Courage and weakness

Glass shards burst outward, cutting Elikon's face as the small explosion tore a hole in the heating pipe.

Hot gas blasted straight into Elikon's face. The searing rush forced his eyes shut and left half his face burning.

"Fuck... what the hell..."

By the time he remembered to check on Rigordo, he saw that Rigordo had already fallen to the floor.

The blast had certainly thrown off his aim, but not by much. His shot had struck Rigordo squarely in the thigh, and blood poured from the wound.

"Ah-you little bastard..." Rigordo lay on the floor, clutching his wound, full of disappointment and pain.

"You brought this on yourself..." Elikon watched Rigordo writhe on the floor and chambered another round.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to fire this last shot. Suddenly, he remembered the good stuff the gang had given him.

There were a few little blue pills. When the gang member handed them over, he had patted Elikon on the shoulder and told him earnestly:

"This job can be pretty hard. If you feel like you can't go through with it, take some of these. We call them Courage Pills. They cost a damn fortune.

"Oh, and take them one at a time. Even our boys haven't tried taking them all at once."

Without hesitation, Elikon shoved all the pills into his mouth. The world instantly spun before his eyes.

He saw naked beauties surrounding him. He saw gangsters bowing their heads at his side. He saw endless booze everywhere.

He saw heaps of blue "courage" piled before him. He held a pair of tongs, the kind used to scoop ice cream, though he had no idea why he was using them.

He picked up a pill, but just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he suddenly heard Rigordo's voice.

"Dad?" Elikon slurred. "I'm so glad to see you-you're such a coward. Have some courage to make up for it..."

Bang!

Elikon handed Rigordo the pill, then gave himself another.

He just didn't understand why his dad made so much noise when he took a pill.

"Good stuff, Dad. Good stuff. You should've tried some courage ages ago..."

Bang!

The farce ended that afternoon.

The NYPD finally reopened the case of the property owner killed by a toothpick. Surveillance footage had captured Bullseye attacking people on the street.

And Bullseye was a career criminal. He had been bailed out many times, which also meant he had been arrested many times. Now, plenty of cold cases had fresh leads.

That was also thanks to Lier's surveillance cameras. Bullseye's face was unrecognizable beneath the dump truck. Without the footage, no one could have identified the attacker.

The NYPD ultimately classified the street attack as an organized crime case. They might not have uncovered Kingpin's name yet, but they knew someone like him was out there.

Ironically, the terrifying toothpick killer, brazen enough to chase law-abiding citizens down the street, had met his end by running a red light and getting run over by a United Construction Company dump truck.

The only parties who had to answer for it were the dump truck that had been speeding and overloaded that day, and the United Construction Company behind it.

"...That night, the NYPD also found several bodies elsewhere. Those were actual gang members.

"Car theft, electricity theft... petty crooks with records. Looks like the gang disposed of them internally. Any ideas?"

Matt finished reading the summary in a cheerful mood. He had been injured too, but he only needed a few bandages.

Unlike Lier, who was hooked up to every kind of vital signs monitor and still on oxygen.

"Well... I'm guessing someone told them to cut the surveillance cameras' power cables, but they found it didn't accomplish anything."

Lier answered Matt's question. He had recently laid the cameras' backup power lines himself.

The gang's technicians were amateurs and hadn't considered that possibility.

"Then I have to say, Bloom has made a name for itself as a security consultancy. I'm guessing you'll be able to move out soon."

"Cough, cough!"

Old Rigordo coughed from the other bed in the ward.

He had narrowly survived. He had been shot in the thigh and face, but tenants who rushed over had quickly saved him.

Elikon, on the other hand, had died right there at home. The medical examiner concluded that he had taken a powerful hallucinogen and killed himself by putting a gun in his mouth.

It was astonishing, but not impossible for a first-time user of such a potent synthetic drug. People who were high could even strangle themselves, let alone a kid holding a gun.

"Don't worry." Lier smiled. "Mr. Rigordo, I'm not moving out. At the very least, I have to pay back the money my mom owes you, right?

"What about John? How is he doing?"

