"What has God planned for me? No. I no longer believe in destiny. Everything is going so rough that there is no happiness left in my life.”
Alexis cursed his fate in life. “Damn, what’s the goal of being born in this shitty world!?" Alexis continued to curse himself during the journey. Again, his mind was haunted by Rebecca’s voice, his adoptive mother, who was seriously ill. Rebecca's coughing could still be heard clearly in his ears even though the call had ended two hours ago. Rain poured over the city, adding to the sadness which Alexis felt. Perhaps the rain was mocking him, as if saying that his life was destined to be as tough as the storm today. In the middle of the pouring rain and slippery roads, Alexis increased his car’s speed. He had no reason to continue his life except for his mother. But whatever, his mother was suffering from a severe illness, and the hospital treatment costs were too expensive. A Jeep from the opposite direction was driving as fast as Alexis. The sound of brakes was loud before Alexis's car went out of control. When he was crying earlier, his car was in the wrong lane. To avoid an accident, Alexis slammed the steering wheel to the left, right into the hillside gorge. Loud screams were heard from inside the car. The screams slowly faded, turning into groans of pain. Alexis's car rolled four times before it finally crumpled at the bottom of the gorge. Alexis's right hand was trapped in the steering wheel, left leg, and shoulder would have been almost crushed if it weren't for the automatic emergency safety that deployed a thick cushion to reduce the risk of excessive injury during accidents. "Arghh! It seems like my death is in front of my eyes." Alexis could only surrender. However, his blurry eyes stared at the figure of Rebecca standing near a tree. "M-Mom... leave me quickly! I have nothing to be proud of. I'm just a failed child unlucky enough to be born to someone as good as you!" The image of Rebecca slowly faded. Before completely disappearing, Rebecca pointed to a mound of soil four meters to the right of Alexis's crashed car. "MOMM!" Alexis tried to break free from the car seat, which was stuck due to the intense pressure during the rollover. One kick, two kicks, up to seven kicks before the door finally comes off. He only used his right leg because his left leg was difficult to move due to being pinned by the steering seat. Crawling four meters to the left side of the car, he saw a pile of yellowing leaves with some broken branches on top. As he tried to press the leaves, Alexis suddenly fell into a mysterious trap. It turned out to be a trap commonly set by someone to catch prey in the hill area. With the remaining strength, Alexis could only look up, lament his fate, and let the rain wash away the tears that continued to wet his cheeks. Now, that remaining strength was slowly fading. All he felt was a headache due to bleeding on his forehead. Alone in the trap with a body full of injuries from the accident was the fate that this man had to endure. Time by time, Alexis' vision faded, leaving only one thing. Darkness.***
"W-where am I?"
Alexis woke up in a luxurious room. The bed was of very high quality and could accommodate three to four people. There were four drawer boxes at the bottom of the bed, all equipped with green sensors which only open with some code or access card. Many photos of the old building’s architecture were displayed on the walls of the room, confusing Alexis. "Am I in heaven? Is this real? I should be dead. Why am I here? Moreover, this place is so clean. It's impossible that the owner abandoned it." The first thing Alexis did was to explore the room. He was curious about the owner of this room. As he walked unsteadily to the window, he realized that the room was on the third floor. Among the confusion about who had saved him, suddenly the cellular phone on the table near the bed rang. Clung! There is a message. Alexis frowned because he didn't recognize the sender's number and didn't know who the owner of the phone that suddenly appeared there was. He opened the message. "Alexis, I'm glad you're awake. I'm the one who saved you after that accident, an accident that almost took your life." Alexis didn't know who the sender was. There was no information about it. However, he immediately remembered the man in the black suit with suspicious movements at the hospital earlier. They had talked for a while, but the more he tried to remember the content of the conversation, the more his head hurt. The handsome man had pondered with his body wrapped in bandages, and suddenly his cellular phone rang again.Clung!
