"Huh? Who threw that banana?"
Just as the homeless men were fantasizing about a "bright future," a banana suddenly rolled onto the ground in front of them.
One of the men — the greedy one — crouched down, picked it up, and grinned dumfoundedly.
He was just about to peel it when a sudden flash swallowed his vision.
Boom!
The seemingly ordinary banana exploded.
The deafening blast and surge of smoke sent people nearby fleeing in terror — everyone except one figure who stepped forward instead of running.
Why force me to do this?
"If this was just about revenge, maybe fewer people would've died. Why did you insist on seeing something you shouldn't? Why did you have to be ruthless?"
Abel stood at the mouth of the alley, watching the carnage without expression.
No one expected a surprise attack.
Abel's original plan had been simple: tail them to their hideout, quietly eliminate the long-haired vagrant, and leave no loose ends.
But after overhearing their conversation from the alley entrance, killing intent flooded his mind.
If they succeeded in reporting Law, the two of them might never escape this country alive.
So, to protect himself — and avenge Law — there was only one choice.
Out of eight vagrants, seven died instantly in the explosion. Only the long-haired vagrant survived, shielded by bodies in just the right position.
When he spotted Abel, terror lit in his eyes.
"No… please don't kill me! I swear I won't tell anyone… please—!"
A grown man sobbing for his life.
Abel paused, then turned as if to leave.
The long-haired man's face brightened with relief — until a banana dropped from above and landed in his lap.
"No—BOOM!"
At this point… what difference did one more explosion make?
Abel's cold silhouette disappeared into the distance.
By the time the security team arrived, the alley was a blood-stained ruin.
Severed limbs and collapsed brickwork were tangled beyond recognition. Not even a single full body remained.
The stench of charred flesh was so nauseating that many turned pale and retched the moment they got close.
Investigation revealed that the dead were just vagrants — nobodies.
But because the attack involved bombs, orders came down from above: find the culprit at all costs.
If someone like this tossed a bomb into a crowded market one day, that would be catastrophic.
Captain Jess received the orders with a grim face.
Those vagrants — insignificant as they were — paid him monthly kickbacks, gathered intelligence, and occasionally handled dirty jobs.
Now most of them were dead. How could he not be furious?
"Investigate! Leave no stone unturned!"
"Round up everyone nearby who might've seen anything!"
"And someone get to the black market. Find out who Old Jack's been selling bombs to lately! Has he gone insane!?"
While chaos erupted in town, Abel and Law ended up in extreme danger once again.
…
Late that night, Abel snuck into a hospital to steal medicine and bandages. He was almost caught, but managed to slip away.
By the time he returned to their hiding place in the woods, dawn was approaching.
"I didn't know which of these worked, so I grabbed a little of everything. You'll have to figure it out."
Law was awake. His injuries looked brutal, but most were external. He had protected his vital organs — otherwise he might not have lasted until Abel found him.
"This one's for wounds… this one's for pain… this is anti-inflammatory…"
"Good enough. At least it wasn't a wasted trip."
Since Law couldn't move, Abel had to apply everything.
There was no room for delicacy — Abel wrapped him like a mummy, using every bandage he'd taken, not even thinking about what they'd do when it came time to change them.
He had done enough. If Law still died after this, then Abel would simply consider it a bad investment.
"Thanks," Law said quietly.
Despite Abel's rough treatment and the mummy wrapping, Law thanked him sincerely.
This was the second time Abel had saved him.
Abel flopped down on the grass, staring up at the stars. "No need. Just remember — you owe me two lives."
"Take them whenever you want. My life's not worth much anyway. Isn't your family in business? Why do you make such terrible deals?"
"Losing money now doesn't mean losing money later. It's called long-term investment. What would you, a doctor's son, know?"
Abel scoffed and took out an apple, biting into it loudly.
Damn, it was sweet.
Gurgle…
Law's stomach growled immediately, loud and unmistakable.
He refused to speak. Not out of embarrassment — he simply didn't want Abel to feel pressured.
He couldn't move, couldn't help, and food was limited. Giving it to the one person who could move was the logical choice.
Giving it to himself would be wasteful.
Abel ignored the rumble, or pretended to.
He polished off the apple in a few bites.
Then he pulled out another apple.
Law swallowed hard.
Abel continued eating lazily, alone.
Soon, apple number two was gone.
Then — like a magician — he produced a third apple.
At that point, Law finally couldn't hold himself back.
"Is that apple… sweet?"
"It's insanely sweet."
Afraid Law wouldn't believe him, Abel took another huge bite right in front of him, juice running down his chin.
"…"
Law, wrapped like a mummy, stared expressionlessly.
Did you think I was asking because I cared about the review?!
How come I can't hear the narrator voice right now?
Seeing Law's sulky expression, Abel finally burst out laughing.
Realizing he had been teased, Law gritted his teeth. "You damn—"
A large round apple was suddenly stuffed into his mouth, silencing him.
"Eat. And next time, don't act tough."
These apples had been left for the doctor by some unknown patient, untouched. Abel saw them while sneaking by and took them all.