Baki turned slowly toward the sound of footsteps. His body was destroyed and his right arm was useless. Blood covered him from head to toe, but his eyes still burned with that same intensity.
His vision blurred and his legs gave out. He fell to one knee.
He had used too much and his body was finally giving out.
A gunshot echoed through the night.
One of the Red Dragon members escorting Zhang Jian had a hole in his chest. He looked down at it and then collapsed.
Two more shots followed in rapid succession. The other escorts dropped.
Hou Qing spun around from where he knelt. "What—"
Li Xiu stepped out of the shadows with her gun raised. "My, my. What a show that was."
Hou Qing's eyes widened. "Li Xiu?"
She aimed at him and fired.
Hou Qing threw himself sideways. The bullet tore through his shoulder instead of his chest. He hit the ground hard.
"Still quick," Li Xiu said. She walked toward them with the gun swinging in her hand. "Even half-dead."
She stopped next to where Zhang Jian lay against a wall. He was barely conscious from his injuries. Without his escorts, he was completely vulnerable.
Li Xiu crouched beside him and pressed the gun to his temple. Zhang Jian's eyes cracked open.
"You know, Zhang Jian, I always thought you were smarter than this," she said. "Loyal to the end, aren't you?"
"Li Xiu..." Zhang Jian's voice was barely a whisper. "What are you..."
"Shh." She patted his head. "Don't worry. You served your purpose."
She pulled the trigger.
The gunshot was louder this time. Zhang Jian's head snapped to the side and his eyes went blank. Blood and brain matter sprayed across the wall behind him.
"NO!" Hou Qing screamed.
He was already moving despite his wound. He charged at her with rage overwhelming pain and injury. Li Xiu adjusted her aim calmly and fired.
The bullet caught Hou Qing in the thigh. He crashed to the ground and screamed.
Li Xiu walked over to him and pressed the gun against his forehead. "Tsk, tsk. You shouldn't be so aggressive toward a lady."
Hou Qing glared up at her through pain-filled eyes. Blood poured from his shoulder and thigh. "You... traitor..."
"Traitor?" Li Xiu laughed. "Oh, darling. You can't betray someone you were never loyal to in the first place." She grabbed his chin roughly. "Did you really think I gave a damn about Red Dragon? About you idiots playing gangster?"
She leaned in close. Her voice was loud enough for Hou Qing to hear. "You think Shanghai belonged to you? No. The master will come soon."
Hou Qing's eyes widened. "The Continental Stars..."
"That's right." Li Xiu straightened up. "Red Dragon was always meant to fall. Your brother's little gang was useful for a time, but now?" She gestured at the carnage around them. "Now it's all over. Your usefulness was only in deterring the other Continental Stars."
She raised the gun toward Hou Qing's head.
A small pebble struck her wrist.
The shot went wide and sparked off stone. Li Xiu spun around.
Baki stood there and swayed on his feet. His left hand held a few more pebbles. His right arm still hung useless at his side. Blood continued to pour from his wounds.
"You know," Baki said, his voice rough, "I don't actually care about your business."
Li Xiu fired at him.
Baki tilted his head. The bullet passed through the space where his skull had been.
She fired twice more. Baki shifted his weight and both rounds went wide.
"But I did care about that fight." Baki gestured at Hou Qing with his chin. "He was strong. Really strong. I felt it." He took an unsteady step forward. "So you don't get to just execute him after I put in all that work."
Li Xiu kept firing as Baki advanced. His movements were unpredictable.
When the gun clicked empty, Baki was ten feet away.
Li Xiu ejected the magazine and reached for a spare.
Baki kicked a chunk of rubble at her face. Li Xiu blocked with her forearm and the impact cracked bone.
Baki closed the distance as she slammed the new magazine home. His left hand shot out and caught her wrist just as she pulled the trigger. He twisted her arm and the bullet went into the ground.
Li Xiu drove her knee into Baki's stomach where Long Tianho's spear had stabbed him. The wound reopened and blood gushed out.
Baki grunted but didn't let go. Li Xiu struck at his throat with her free hand. Baki tilted his head and her fingers grazed his neck.
He twisted her wrist harder and tendons ground against bone. Li Xiu's grip loosened. Baki yanked her arm down and drove his knee into her elbow. The joint hyperextended with a wet pop.
Li Xiu screamed and dropped the gun.
She spun and threw a back elbow at Baki's face. It connected with his already-broken jaw and his vision went white. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
Li Xiu followed with a roundhouse kick to his ribs. The cracked bones shifted and Baki's breath hitched.
She pressed forward and threw a straight punch at his face. Baki leaned back and her fist passed just in front of his nose. She threw another punch at his wounded stomach. Baki twisted and the punch glanced off his side.
Baki tried to grab her with his left hand but Li Xiu stepped back out of reach. She lunged with a front kick at his knee. Baki shifted his leg and the kick hit his shin instead.
Li Xiu threw a quick jab at his face. Baki swatted it aside. She immediately hooked with her other hand. Baki ducked under it and Li Xiu brought her knee up toward his lowered face.
Baki caught her knee with his left hand. He held it for a moment and then shoved her back. Li Xiu stumbled but stayed on her feet.
Her eyes flicked to the gun on the ground six feet to her left. She took a step toward it.
A rock hit her in the back of the head.
