Upon returning to Libretãnhya, the city was almost empty. Only a few teenagers with their partners or alone. And adults returning to their homes after a long day of hard work.
On an abandoned street, still under construction, there was a building shining with multicolored lights.
When entering the place, the smell of alcohol reached Slady's nose. He felt a bit nauseated, but stayed neutral while looking around.
It was a cabaret, with some men gambling, others drinking until they collapsed on the floor and also a "VIP" entertainment area where men paid prostitutes for a "moment".
His gaze fell on a duo, a man and a woman. They were not enjoying anything, they seemed to be observing. Then Slady understood, they were a pair of Criminal Investigators from Libretãnhya.
Rin Yuang, the woman, had a serious look, watching the men with apprehension as if she felt sorry for the women in that place.
Roger Trager, the man, although more relaxed and even drinking, was completely lucid and prepared for any situation.
When Slady entered, both paid attention to him, suspicious of his clothing.
Slady sat at a counter. A bartender approached him. Her clothes were short and tight. The woman tried to force a smile, as if she had been forced to wear such vulgar clothing.
"Good evening, dear. Do you want something? We can offer you the 'VIP' for a price."
She said this while Slady looked at her without emotion.
"Please, just a wine."
"Alright."
The woman seemed relieved to be treated with respect. She served him a glass of wine.
Slady looked at the glass for about two seconds, then drank the liquid, which had a sweet taste, just as he wanted.
"Thank you."
He said this as he placed the empty glass on the counter.
"Oh."
The woman seemed surprised. She had not seen anyone drink an entire glass of wine without getting drunk.
"Do you want more?"
She asked.
Before Slady could respond, he felt a touch on his shoulder. When he turned, he found Roger and Rin Yuang with serious expressions.
"Can you come with us, sir?"
Roger asked.
Slady sighed, stood up and placed some Lynes on the counter to pay for the drink.
"No problem."
The woman took the money with a nervous smile, not knowing who the duo was.
He was taken to a more distant part of the place, on the second floor, which was empty and still under construction.
"So…"
Rin Yuang turned to Slady.
"We are from the Criminal Investigation of Libretãnhya."
Roger said.
Both showed their badges, then Rin Yuang spoke in a firm, serious tone.
"We're here to investigate a gang of criminals that we suspect is operating in this place, we want your identity to prove you're not invol—"
"I'm also here for the same reason, but for something more personal."
Slady interrupted, crossing his arms.
The two were surprised and replied.
"You have no proof you're really here to investigate this place, we want to know why you are here."
Roger said.
"I'm here to kill someone, but I might end up killing all the criminals here."
Slady answered with pure sincerity.
Both were shocked. They pulled their weapons, Rin Yuang a pistol and Roger two daggers.
"We can't let you do th—"
They were interrupted by a punch to the face from Slady's bionic hand. It was a weak punch on purpose.
The fight could be heard from downstairs. The bartender looked very worried and hid under the counter.
In a more distant room on the first floor, locked away, were the gangsters. Among them, Yai Chang.
The room reeked of cigarettes and other substances. He and his criminal partners were making plans. Some women were there, fearful and unsure how to escape.
When they heard the sounds of blows, the criminals looked at each other, confused and irritated, thinking some client was making too much noise during his "moment".
The gangsters grabbed their weapons. Yai Chang grabbed his brass knuckles and equipped them.
"Stay there, you bitches."
The women curled up together.
The men laughed approvingly. Then the group headed toward the noise.
Slady had knocked the duo down. They were on their knees, badly hurt, yet still conscious.
"Damn…"
Rin Yuang looked at Slady with frustration.
Slady ignored her, cleaning the wounds he had received.
Suddenly, the door opened. The group of criminals stood there, surprised to see two officers and a man they didn't know.
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Yai Chang shouted furiously.
The men pulled their weapons and prepared to shoot all three. Yai Chang readied his brass knuckles with a malicious grin.