Another message. "Take your first assignment if you are curious about wondering who I am!” Assignment? What kind of assignment should he take? "Hurry back, Zero, only you, the greatest soldier whose memory has not yet recovered from the incident seven years ago."Soon, a car arrived. Two tall and muscular men got out of the car. One of them invited Alexis into the car. "We are messengers of Supreme General. We will take you to the hospital. Please, get in the car." "I have no reason to trust either of you!" snapped Alexis. “But you must trust us.” “First, I don't know you. Second, you are dressed all in black and wearing black suits as well. The person who kidnapped me yesterday wore clothes like you're wearing now. Third, my destination is the hospital, not anywhere else!" "The offer doesn't come three times. I'll make sure once again, do you want to go to the hospital now or not at all?" "No!" Alexis immediately ran, but the mysterious man quickly caught up and struck the right side of Alexis's neck with the edge of his palm. The man who spoke earlier could only laugh, seeing his friend knock Alexis unconscious. Now Alexis has fallen on the ground, unconscious and not moving again. "It's better that he's
"Lea?" Alexis frowned to make sure the woman she saw was someone she recognized. The tall, slender woman smiled and approached Alexis."Hi, Alexis. I'm so glad you remember me," the young woman named Lea replied. Alexis smiled too, but awkwardly. She had known the girl before her to be beautiful, and now, to her, even more so. "How are you?" asked Lea, offering her hand. "I...I...fine...fine," Alexis replied even more awkwardly, as they were about to touch hands. "And you? How are you?" Apparently, Alexis was very happy to see Lea. "Okay." Lea looked alternately at Alexis' hand, then at Alexis' smiling face. "We're in the hospital, remember?" Lea reminded in jest. "Oh, yeah. In the hospital, and not in Rock Valley." "You remember that? That's where we had our first date!" Lea squealed happily. "And Rock Cafe." "Yeah. That's right. How's your dad? Is he doing well? Or are you here because...oh no, did something really happen to your dad?"
However, suddenly his cell phone rang. There's an incoming call. Without looking at the name on the screen, Alexis picked up the phone. “Don't forget your first task to validate the Golden Dragon card which you used to pay for your mother's hospital bills, Rebecca!" “I definitely did. I have found my hope in life again. My mother was finally cured. Never mind the card validation task, even if you give me an impossible task, I will complete it with all my might. In fact, you asked me to fall from the eighth floor of this hospital too, I would have done it because you saved my mother's life." "No need to be excessive, just carry out your first task and I will give you your second task later!" “Promise me, after I complete my three tasks, tell me who you really are and what your motive is for giving me three missions like this!” Alexis looked serious when saying this sentence. “As I said yesterday, that question will definitely be answered as time goe
Actually, Alexis was still shrouded in doubt about putting his trust in Andre. But he had already made a promise, so Alexis wanted to finish what he had said. After buying expensive clothes for himself and Lea, with only the black card, he was carrying, Alexis changed his clothes and headed to his workplace, preparing to go to Royal Bank as Andre's instructions. Navigating the streets of downtown area, he finally arrived near an exclusive residential area where Royal Bank inside this area. Alexis wanted to enter but was barred by a security guard. "Beggars aren't allowed to enter this neighborhood," the guard stated. "B-but, Sir, I'm looking for the location of Royal Bank. Could you please tell me?" Alexis pleaded. "What?! You're begging but pretending to ask for a bank's location? Royal Bank? What kind of bank is that? I've never heard of any foreign bank here. Go away, my stomach feels queasy just looking at a guy like you!" Even though Alexis
"Alexis?" At this moment, a woman's voice suddenly sounded behind Alexis. Hearing this voice, Alexis's entire body froze. His hands trembled as the owner of that voice seeped into his brain. Alexis turned slowly, and indeed, it was his ex-girlfriend, Meliza. "Is that Meliza!? Damn, why is she here? How could she flaunt that coy act with a new man again right in front of me?" In contrast, Meliza shot Alexis a scornful look.Not far away, a brand-new luxury car was parked in a special lot. A man and a woman had just stepped out of the car. The woman looked stunning, with subtle makeup accentuating her natural beauty. She entered through the back door.Meanwhile, Meliza walked towards the entrance of Royal Bank while being all affectionate with the handsome man next to her. They seemed so intimate! Observing this, Alexis felt his emotions flare up again. Unbelievable! From their intimacy, who knows how long they've been involved behind his back.
