Chapter 15, Part 1

  Raven’s head was shaking left to right non-stop, his feathers fluffing up in distress.

  "Just do it," I told him, arms crossed. "You’re not weak enough to die from that. Or are you?"

  He cawed aggressively in protest, his little talons scraping against the ground like he was ready to throw a tantrum. Then, with a reluctant sigh—or the bird equivalent of one—he retracted his wings.

  "Nice. He’s ready."

  I bent down to look him in the eye. "Alright, here’s the plan."

  He listened, though I could tell he wasn’t happy about it. The moment I finished explaining, he immediately started cawing again, shaking his head as if he were saying, Nope, nope, absolutely not.

  "This is too risky," he protested with a loud screech.

  I patted his head. "I hear you, and I am ignoring you."

  More screeching. More offended flapping.

  "Do you want to eat dinner or not?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  That shut him up.

  "I’ll make pizza," I added, knowing I had him trapped.

  Raven loved pizza. It was one of the most unexpected discoveries I’d made since raising him. The way he devoured a slice was both disturbing and kind of impressive. He even had a favorite—extra cheese, no olives.

  He looked at me, weighing his options. Then, with a final irritated caw, he turned and took off.

  I smirked, watching him fly into the night. "Works every time."

  Sebastian, who had been silently observing this entire exchange, finally spoke. "Sir, are you sure using Raven as bait is wise?"

  "Define 'wise,'" I said, stretching my arms. "Because in my book, anything that works is wise."

  Sebastian sighed but didn’t argue. He had long since learned that my definition of ‘common sense’ was a bit different from everyone else’s.

  We waited. It took time. I tapped my foot impatiently.

  Then, in the distance, I saw it.

  Raven.

  And behind him?

  A lot of people.

  Raven was cursing me from afar.

  "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

  I burst out laughing so hard I had to clutch my stomach. Watching that tiny black dot in the sky flapping desperately with a mob of furious gangsters chasing after him was peak comedy.

  Sebastian, as always, remained composed. "They are approaching rapidly, sir."

  "I can see that, Sebastian," I wheezed between laughs.

  Then an idea hit me.

  "Oh, this is gonna be good," I muttered, quickly shoving Sebastian behind a dumpster. "Hide."

  "But—"

  "Shh. Just trust me."

  He sighed but obeyed.

  Raven finally reached me, his face the picture of betrayal. His eyes practically screamed I will kill you in your sleep.

  "Hey, buddy!" I greeted, wiping away tears of laughter.

  His response was a wing slap to my face.

  I really should’ve seen that coming.

  Behind him, the angry mob was closing in. Unfortunately for them, they were about to walk right into my trap.

  "Now, Sebastian!" I whispered.

  Like a shadow, he emerged behind them. Silent. Deadly. Efficient.

  SMACK!

  The sound of Sebastian knocking a guy unconscious with a single blow was almost musical.

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  The rest of the mob turned in shock, just in time for Raven to go full murder mode.

  Feathers fluffed, claws out, and beak snapping, he pounced.

  It was my turn now.

  I sprinted toward the parked car, throwing myself inside and revving the engine.

  The mob was already caught in the chaos, unable to react fast enough.

  Perfect.

  I hit the gas.

  The car screeched forward, tires burning against the asphalt as I charged straight into them. The ones still standing barely had time to move. I wasn’t trying to kill them—just heavily inconvenience their existence.

  Bodies hit the hood, rolling off to the side. Some were thrown completely out of the way. Others weren’t as lucky.

  The car came to a screeching stop.

  I stepped out and took in the scene.

  Most of the non-awakened guys were already down.

  Five were still standing.

  They looked at me.

  I looked at them.

  "Alright," I clapped my hands. "Each of you gets one. Finish them, and provide backup if I need it."

  Sebastian nodded.

  Raven flapped his wings dramatically, like a warrior preparing for battle.

  And me?

  I had three guys to handle.

  They stared at me, then exchanged glances. Their expressions all screamed the same thought.

  "What’s this teenager even gonna do?"

  I smirked. "Oh, you’ll see."

  One of them rushed at me. Bad move.

  I tackled him straight to the ground.

  His friend lunged at me next. I dodged, grabbing his arm and flipping him over. He crashed down with a groan.

  The third guy hesitated.

  Smart.

  Too bad I wasn’t giving him a choice.

  I dashed forward, targeting his stomach.

  Why?

  Because it was nighttime. And judging by his build, he’d definitely had dinner. A well-fed enemy is a slow enemy.

  My fist sank into his gut.

  He crumpled.

  "Called it," I muttered.

  The other two were trying to get up. Not happening.

