The school day ended.

Who expected that after just his first day of school, Maxus became known as the most dangerous student. His plan to stay unnoticed backfired on him quickly as news of his fight with the kickboxing captain spread like wildfire and since that day, martial artists from all over the school wanted to spar with him to see if they could take on the newbie who knocked out a combat veteran in 10 seconds.

Now on his third day of school, Maxus found himself being challenged yet again.

Walking out of his first lecture, he and Reynesh were greeted by a group of Taekwando students, one of the taller ones in his full sparring uniform, leaning against a wall with his arms folded awaiting Maxus.

"Maxus Tan right? I'm Rake Loh, captain of the Taekwando team and here to issue you a sparring challenge. I wanna see your skills first hand."The senior looked at Maxus who found himself staring at yet another taller opponent." Sorry I'm not interested."Maxus answered quickly, walking past the group of students.

"Yo wait! I heard you fight for money? A cash reward?"

Maxus stopped for a moment, knowing that every dollar he had was less financial burden for his Aunt who despite her struggling financial situation, volunteered herself to be his legal guardian so that he wouldn't end up in an orphanage.

"Name your price." Maxus offered.

"Two hundred if you beat me. I take a hundred from you if you lose." Rake tells Maxus who looked over to Reynesh:" What you looking at me for man I don't know if you can even beat him?" Maxus chuckled:" No I just wanna see your face in case I challenge you for the money."

"Ah shut it man, just take the fight now I wanna see him beat you." Reynesh tells Maxus who accepted the spar.

-Later

Leah looked at Maxus smiling as the duo took their bus ride home.

"So...you earned like what, two hundred dollars from that Taekwando guy?"

Maxus shook his head, smirking:" Four hundred. He said double or nothing." Leah laughed as she placed her hand on his shoulder:" Wait what? Why?"

"He couldn't believe he lost the first time round he just thought he slipped." Maxus smiled naturally. He couldn't even remember when was the last time he felt this way.

"Pft!" Leah held her laughter back in order to not end up being loud within the public transport. Maxus couldn't help but admire her cheerfulness, finding himself to genuinely enjoy his first day of school, an aspect of his life that up until this point, he didn't really consider. Minutes later, the duo alighted at the bus stop and parted ways.

Opening his phone, Maxus now looked at his shopping list for ingredients he needed for cooking, to save more money. Several blocks away from his own was a convenient store or in Singapore, known as a Mama shop, normally a home business. 

"Garlic, luncheon meat, canned curry, rice, drinks." Maxus named off the items to himself, walking towards the Mama shop only to witness an ugly sight. Two tattooed adults in their late 30s, clearly gangsters standing by the front of Uncle Lim's Mama Shop, raising their voices loudly at Uncle Lim himself, who stood helplessly at the counter with his head lowered in fear.

Just when he was about to interfere, Uncle Lim spotted Maxus, looking at him in the eyes and shaking his head, a clear signal that he didn't want Maxus to get involved. "Look I can only pay you two thousand this week... it's all I have." Uncle Lim begged to the two men who scoffed at the money they were given:" You wanna pay us little, sure. But it's going to be three thousand next week."

"Yes yes..."

"Fucking old dog." One of the gangsters remarked as the both of them walked away.

Maxus quickly walked up to the store owner, being a loyal customer to him for years since his father used to get ingredients from the Mama shop often in the past. "Who are those people Uncle Lim? Do you owe them money?"

"Just loan sharks I borrowed money from in order to pay for my wife's cancer treatment. That's just how they are, don't be like me Maxus. Save your money well now so you don't have to deal with pricks like them when you get older." Uncle Lim tells Maxus who shook his head: "You can call the police on them you know. It'll-"

"Don't...they know where I live. There's too many things to worry about if the police get involved Maxus. I will handle it, you don't have to worry for me. What do you need?"

11pm that night.

Maxus was suited up again as Soultaker, watching from a distance down at the dark alleyway of Sembawang's row of private estates and shop houses, among which lies a karaoke bar which according to the Red and Blacks' texts, were running some form of drug trafficking activity. 

"I want you to live the life you can be proud of."

Those were some of the last words his father had told him. Maxus pulled out his knives, readying himself for another fight as he cleared his head, trying to stop himself from being held back by the injuries he received during the fight at Teck Ghee Primary. " Sorry Pa... I cannot rest until I know those responsible for your death are dead."

He knew that in another reality, his parents would both be alive and he would probably never been a martial artist, just the average teenager in Singapore, worrying about his studies, his future , his love life and his friends. No vigilantism, no killing...no suffering.

He could hear the loud electronic music coming from the club bar below, the heavy drops and beat from the song could be felt beneath his feet. He could hear men and women alike, laughing and cheering all below him. The only issue now was the confirm if those people were the actually drug addicts or related to the Blood Lion.

"Man come on just take some! It's really harmless."

There. That sentence was all he needed to hear to be convinced that his sources were right.