After validating, and experiencing the drama of meeting the shocking truth about Meliza, Alexis brought Lea to see Andre."I'm sorry about earlier," Alexis said to Lea who sat across from her. The small cafe table was a small platform for the two to talk intensely. "You went through something uncomfortable."Lea smiled, and to Alexis, Lea's smile was the moonlight that lit up the dark night of her life."It's okay, I'm happy to be with you.""That's what I wanted to talk to you about. When I'm in a mess, and I seem to have nothing, you respond to me warmly, and when you know something big about me, you still stick by me. Everything seems to be okay with you. I really appreciate that."Lea smiled again, but this time her white teeth were visible, indicating that she was very flattered by Alexis' compliment."Thank you," she replied."How about we start dating?" Alexis signals, now convinced of Lea's feelings for her."Why not. You're my first love too, so I haven't completely gotten ov
Alexis couldn't believe it at first, but when he turned his head and saw the man Andre had pointed out smiling at him, Alexis was stunned.It was Lea who immediately waved and greeted him."Mr. Kingston."Kingston.The name spontaneously came to Alexis' mind, as she muttered a name."Alexis Phoenix Kingston."Alexis' head suddenly felt spinning, then heavy, as the memory he had always thought of as a nightmare was present, but the face of the man in his every fear was clearly the man not far from where he was sitting now.The veil was lifted, the accident of an attempted murder from the nightmare that had haunted his was a reality.The fear Alexis felt was now realized as the fear of losing the man wearing sunglasses, who was his biological father.Alexis only moved to the table where James Kingston was, after Lea and Andre had preceded him."Daddy," Alexis called awkwardly. The memory started to come, as James stepped closer and hugged him."Zero. You're my savior." James couldn't ex
After doing her bidding and officially re-entering the rigorous training as a Black Dragon special agent, Alexis arrived at the place where his mission had begun. "Are you ready, Alex?" was Andre's final question, before watching Alexis get out of the prison car, which of course was a set-up. "Ready!" Alexis' nod and cold stare made Andre even more certain of his friend's readiness. "Okay." Andre nodded to the police officer who was waiting for his order, and was signaling him to open the door of the prisoner's car to let Alexis out. "Good luck, Lieutenant Alexis. I'm proud of you!" Andre bid farewell to Alexis, who was now taken to the city jail for paperwork and a haircut. Alexis gasped, as a prison guard and two of his colleagues signaled for her to get up and follow. Alexis nodded her head. Her cold, stony face was the next thing to appear. Two metal doors had been opened and then closed again, causing a rather loud banging sound. Alexis' hands were handc
Too long for Alexis to wait to be questioned, as soon as the policemen followed him, he went forward and pulled both of them quickly to avoid CCTV surveillance, and then knocked them to the floor together.Unlike what he had done before, this time the policemen still tried to get up and fight back.They were on all fours, trying to get back to their feet albeit with slightly blurred vision, but still trying to fight Alexis.But their efforts were no trouble for Alexis, who delivered a punch to the cheek, then spun around to deliver a kick to the other side, sending both of them crashing to the floor again."Damn it!" cursed Alexis as they both tried to pull out guns, which of course were pointed at him at the same time. Alexis tucked his body between the cleaning tools, and then stepped to the back of the wheeled area where the cleaning tools were stored.Two gunshots from the two policemen were unavoidable, and that meant more consequences for Alexis. The sound of sirens soon echoed,
As usual, Alexis did not respond. His gaze was focused on what they were facing at the moment. Ahead, two policemen entered from a side door. Alexis came out from behind a pillar, and then grabbed both men from behind. Alexis smashed their heads together until they collapsed, then gave Pedro a coded wave to follow him. Once Pedro was close behind him, Alexis opted to find a way out via a fire escape that was rarely used.After reaching the first floor, Alexis held Pedro back to stop first."I need to call someone. You sit down," Alexis ordered and took Pedro by the shoulders to help him sit down. Pedro's labored breathing also made Alexis feel compassionate.Alexis activated the special prisoner bracelet to contact Andre. Having been in the room most of the day, the battery was not completely full, so Alexis tried to speak quickly and effectively."Zero. Report." Andre's voice was on the other end of the call, but was interrupted several times by the lack of signal."Pedro is with m
"My hands are itchy."Alexis' thoughtless reply. He scratched a few times where the prisoner's bracelet was."Are you allergic to sanitizer or something?" asked the medic who turned to look at his with compassion. "Hum...this, is it?" Alexis followed the medic's gaze to the bottle of cleaning fluid he had placed next to the vacuum cleaner."If you have an irritation problem, I can give you some painkillers." "No. I don't think I need it."Alexis' words fell on deaf ears as he was distracted by the moaning of the person in the next room, which Alexis assumed was Pedro."Wait here," the prison medic pleaded with Alexis. But Alexis was going to find out. He pulled the vacuum cleaner a few steps away from its original position, eavesdropping on any conversation that might be going on inside between Pedro and the medic."Calm down!" the medic snapped until he could be heard outside."I don't want to drink it. Why are you always forcing me!" Pedro was clearly rebelling, refusing to comply
