The Marked; Absolute peak of Chaos

Payback

The officer turned toward the voice that had interrupted him just as he was about to handcuff Kent.

Standing a short distance away was a malnourished little girl with pale skin and white hair. She wore a cheap blue dress whose once-bright colour had faded from countless washes.

The officer's expression immediately darkened.

"Why should I let him go? Do you know this bastard?" He paused, looking her over with irritation. "Wait, what the hell is going on here? How dare you interrupt me?"

Mika hurried toward him, her little hands reaching for his leg as she pleaded.

"Please, don't hurt my brother!"

However, before she could say anything else, the officer violently shook her off.

"Who the hell are you? Get your filthy hands off me!"

Mika crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.

Seeing his sister fall, Kent immediately rushed over and helped her to her feet.

"Mika, are you alright?"

His expression remained calm, but a storm was brewing inside him as he had endured the man's humiliation and the officer's blatant injustice, but touching the one person he cared about most was a different matter.

"I'll make sure you both regret this."

Kent had never been someone who went looking for trouble, but he wasn't going to let anyone hurt Mika and walk away unscathed.

Watching the siblings cling to each other, the man finally realized that the little girl was Kent's sister. His expression grew even uglier.

If circumstances were different, he wouldn't hesitate to make the two brats disappear. Unfortunately, they were in a public place, and Veyra City still had people who cared enough to intervene when someone was being mistreated.

He turned toward the officer.

"They're siblings. Can't you see? That's why she's trying to defend him."

The officer nodded thoughtfully before bending down to look at Mika.

"Little girl, it must be terrible having someone like him as your brother. You must have suffered a lot. What a shame."

Mika's expression darkened.

"How dare you talk about my brother like that?"

She gritted her teeth and tried to lunge at him, but Kent held her back.

"Calm down, Mika."

The officer chuckled at her reaction.

"Oh? You're angry now? All I did was offer a few kind words about your brother. What a shame indeed."

Kent stared at the two men with undisguised resentment before leaning closer to Mika.

"Can you run?"

Mika looked at him in confusion. She had no idea what he was planning, but she shook her head.

The man approached the officer and whispered something into his ear.

The officer's expression changed. Without another word, he strode toward the siblings.

"Enough of this nonsense. I don't have time to waste on a worthless brat like you. Once you're thrown into prison, perhaps the prison uniform will replace those rags you're wearing. And don't worry, I'll make sure your sister gets one too."

Kent stared at him in disbelief.

"He actually intends to arrest Mika as well? This is ridiculous."

He took several steps backward, pulling Mika along as the officer continued approaching.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Kent slipped one hand into his trouser pocket, his fingers searching for something.

Still backing away, Kent suddenly stumbled and fell flat on his back.

"Kent!"

Mika hurried to help him up, her little face filled with worry.

Meanwhile, the officer and the man burst into laughter.

Their laughter was so loud that several passersby turned to look at them, wondering what was so amusing, Meanwhile Veyra City had seen its fair share of mentally unstable people in recent years. Perhaps these two men were among them.

Kent paid no attention to their laughter. As his palm pressed against the ground, he felt something sharp beneath it.

Its rough surface had cut into his palm, and blood was already spreading across his skin.

He clenched his teeth, refusing to cry out.

Mika noticed the injury and immediately took his hand, gently blowing on the wound as though that alone could make the pain disappear.

Her little gesture made Kent's expression soften for a brief moment.

Unfortunately, their moment of comfort didn't last as the two men eventually stopped laughing, and the officer resumed his approach.

Kent picked up the rough stone and raised it to eye level. His gaze shifted toward the man who had started all this trouble.

A cold smile appeared on his face.

"One eye should be enough for you."

The man's expression hardened

"What the hell are you talking about, idiot? Are you threatening me?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Kent muttered.

The officer was almost upon them but in one swift movement, Kent pulled a small catapult from his pocket and placed the stone inside it and with a steady hand and careful aim, he stretched the elastic band, fixed his gaze on the target, and released it.

Wooosh!

The stone shot through the air.

"Arrrrg!"

The man screamed as the stone struck his right eye. He immediately clutched his face, stumbling backward while blood seeped between his fingers. The toothpick that had been resting in his mouth fell to the ground.

