The Last Supper

The nights at Eagle Creek Ranch are a stark contrast to the damp, sticky nights of Seattle. The sky over the Rain Shadow region on the western slopes of the Cascade Range is a clear, velvety deep blue, with stars scattered like diamonds across the sky, and the Milky Way stretching across the heavens, so clear it seems almost within reach.

The air was crisp and dry, carrying the pure scents of pine, hay, and distant snow.

However, the lively atmosphere inside the rancher's house tonight forms a strange contrast with the tranquil starry sky.

Inside the sturdy log cabin, the house was brightly lit, and fine Apple burned brightly in the huge stone fireplace. The leaping flames illuminated the spacious living room with warmth and made the rosy faces of the people sitting around the long oak dining table stand out clearly.

The long table was covered with a pristine white linen tablecloth and laden with a lavish, almost extravagant, feast:

A whole suckling pig roasted to a golden-brown, crispy crust, sizzling with oil; a mountain of garlic and rosemary roasted lamb chops; plump, juicy baked lobster; a salad made with a variety of fresh farm vegetables; and a large basket of freshly baked bread, exuding an enticing aroma of wheat.

In a crystal goblet, an expensive Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon gleamed a deep red, jewel-like luster under the light. The air was filled with the aromas of roasting meat, spices, fine wine, and an atmosphere of intense, celebratory excitement.

This is the Johnson Family Clan's celebration party, celebrating their newly received "windfall" of $28 million.

The Old Johnson — Andrew John III—seated in the head seat.

He changed out of his usual mud-stained work clothes and put on a brand-new, slightly tight plaid shirt. His cheeks were flushed from alcohol and excitement, his gray hair was neatly combed, and his azure eyes gleamed with a triumphant, almost arrogant light.

He raised his almost overflowing glass and slammed it against the edge of the table, making a dull thud that drew everyone's attention.

"Quiet! Quiet down!" he shouted in a gruff voice, though the only sounds in the living room were the clinking of cutlery and his own voice. His wife, Judy, sat to his right, a satisfied yet slightly weary smile on her face.

Luke, the son, a burly man in his early thirties with the same youthful recklessness in his eyes but with a more slick look, sat opposite him, unceremoniously tearing apart a lobster claw.

His daughter, Emily, sat next to Luke, wearing an exquisite dark blue velvet dress, her blonde hair elegantly styled, her makeup perfect, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused, and the smile on her lips seemed to be a carefully calculated curve.

Benjamin, the youngest son, a boy just over ten years old who was more interested in the food on the table, sat next to his mother, engrossed in eating a potato covered in gravy.

"Today is a memorable day!" Old Johnson's voice boomed as he raised his glass high, his gaze sweeping over his family, every wrinkle on his face smoothing out, radiating undisguised pride. "To that idiot from Great East University's money—cheers!"

"Cheers!" Luke was the first to respond, grinning broadly to reveal teeth stained with red wine. He slammed his glass against his father's, making a crisp sound. "To Dad's brilliant decision! And to that fool's generosity! Hahaha!"

Judy raised her glass as well, her smile softening slightly, "May God bless this money so that our family can live a better life." But in her eyes, there was also a sense of satisfaction with the wealth.

Emily gracefully raised her glass, took a small sip, and said nothing.

Little Benjamin copied him, raising his juice glass and mumbling, "Cheers!"

"Hahahaha!" Old Johnson downed his glass of red wine in one gulp, let out a long, satisfying breath, and slammed the glass down on the table with a dull thud. He wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his mocking expression deepening.

"You guys didn't see it. When that kid called me this afternoon, he sounded so calm, like he wanted to 'talk' with me? To make some additional arrangements? Hahaha! Does he think this is some kind of vegetable market at Great East University where he can haggle over prices?"

Luke tore off a large piece of suckling pig and stuffed it into his mouth, chuckling indistinctly as he chewed. "Talk? What's there to talk about? The contract is in black and white, he signed it himself! Dad, what did you say to him back then? Did you give him a good scolding?"

"Of course!" Old Johnson exclaimed, beaming, as he began to recount the story, deliberately mimicking Lin Feng's calm tone and his own arrogant response from back then.

"He actually told me something about 'the spirit of contract also includes honest disclosure'? I told him directly: 'You country bumpkin from Great East, you can't understand a contract? My lawyer will teach you! You think there's a trap? Yes, there is a trap, so what? You're just stupid!' You didn't hear the silence on his end, hahaha, he was probably green with anger, but there was nothing he could do about it!"

"He deserves to be taught a lesson!" Luke slammed his fist on the table, spitting almost onto Emily across from him. "Some yellow-skinned Monkey who popped out of some corner of the world, with a few stinking coins in his pocket, dares to act all high and mighty here? He wants to buy Eagle Creek? He's not worthy! Dad, didn't you end up having him sue us?"

"That's right!" Old Johnson said smugly, pouring himself another glass of wine. "I told him, 'If you're not happy, go sue me in the Skagit County Court! Let's see if your lawyer is more capable, or if the Johnson Family's 120-year-old connections are stronger!' Kid, you think you can play the law with me? You'll be in deep trouble! In Skagit, the Johnson Family's word sometimes carries more weight than the law!"

