Soultaker: Guardian of Singapore

The Underground Network

"Where's Maxus?"

"I dunno. He didn't reply me. He isn't even online."

Leah and Reynesh sat next to each other in their lecture theater along with Luke and Amy. Their psychology lecturer was taking their attendance, mouthing off the name of the students and eventually, getting to Maxus.

"Maxus Tan? Is he here?"

"No Mrs Wong." Reynesh answered for his best friend.

The lecturer sighed:" First week on school and already people are skipping class. You young people these days, take your studies more seriously please." Reynesh rolled his eyes, already tired of older teachers since his secondary school days complaining about his generation. Luke taps Reynesh on the arm:" You knew Maxus since secondary school right? "

"Yeah." Reynesh answered.

"Did he get into a fight or something? He often has like scars and stuff on him." Luke noticed.

"Maxus? I don't think so? I know he has a background in martial arts and heard about it from him every now and then but...I've never actually seen him fight anyone until that day." Reynesh recalled.

Another school day ended.

Reynesh had some of the homework collected from the class today, taking the same bus as Leah to Maxus' house. "So what you two just go to school everyday together now?"Reynesh teased Leah who gave him a sarcastic smile:" Oh yeah yeah we aren't in primary school anymore man. Don't spread some stupid rumor I swear to god."

"I won't. But if he-"

"Reynesh!"

"Sorry."

Leah headed back to her own house while Reynesh, towards Maxus'. Checking his phone again, Maxus still hasn't replied. What could he possibly be doing? Reynesh always knew Maxus had a habit of not showing up or showing up late since last year. But knowing what happened to his father and the tragedies that has happened to his family since he was a kid...he didn't want to ask too much.

Reynesh soon found himself standing in front of Maxus' door.

"Maxus? It's me open up." Reynesh knocked on the door.

"What the f..." Blood stains, splattered lightly across the floor and bloodied fingerprints on the wooden door. Reynesh squinted his eyes, trying to confirm what he saw. "Shit...Maxus? Are you home?" Reynesh knocked again noticing that the door was left slightly ajar. The cautious teenager pressed down the door handle which to his surprise, was unlocked. "Maxus...? Are you-"

Dozens of questions soared through his head at once.

What was he looking at?

Maxus was on the ground, his clothes torn and tattered with cuts all over his body. There was foot and hand prints of blood all over the floor, Maxus himself in a pool of dried blood beneath his body. He had two knives beside him that was completely soaked red, something that Reynesh recognized from the news about a killer going around using two knives to leave a trail of bodies everywhere he went.

Maxus is that man...? The vigilante that has been going around killing others.

How...? He should have known. They were friends for the past 4 years and almost as close as brothers and yet...Where there signs that he missed? He thought he knew Maxus, that he was a troubled person but a geniunely good one but now, that impression crumbled as anyone would when they findd out that their best friend is a mass murderer. Reynesh set down his bag, his sense of logic returning to him as he quickly entered the apartment, closing the door behind him.

This is still my friend...I must still help him.

"Maxus...Maxus wake up. Maxus!"

Maxus didn't respond.

"Maxus, come on....please still me you're still alive." Reynesh knelt beside the vigilante, placing a finger above his nose and to his relief, there was air circulating.

"Come on buddy!" Reynesh looked around him,grabbing a nearby bottle of water and splashed Maxus in the face. Maxus coughed, spitting a little blood out of his mouth as he slowly opened his eyes.

The rays of blinding sunlight struck him, blurry his vision, the soreness and sharp pain of his injuries returning to him. Maxus couldn't even really feel his body well, almost like he wasn't even in control when the voice hit him:" Maxus come on!" The vigilante shot right up instinctively, panicking as he grabbed the knife next to him, using his arm to take a defensive stance with the weapon." Wah! WHO!What..."

Shit...Reynesh? 