Maxus leapt off the ledge he was standing on, right into the back alleyway and towards the back door, opening it slowly before making his way into the karaoke bar, hoping not to get himself discovered. Maxus approached the room he heard the voice from, peeking quickly to see what he was up against. Several well dressed men in business suits, surrounded by gangsters who were less well dressed, in straight up singlets or plain t shirts.

"Okay, look at this layout okay? I want you to bring all the collected money to the Ang Mo Kio branch tomorrow. Find the teller known as Johnny, he will show you where to leave then and then once you are done, contact me. I'll ship you the products." Maxus overheard one of the businessmen.

Taking another peek, Maxus found that the men had files in their briefcase that they were showing to the gangsters. Was this it? The higher ups of the people he is hunting?

"I can do that. But what about after? You saw the news too right? What happened to the Red and Blacks. I'm worried dude. They are not the first gang that has been wiped out by this mysterious vigilante. The only reason why the Red and Blacks were on the news is because of how high profiled it is, the number of people who died, the rich businessmen and the fact that it all took place in one school." One of the gangsters raised his concerns.

"How many other gangs that you know have been taken out?" Another businessman asked.

"At least 5 others, but those weren't big gangs, just some small fry."

"Yeah and how much longer before they find us?"

Maxus readied his knife, at this rate he was pretty much sure that these were people that he was hunting. "Okay with the Red and Blacks gone our drug smugglers in the central area is now down. Now let's just hope that the police don't actually think its a gang fight and hunt that vigilante down. "A businessman tells the group when another gangster made a suggestion:" How about the Blood Lion? Can't he just bribe another policeman to do just that?"

Blood Lion...yeah these disgusting assholes are dead.

Maxus got up, kicking open the door and charged straight for the first man to his left, rushing to the unsuspecting gangster, jamming his knife straight through the gangster's skull. The rest of the men stared in shock, giving Maxus a split second before they reacted to retrieve his knife back and counting the number of opponents he was facing:4 gangsters and 2 businessmen.

It was safe to assume that the gangsters would be the ones fighting.

Maxus jumped forward for the attack, slicing the arm of the gangster in front of him when his small window of time expired, the other three gangsters converging at him, grabbing whatever they could around them as a weapon.

One of the gangsters grabbed his seat, throwing the chair at the vigilante who tanked the attack with his arm, the impact slamming him back into the wall as the first punch was thrown at him. Maxus found himself stunned for a second as the punch landed across his face, cracking his jaw when Maxus grit his teeth, his right arm taking it's time to recover from the shock of the chair throw, forcing the vigilante to switch to his kicks, consecutively kicking two charging opponents away from him before throwing his knife with his good arm right through the eye of the chair thrower, incapacitating him instantly.

Maxus cracked his neck, straightening his jaw, the numbness fading away slightly from his right arm as he got to work, grabbing the first gangster by the arm, twisting it and slicing his neck wide open before jumping to the next, ducking two kicks from his opponent and plunging his blade right into his stomach, cutting it open with a violent swing, allowing his guts to pour out uncontrollably.

The two businessmen ran to the corner of the room, also arming themselves with whatever they could find, grabbing a beer bottle and a random metal pole as their weapon.

"You have one chance to make this painless or extremely painful. Tell me everything you know about the Blood Lion." Maxus turns to the two businessmen.

"Fuck you!" One of the businessmen yelled when the door to their karaoke room slammed open with several more men, this time armed with knives and machetes. "There he is! Kill him!" One of the men yelled as multiple assailants attacked at once.  Maxus readied himself, quickly kicking the two businessman behind him aside as the first assailant reached him.

Maxus side stepped an attempted stab, slashing his knife across the attacker's face when the second man reached, landing a kick on Maxus that knocked the vigilante into the wall behind him. Maxus roared, trying to pump more adreleline into himself as he retaliated, using his other knife to slash his way through two attacking men before jumping for one of the businessmen, bring his blade down into his target's shoulder and dragging the knife across his entire arm, filleting his arm wide open.

The businessman cried out in pain, collapsing onto the ground in a pool of blood.

"Who is the Blood Lion?! Tell me!" Maxus roared when more and more men poured in. Maxus readied his knife, knowing that this would be a fight he cannot get out of easily. He had just made his own way into the Lion's den with no way of escape. He didn't expect this many gangsters here.

Ten...fifteen....twenty....twenty five....

Could he run? There was no way he was making a dash through dozens of grown adults. Surrendering wasn't an option. The only way of making it out of this den alive...was to kill every last man in front of him.

"Rip him to shreds!"

Maxus made the first move before the men could even respond as his mind flew into a state of pure rage and anger. For a moment there Maxus couldn't even feel himself, like his body was moving on it's own resembling that of a killing machine. He could read the moves of the amateurs he was facing with ease, ducking and weaving through their ranks almost effortlessly, retaliating with his own attacks, using his knifes to cut through their organs and limbs.

Before he knew it, half a dozen men were dead already.

