONE!" Her voice was powerful and loud enough to wake her son, even though her daughter remained asleep.
Her son, thinking his mother was on the other side of the wall, was about to go see her when he saw the hat man and froze in place, hiding quickly. He was terrified but knew he must not approach his mother now. He had heard what she screamed… He covered his mouth with his hands and tried not to breathe loudly. That boy was Dante…
"Hey, calm down, madam… I'm not here to harm your children… I'm just here to deliver something from Marcus DeVine."
The woman was in shock. What was her husband's real connection to this man?
"S-say it," she stammered, sweating and shaking.
"***************." Then, the man left.
And the next morning…
2025, DANTE'S HOUSE
*AAH, I CAN'T REMEMBER… And anyway, the morning after hearing that sentence, my mom… She killed herself… Thankfully, my aunt didn't leave us at the orphanage, she took us in… But I… When I turned 18, Natasha and I came back to our home… Whatever…* Dante soon finished his shower, got dressed, and lay in bed, closing his eyes.
LUXURY HOTEL ROOM
"Hey, slow down," said an elegant, stunning woman with long black hair and a figure that could captivate anyone.
The man across from her was trying to kiss her and undress her.
"Cut it out!" she snapped.
When the man tried to force himself on her, she kicked him hard, stopped him, spat in his face, fixed her clothes, and called someone named "Michael" on her phone.
When Michael answered, she said, "Hey, it's Anastasia… Pick me up from Flower Hotel. I'm really pissed."
"I'm on my way. I'll be there in ten minutes," said Michael.