"What do you mean, Martin?"Who wouldn't be surprised, when something related to humanity, turned out to be a terrible thing, even though this was a place where criminals were."I've been close to Pedro since he was brought in here. From the beginning, I've come to the conclusion that he's not actually mentally ill. I don't know what you'd call it, but according to my observations, he's still sane," Martin explained."So you're saying that the therapy for Pedro is an attempt to make him crazy and keep him that way?" Alexis concluded."Yes.""Was it purely on the orders of the warden of this prison or were there outsiders who had power or interests over Pedro?""It seems that Pedro is a key witness to a case.""Did Pedro ever tell you about the case? I noticed that you seem to be close to him."Martin looked right and left, before continuing to answer Alexis."Why are you so scared like that? Are you afraid of who might overhear our conversation?" probed Alexis, suspecting that Martin
Alexis' gaze was like that of a hunting dog. Thirsty for a catch, with all his might.Alexis crept along, alternating between the pain in his arms and legs from the residual heat of the newly extinguished fire.Alexis quickly squeezed under the door leaf, right under the muzzle of the rifle Penn was pointing out.Alexis was already certain that Penn was in a weakened state, where he had been wounded, although he had no idea of the type and location of the wound.Alexis tried to grab the door handle, but let go again, just to estimate how hot it would be when he opened it.Alexis then made a warning sign with both hands to the prison guards in front of him."Stay low, until I can get the gun," Alexis said quietly, pointing the muzzle of the gun Penn was holding inside with his index finger.After getting a nod in return, Alexis quickly turned around, pulled the muzzle of the long rifle fast and hard, got it under control, and then threw it forward until it made a loud thumping sound.A
Alexis quickly rolled to the side. Although he hit his head on the edge of the door leaf, he tried to stay strong enough to stay conscious.The red flash of lightning was followed by gunfire, just as he dodged. From the slowness of the shot's arrival compared to his evasion, Alexis could tell there were two possibilities, either the shooter was an amateur or he was wounded.Alexis tried to take advantage of everyone's poor visibility due to the smoke and the few remaining fires by quickly moving forward, back into the main area of the prison.The only misery slhe had to deal with now was the burning in the soles of his feet. Alexis had to balance his right and left feet so as not to simultaneously feel the heat coming from the floor.Alexis' shoes were so disfigured and unfit for use that he had to walk on tiptoe, all the while keeping his sharp eagle-like eyes as natural binoculars."Come on, we'll have to use the prisoners' belongings to put out the fire." Said the commander of the
What Alexis had sensed when he stepped inside, where there was a thick and slightly sticky liquid on his shoes with every step, turned out to be the liquid Penn used to set the fire.Alexis' expression tightened when, behind them, a prison guard screamed loudly as a fire suddenly ignited next to him. Alexis guessed that a spark had been ignited near the man, creating a new blaze."Damn it!" Alexis cursed for the umpteenth time. He took off both his shoes and Pedro's. The main door was engulfed in flames. There was no other way but to avoid the fire, before controlling it."Wait here!" Alexis ordered Pedro. The focus of the rescue was now not only on himself and Pedro, but also as much as possible on the people who were there.Alexis thrust his right arm, still wrapped in the wet cloth, forward as a shield again, to protect his face from the smoke and heat.Alexis then directed the wet cloth to serve as a shield for his hand, which was trying to reach the metal doorknob."Damn it!" he
Alexis leaned forward. The light from the sun's rays through the air vents biased his face. Alexis' tall, well-built frame made his the new center of attention, as did Penn, who immediately started staring at him."Who are you?" he asked out loud. He had a surprised look on his face. Alexis was certainly not one of the prison guards.Alexis didn't answer, he stepped forward, taking advantage of Penn's momentary lapse by holding Penn's right hand tightly with his left crossed.Penn, who was caught off guard, reflexively brought his foot forward to kick Alexis' leg.But Alexis was faster. His left hand snatched the flaming paper Penn was carrying, dropped it to the floor and stomped on it to extinguish the flame.Alexis did so with quick movements, and before Penn could make his next move, Alexis had already immobilized him by twisting Penn's arm and then dropping his body to the floor with his hand.But as it turned out, the end of Penn's fight was not quite here, as he suddenly pulle
Bang!"Damn it!" cursed Alexis, as a bullet whizzed by his left leg. Alexis suspected that the sniper had no intention of hurting him, but was merely calling his bluff.Precisely because of this, Alexis moved even faster, bursting into the main kitchen, against the direction of several people who wanted to get out to save themselves, but one Alexis was determined to get inside.Alexis grabbed a cloth on the kitchen table, wet it from the tap water, and wrapped part of it around his right arm to use as a shield.Before entering the prison building, Alexis had been given the floor plan and the names of each room, so he had no trouble finding his way to the stairs leading to the second floor.In this area, the smoke was still thick. Alexis couldn't understand how a man named Penn could burn room after room to the ground like this."Where is that suck a hero?" a voice asked faintly in the distance. Alexis indicated that there were police not far from where he was standing.Alexis quickene