Maxus wiped his eyes, slowly trying to get his sight back as his vision focused, finding himself looking at his best friend in front of him who had mixed look of concern and disappointment in him. More blood spilled out of his mouth as Maxus groaned, his injuries getting the better of him and forcing him to drop his weapon, leaning back on his sofa as a set of coughs hit him.

"Maxus...I know, I probably aren't supposed to see or know this. But as it stands...you're bleeding profusely. I don't intend to let you bleed out you hear?"

"You're real?" Maxus muttered.

"Yes bitch I'm real. Let's get you fixed up first. Then we will talk about...whatever this is."

4 Years Ago.

Maxus entered his secondary school for the first time.

He was still a relatively normal teenager at this point. He already had his martial arts training, but he didn't really have to use his skills. His father there, sending Maxus off at the school gate. "Remember, make sure you make some new friends. You will be with them for 4 years after all."

"I will Pa. Don't worry about me." Maxus promised.

"Alright all new sec 1s, head to the hall on the right. Your orientation will begin soon." A student arsher pointed the way. Nervous and having butterflies in his stomach, Maxus walked up to her:" Sorry may I know where's the bathroom?"

"To your left all the way at the end of the corridor."

13 Years old Maxus listened, walking towards the toilet before spotting an Indian Secondary 1 boy, sitting by the stairs beside the toilet with his head buried in his arms. Maxus didn't think much about the boy, heading into the toilet.

Walking out of the toilet, Maxus spotted the boy still there in the exact same position.

"Make sure you make some new friends."

Okay Pa. I'll try. Maxus walked over to the boy, taking a seat next to him. "Are you okay? Why are you here?" Maxus asks the boy who looked up at him, his eyes sore and red. "I...yes. I'm okay."

"You are Sec 1 too right? Let's go, the orientation's at the hall." Maxus offered.

"I...I'm not sure if I want to."

"Why not?" Maxus asks.

"I...didn't do as well as I was supposed to for my PSLE. My parents...expected me to do well...to go to a prestigeous school. Some of the teachers are friends of my mother...if they recognize me, I would be embarassing my parents. " The boy tells Maxus who smiled:" But it's just PSLE right?"

PSLE. Primary School Leaving Examination.

"Huh?" The boy looked at Maxus confused.

"You have another chance don't you? We have to take our O levels when we leave this school 4 years later. Just study hard and do well for that, wouldn't doing well for your O levels be more impressive than just doing well for your PSLE? You can take your first steps towards that by going to the orientation and get to know people around you. Who knows, making good friends may get you better academics too. You will study better surrounded by friends who care right?"

The boy smiled, agreeing with Maxus. "You're right. What's your name?"

"Maxus Tan."

"I'm Reynesh Kaur. Nice to meet you." Reynesh offered his hand which Maxus shook.

Reynesh recalled that memory, smiling to himself.

A significantly more innocent and happy Maxus gave him the confidence he needed to take his first steps into secondary school life. He eventually did well, scoring an impressive aggregate score of 9 in his O levels, proving to his teachers and parents that his PSLE score was nothing more than a minor set back.

But things were different now. Maxus wasn't that same boy that helped him.

Leah spotted Reynesh downstairs once more, heading towards the coffee shop her parents were working at and she herself, helping out as an assistant. She had just placed her school bag down an hour ago, wearing an aapron and helping serve her first bowls of noodles for the day.

"You managed to find him?" Leah asks the approaching Reynesh.

Reynesh walked up to her, nodding:" Yeah...can you help me get two bowls of Mee Pok noodles, soup, takeaway please."

"Two bowls of Mee Pok. Tang de dabao." Leah tells her parents before turning back to Reynesh:" You helping him takeaway now? What happened to him?" Reynesh gave himself a moment to think, knowing that Maxus probably had big reasons if he's doing what he's doing without wanting anyone to know.

"He...got hit by a car." Reynesh thought of a lie that might help explain his friend's injuries.

"What?! Oh my god is he alright?"

"Yeah yeah he's fine. Just some light scratches and a broken leg. He can't come to school for the next week I would say." Reynesh tells Leah who immediately took her apron off:" Let me accompany you up. I can-"

"Errr no! You can't go up."

