Part 64: Let's Go Home

_{content warning: gun violence, eye trauma}

[BGM: The Darkness]


Ye

We were heading towards the port in a black sedan driven by Ye.
She had received reliable information that Mr. Lin had some business at the warehouse there tonight, and I should be able to see him.

Before heading out, Ye had prepared all kinds of weapons, even some hand grenades.
She said I had already become an enemy of the Black Dragon Gang, and showing up like this after escaping prison was practically committing suicide.
If I insisted on going, we had to be prepared.

But all of the weapons were too difficult for me to use. It took me forever to figure out how to use a handgun, not to mention the others.
So in the end, I decided to only take a gun with me.
No matter what happened tonight, I had to take this opportunity and get an answer from Mr. Lin.



We were about one kilometer away from the port when Ye stopped the car.
I opened the door.

“To be honest... I wish you wouldn't leave me.”
Ye grabbed at my clothes.

There was barely any human traffic around here, nothing except a group of trees nearby.
It felt a little creepy indeed.
“But I have to go. How about I leave you the gun?”

“You idiot! That's not what I mean! I mean...”
Her face became red.

For some reason, my heart was suddenly beating faster, and my face was getting red too, even hot!
I even felt my hair perking up!
Was this... what they called l... l... lov...



Ye pulled her hand back into the car.
“I'll be waiting here.”
Then she rolled up the window.

I stared at her from outside, nodded my head, and walked towards the port.
No matter what, I must come back in once piece.
I had so many things I wanted to tell her!

Halfway to the port, I heard a strange sound of a bird chirping.
It didn't sound like regular birds, and I began to worry about Ye.



I ran back to where the car was.
The black sedan was still there.
But the driver's side door was wide open and there was no one inside the car.
I saw a few drops of blood on the ground near the door.

I got into the car and started the engine.
I was driving at the highest speed possible. I went through every single road and alley I could find nearby, but I couldn't find any other cars or people that looked suspicious.
The sun had come out, and I still couldn't find Ye.

In the end, I didn't see Mr. Lin at the port.
And I had lost Ye.
She was gone, just like that.



There were too many people who had a reason to harm her.
It could be an enemy of the Blood Gang.
Or it could be someone who had a personal grudge, like Mr. Kuan.

It was all my fault. I should not have let her wait for me there.
Lord... please bring her back to me.

Carlos.



[BGM: My Mexican Guitar Gently Weeps]


Let's Go Home

I didn't hold a funeral for Zucco.
The night of his death, a man and a woman in blue tracksuits came over. They told me that they had been his long time designated body handlers.

There was no sign of grief on their faces. They just moved his body into a body bag like it was business as usual.
They unlisted and cancelled the phone number.
His favorite three-month-old adult magazine was also thrown into the body bag and taken away.

All that was left to me was Zucco's own credentials to his business app, and all of the contact information for his informants over the years.
He seemed to know that I would need all of this one day.



In one night, it was almost as if this person had never even existed.
It was like magic.
Well. It befitted the style of the magician.

I didn't wait until the next day.
I followed the lead that Zucco had given me and contacted multiple informants of his. I quickly located the address of the man who had delivered the bomb to my house.

Vengeance was not my only purpose.
Another thing that had caught my attention was the small item that Zucco had taken off the bomb.
It was such a unique item that I had recognized it instantly.
There was no mistake... I had made something similar to this over a dozen times myself.
I couldn't be more familiar with the technique.



When he came back from the laundry, still humming a tune, he didn't notice my existence at all.
After he had given the password to his contact system, Assassin No. 7, one of my young colleagues, lay on the floor with a hand covering his slit throat.
He was looking at me with a face full of regrets as I sat in his computer chair, wearing his baseball cap.

I lit a cigarette.
Memories were flooding through me.

Ray never smoked. He said smoking would make a person dull.
So he always had a bottle of gum with him, and he would take one whenever he needed to be alert.
I had eventually developed the same habit after spending so much time with him.

But now...
I pursed my lips, watched the white smoke leaving my mouth, twisting in the air, and disappearing.
Those memories of us should disappear just like the smoke.



