2026-01-14 00:02:52Tonight, the New York sky seemed to spit upon Marco Rossi’s fate. The Port of New York and New Jersey: a vast harbor area around the mouth of the Hudson River, managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). Heavy rain poured down on Pier 4, mixing the salty fish smell of the sea with the stench of rusty iron and the metallic tang of blood. What went wrong with his dream? He only wanted to be a responsible head of the family, to enjoy simple happiness with Maria and Sofia, even though his profession was merely that of a rough dockworker. Until that incident came.
CRASH! Marco's body was sent flying, smashing into the shipping containers lined up in the corner of the harbor. Fresh blood streamed from his temple due to the violent impact. "I'm sorry, Boss… I don't have the money yet," Marco pleaded, "My wages are still tied up. Give me more time, Boss," he begged, trying to withstand the searing pain in his temple. "Hey, moron, you can't just expect things to go your way! Do you think only your family needs to eat, huhh!" Rizyo roared, "Do you think my Boss is some kind of philanthropist? My Boss is a loan shark, idiot!" "Stop running your mouth! Give him an inch and he'll take a mile!" Tony yelled, "It's been too long, let’s beat this loser up, Zyo!" THWACK! CRACK! BAMMM! "Arrrgh...!" Marco stumbled, his mouth hitting the concrete asphalt. His body was soaked in puddles of rainwater mixed with his flowing blood. "Enough!" Rizyo and Tony turned toward the command from the dominant voice. "Drag him! Don't let him die yet, you fools! I want him to be conscious when the salt water enters his lungs!" The voice sounded threatening, heavy, hoarse, and full of dissatisfaction—it belonged to Vinnie "The Shark," the loan shark boss who controlled the harbor territory. Marco felt his back burn agonizingly as he was dragged across the coarse concrete of the dock. His cheap white shirt was shapeless, ripped here and there, soaked in a mixture of rainwater, mud, and his own dripping blood. "Uugghh..." Marco tried to groan, but only bloody foam came out of his mouth. His jaw felt loose, perhaps fractured. One of his eyes was completely swollen shut, leaving only a blurry view from his barely open left eye. "Stop!" Vinnie commanded. The grip on Marco's collar released. His body was simply dumped into a puddle of dirty water. "Get up! You bastard," another voice chimed in. Tony, Vinnie's right-hand man who had a penchant for knives, "Boss said get up!!" A fierce kick landed on Marco's ribs. CRACK! "ARRGGHH!" Marco coughed, spitting fresh blood onto Tony's expensive leather shoes. "Dog! My shoes, you son of a bitch!" Tony screamed, ready to deliver a second kick, but Vinnie raised a hand. Vinnie approached, crouching down in front of Marco. His greasy face was illuminated by the dim harbor floodlights. He smiled, showing his disgusting gold teeth. "Look at your condition now, Marco," Vinnie said softly, as if speaking to an old friend. He grabbed Marco’s hair, forcing him to look up, "A lowlife dockworker. A failed husband. A pathetic father. Do you want to know why you ended up like this?!" Marco spat, "Ptuuih!" a mix of saliva and blood landing squarely on Vinnie’s cheek. Silence fell momentarily. Only the sound of the rain battering the steel containers could be heard. Vinnie’s men held their breath. Vinnie wasn't angry. Instead, he laughed. A dry, horrifying laugh. He wiped the spittle away with a silk handkerchief, then... BAMMM!! A straight punch slammed into Marco’s nose. The sound of breaking bones echoed loudly, "Aarrgghh...!" "Because you're an idiot!!" Vinnie hissed right into Marco’s ringing ear, "You borrowed money from me... to pay off your moron brother's gambling debt. fifty thousand dollars, Marco. And now? It's been a week past the deadline, idiot!" "I... I will pay..." Marco forced the words out from his swollen throat, "Give... me time..." "Time?! One week wasn't enough, huhh?!" Vinnie stood up, gesturing toward the dark sea at the end of the pier, "Your time ran out since sundown, buddy. And you know the rules, don't you?" He paused, then finished, "Okay. Tony, Rizyo, lift this damned trash!" Two pairs of muscular hands grabbed Marco's arms. He was forcibly dragged toward the edge of the pier. His legs trailed uselessly behind him. "Don't... Vinnie, please," Marco begged, not for his own life, but the faces of Maria and Sofia flashed through his mind. If he died here, who would protect them? The debt would fall to his wife and child, "My wife... my daughter..." "Oh, don't worry about Maria," Vinnie gave an obscene smirk, "A young widow, beautiful, still