Massimo’s brows twitched slightly. Hopelessness was etched on his face as he asked, “Maybe you’re right. I may have done some shitty tings to others in the past! But why did you have to kill my wife and my unborn child? If you have a bone to pick with me, come at me directly. You could take my life, so be it! But leave my family out of this! This is a matter of principle. Don’t you understand that?”
Even with Massimo on the verge of losing control from sheer rage, the man wore an unmoving, cold expression. “If you die, your wife will eventually remarry, and your child will bear someone else’s name. Since you’re a rival deserving of respect, I did you a favor. You will meet your family again after your death. This way, you won’t have to worry about her moving on or your child changing his surname.”
Massimo could hardly believe what he was hearing. The absurdity of it all sent a bitter laugh bubbling up from deep within him. “So, do you mean I should be grateful to you for this?”
The man shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re welcome. This is just my way of showing respect. I admire your talent and intelligence, so I mimic you, defeat you with your own methods, and have your dearest buried alongside you!”
Massimo ground his teeth, fury boiling within him. Each word came out like a dagger as he demanded, “Tell me… who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” the man said. “This time, I’m the one pulling the trigger, but your death wasn’t my idea. I was once a technician you ruined. You destroyed my passion, my career, my dreams in the IT field.”
Massimo had overwhelmed so many people with his superior skill over the years that he couldn’t possibly know who this man was. But since the man had claimed to be sent by someone else, Massimo’s voice darkened with suspicion. “Who sent you? Why do they want me dead?”
The man didn’t sidestep the question. “Because you learned something you weren’t supposed to know. What happened to the Scott family fifteen years ago was never meant for you, nor for that person to find out. You’ve broken their rules, and now, you must die! Only by silencing you can this matter finally be buried for good.”
His answer caught Massimo off guard. He stared at the man with blank eyes, his mind racing. This person knew about the events from fifteen years ago? Could it be…
After a long pause, he slowly raised his head and looked at the man with a piercing intensity. “You work for Saint Dragon Business Association, don’t you?”
“You know too much!” The man’s tone hardened. “Some things are better left in the dark. Knowing too much can cost you your life. You still haven’t learned the lesson.” With a swift motion, he raised the rifle in his hands, its cold barrel pointing directly at Massimo.
Massimo wiped the tears from his face. At this moment his body was brimming with a sudden surge of killing intent. His voice was a low, chilling growl as he asked, “Don’t you know who I am? I’m one of the Defender’s men, Defender of the South!”
The man let out a short, mocking laugh. “Of course, I know. I know all too well. It’s because you’re at his command that I came after you! If you weren’t under his banner, if you hadn’t planned to tell him about those secrets, I wouldn’t have wasted my time hunting you down.”
Massimo’s eyes narrowed into a sharp, dangerous slit. Was there really anyone in this world who dared to disregard the Defender of the South? But of course-these were people from Saint Dragon Business Association. What happened fifteen years ago had already made things painfully clear that they never took the Defender seriously.
Straightening his back, Massimo snorted. “You really think you can kill me, using this gun?”
As he spoke, he stood up from the ground. This time, his limbs were filled with strength. It was hatred that made his every muscle taut and transformed him into something far more formidable!
The man heard this and, with a swift motion, tossed aside his gun with a sharp clink. A moment later, his laughter rang out. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I never intended to use the gun. This one’s for your wife. But you… well, for you, I have something much more fitting in mind.”
With a flourish, he unsheathed a short blade.
Massimo had finally regained his composure, shaking off the mental collapse. Revenge was now the only thought in his mind. This man had slaughtered his wife and child. He was going to make this bastard pay with his life.
“If you think you can defeat me, then let’s settle this like men. Give me a chance to arm myself!” Massimo said in an icy voice.
The man was swelling with arrogance. He grinned in response. “Go ahead. I’m looking forward to it!”
His arrogance stemmed from his absolute confidence in his own strength. He knew he could end Massimo’s life at any moment. Since Massimo still thought he had a chance, why not let him fight back a little? In the man’s mind, Massimo’s death was already inevitable.
This was the man’s self-assurance, built on unmatched skill. Unlike the Five Ghosts, he never relied on chance. He always made sure to study his target carefully before striking. Massimo? Just a hacker. No martial arts skill to speak of.
Massimo walked toward the kitchen. He opened a hidden compartment in the counter and retrieved a small, dust-covered box. He handled it with reverence as if it were something precious. With a soft click, he lifted the lid, revealing a set of needles-not ordinary ones, but thicker than silver needles. These were no simple tools. They were intricately designed, each one adorned with a delicate dragon motif. They’re ancient, elegant, and unmistakably lethal hidden weapons.
Inside the box, nestled alongside the needles, were two protective gloves designed to fit over his hands. Without a moment’s hesitation, Massimo slipped them on and loaded all the needles. If that man thought he could defeat him, then let him come! This was a special set of equipment crafted by Kayden for Massimo. Massimo wasn’t a fighter, nor did he possess any martial arts skills. He was a hacker, a world-renowned hacker. Hidden weapons were the perfect defense for someone like him.
Stepping out of the kitchen, there wasn’t even a flicker of doubt in Massimo’s mind. He raised his hand and fired without warning.
A needle shot out with the speed of a bullet, cutting through the air with a sharp whoosh and heading straight for the man. Hatred boiled in Massimo’s chest, drowning out any thoughts of ethics or honor. When the needle was mere inches from its target, the man, though caught off guard, made a quick evasive move. He dodged it!
But before the man could fully react, Massimo fired again. This time, the man was fully prepared. He raised the short blade with a quick flick of his wrist, and with a resounding clang, the needle struck the blade and dropped to the ground.
The man sneered with cold amusement. “That is not an act of honor, don’t you think? I gave you a chance to grab a weapon, but you’re trying to sneak attack me instead?”
Massimo’s voice was laced with venom as he ground out, “You killed my wife, and now you have the nerve to lecture me about honor?” His mind was consumed with a singular thought: kill this man, then tell the Defender everything about the events of fifteen years ago, and end it all with his own death.
The man said in a dismissive. “I’ve heard your hidden weapons are something special. But from where I’m standing, you’re not all that impressive.”
Whiz! Whiz! Whiz! Without the slightest hesitation, Massimo fired off three needles in rapid succession. But in a blur of motion, the man effortlessly deflected each one with the blade in his hand. His speed was so unnatural it seemed as though he were an invincible master of martial arts.
After knocking the needles aside, the man seemed tired of the game. “That’s enough. You can die now.”
With those words, he swung his short knife in a sharp arc, charging at Massimo like a predator leaping at its prey.
In the span of a heartbeat, the blade slashed across Massimo’s throat, the strike so swift it was almost a blur. It had to say, the fluidity and speed of the man’s move bore a striking resemblance to Kayden’s-deadly, precise, and unstoppable. The same thing between them was, that the moment they drew their blades, blood would always spill.
Massimo collapsed to his knee. He felt the life draining from his body as blood spurted from the deep gash in his throat.
It was over. His life had been snuffed out in the blink of an eye.
His name would live on in hacker circles, forever remembered as a legend. But his failure to complete the Defender’s mission weighed heavily on him. In his final moments, the guilt of it crushed him to the core!
The man glanced back at Massimo, then stooped to pick up the hidden weapon that lay at Massimo’s feet. With a mocking smile, he muttered, “A tiny twig trying to break a massive tree… You overestimated yourself!”