Skye immediately answered from beside him. "Well... he's in pretty bad shape, but he got treatment in time. There may be lasting damage to his lungs and throat, but thankfully, he'll live.

"Though his voice might be a little hoarse from now on."

That timely rescue hadn't come from a hospital ambulance, but from a property owner passing by.

Thanks to the reputation they had earned through physical force, a passing taxi driver had saved him. Skye could still picture the driver swearing he would get John to the hospital in time.

According to the doctor, a delay of even a few dozen seconds would have left John with permanent, severe damage from oxygen deprivation to his brain, even if he woke up.

"But I'm guessing he isn't having much fun right now. Anthony's looking after him. That guy sings every day now, and he's teaching little John to sing along."

"Then he really can't be in a very good mood."

Everyone in the ward burst into laughter.

Chief George Stacy, standing nearby, smiled faintly at the sight.

For some reason, there was always a sense of vitality around this kid.

He put on his police cap. "Since the hero of the Clinton District is awake, I'll be going. On behalf of the entire NYPD, I'd like to thank you-or rather, all of you.

"One last thing, Mr. Rigordo. We reviewed your old case. That man was indeed connected to the Black Street Thugs, whose case we've now reopened.

"We... still can't establish a connection between that man and your wife's death. But your sentence was indeed excessive. The NYPD will follow the procedures to issue you compensation."

Rigordo snorted twice, apparently unimpressed by the police, even their chief.

Still, his increasingly wet eyes showed that he was anything but calm inside.

"Well, I'll be off. The case this incident uncovered will keep us busy for quite a while."

"Take care, Chief Stacy. Thank you so much for everything you've done for Hell's Kitchen."

"You're the ones who deserve the thanks."

George gave Lier a long look. This young man had changed some of his views.

After the chief left, Lier suddenly asked, "So, Mr. Rigordo, what happened back then?"

Rigordo closed his eyes and gently shook his head. "Old stories that aren't worth mentioning. I used to have a temper. I'd get into gunfights with gangs for other people's sake.

"Then one day, while I wasn't home, some guy broke into the apartment and killed... her.

"The tenants wouldn't testify. They all moved away, so I had to take matters into my own hands. That was what sent me to prison. And Elikon..."

Rigordo didn't need to explain the rest. Everyone could guess.

Having finished, Rigordo rolled over. "I'm going to sleep. Keep it down."

The ward immediately grew quiet, though it felt more peaceful than silent.

"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing."

Lying in his hospital bed, Lier felt the outcome had justified their efforts. If he hadn't stepped in, things might have been very different now.

With its eyes covered, the NYPD would have left Hell's Kitchen to fend for itself. The residents would have hated both the police and the gangs, yet dared not resist under the threat of the law and violence.

Kingpin would have grown stronger by the day. As his first stepping stone, Hell's Kitchen would have remained crushed beneath the lowest tier of his criminal empire, never able to rise again.

What relieved him most was that Mr. Rigordo had survived.

Rigordo had once used that gun to fight gangs and avenge his wife. Now his son had tried to use it to serve a gang and kill his own father.

Perhaps this was a symbolic turning point. The gang kid had died, while Rigordo, who was still willing to help others despite everything he had endured, had survived.

Even Lady Luck had been on their side. Although Lier believed he should have everything under control, he admitted that everything required a little luck.

Lier felt sorry for Mr. Rigordo, but he had no regrets, nor did he feel any guilt over the kid's death.

Before long, Matt and Skye went back to work, and Mr. Rigordo fell quietly asleep in the room.

Only Maya remained beside Lier. She hadn't spoken earlier because what she wanted to say didn't fit the mood.

"Mom, I know what you want to say, but don't you think all of this was worth it?"

Maya smiled with aching affection, stroking the hair on Lier's forehead. "Son, that's why I didn't say anything. You've grown up."

Lier removed his oxygen mask and sat up straight. Looking at the wrinkles on his mother's face, he said, "Mom, trust me. Someday we'll live in a home like a garden in the sky. Everyone will have a place.

"Quit that job in Chinatown. I'll arrange a new one for you."