But more were in front of him. Maxus counted twenty more.

"What the hell are we fighting?" One of the men noted Maxus' almost beast like posture. The vigilante knew he had to end the fight before his stamina ran out...which it already was. Maxus took a deep breath, preparing his stance as the other men came in on him.

His muscles were sore, blood and sweat were staining itself onto him, giving him great discomfort but now wasn't the time to mind that. 

Maxus blocked the first few attacks from a variety of weapons, from karambits to knuckle dusters to kitchen knifes, batons, bats and machetes, Maxus found himself seemingly fighting against an endless wave of attacks, each wielded with intent to take his life. Maxus found several openings, using his knife to cut through a few of the attacking men.

Cuts were beginning to be landed across his arms as the men landed a few of their own, a bat, swung at full force against his chest, sending Maxus flying towards the ground, about to get his head chopped off when he hurled his knife forward, killing the man who was about to decapitate him.

The vigilante pushed himself up when the pain in his chest kicked in, a swelling cracking pain in his ribs hindering his movement when another man landed shot his leg forward, landing a kick across his jaw, splashing blood right out of his mouth.

"We got him!"

Maxus tumbled back, barely able to balanced himself. The gangsters cautiously planned their next attack, already witnessing the wild ruthless moves of the vigilante when Maxus kicked the knee of the nearest man, causing him to fall. Maxus quickly positioned his knife, the man's head plunging straight into the blade and allowing the vigilante a second to get himself up, but this time...he had no knives left.

Maxus caught his breath, trying to steer his concentration away from his pain and towards his rage.

All I need is my fists...

Remember the injustice you faced...remember the pain you feel...now you will inflict the same pain and injustice to these men who were involved in the tragedy of your life.

Maxus reminded himself once more, the rage in his heart burning stronger than ever as the men attacked him once again. Maxus yelled giving himself the battle cry he needed to boost his morale, dodging another few swings of the bladed weapons, jumping into the air and kicking three men down with lightning fast kicks, landing and sweeping another off his leg, grabbing the gangster's knife from him and using it against it's original wielder by slitting his throat.

"How is he still alive?! Kill him already!" The injured businessman yelled, trying to stop the bleeding on his slit arm.

"Come on fucker!" An attacker kicked Maxus in the arm, twisting his elbow weirdly as the vigilante backed off, swinging his own knife to temporarily force the assailants back while giving him just a moment he needed to push his arm against the wall, forcing his elbow to be twisted back.

Maxus held in a cry for pain, refusing to show weakness when the man marched in on him again, forcing the out of breath Maxus to avoid attack by attack, dodging as many as he could when he felt a blade slice into his calf and before he could react, a gangster, using the sharp side of a hammer to stab Maxus in the shoulder.

This time, Maxus couldn't contain his yell.

His grip on the knife broke, dropping his only weapon on the ground.

"To think we almost thought he was some demon. Fucker's just some guy."A gangster mentions.

"Hehehe..."

The remaining gangsters froze as Maxus began giggling.

"What the fuck...?Is he laughing?" One of the attackers took a step back nervously, readying his bat. Maxus looked up at them, the cloth mask falling off his face to reveal his true look. His teeth and eyes stained red, his clothes and fists dripping with the blood of the men he had just killed. "Just some guy...? I'm the guy that will take all of your souls away..."

"He looks young." A gangster noted.

"Barely a teenager...but how is he-"

Maxus jumped at the man, pulling him by the jaw and punching him right in the eye before he could finish his sentence, ripping his entire jaw away from his face with horrifying strength as the confused man cried out in pain, barely able to process what just happened to him...he had just lost an entire jaw.

"What-" The other men could not comprehend the brutality in front of them, their limbs frozen in fear.

Maxus looked like a blood hungry demon, wiping his mouth with blood as the deranged vigilante gave them a creepy smile:" Now you have seen my face. None of you can live."

...

How many men was that?

30?

Maxus shut the door to his flat, breathing heavily as he took off his bloodied hoodie jacket, coughing blood onto his living room floor while tossing down the paper files he had taken from the businessmen. The teenager could feel the pain around his body getting worse, enveloping his senses which he felt was diminishing by the second. The adreleline he had from the fight had already faded away.

"Water..." The vigilante crawled towards his living room when he felt his breath...stop. No air was reaching his lungs. 

Maxus forced himself to take in a deeper breath which to his immense relief, worked as a strange creaking sensation was felt in his chest, the latest breath he took creating a weird tearing sensation towards his ribs, pain shooting up his throat and torso. Blood was flowing out from his shoulders, mouth, fingers, leg...

There were too many injuries to count.

Maxus could feel his vision blurring out, the burning painful sensation spreading across his entire body rapidly and there was nothing he can do about it. The teenager looked around of his house once more, knowing that at the end of the day, he was safe in his own home.

With that... Maxus allowed himself to close his eyes, collapsing.

Next Chapter- The Underground Network