Slady recognized Yai Chang without changing his expression. He took a capsule from his coat and threw it on the floor, creating a thick smoke.
The men coughed, Roger and Rin Yuang also coughed, suffocating, while Slady remained unmoved and breathing normally.
The two officers felt their bodies being wrapped by something metallic. They could not see what it was. They tried to escape but could not.
Seconds later*
When they opened their eyes, the first thing they saw was Slady, who had taken their weapons.
"I don't want you two getting in my way. Leave and I will inform you when I return."
He said this in an almost threatening tone.
"If you tell anyone, I will know. Not only you, but those you love most will pay."
Both were shocked. They had no doubt they were dealing with someone dangerous.
"Understood."
They said in unison.
They stood up, supporting each other, then jumped from the building and moved away.
Returning to where they had been, the criminals still could not see and kept coughing desperately.
Using Roger's daggers and Rin Yuang's silenced pistol, Slady began killing all the criminals one by one.
But he still had not found his main target. Then the smoke cleared, revealing him, his eyes red and now extremely furious.
"What did you do?! You bastard!!"
The man lunged like a wild animal. Slady took advantage of this and threw a smoke capsule into his mouth, forcing the gas into Yai Chang's lungs. He fell to the floor, coughing in pure despair, tears falling from his eyes.
"COUGH COUGH!!"
He tried to reach out toward Slady, who only watched him in silence until Yai Chang's vision went dark and he fainted.
Three in the morning
Yai Chang opened his eyes and looked around, realizing he was in an unknown place and also naked. His arms and legs were tied to a chair and his mouth was covered with tape so he could not scream.
"You're awake, hm?"
A small lamp suddenly turned on, revealing Slady sitting on a chair.
Yai Chang tried to scream, but only produced a loud "hmmm".
"No one will hear you, all your friends are dead. I already removed every man who was here, and the women you mistreated are safe."
Slady leaned forward, speaking in a low, apathetic tone.
"It will be just you and me, no one else."
At the Criminal Investigation Department of Libretãnhya…
Rin Yuang had finished a shower. Wearing comfortable clothes, she lay on her bed.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated with an anonymous message.
"Return to the location."
She looked at the message, stood up and changed her clothes quickly.
In the hallways, she walked fast. By coincidence, she encountered Roger, probably because he received the same message.
Minutes later, the duo returned to the place which looked terrible. The bodies of the men were positioned like puppets, as if someone wanted to create a different story or context.
While exploring the building, they heard whispers. When they opened a door, they found a group of women on a bed. They were young, mostly adults, but unfortunately there were some minors as well.
"Who are you?"
One of them asked. It was the bartender.
"We are from Criminal Investigation."
The duo said, showing their badges.
The women felt relieved. Some cried in each other's arms.
The two investigators felt something similar. Even though they had to stay professional and serious, seeing so many innocent people suffer hurt the heart.
Roger signaled for Rin Yuang to continue exploring. She nodded and left the room. Roger sat near the women and asked calmly:
"Who put you here?"
"It was the guy I attended earlier…"
The bartender said.
Roger understood. The memories of what happened still lingered.
"I see, did he treat you well?"
"Yes, he asked us to stay here until the 'good people' arrived."
One woman said.
"I'm really glad about that. Do you know where he is?"
Roger asked, curious.
"I think he left. But he was very kind to all of us."
Another woman said, pleased.
Despite the misunderstanding, Roger had the thought that Slady might not be so bad… or he was wrong?
Meanwhile…
Rin Yuang walked on the second floor, finding the weapons that had been taken. She also heard… crying?
The sound came from a door. When she opened it, Rin Yuang widened her eyes, feeling nauseous, but forced herself not to vomit.
It was Yai Chang. His intimate parts had been removed, his eyes were hanging from their sockets and his body was in terrible condition.
Worst of all: there was no blood, as if nothing had happened…