tight. I'm sure many men will want to help her pay off your debt. Maybe I'll be stopping by often myself! Ha… ha… ha…" The thugs' laughter exploded in the rain. Marco's blood boiled instantly. Unbearable rage surged in his chest, but his body was already ruined. He tried to fight back, but Tony simply twisted his fractured arm. Marco suppressed a scream. They reached the edge of the pier. Below, the black seawater churned, freezing cold. New York in the winter was no place for a swim. Hypothermia would kill him before he could even drown. "Any last words?" Vinnie asked, lighting a cigarette and shielding the flame from the raindrops with his hand, "Or do you want to just check out immediately?!" Marco stared at Vinnie with his one remaining eye. A look of pure hatred. But his body was powerless. "Go to hell... you bastard!" Marco whispered. Vinnie shrugged, "Okay! Toss him in!!" Tony and Rizyo swung Marco's body. "One..." "Two..." "Three! Bye, Loser!" WHUUUSSSSHHHH. Marco's body soared... Marco saw the dark sky. He felt gravity pulling him toward death. Forgive me, Maria… Forgive your father, Sofia… for not being the best husband and father. I’m sorry I never had the chance to make you happy. Marco was battered, beaten half to death. Who would have thought that a problem created by his younger brother would lead to this terrible fate? He only intended to help his brother resolve his situation. Borrowing money from the wrong people, to pay off a gambling debt… a futile endeavor. Truly, no one knows a person's fate. Marco closed his eyes, hoping it was all just a dream. But this was the cruel reality of the world. The strong survive, the strong win. Marco was just a loser; he was helpless. Shattered and hopeless, even though he had tried. Time seemed to slow down; the falling rain felt suspended in the air. Cold... It wasn't the cold of the sea water. It was an odd, unfamiliar coldness. Suddenly, in front of his damaged retina, a blue light flared. Bright, sharp, and digital. A transparent screen floated in the air, following his falling gaze. [SYSTEM DETECTED] [HOST CONDITION: CRITICAL (LIFE EXPECTANCY: 2%)] [PHYSICAL DAMAGE: MULTIPLE FRACTURES, INTERNAL BLEEDING] Marco thought he had gone insane. What is this?! Is this my dying brain hallucinating? The text on the screen changed rapidly. [YOU WILL DIE IN 0.5 SECONDS UPON WATER IMPACT.] [DO YOU WISH TO LIVE?] [Y / N] Marco didn't understand. He didn't care if this was magic, technology, or the devil himself. Vinnie was still laughing up there. Maria is in danger, and Sofia still needs a father, the thought raced through Marco's mind. Marco did not want to die. And he couldn't die. In his mind, Marco screamed as loud as he could: YES! His hand, floating in the air, reflexively tried to reach for the glowing "Y" button. His fractured index finger touched the blue light. Click. [CONFIRMATION RECEIVED.] [ACTIVATING PROTOCOL: LIFE MODE.] [WARNING: THE MERGING PROCESS WILL BE EXTREMELY PAINFUL.] SPLASH! Marco’s body hit the surface of the icy water. Darkness. Bone-chilling cold. Salt water rushed into his nose and mouth. Marco sank... ***
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Chapter 222: The Blood Legacy
VILLA ROSA - TUSCANY, ITALY - 02:00 AM LOCAL TIMEThe storm over the Tuscan valley did not arrive with a gentle warning. It slammed into the ancient stone walls of Villa Rosa with the sudden, catastrophic violence of a bomb going off. The wind tore through the vineyards, ripping leaves from their branches, while rain hammered against the reinforced glass windows like a barrage of relentless gunfire.Inside the sprawling estate, the darkness was absolute. The power grid had flickered and died an hour ago, leaving the manor illuminated only by the jagged, erratic flashes of lightning.Maria Rossi lay awake in her grand, empty bed. She had not slept a full night in five years. The silence of the house usually felt like a heavy, suffocating blanket, but tonight, the raging storm outside offered a strange comfort. It drowned out the thoughts in her head.Then, a sound pierced through the howling wind.It was a sharp, u
Chapter 221: Uncle Parker's Visit
VILLA ROSA - TUSCANY, ITALY - 10:00 AM LOCAL TIMEThe rented Fiat navigated the winding, sun-drenched roads of the Tuscan hills with a struggling, sputtering engine. The driver of the small vehicle looked entirely out of place amidst the vibrant green vineyards and ancient, picturesque stone farmhouses.John Parker had officially retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation four years ago. He had surrendered his badge, packed his desk, and moved to a quiet cabin in Montana to fish and forget. He had spent his entire career hunting monsters, and he had believed, with absolute certainty, that he had watched the greatest monster of them all turn to ash in the center of Manhattan.Yet, the instincts of a lifelong hunter do not simply vanish with a pension check.Parker parked the Fiat at the bottom of the long gravel driveway leading up to Villa Rosa. He stepped out of the car, adjusting the collar of his signature beige