"Why not?"

Reynesh scrambled his head, trying to give a reasonable excuse. "Oh erm...he's naked. You know, he can't wear too many clothing because of his injuries...he's in an ice bath the last I saw." Reynesh explains to Leah who stopped herself:" Oh...well I assume you got this right?"

"Yeah of course." Reynesh tells Leah who was handed Reynesh's order."Alright, two bowls...seven dollars." Leah says as Reynesh passed her the money for the food. "I'll tell Maxus you said hi though."

"Sure."

Reynesh returned to Maxus who was now bandaged up, sitting on his sofa trying to recover his strength. Blood was still leaking through some of the bandages but despite the gruesome bruises and cuts on his body, Maxus didn't show any reaction at all, almost like this was just another day to him. Reynesh set their food down as he looked at Maxus.

"How long are you planning to do this for? Or hide this from us?" Reynesh began.

Maxus sighed:" This? There is no planning Reynesh. I don't know when this will end or if it even can end. I'm sorry...and I mean this geniunely in a good way but...this doesn't concern you Reynesh. I'm not trying to be rude or anything but...this entire thing, it's my fight." Maxus tried to explain himself.

"What's all this about? Your Dad?"

"I don't really wanna talk about it."

Reynesh knew he hit the bullseye.

"What are you trying to achieve? At least let me know, I have so many questions now you know that?! I know you can't afford letting anyone else know also so...help answer my queries. Let me understand." Reynesh begged. Maxus sighed, knowing that Reynesh deserved to know...as someone who had watched him through the phase of his father's death.

"There were men that day when the hawker center burned down. The whole thing wasn't an accident, it was arson. I'm quite sure they were responsible for everything and I tried telling the police but...why would anyone believe me? I was just a kid." Maxus revealed for the first time.

"So this is what it's about. Revenge?"

"Yes."

Reynesh leaned back, grabbing his hair in disbelief " We're young Maxus...this isn't what we should be doing. Have you thought about it, just stopping, live like a normal teenager our age. Things we should be worrying about now should be our studies, our social life, our potential love lives, what we wanna do for the future. You can't go down this path forever Maxus you know that? That's not what your father would want you to do also."

Maxus gave him a sarcastic smile:" Stop? Everyday since I watched my father burn to death in front of me not once have I managed to sleep properly. Every single time I closed my eyes, I see his face, that expression like he was wronged and whoever killed him is still out there?! I cannot live with that, knowing that some fucker is enjoying life after taking away the only family member I have left."

"Have you thought about what will happen if you get caught?" Reynesh proposed a question.

"Then they better kill me. I will find a way to break out. I cannot stop, Reynesh. Not until every one of those fucking bastards are six feet under. Only when they are are dead...only when I can look down on their corpses and spit on them...then maybe this can all end." Maxus clenched his fist, the rage within him pouring out. Reynesh stared at his friend, unable to understand yet... "How many people have you killed?"

"Almost a hundred...maybe more, I don't know."

Reynesh stood up, unable to accept the information given to him. "Are you still the Maxus I knew from Secondary 1? Are you still the brother that I never had, or are you a fucking mass murderer who is too hungry for blood, getting yourself into near death scenarios time and time again until one day...you may not be so lucky anymore. What will happen then Maxus?"

"Then I die. End of story." Maxus replied almost instantaneously.

Reynesh groaned, clearly annoyed by Maxus' response. "This isn't just personal you know, Rey. Look at those bags on the floor...I went through them just now and you know what I found? You know what I've seen all the time I've went out ? We are not the clean and safe city we are known for. We just have smarter and richer criminals who know how to hide their activities."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've seen gangs who are backed by...politicians, officials, to smuggle drugs and weapons. Money laundering, organ and human trafficking, prostitution, extortion, bribery, it's like a never ending rabbit hole. I've only managed to cut down multiple gangs, but the true men in charge are still a mystery. I wanna end this all, get to the men at the top. I want to make our city, our country truly safe."