As he spoke with enthusiasm, he looked at Emily, who had remained silent, and said in a drunken and boastful tone, "Emily, it's all thanks to you this time! If you hadn't played along with that kid, bewitching him and lowering his guard, our lawyer wouldn't have been able to tamper with the contract so easily. You worked so hard those few days! Come on, let me toast you!"

Several pairs of eyes on the table turned to Emily.

Emily looked up, her perfect smile unchanged, but a fleeting, unnatural glint crossed her eyes, quickly masked by an even more exaggerated expression of disgust. She pursed her lips, lightly tapping her temple with her brightly painted nails, her voice deliberately raised in a coquettish and disdainful tone:

"Oh, Dad, don't even mention it! Those few days were a nightmare for me! You have no idea how hard it was for me to force a smile at that expressionless, self-important Asia face! Every time he looked at me, I got goosebumps all over."

Horse riding? Stargazing? Chatting by the campfire? Good heavens, every time I get close to him I have to force myself to stay awake, and I have to take several showers to get rid of the feeling! That disgusting yellow-skinned Monkey, does he really think I'd be interested in him? He should know his own worth!

Her words were like the most vicious mockery, shattering the seemingly warm and beautiful interactions on the ranch and revealing the naked scheming and contempt beneath. Combined with her refined yet harsh expression, they were all the more impactful.

"Hahahaha!" Luke burst into an even louder laugh, almost choking on the meat in his mouth. "Well said, sis! I knew you were acting! How could anyone from the Johnson Family possibly be interested in someone like that? But seriously, sis, your acting is superb! I think Hollywood owes you an Oscar!"

Old Johnson clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his face turning bright red.

"That's right! Emily is our family's secret weapon! Once we have this money, what can't we do? Luke, haven't you always wanted to drive a high-end motorcycle in Bellevue? Dad will invest in it for you!"

Judy, don't you love the Hawaii sun? Let's buy a vacation home there this winter! Emily, you want to open your own design studio in Portland? Go ahead! Benjamin, your new game console, the latest model, let's buy it tomorrow!

The family was caught up in a frenzied dream of the future, clinking glasses, laughter, the sound of toasts, and descriptions of a luxurious future mingled together, filled with greed for ill-gotten gains and utter contempt for the deceived.

They firmly believed that, given the carefully crafted contract, the Johnson Family Clan's deep-rooted influence in Skagit County, and the potential bias of United States law (in their view) towards local "decent people," the Eastern boy who had suffered a loss had no choice but to swallow his pride and bear it.

Twenty-eight million was already in their pocket, and Eagle Creek Ranch remained firmly under their control. It was a perfect, risk-free hunt, and they were undoubtedly the victors, high above all others.

"If you ask me, that kid's probably hiding in a Seattle hotel crying right now!" Luke took a big gulp of his drink, let out a loud burp, and his face was full of mockery.

"Or maybe he's scrambling to find a lawyer, only to discover that nobody dares to take a case against the Johnson Family! Just thinking about his pathetic state makes this drink taste even better! Come on, another drink, to that idiot who gave us the money!"

"Cheers!"

Just as everyone raised their glasses again, reaching the most enthusiastic and carefree moment—

"Boom!"

A muffled, faint tremor, as if from the depths of the earth, was faintly heard, causing the wine glasses on the table to sway slightly, and the wine to ripple.

The laughter in the living room abruptly stopped.

Old Johnson's hand, raised to his glass, froze in mid-air, the flush on his face fading slightly as he listened intently. Luke also put down his glass, frowning. A hint of unease flashed across Judy and Emily's faces. Only little Benjamin remained oblivious, still licking the sauce off his fingers.

"What was that sound?" Luke muttered. "Thunder? It doesn't sound like it."

Old Johnson put down his glass, the drunkenness on his face mostly gone, his brow furrowed. Such muffled sounds were rarely heard at Eagle Creek Ranch. He glanced subconsciously out the window.

Outside the window, the night was deep, and the lights of the open ranch formed small halos in the darkness. Further away were the dark outlines of the mountains and forests. Everything seemed normal. The two cowboys responsible for night security were probably patrolling the border and around the main buildings in their pickup trucks along their fixed routes.

This is the norm at the ranch; for decades, apart from the occasional curious backpacker or lost animal, nothing major has ever happened.

Maybe... I misheard? Or maybe it was a heavy truck on the interstate highway in the distance? But it's too far away for the sound to carry.

He shook his head, trying to dispel the inexplicable chill that had risen in his heart, and forced a smile again, attempting to revive the atmosphere. "It's nothing, maybe something spilled. Come on, let's continue..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because, in the next moment—

"Bang! Bang bang bang--!!!"

"Da da da da--!!!"