Chapter 220: Maria's Nightmare
VILLA ROSA - TUSCANY, ITALY - 04:30 PM LOCAL TIMEThe late afternoon sun bathed the sprawling estate of Villa Rosa in a warm, honeyed glow. The sky was a vast, unbroken canopy of cerulean blue, and the gentle breeze carried the sweet, earthy fragrance of ripening grapes and blooming lavender. It was a picturesque scene of absolute tranquility, a paradise carefully constructed from the ashes of a violent past. But as Maria Rossi stood behind the heavy velvet drapes of the second-floor library window, looking down at the courtyard below, she felt no peace. Her heart beat with a slow, heavy rhythm of ingrained, inescapable dread. She watched her five-year-old son, Antonio. He was sitting alone on the edge of the large, circular stone fountain. The water trickled softly behind him, but Antonio paid it no mind. He was not splashing his hands in the water. He was not chasing the colorful butterflies that fluttered around the rose bushes. He sat with his legs crossed, his posture rigidly
Chapter 219: The Time Jump
VILLA ROSA - TUSCANY, ITALY - FIVE YEARS LATER03:00 PM LOCAL TIMETime had a way of smoothing over the sharpest edges of trauma, covering the ruins of the past with a veneer of quiet, mundane peace. The rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside basked in the golden warmth of the afternoon sun. The endless rows of grapevines stretched toward the horizon, lush and vibrant, a testament to the resilient beauty of nature. A sleek, black armored Mercedes sedan wound its way up the long, gravel driveway of Villa Rosa. The heavy iron gates opened silently, granting the vehicle entry into the secluded estate. Sofia Moretti stepped out of the back seat before the driver could even open her door. At twenty-two years old, Sofia was a formidable presence. She wore a tailored, slate-gray suit that projected absolute, uncompromising authority. As the Director of the Phoenix Foundation and a top-tier international lawyer, she spent her days navigating the cutthroat boardrooms of Geneva and London,
Chapter 218: Birth on a Stormy Night
VILLA ROSA - TUSCANY, ITALY - 11:45 PM LOCAL TIMEThe Tuscan sky did not simply rain; it unleashed a biblical deluge upon the earth. The rolling green hills, usually a portrait of serene beauty, were swallowed entirely by the violent, churning blackness of a massive thunderstorm. Lightning violently fractured the heavens, casting harsh, jagged flashes of blinding white light across the stone facade of Villa Rosa. The thunder that followed was deafening, a physical force that rattled the ancient timber beams of the manor.Inside the fortified basement of the villa, the lights flickered erratically before dying completely, plunging the underground medical room into absolute, suffocating darkness. A few seconds later, the deep, rumbling hum of the backup diesel generator kicked in, bathing the room in the dim, sickly yellow glow of emergency halogen lamps.Maria Rossi lay on the pristine medical bed. She was completely drenched in a freezing, unnatural sweat. Her breath plumed in the col
Chapter 217: The Impossible Diagnosis
VILLA ROSA - TUSCANY, ITALY - 04:15 PM LOCAL TIMEThe heavy, iron-reinforced doors of Villa Rosa swung open to admit a solitary, mud-splattered Range Rover. The vehicle tore through the gravel driveway, ignoring the meticulously maintained landscaping, and screeched to a halt right in front of the stone patio. A man stepped out of the vehicle before the engine had even fully shut down. He was tall, dressed in a sharp black turtleneck and a dark blazer, carrying two heavy, reinforced medical cases. Dr. Julian Vivaldi was not a traditional physician. He was a shadow contractor, a man whose medical license had been revoked in Milan for unauthorized genetic experimentation. He catered exclusively to the ghosts of the European underworld, men and women who could not afford to leave a paper trail in a public hospital. Sofia Rossi stood waiting at the top of the stone steps. She did not offer a greeting. She merely turned and led the doctor inside the cool, darkened interior of the villa.
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This novel is very exciting, continue Thor