The officer froze, staring at the injured man in shock.

Before he could react, Kent stamped hard on his leg.

"Ugh!"

The officer staggered, momentarily losing his balance.

Kent seized the opportunity to snatch the single Credit that had fallen to the ground.

"I'll be needing this. Thanks."

Grabbing Mika's hand, he took off.

For several seconds, both men could only stare after the fleeing siblings, their minds struggling to process what had just happened.

Then rage overwhelmed their pain.

"You little bastard !!!!"

The man and the officer charged after them, determined to make Kent pay for what he had done.

It didn't take long for Kent to realize they were being chased, although he and Mika had gained a head start but their frail bodies were no match for two grown men. Worse still, his abdomen was aching from the earlier kick, while Mika was already struggling to keep up.

"Fuck! Can't you run any faster?"

Kent glanced at his sister, noticing the pain on her face.

He couldn't blame her. They had barely eaten, and now they were being forced to run for their lives.

Seeing that the road ahead offered them little chance of escape, Kent abruptly turned around a nearby building.

A mechanic shop came into view and without hesitation, he pulled Mika along and rushed inside.

"Hey! What are you two doing in my shop?"

The shop owner, who had been cleaning his hands with a rag, stared at the unexpected visitors in displeasure.

Kent ignored him.

His attention had already settled on a black iron door at the back of the shop. He hurried toward it and grabbed the handle.

Fortunately, it was unlocked.

He pulled Mika inside and slammed the door shut behind them.

The mechanic stood there, rag in hand, utterly bewildered.

"What the hell is going on?"

Before he could make sense of the situation, two men stormed into his shop.

They immediately began searching the place, looking behind equipment and moving tools aside.

The mechanic's expression darkened.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing in my shop?"

The two men stopped and turned toward him.

The man with the injured eye was the first to speak.

"Sorry about that. We're looking for two kids who ran in here. Have you seen them?"

Only then did the mechanic realize that the two children who had barged into his shop were being chased.

The officer, however, had no intention of wasting time explaining himself. He continued searching, knocking things aside until the mechanic finally lost his patience.

"What is wrong with you people? This is my shop!"

The officer turned toward him with a Smirk and pointed at his uniform.

"I'm a police officer. Two kids ran in here, and I want you to hand them over immediately. Otherwise, you'll regret it."

The mechanic fell silent as he wasn't particularly interested in getting involved in someone else's trouble, especially when a police officer was standing in front of him. Yet something about the situation made him uneasy.

"Could those children be Marked?"

Rumours about marked individuals had spread throughout Veyra City, along with frightening stories of people who suddenly transformed into monsters. He had no idea whether the children were ordinary homeless kids or something more dangerous.

His gaze shifted toward the black iron door.

Inside, Kent was watching everything through a small hole.

"Come on, you bastard. Don't tell me you're actually going to sell us out."

Kent's face grew tense as he watched the mechanic hesitate.

"Please, don't have a conscience, you are a grown man for crying out loud"

After several moments of deliberation, the mechanic finally made his decision.

He couldn't afford to get dragged into a situation he knew nothing about. If the officer was willing to threaten him over two homeless children, then helping them could bring even greater trouble.

He walked toward the iron door.

Kent's heart sank.

"We're finished."

He looked back at Mika, who was watching him with frightened eyes.

Then, an idea suddenly crossed his mind.

"Wait... we might still have a chance."

Outside, the mechanic reached for the handle and tried to open the door.

It wouldn't budge.

He tried again, but it remained firmly shut.

"Shit! It's locked from the inside!"

The officer's face twisted with fury.

He grabbed a sledgehammer from the nearby tools and approached the door.

Bang !

The first blow shook the iron door.

Bang !!

Another strike followed, sending vibrations through its frame.

The officer continued hammering until the lock finally gave way and the door swung open.

The three men immediately looked inside but found nothing as the room was totally empty.

The mechanic's eyes widened in disbelief.

"But... but I saw them enter here just a moment ago!"

The officer slowly turned toward him, giving him a disdainful glare

"Who the hell do you think you're trying to deceive?"