I Know You're in a Hurry, but Hold on a Second

Thud.

Thud, thud.

Thud, thud, thud!

"Damn it, who the hell's banging on my door this late at night? Are you trying to keep me from sleeping? Who is it?!"

Brian climbed out of bed, bleary-eyed and swearing under his breath. He stumbled over to the door and peered through the peephole. In an instant, it was as if someone had doused him in ice water. He shuddered, and all traces of sleep vanished.

He fumbled with the lock and hurriedly opened the door. Standing on the other side was Liao Ji, carrying a girl in his arms.

"Quick, come in!"

"Irin! What happened to her?!"

Brian stared anxiously at the unconscious Irin and cried out in alarm. Fortunately, Liao Ji immediately handed the girl over to him, then explained that Irin had only fallen asleep.

At first, Brian didn't believe him. He recognized the Kalleva uniform Irin was still wearing, marked with signs of a struggle—and even three glaring bullet holes!

But after checking her over, he found no wounds on her body, and her breathing was steady. If he had to describe her condition, she simply looked exhausted. Only then did he accept Liao Ji's explanation: Irin really had just fallen asleep.

Brian was relieved, but his anxiety didn't ease in the slightest.

"What happened? Weren't you supposed to pick up Nolan and then leave Black Cave?!"

Liao Ji didn't answer. He pointed at Irin, indicating that Brian should take her inside first and get her settled before they talked.

They went into the empty spare bedroom. Brian took off Irin's coat and carefully tucked the sleeping girl into bed. Then he quietly closed the door and stepped back out.

Liao Ji said, "After we split up at the bar, we went to Dane Clinic, but we couldn't find Aunt Nolan."

"What?! That's impossible! I sent someone to check on Nolan just yesterday!"

"Yeah. Afterward, I arrested the director there. Once I questioned him, I found out they'd decided Irin wasn't coming back when she went down into the Relic Cave with the Kalleva people around noon today. So they sold your aunt to the Cleaners."

Brian stood frozen. There was too much to take in, and for a moment he couldn't process any of it.

"Irin? Kalleva? The Relic Cave?"

"Yeah. She accepted a high-paying exploration job from the gang to raise money for her mother's surgery. But now it looks like it was a setup. Kalleva never intended to let Irin come back alive."

As he listened to Liao Ji, the veins on Brian's forehead throbbed. His anger sent blood rushing to his head.

"Idiot! Moron! That stupid little—! Was her brain kicked by a donkey or what?! How the hell could she do something so damn—!"

Liao Ji thought he might have figured out where Irin had picked up that way of talking.

After cursing up a storm, Brian hurried back to the point. "What about Nolan? Where did that Cleaner take her? Don't tell me she—!"

"Yeah. Kalleva."

The young man's nod confirmed Brian's worst fear. It hit him like a bolt from the blue. His head began to spin, and a loud ringing filled his ears.

Kalleva.

It was over. It was all over.

If it had been any other faction, Brian might have had a chance to rescue Nolan. But if it was Kalleva...

Brian clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

The next moment, the bearded man turned, pulled a submachine gun from under the sofa, strapped five grenades to his waist, and made for the door, his eyes bloodshot.

"Forget it, Uncle. It's too late," Liao Ji said, shaking his head.

"Too late? I damn well know that! But even if I can't get Nolan out, I'll make those scumbags—those goddamn animals—pay for it!"

Out of control, Brian went back into the room and dragged out a large can of gasoline, probably to put in his car and make a car bomb.

Liao Ji's eyelid twitched at the sight.

"Don't get worked up. Calm down. Don't rush. Just hear me out."

"Calm down? How the hell do you expect me to calm down?! You don't understand. You have no idea! Nolan is the only woman I've ever loved. I'd give my life for her! I've already lost her once. I don't want to go through it a second time! Don't talk to me about reason—I've got none left! I'm going to take those bastards down with me! I'll make them pay with their lives for Nolan!!!"

"That's why I said you're too late. The person you wanted to take down with you—the Kalleva leader whose name was something like Falmu—has already been killed by Irin."

Liao Ji's words finally pulled Brian back from the brink of madness.

Brian stared at the young man with wide eyes, wondering if he'd heard wrong. He asked in disbelief,

"Y-you just said what? Falmu—the King of Black Cave, the supreme leader of Kalleva—is dead?"