"How? You're one man." Reynesh sat back down, holding his hands together.

"I can fight."

"Yeah I can clearly tell. I always knew you had a martial arts background and recently, seen you easily whacked the absolute shit out of two senior who both had great reputations as fighters. I know you are good right? But never did I expect you to be I can kill over a hundred people good. Where did you train?"

"I went through some training a few years back, the basics of Kung Fu, Taekwando and Kickboxing. I used my knowledge on those basics, went ahead and trained myself, looking at other experts in their fields to teach myself new techniques and styles. Eventually, I combined everything I knew, blending all the different styles and techniques into a style of my own." Maxus explains.

The vigilante looked over to the bag of items he returned with from yesterday's fight.

Files from the karaoke bar, several of their phones he was ready to hack into...the amount of information he could get will get him closer to the Blood Lion. "Look Reynesh...I'm not asking you to accept me. I honestly don't have any right to and you don't deserve to deal with this shit. I guess all I'm asking now...is just not tell anyone. Please."

"I...give me a good reason. I really want to but...it feels wrong." Reynesh requests.

"If I'm stopped, the cracks that I made as the vigilante will heal. This shitty stinky underground society will continue running and countless more would be...would end up having the same fate as my father or worse. So,I'm sorry for not telling you and wanting you not to tell others but...I'm doing this the only way I know how to."

"You know killing is not the only way right?"

"Doesn't matter."

"So what you'll just kill your way up until what?"

"Until every one of those assholes are dead."

Reynesh knew he couldn't convince him. Maxus' words were too...stubborn. There was no hint or regret or doubt, almost like he had already made up his mind a long time ago. Maxus looked at him with sheer determination in his eyes, burning with rage and an undying will. "Look...this vigilante thing of yours...I don't know how you're thinking through this but...I cannot get involved. I'm sorry...I really can't afford to do this."

"I understand." Maxus' voice broke a little.

"I will keep this entire thing a secret to myself but, I cannot help you forever. "Reynesh says which Maxus gladly nodded to:" That's all needs to be done. Thank you for keeping the secret." 

"I'll let you know this now...as a friend. I don't like what you are doing to yourself. I can tell that you may have made up your mind long ago but one day...it doesn't have to be soon, maybe after you finally finish what you accomplished to do, after you get your revenge of whatever...I would like to see my friend come back to me."

Reynesh took his leave after finishing his noodles and pretending that today never happened.

Closing his eyes, Maxus fell back into his sofa, his entire body stricken with an unbearable pain but...for some reason...his heart hurt more. He didn't like the feeling of lying...or hiding from the people he cared about, Reynesh included. He recalled Reynesh's family and himself passing him groceries and food after learning about his father's death, Reynesh even help paying for some of his school materials using his own allowance.

He was a true friend.

Maxus knew what his friend said was right, but his emotions...the memories that were haunting him every living moment of his life. He couldn't ignore them. He knew this lifestyle, the life of the vigilante would eventually eat into the life of Maxus Tan if he wasn't careful.

"I'm sorry Dad...I know you'd agree with Reynesh."

Picking up his knives, Maxus limped towards the kitchen and tossed the blades into the sink, rinsing the blood of them before grabbing himself some water, struggling his way back to the sofa where he sat in front of the bags of stuff he grabbed from yesterday's raid.

You gotta rest...you literally just hit a big one, they would be slowed down significantly. You can rest right?

He took another look at the bag, the itch in his heart making him move.

The vigilante began looking through the files he had taken...going through them one by one, analyzing every last detail. This side of him...this unextinguishable desire to find out the people responsible clouded everything else in his life. His body was screaming for him to rest, his fingers barely even having the strength to grip onto those files properly but yet...Maxus kept on moving until he finally found the next clue.

Most of the physical files, the accounting, the cover ups,they all had one thing in common:

Cheng Finances.