2AM. The other side finally logged on.

[Mission accomplished.]
[Did she say something?]
[Not exactly. But she had something she wanted me to pass on to you.]
[In three days, 4AM. Warehouse 5 at the port.]

As he logged off, Zucco's app buzzed. There was a new order, and the payment was good.
Coincidentally, the target of this order was the same person that I was going to meet.

[BGM: Night Ventures]


The wind tonight felt unusually cold.
Ray had just finished his business and had sent away his men.
He was standing under the streetlight in front of Warehouse 5 by himself, and had just put a piece of gum in his mouth.
The fallen leaves were swept up into the air by the wind, and blown towards where I was hiding.

He looked up.
His eyes squinted. His mouth curled into a perfect arc.
It was the same expression he had on his face every time he saw me in the past.

I turned my head and looked away.
I knew it was just a trick.
A trick that he was using to play me.
But I just couldn't force my finger to pull the cold trigger.

A gun shot.

I wiped away the tears.



I was leaning on a rock near the dam,
facing the ocean,
with Ray's coat over my shoulders.
My mind was slipping away from me, along with the warmth as it slowly left my body.

Is Mexico on the other side of the ocean?
No... I don't think it is the right direction...
The ocean is so dark... when is the sun going to come out?
Carlos must be in class right now... maybe school is almost over...
Hmm? ...is it... snowing?

No, it can't be... I must be dreaming... must be...
Heavenly Father... please take me to him... don't let me wander in the wilderness... alone... please...

Alicia



It's been a long time coming, but we've finally reached the point where Alicia and Carlos's paths might cross. But we need to find a different solution from the default to make that happen. Let's get started.



[BGM: The Darkness]


I sent Ye away in her black sedan and immediately ran towards the port.

It was almost daytime. There were no fishermen around yet, and everything was so quiet at the port.
Warehouse 5 was located at a corner on the outskirts of the port. I could already see it in the distance.
Then I heard a loud gunshot come from that direction.

When I finally got there I saw two people on the dam in front of the warehouse.

The one standing was Mr. Lin, whom I hadn't seen for over half a year. He was holding a gun in his raised left hand.
The other one on the ground was a woman. She had long and curly maroon hair, and she was lying motionless in a puddle of blood.

It had been too many years since I had last seen her, but I could still recognize her in a heartbeat.
I couldn't understand what had happened, and why it had to happen right before my eyes.
My brain had gone completely blank.

In the numbness, I raised the gun Ye had given me...



It's unavoidable that someone will die on Alicia's side, and it's obviously going to be a bad ending for Carlos to find his sister dead, so we need to make sure she survives. The black piece in this puzzle represents the gun (or guns) being fired between her and Mr. Lin, so we need to move the tears piece above it to make sure nothing interferes with her defending herself...



[BGM: Night Ventures]


Two gunshots.
His bullet grazed my left shoulder.
And mine went through his right eye.

I stood upon the dam facing the dark ocean, with Ray's coat over my shoulders.
I could still feel the final warmth from his body.
Tears were streaming down my face and dancing in the wind.

Eventually, the warmth was gone.
Farewell, Ray.

I pushed his already cold body down the dam, and it kept rolling into the pitch-black water below.
In the middle of the waves, I thought I heard Carlos calling my name.

I turned around. The wind had blown Ray's coat off my shoulders.
And it carried the coat into the ocean.

On the other side of the road my younger brother, whom I hadn't seen in nine years, was standing under a street light.



It wasn't a dream.
It really wasn't a dream this time.

He wasn't moving though.
He must have seen me push Ray down.

I didn't know whether I should go forward or back away.
I never imagined that this would be how our Heavenly Father would punish me.



Meanwhile, seeing Carlos at that moment made me temporarily lose my assassin's instincts.
I didn't even notice the amateur who had followed behind Carlos, and was now staring at me from behind the cargo container 20 meters away from me.

He was just an amateur with an amateur weapon.
But he got me.
The bullet went straight through my heart.

