Kayden lowered his gaze to Massimo, whose eyes were still wide open, staring straight at Kayden. Greedy Wolf’s voice broke the silence. “When we arrived, Massimo’s eyes were wide open like this. He couldn’t die in peace! I tried to close them several times, but they wouldn’t stay shut. There’s something left undone, something he couldn’t release…”
Kayden slowly raised his hand and gently brushed it over Massimo’s face, smoothing down his eyelids. “Rest easy now. I will uncover the truth. That bastard will pay the ultimate price,” he promised.
As his hand fell away, Massimo’s eyes finally closed as if yielding to his words.
“Tell me. What happened here?” Kayden asked, his gaze fixed on Massimo’s pale, still face. His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging with fury. He looked like a man on the edge of madness. Whatever had occurred here, it was clear: revenge was no longer a choice, but an inevitability. A storm of bloodshed was coming!
Greedy Wolf swallowed hard. “Here’s what we think happened. Someone came into Massimo’s house, brandishing a rifle, and shot his wife dead right in front of him. Her blood splattered across his face as he watched her life drain away. When we found his body, it was clear he had cried and cried like a man whose heart had been ripped to pieces!”
Greedy Wolf went on, recounting every detail with haunting precision as if he had witnessed it all himself. This was his gift. He had the ability to piece together the truth by observing the subtle clues at the scene!
Kayden remained silent, his mind echoing with the torment Massimo must have felt. Watching the lifeless body of the woman he loved, it was clear that his hope for life had already been shattered. Massimo had lived three years of happiness with his wife, and the idea of continuing that life had been his greatest dream!
Kayden realized it was his own phone call that had destroyed everything for Massimo!
Perhaps Massimo had already resolved to leave the world of conflict behind, to fade into obscurity. Yet in the end, it was his very association with Kayden that led to his death. Kayden had never felt guilty to anyone, never wronged any of his subordinates, but now, he was gripped by an overwhelming sense of guilt.
It was him who had shaped Massimo into a top-tier hacker, and who had bestowed upon Massimo a fearsome reputation. And yet, in the end, he was the one who had ruined Massimo’s life, who had indirectly led to Massimo’s death. The fault lay with him.
Greedy Wolf offered some comforting words, “Defender, to die in your service was Massimo’s deepest wish. You need not carry the burden of guilt. For Massimo, the greatest regret was never completing the final task.”
Kayden whirled around. His gaze was piercing as he fixed Greedy Wolf with a cold stare. The moment Greedy Wolf met those eyes, he immediately lowered his head in fear. “Forgive me, Defender.”
“Tell me everything you found out about Massimo’s death!”
Greedy Wolf’s voice was thick with sorrow. “The initial conclusion is… it was an act of vengeance. The killer is likely another hacker, someone Massimo had crossed in the past. This person harbored a deep grudge. When he came for Massimo, he knew exactly who Massimo was and how he operated. He crafted the murder to mirror Massimo’s own methods. In other words, the killer used Massimo’s own way of doing things to kill him.”‘
Hearing this, Kayden slowly rose to his feet. He shook his head faintly. “No, this wasn’t just revenge. It was an act to hide the truth. Massimo must have learned something, some secrets that someone would rather keep hidden from the public. That’s why he was silenced. Only someone who thinks they can control everything, who believes they are untouchable, could act so arrogantly. Someone like that, who would kill one of my own subordinates… I can only think of one possibility! That damn organization thinks it holds all the power!”
The killer’s style was outrageously daring, much resembling the tactics of that infamous, provocative organization. They sought to control Kayden, to manipulate the world around them at will.
Kayden had no doubt that Massimo had uncovered something about the events of fifteen years ago, which is why they had to silence Massimo. But what had really happened to the Scott family all those years ago? Was it tied to that organization in some way? Could it be that the deaths of his parents had been orchestrated by them?
Whether it was true or not, one thing was clear: the truth behind the events of fifteen years ago was the reason Massimo had been killed. Massimo was an intelligence master, a man who could’ve been considered a walking archive of the world’s secrets in ancient times.
As Massimo himself used to say, “The unknown is beyond my reach, but when it comes to what has already happened, there’s nothing in this world I don’t know.” He had given himself three days to uncover the truth. Yet on the third day… he was dead.
If this had been a revenge killing, his enemies would’ve struck much earlier. But to come now, at this precise moment? Kayden was no fool. His rise to power wasn’t just thanks to his martial strength, but largely due to his intellect. It was clear to him that Massimo hadn’t been killed out of vengeance. Someone had deliberately made sure he could not investigate certain things.
With that thought, Kayden rose swiftly, turning to Greedy Wolf. “Find out who did this. Right now!”
Then, he stepped onto the balcony, pulling out his phone to dial Jason Scott.
Almost immediately, the call was answered, and Jason’s voice crackled with excitement. “Kayden! You finally called me! I’ve been waiting for days! Have you made up your mind? Are you ready to take over as the head of our family? If you’ve decided, then come back. Here is always your home.”
Kayden fell in silence for a while. He had no interest in discussing the family head with Jason. The position of head had no appeal to him. He cut straight to the heart of the matter. “Tell me, what exactly happened fifteen years ago? Why did you decide to kill my parents? Was their death connected to the organization Hellblazer?”
On the other end of the line, a long silence hung in the air. After what felt like an eternity, there finally came Jason’s deep and heavy voice. “Kayden, no matter how powerful you become, no matter how high your status, no matter what they did to you, never- never-dare to provoke or even try to understand this organization. It’s not something any person can challenge. Even if you’re a leader of armies, even if you’re standing at the very top of this country, even if you control the entire nation, even if you’ve reached the Legendary level, do not cross them. Their power is beyond your wildest imagination.”
Jason wasn’t a man prone to fear, nor was he one to believe in every rumor. The Scott family stood at the pinnacle of Seclela’s power, and as its head, Jason was a man of unshakable resolve. He had seen enough in his time to know what could be fought and what was beyond reach. Few in Seclela had the power to intimidate him. Yet, the quaver in his voice now betrayed his fear for Hellblazer. And it could be seen that Hellblazer held overwhelming force.
But Kayden paid no mind to any of that. From the moment they senselessly killed Flood, Hellblazer had chosen to make itself his enemy. A cold, humorless smile spread across his lips. “Anyone who dares stand against me, no matter how strong they are, I’ll tear them down! Even if it’s as much as going up against the divine!”
He raised his hand to hang up, but then, in a voice filled with urgency, Jason spoke once more, “No! What you’re about to do… is far more terrifying than defying the gods!”
The phone line went dead with a sharp click.
To them, Hellblazer was a terrifying shadow, a force that struck fear into all who heard its name. But in Kayden’s eyes, they were nothing more than enemies. And so what? He would tear them apart, obliterate them, without a second thought.
His fist tightened as his anger boiled over. At that moment, the phone in his hand crumbled under the sheer force of his grip.