Sadako, I'm Your Fan

The Hand, Walong.

The Foot Clan, Shredder.

The Hand Clan, Madame Gao.

Together with Allen, representing The League of Assassins, they formed a new Four-Party Summit.

Aside from The Hand, the other three were all global assassin organizations. If not for their fear of The Undying Master and Shadow Khan's Forces under his control, The Hand would never have qualified to join the alliance.

"Ra's al Ghul retired and sent you to discuss important matters."

Shredder's words were full of disdain. He had no regard for this newly emerged nobody. Even if The Ninja Master had come in person, Shredder might not have shown him any respect.

"What species are you?"

The moment he met contempt, Allen immediately switched into verbal-attack mode without hesitation.

That single sentence made Shredder's heart tighten.

The secret of his true form was absolutely confidential. If it were exposed, he would surely make enemies of the entire world.

After all, extraterrestrial species had no business meddling in Earth's affairs.

Allen's sharp little mouth had no intention of letting up. Looking at the ceiling, he muttered, "What's in the sewers? Four turtles and a rat in the sewers. Can't kill them, can't kill them. Can't beat them, can't beat them."

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were The Foot Clan's sworn enemies, and Shredder had repeatedly suffered setbacks at their hands.

Now that someone had torn open his old wound right in front of everyone, his wrist blades snapped out on instinct.

"You've gone too far. Apologize to Lord Shredder immediately."

Madame Gao, leader of The Hand Clan, spoke up in support. The three groups had already privately decided to suppress The League of Assassins, whose momentum was growing rapidly. This was the perfect excuse to make trouble.

"I'm blind. Why are you all bullying a blind man?" Allen said leisurely.

Madame Gao immediately understood that he was referring to Daredevil.

That damned blind man had repeatedly opposed The Hand Clan, constantly challenging its authority.

Yet after all these years, he was still living quite comfortably. His girlfriends changed batch after batch, while they died batch after batch.

"Are you looking to die?"

Madame Gao's gaze turned cold. She struck the floor with her cane, signaling the assassins hidden in the shadows. One more strike, and they would kill him.

"Oh-ho~"

Allen raised his voice, rolled up his sleeves, and declared righteously, "You can't bully the blind man, so now you want to bully a fool like me? You old hag, today I'm going to seek justice for the disabled!"

"Everyone, calm down. Do me a favor."

Walong hurriedly stepped in to mediate.

Every one of them possessed extraordinary skills, while he was just an ordinary man. If they really started fighting, blades had no eyes. Losing a limb would be a terrible loss.

"Fine."

Allen lowered his sleeves and said calmly, "I'll give you some face because you're easy on the eyes. Give my regards to your calendar boss and his whole family."

Walong: "..."

Calendar boss.

Naturally, he meant The Undying Master.

And he was sending regards to his whole family.

Was he sure he wasn't insulting him?

In truth, Walong had misunderstood Allen. With his abnormal way of thinking, how could he possibly say anything normal?

"Sir, are you insulting The Undying Master?" Walong demanded angrily.

"No."

Allen wore an innocent expression. He swept his gaze over the representatives of the other three factions and said pitifully, "You don't welcome me, so I'll leave!?"

With that, he stood up and called Bruce and Oliver over before heading toward the exit.

As they neared the doorway.

Allen stopped, turned back, and asked, "I'm really leaving."

However, Shredder, Madame Gao, and Walong merely watched him. Their grim expressions made it obvious that none of them intended to stop him.

After the three of them left the conference room and sat down again to discuss various matters.

"You only had to say the word, and I wouldn't have left."

Before they could speak, Allen came back again, looking as though he was giving them one more chance. If they still did not try to keep him, then he would really leave.

Under the stiff stares of three pairs of eyes, Allen curled his lips and said irritably, "You're all grown adults. You get petty after a few words? Your childhoods must have been incomplete, leaving you mentally unhealthy."

"I'm going to kill him."

Shredder rose in fury, ready to strike down that damned lunatic.

"Ha! I hit your sore spot, and now you're lashing out in embarrassment. Hehehe..."

Before fleeing, Allen did not forget to run his mouth one last time.

If Madame Gao had not blocked him with her cane, Shredder would have truly chased after him.

"Discussing important matters is more urgent. Isn't it exactly what we wanted for The League of Assassins' people to be absent?" Madame Gao said calmly.

"Are we simply going to let the humiliation pass?" Shredder asked darkly.

"There's no need for us to act personally. He has seven days to live at most."

The summit fell apart.

Allen and the other two found a motel to stay in.

Oliver went out to investigate the location of The Blade of Redemption while they waited for The League of Assassins to deliver their equipment.

Carrying controlled weapons on a plane was forbidden. Their swords and bows had been stuffed into their luggage, so they were probably being held at the police station by now.

Knock, knock...

"Who is it?"

The knocking sounded, and Allen got out of bed to open the door.

"Someone delivered something for you."

The front desk attendant brought over a rectangular package wrapped in newspaper.

Allen was a little confused. He accepted it, shut the door, and muttered, "I didn't order anything online. Why would I get a delivery?"

Tearing open the wrapping, he found an old-fashioned videotape inside.

"Vintage, nostalgic footage of humanity's precious reproduction."

Allen's eyes narrowed into slits with excitement.

The door to forbidden pleasures was so irresistible.

He inserted the tape into the television and pressed the power button.

Allen sat with his legs together and his hands on his knees, maintaining an upright posture, his eyes filled with criticism.

Gray static appeared on the screen, but the footage did not start immediately.

"Bad connection?"

Allen walked over to the television and patted its casing.

Just then, a black-and-white image began playing.

A woman was brushing her long hair in front of a mirror, filmed from an angle that made it seem like a voyeur was watching her.

"A modern retro island movie. Looks like it has a plot."

Allen grew more and more expectant. He leaned in close, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

A few minutes later, the screen filled with static again. The scene changed to a group of people crawling in twisted poses across a lawn. They looked strange and grotesque, as if enduring unbearable pain. It seemed that salvation lay ahead, and their intense desire to live drove them to crawl forward inch by inch.

"Multiple people, outdoors... this is pretty exciting."

Before Allen could see the scene he had been anticipating, the static returned.

In the next scene, a hooded person stood by a river, pointing silently in one direction.

"Shit, who the hell is bored enough to make an abstract film?"

No matter how messed up Allen's mind was, he had already guessed this was not the educational film he liked. He immediately tried to turn off the television and go to sleep.

But when he pressed the button, the footage kept playing.

"The TV is broken. The owner won't scam me for money, will he?"

Raised under the red flag, Allen was a spirited young man who did not believe in ghosts. He only believed in science.

He used his ultimate move.

He pulled out the plug.

Unexpectedly, the footage continued playing.

A well stood amid silent mountain woods.

As the frames stuttered one after another, a pale hand appeared at the mouth of the well.

Allen looked at the plug in his hand, then at the image on the screen.

A woman with disheveled hair and an obscured face crawled out of the well. She slowly straightened her hunched body, then began walking forward, as though she intended to crawl out of the television and enter reality.

The woman came closer and closer until her white clothes filled the entire screen.

The footage ended there.

Ring, ring...

Suddenly, the landline on the bedside table rang.

Allen picked up the phone.

"Sadako, is that you? Sadako, I'm your fan."

"..."