A rapid, dense, and crisp burst of automatic weapon fire, like popping beans, tore through the tranquil night sky of the ranch without warning, coming from the southeast—the direction of the ranch owner's entrance and the outer workers' quarters—like a storm! The sound was so clear, so close, so violent; it was definitely not an illusion, nor was it any accident!

Gunfire! And it was the sound of automatic weapons firing in rapid succession! At Eagle Creek Ranch!

"Oh my God!" Judy was the first to scream, her fork clattering onto the plate.

Emily's face drained of color instantly, and even her exquisite makeup couldn't conceal her extreme terror. She abruptly covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with shock.

Little Benjamin was so frightened that he burst into tears.

Luke jumped to his feet, knocking over his chair in the process, his face a mask of disbelief and panic. "Gunshots! What happened?! Who's shooting?!"

Old Johnson's face turned ashen in the flickering firelight and lamplight. All his drunkenness, smugness, and arrogance vanished in an instant, washed away by the sudden, death-laden gunshot. A cold, instinctive fear, like a venomous snake, crept up his spine.

He thought of the phone call that afternoon. He thought of the eerily calm tone in the young man's voice at the end. He thought of the phrase, "Clean it up."

But what he expected as revenge was legal proceedings, business entanglements, and a long and costly tug-of-war. He never imagined that the other party's "revenge" would be so direct, so violent, so... undisguised! This was not a business tactic at all; this was war! This was massacre!

"Madman! These Asia Madman!" Old Johnson uttered a hoarse curse, filled with fear and anger, as he lunged at the walkie-talkie main unit hanging beside the fireplace. His hands trembled so much that he could barely grip the black plastic casing.

He pressed the call button and yelled into the microphone, "Hank! Tom! What's going on outside?! Where are the shots coming from?! Answer me! Answer me now!"

From the walkie-talkie's speaker came a piercing electrical noise, followed by a terrified scream from Hank, the cowboy leader in charge of tonight's patrol, a scream interspersed with heavy breathing and more bursts of gunfire:

"Boss! It's... it's a group of Asians! Dressed in black! They rushed out of the woods to the east! There are so many! They're all carrying automatic rifles! They're shooting at anyone they see! Pablo's car is blown to bits! We can't hold them off—ah!!!"

A short, sharp scream followed by the muffled thud of something heavy falling to the ground. Then, all that could be heard on the walkie-talkie was the crackling of static and the faint, increasingly close, and chillingly efficient bursts of gunfire, like the footsteps of death.

"Hank! Hank! Answer me! Fuck!" Old Johnson roared into the walkie-talkie, but there was no response.

He abruptly threw the walkie-talkie away, the machine hitting the carpet with a dull thud. He turned to face his terrified, pale-faced family and roared with all his might:

"Quick! Everyone! Get to the basement! Get into the shelter! Quick! Use the secret passage! Hurry!!!"

His final roar was trembling with despair. The celebratory dinner, the twenty million dollars, the future dreams—all vanished in that moment, leaving only the most primal, naked desire to survive.

Only now did he realize with absolute clarity that he had not provoked a "country bumpkin from Great East University" who could be manipulated at will, but a demon in human skin, who was utterly devoid of any moral bottom line!

The family members snapped out of their daze, screaming and crying, frantically pushing aside their chairs and rushing toward the heavy wooden door at the back of the living room that led to the basement.

Judy picked up the terrified little Benjamin, Emily tripped over her high heels and almost fell, but Luke roughly pulled her up. Old Johnson rushed to the fireplace, where an old-fashioned lever-action rifle hung, and frantically reached for it.

However, just as Judy's hand touched the basement doorknob, Luke was dragging Emily towards the door, and Old Johnson had just grabbed the butt of his gun—

"Boom--!!!"

A terrifying roar, far more muffled, heavier, and more destructive than any gunshot before, suddenly erupted at extremely close range!

The huge, stained-glass window in the living room, facing the ranch's front yard, was suddenly and completely engulfed by a raging, white, scorching flame and shockwave mixed with countless fragments, to everyone's utter astonishment!

A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) trailing an orange-red flame, like the grim reaper's grin, precisely shattered the thick glass and wooden window frames, plunging headlong into the center of the living room, which had been filled with laughter and joy moments before, but was now filled with terror!

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely and freeze at that moment.

In his final moments, Old Johnson saw only the rapidly expanding flames of death, heard the heart-wrenching, abruptly stopped screams of his son Luke and daughter Emily, and felt the intense heat capable of melting everything and the shockwaves that tore everything apart rushing towards him...

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, only two syllables filled with endless regret and fear silently passed through his mind before he was engulfed by the flames:

"... Madman..."

"Boom--!!!"

A massive explosion engulfed everything. Flames shot skyward, instantly transforming the entire main house's living room into a burning inferno. The expensive oak table, exquisite tableware, a table laden with food, firewood burning in the fireplace, family photos on the walls, and the John family who had just been raising their glasses in celebration and mocking each other...

Everything was completely consumed and reduced to ashes by the flames of "revenge" at this moment.

Only the cold starlight outside the window silently illuminates this land that has just been baptized by blood and fire, indifferent and eternal.