Smiling, Maya brushed a finger against Lier's nose. "A garden in the sky, huh?

"I used to dream about that when I was little. Before I came to America, I thought everyone here had a house like that.

"I'll listen to you. I'll quit tomorrow."

"Then keep dreaming. Someday it'll come true." Lier shrugged. "Mom, could you go check on John for me?"

"Of course. Get some rest."

Soon, no one else was left in the room. Lier threw back the covers and disconnected all the equipment attached to him.

He had a reason for sending Maya away. The surveillance cameras had picked up something new.

Kingpin's emissary had arrived.

Lier deliberately found an empty ward to wait in.

The man sent to speak with him wore a suit, the standard image of a Wall Street elite. To Lier, he looked rather generic.

Clearly, he was merely a mouthpiece, someone who wouldn't even have any ties to the United Construction Company.

The suited man got straight to the point. "My employer invites you to build a business with us. There's no need for us to fight."

"Sure." Lier nodded. "He's already consolidated everything south of West 34th Street, north of West 57th Street, and east of Eighth Avenue. I won't interfere with that.

"But I can buy back the land within those boundaries at ten percent above cost, to help him recover his cash."

"That's impossible. You don't understand the situation. You were merely lucky this time."

"No, you're the ones who don't understand." Lier shook his head. "He can't start construction here anymore."

The man shook his head regretfully. "It seems there's nothing to discuss. Still, I'm sure you'll change your mind soon."

With that, the suited man turned and left.

Lier stared after him and said, "He's the one who'll change his mind soon. And you'll soon undergo a change that only happens once in a lifetime."

The suited man ignored Lier entirely. He returned to his car and signaled for the driver to start the engine.

Over at the United Construction Company, reporters had surrounded the premises. After all, this incident had provided concrete proof that the company had failed to protect its workers' rights.

Not to mention that the crash was tied to the NYPD's latest statement.

Kingpin was irritated, though none of it showed on his face. He left through the back door and got into his luxury stretch limousine.

"That's what he said? He's got guts."

Kingpin's voice turned icy when he received the news. Since the kid thought luck would always be on his side...

The car entered Hell's Kitchen, passing intersection after intersection. Lier wanted to divide the territory between them, but that was never going to happen.

He only needed to keep finding local gangs and have them stir up trouble. Eventually, it would pay off.

But...

Just as the car cleared an intersection, a fully loaded dump truck barreled straight toward the limousine!

Honk, honk, honk-

Screech-

The piercing horn nearly shattered their eardrums, and the brakes dragged a long black streak across the road!

But the truck wouldn't stop!

Bang!

The dump truck didn't flatten the car into a photograph this time, but it slammed solidly into the limousine's front half.

That single impact spun the car more than halfway around!

"Damn it! How are you driving?!" Kingpin raised his head, only to find his driver trapped in the mangled driver's seat. The smell of motor oil mixed with blood was nauseating.

The traffic light that had just been green was now red!

He looked at the truck that had hit him. It belonged to the United Construction Company too!

Kingpin had no interest in the driver, who was about to die. Instead, he stared fixedly at the distant red light.

He had been warned! Just as he had used Bullseye and toothpicks to warn those property owners, someone had warned him using the very same method!

No evidence, no hard proof. Only an identical method and a sequence of events he couldn't explain. More importantly...

The other party knew who he was!

At the noisy intersection, Kingpin suddenly hesitated.

He lit a cigar, took out his phone, and called his subordinate. "Wesley, the man who handled that conversation-take care of him. We need to adjust our strategy."

Yes, he was backing down. At least until he figured out what was going on in Lier's bizarre territory, he couldn't act rashly.

Considering the company's extremely high leverage and the mountain of urgent problems left by Bullseye's death, continuing the fight was too risky. His only option was to dispose of the territory he had swallowed up.

As for the man who had handled the conversation, no one could be allowed to know that he had backed down.

Publicly, this was merely an adjustment to his business strategy.

In the hospital, moonlight shone through the glass onto Lier.

"Technology is the weakness of people like him."

New messages had already appeared before his eyes.

[Unstable energy is about to erupt]

[Please prepare.]