"Yeah. And his doctor, too. Irin also wiped out the entire Zhuo'e Factory, where they kidnapped people and experimented on them."

"Are you out of your mind?"

Now it was Brian's turn to wonder if Liao Ji had lost his senses.

Even when Brian had just been ready to throw away his life to take revenge on Kalleva, the person he'd expected to go one-for-one with was, at best, some mid-level thug. As for Falmu? Brian wouldn't even have dared dream about it.

"If you don't believe me and still want to go take a look, that's up to you. But I'd suggest staying home. First, given Irin's condition, I think she needs someone to keep an eye on her. Second..."

Liao Ji glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Well, it's about time. The Knights Order should have the place locked down by now. You wouldn't be able to get in anyway."

Brian opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

His reason told him this was impossible, that Liao Ji had to be joking. But deep down, his instincts told him the young man wasn't making it up.

Brian soon realized, though, if what the young man had said was true, then...

"What about Nolan? You didn't find her?! Or are you saying she's already... already..."

"Your aunt is still alive. But this is where things get complicated. Because she survived the experiment, Kalleva sent her to the Church."

"The Church?"

"Yeah. The Church has secretly been backing Kalleva, using them as puppets to make that priest research the Great Emperor's Relic they dug up from the ruins."

Liao Ji said it all so casually, but his words sent shockwaves through Brian. Any one of them, if made public, could have stunned all of Black Cave and turned it upside down.

At that moment, Brian felt the sorrow of being a nobody deep in his bones. What had they done wrong? They only wanted to live in peace. Yet even so, they were caught up and swallowed by the whirlpool of the powerful, and there was nothing he could do.

When it came to Kalleva, Brian had still found the resolve to go out in a blaze of glory and take revenge. But now that his target was the Church...

No!

There was still hope! There had to be!

Brian looked at Liao Ji pleadingly. But then he remembered that even Liao Ji had just called the Church "trouble," and his eyes dimmed again.

So there really was no way?

Of course. It was the Church. Who in the Holy Kingdom could stand against it?

"Uncle, you may have misunderstood me. By 'trouble,' I meant I have an acquaintance in the Church."

"An acquaintance?"

"Yeah. Someone I know very, very well. Because of her, I'm hesitating a little and can't decide what to do about the Church. Sigh..."

Liao Ji seemed to be explaining himself to Brian, but he sounded more like he was muttering to himself in frustration.

"Forget it. I'll take things as they come."

"We've waited long enough. The Knights Order should have their investigation results by now. Uncle, can I borrow your phone? I need to make another call."

Waiting? Investigation results? A call?

Brian couldn't keep up with Liao Ji's train of thought and had no idea what was going on. Still, that didn't stop him from hurrying to his room and handing over his phone.

"Thanks."

"Now for the next step... Ah! There it is! Good thing I didn't lose it."

Liao Ji patted his pockets, then pulled out a silver-white... business card, right before Brian's bewildered eyes.

That was...

A Knights Order business card! From that time!!

Brian recognized it at once. It was from the Haisha Corrupt Calamity incident that afternoon. In front of everyone, Liao Ji had asked the Knights Order captain for his card. Brian remembered the captain turning him down, but Liao Ji had been persistent, so he'd immediately asked another young knight standing nearby. That time, he'd succeeded.

So what was he planning to do now?

"That's it for now, Uncle. I have to go. I'm leaving Irin in your care. If she wakes up, tell her not to run off or come looking for me. She should stay put and get some more sleep. And you too, Uncle. Anyway, leave Aunt Nolan to me."

As he spoke, Liao Ji began dialing the number on the card and walked out the door.

But when he reached it, he suddenly stopped as if he'd remembered something. He pulled another phone from his pocket and waved it at Brian. It was the one Liao Ji had borrowed—well, taken—from Artur, one of the gangsters at the factory.

"Almost forgot. Uncle, I recorded everything you just said about Aunt Nolan. So... Irin did do some stupid things, and you can lecture her, but don't be too hard on her, and don't you dare lay a hand on her! Otherwise, what goes around comes around. If I play your heartfelt speech for her and her mother, I can't say what Irin might do to you."

"That's it. I'm off."

Leaving behind a middle-aged, greasy-looking uncle with a twisted, ugly expression, Liao Ji started down the stairs. At the same time, the person on the other end finally answered his call.

"Hello? Oh! Hello, hello. Is this... Mr. Tamik?"