Li Xiu spun around. Hou Qing had dragged himself across the ground and thrown the rock with his good arm. Blood poured from his shoulder and thigh wounds but his eyes burned with hatred.
"Zhang Jian was like a brother to me," Hou Qing said through gritted teeth. "You killed him."
Li Xiu smiled and started toward him instead of the gun. "Then let me reunite you."
Baki moved. He kicked rubble across the ground between Li Xiu and the gun. Small stones scattered everywhere.
Li Xiu had to stop and step carefully to avoid tripping. Baki closed the distance and threw a left hook at her head. Li Xiu blocked with both arms and the impact drove her back. Baki threw another punch straight at her stomach. Li Xiu twisted and his fist hit her side.
She grabbed his extended arm with both hands and yanked him forward. She drove her knee into his chest where the spear shaft had struck earlier.
Air exploded from Baki's lungs and his vision went white.
Li Xiu held his arm and twisted it to hyperextend the elbow. Baki's legs buckled from the pain and exhaustion.
A rock struck Li Xiu in the temple.
Her grip loosened for just a moment. Hou Qing had thrown another one from where he lay bleeding on the ground.
Baki stepped into the joint lock instead of pulling away to reduce the pressure. He drove his forehead into her face.
Their skulls collided and Li Xiu's nose shattered. Blood exploded across both their faces. Her grip loosened completely.
Baki pulled his arm free and threw an elbow strike that caught her jaw and spun her head to the side. A tooth flew out of her mouth.
Li Xiu staggered back and touched her face. Blood ran from her nose and split lips.
Hou Qing threw another rock. It hit her in the shoulder and she spun toward him with fury in her eyes.
She charged at Hou Qing. Baki tried to intercept but his legs gave out and he fell to one knee. Li Xiu reached Hou Qing and drew her leg back to kick his head.
Hou Qing grabbed a piece of broken concrete with his good hand. When Li Xiu's kick came, he swung the concrete into her shin with all his remaining strength.
Her leg buckled and she fell forward. Hou Qing rolled to the side and Li Xiu hit the ground face-first.
Baki forced himself back to his feet and stumbled toward them. Li Xiu was already pushing herself up.
She threw a desperate backfist at Baki as he approached. Baki leaned back and the strike missed. Li Xiu tried to sweep his legs but Baki jumped over the sweep despite his exhaustion.
When he landed, his legs almost gave out. Li Xiu saw the opening and threw a high kick at his head.
Baki ducked low. As her leg passed over him, he drove his shoulder into her standing leg.
Her balance broke and she fell backward. She hit the ground hard.
She immediately tried to roll away but Baki dropped his knee onto her stomach with all his weight. Air left her lungs in a rush.
She tried to push him off. Baki grabbed her wrist with his left hand and pinned it to the ground. She punched at him with her other hand but Baki leaned his head down and her fist hit his shoulder.
Hou Qing was dragging himself closer. His face was pale from blood loss but his eyes were focused.
"Please... Hold her," Hou Qing said.
Baki shifted his weight to keep Li Xiu pinned. She struggled beneath him and tried to buck him off but he was too heavy.
Hou Qing reached them. He still held the piece of broken concrete in his hand. It was the size of a brick and had sharp edges.
Li Xiu's eyes widened when she saw it. "Wait—"
Hou Qing brought the concrete down on her face with all his strength.
Her nose caved in completely and blood exploded across the stone. He lifted the concrete and brought it down on her face a second time. Her cheekbone shattered under the impact.
A third time and her jaw broke. Teeth scattered across the ground.
Hou Qing raised the concrete for a fourth strike but his arm was shaking from exhaustion and blood loss. Baki reached over with his left hand and grabbed Hou Qing's wrist.
"She's done," Baki said.
Hou Qing looked down at Li Xiu. Her face was destroyed beyond recognition and blood pooled beneath her head. Her chest still rose and fell in shallow, gurgling breaths but her eyes were unfocused and rolled back.
Hou Qing let the concrete drop from his hand. It hit the ground with a dull thud.
Baki slowly pushed himself off Li Xiu and stood. He swayed on his feet and nearly fell but caught himself.
Hou Qing remained on the ground. He looked at Zhang Jian's body slumped against the wall with half his head missing. His closest friend and ally was dead.
"He didn't deserve that," Hou Qing said quietly.
"No one deserves to be betrayed," Baki agreed. "No one."
They sat in silence for a moment.
Whether it was the irony of fate or not, Baki had been betrayed by White Tiger Job Centre and now Red Dragon had been betrayed by one of its core members.
Just then, several footsteps echoed. Baki looked up. It was Jeff. He chuckled. "I thought you died."
Jeff was covered in blood. "I have experience surviving death."
---
Baki sat in a limousine. He was covered with bandages. Jeff sat across from him. His vision kept blurring from blood loss. He fell back against the seat.
He found his phone in the pocket of his torn jacket. He dialed with trembling fingers.
"Mission failed," Baki said when the line connected.
"Failed?"
"Wang Wei escaped during the chaos." Baki looked at his broken right arm. "I'm going back to South Korea."
"Understood."
Baki ended the call. He looked at the moon hanging in the dark sky through the window.
He had come to kill Wang Wei and failed.
Jeff asked, "Why did you let them go?"
Baki straightened. "Red Dragon? They were strong."
"Then shouldn't you have killed them? They might come for revenge," Jeff said.
Baki chuckled. "That would be good. I'll test myself against them then."