The vigilante paused, recognizing the name from many places. It was one of the biggest financial companies in the country with branches nearly every major neighborhood he's been to. If they were involved in those gangs...such a big and rooted presence in Singapore itself being potentially corrupt? The country is in deep shit. Maxus' heart sank as he quickly realized what it means.

Cheng Finances...Maxus did a quick g****e search to confirm his information. Cheng Finances, a company that worked hand in hand with the government in order to protect the wealth of Singaporeans countrywide and the man in charge...the Finance Minister himself. Kenneth Cheng.

"Kenneth...is he the man at the top?"

There was a radio within the bag, one that he found in the pocket of the businessman.  Maxus easily figured out what it was used for. After all, why would a wealthy businessman be using such a odd and out of trend device? Only someone who doesn't want to get caught would use outdated technology after all.

"Son of a bitch...I will take you down." Maxus growled.

-

Somewhere.

The Red and Blacks. Wiped out.

The Karaoke Men. Wiped out.

The Forest House. Wiped out.

The Six Wolves. Wiped out.

"Stop. I know which one of our gangs have been wiped out. Now my question is this. Who the hell is doing this?! It definitely isn't the police or those blue bastards would have been gloating for the whole country to see by now. So tell me...WHOOOO?!"

Minister Kenneth slammed his fists on the table, terrifying the businessmen in front of him.

"I...we're trying our best to locate them. Some of my detectives have gathered new evidence lately and we know that our culprit is clearly skilled in his knife skills. We identified that the main weapon used is a knife and we are therefore trying to find local experts or professionals, narrowing down our target." A policeman reported.

"What am I paying you all the extra money for...Inspector Huang? Finding the weapon is easy. But you only have one lead...to ONE suspect. ONE."

"But Sir...there's so much blood on the scenes it's nearly impossible to find them." Inspector Huang tried to defend himself. "What are your men doing then. My people are getting slaughtered weekly. It wasn't a big deal a few months ago. It was just two men...then ten. Then twenty and now...five entire gangs. Now, I've lost my money keepers, I've lost my interested investors. Tell me when this fuck ups will end huh?" Minister Kenneth smiled, sending chills down the inspector's spine.

"If you do not find those assholes killing my men by the end of the month. You get forget about your bonuses this year are you clear?"

"Yes...Sir."

"Minister...he's here." Another voice reports to the Minister who looked to the man:" Bring him in."

A figure walked into the room, marching towards the Minister. The rest of the people surrounding the room backed off, almost like the figure was a walking bad omen waiting to infect the people around him with wicked bad luck. "Relax...I hired him here. Meet the infamous warrior. The Red Scorpion."

Eden Lee, the Red Scorpion looked up at the Minister with a look of disgust on his face. "Why am I here?"

"Yeah why is he here? This piece of shit should have been executed a long time ago." Inspector Huang pointed at Eden who grabbed his finger, pulling the inspector forward and twisted his fingers back, snapping them before grabbing the Inspector by the throat and pinning him to the ground:" You should be dead a long time ago too old man, how about I do the favor for you?"

"Eden. Stop. I have an offer."

"Your offer last time almost got me fucked." Eden growled.

"That was...a slight mistake by Inspector Huang here who failed to tell his men who not to fuck over." Kenneth looked over to the Inspector who tried to get back up only for Eden to slam his feet on the back of Inspector Huang's head, planting his face into the ground. "Yeah...look at what that cost me. "

"I understand. It's simpler this time. Just station yourself where you are told to as the Red Scorpion. Act as a bodyguard for my men. I want my stuff to stop being screwed over as you may have heard recently." Kenneth tells Eden who nods:" The group of vigilante that has been attacking your people?"

"Yes. I will pay you on two basis. Every time you are deployed, a thousand dollars. If you kill the men who are responsible, ten thousand per head." Minister Kenneth offers which Eden smiled, raising his eyebrow.

"Is there anything you need?" Minister Kenneth asks.

"A pair of Japanese daggers...and a steel chain."

Next Chapter- Tools of the Corrupt