I had only seven seconds left.
I stepped forward.
20 meters away.

Six seconds.
16 meters.

Five seconds.
10 meters.



Four seconds.
4 meters.

Three seconds.
I touched his hand.

Two seconds.
I kissed his forehead.

One second...
“...Forgive me.”



[BGM: The Darkness]


I sent Ye in her black sedan and immediately ran towards the port.

It was almost daytime. There were no fishermen around yet, and everything was so quiet at the port.
Warehouse 5 was located at a corner on the outskirts of the port. I could already see it in the distance.
Then I heard a loud gunshot come from that direction.

When I finally got there I saw two people on the dam in front of the warehouse.

One of them had just pushed the other down the dam.
It was Mr. Lin. He had just fallen into the ocean.
The one standing on the dam was a woman. Her long and curly maroon hair was dancing wildly in the wind.
It was almost like death was cheering her on.



It had been too many years since I had last seen her, but I could still recognize her in a heartbeat.
I hesitated, then called out her name.

She turned around. Our eyes met.

I was right. It was her...
It was Alicia...
It was... my big sister...



I couldn't understand what I was feeling, and I couldn't move my feet even one inch.
Another gunshot came out of nowhere.
I didn't realize it had anything to do with us at first.
Not until Alicia had come so close to me did I notice that... blood was coming out of her chest.

She had been bleeding as she walked from where she was, all the way to where I was. It was like a little red stream following her footsteps.
She touched my hand and kissed my forehead.
She said something, but it was too quiet and I couldn't hear it.



My tears were flooding down my face uncontrollably. They were dropping on her hands, and on her face...
Why would this happen to me, to us...



They finally meet, only for Alicia to be killed by Hotaru, who has been tailing Carlos this whole time. We made sure that Alicia survived her encounter with Mr. Lin, but we also have to make sure that Hotaru can't get his revenge on her. ...And there's only one way we can achieve this outcome.



We have to ensure that Carlos and Alicia do not meet, to keep both alive and safe.

[BGM: Misterio]


Two gunshots.
His bullet grazed my left shoulder.
And mine went through his right eye.

I stood upon the dam facing the dark ocean, with Ray's coat over my shoulders.
I could still feel the final warmth from his body.
Tears were streaming down my face and dancing in the wind.

Eventually, it was gone.



Zucco's app had just received another order.
It seemed quite dangerous.

I threw his coat into the air and let the wind carry it into the ocean.
I set my destination for the next target.
Time to go.



[BGM: The Darkness]


“But I have to go...”

“You idiot! That's not what I mean! I mean...”
Her face became red.

For some reason, my heart was suddenly beating faster, and my face was getting red too, even hot!
I even felt my hair perking up!
Was this... what they called l... l... lov...

Ye pulled her hand back into the car.
“I'll be waiting here.”
Then she rolled up the window.

But I put my hand on the closing window.
“Wait!”



I had noticed something in the trees earlier.
It could just be some animals, but it could also be someone following us.
Ye was the princess of the Blood Gang. I couldn't leave her here by herself.

I walked around the area for a little while after Ye had driven away, making sure nobody was following her.
I waited until there was no more unusual rustling in the trees and then continued walking to the port.



I was walking so slowly. All I could think about was Ye.
I didn't even notice that it had started snowing.

It was almost daytime when I finally arrived at the port.

[BGM: Misterio]


Mr. Lin was nowhere to be seen.
There were only a few fishermen arguing about whether they should still go fishing in the unusual weather.

I turned around. All of my earlier footprints had been covered by the snow.
It was white all around me.
Suddenly, I couldn't even remember which direction I had come from.
Nor did I know where I should go next.

I had missed another chance to find my sister.
I was such an idiot.



Still, no news might be good news, too.
I still had plenty of time to keep looking for her.
Or was I being too hopeful?

No... being hopeful was a good thing. Alicia used to tell me that all the time.
I should keep being hopeful. That would be the right thing to do.

Right, big sis must still be out there somewhere.
Perhaps, she was watching the same snow as I...



…

[BGM: Lost Memories]




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