  I grabbed the closest one by the collar and slammed him into the car door. He went limp.

  One left.

  He swung at me. I ducked, then elbowed him in the ribs.

  A breathless wheeze escaped his lips before he collapsed.

  And just like that, it was over.

  Sebastian had already finished his opponent with the grace of a professional butler-slash-assassin.

  Raven, on the other hand…

  Well.

  His opponent was currently sobbing.

  "Please get him off me!" the guy wailed, flailing as Raven pecked at his head mercilessly.

  I sighed. "Raven, buddy. I think he’s had enough."

  CAW!

  "He called you a pigeon."

  Raven screeched in fury, pecking harder.

  The guy cried louder.

  I shook my head. "Alright, alright. That’s enough. We need him alive for information."

  Raven finally relented, but not before giving the guy one last menacing glare.

  Sebastian turned to me. "What now, sir?"

  I cracked my knuckles. "Now? We ask some very persuasive questions."

  I glanced down at the trembling survivor.

  "Starting with you."

  His face paled.

  This was going to be fun.

  Chapter 15, Part 2

  My stomach was bloated from both the absurd amount of food I’d eaten and the unstoppable laughter I’d just experienced. Seriously, watching Raven terrorize that guy had been the highlight of my night.

  I took a deep breath, finally calming down, and surveyed my surroundings.

  We were in a silent alley—empty, dark, and conveniently corpse-ridden.

  No witnesses. No cameras. No nosy civilians.

  A perfect little crime scene.

  By the looks of it, most of the Black Moon members were dead or unconscious. That meant fewer loose ends to tie up.

  “Well,” I clapped my hands together, “at least we don’t have to hide the bodies.”

  Sebastian raised an eyebrow, wiping his gloves clean with a napkin. "Sir, I feel obligated to remind you that proper disposal is still recommended."

  I waved him off. "Look at this place. Nobody's coming down this alley unless they have a death wish."

  Sebastian sighed but didn't argue. He’d long since accepted my brand of efficient problem-solving.

  Now, onto business.

  I turned my attention to the one remaining survivor—the lone guy who, unfortunately for him, had lived long enough to be useful.

  He was trembling, sweat dripping down his forehead. His wide, fearful eyes darted around like a trapped animal, probably calculating how fast he could run.

  Spoiler: not fast enough.

  "Alright, buddy," I said, stepping closer. "Tell me everything you know."

  He hesitated.

  Raven, now perched on Sebastian’s shoulder, ruffled his feathers, watching the man with the same look a hungry hawk gives a juicy rabbit.

  I smirked. "Hey, Raven. You know what this guy just called you?"

  Raven tilted his head.

  I leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "He said you’re a cursed chicken."

  Silence.

  Then, an explosion of flapping wings, furious caws, and pure, unfiltered bird rage.

  The guy barely had time to scream before Raven descended upon him, pecking and clawing like a feathery executioner.

  Sebastian coughed into his fist, looking away as if this was all beneath him. It probably was.

  Meanwhile, I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold.

  The guy was practically begging for death now.

  "W-what did I do to deserve this?!" he wailed.

  "Oh, you joined a shady murder gang and got caught," I said casually. "Tough luck, huh?"

  He screamed again as Raven went for his ear.

  Alright, that was enough.

  "Raven," I called.

  The little menace paused mid-peck, glaring at me.

  "Do you want pizza or not?" I asked.

  His eyes narrowed, but he begrudgingly backed off, hopping onto the ground with a final caw of irritation.

  Now, however, his anger was turned on me.

  I sighed. "Look, I’ll add extra cheese, alright?"

  He still looked betrayed, but he at least stopped trying to kill the guy. Progress.

  I turned back to the survivor. "So, you gonna spill, or should I let him eat you?"

  That did it.

  The guy immediately snapped to attention. "I-I’ll speak!"

  I gestured for him to continue.

  He swallowed hard before stammering, "We Black Moon have only one goal—to reign supreme when the Breath of God comes."

  I frowned. "Breath of God?"

  Then it clicked.

  Oh.

  He meant the Limit Breaking Event.

  The upcoming global evolution that was about to throw the world into absolute chaos.

  Yeah, that made sense.

  "And?" I pressed.

  He licked his lips nervously. "We also plan to eliminate any potential enemies before it happens."

  I nodded slowly. "Right. Classic villain move. You’re trying to remove competition before the power boost hits. Not bad."

  The guy flinched, probably not expecting me to be so casual about it.

  I leaned against the car. "Are all of you here tonight? Or should I expect more of you crawling out of the woodwork later?"

  He shook his head quickly. "N-no, our boss and vice chairman are still at the base."

  That made me grin. "Even better."

  The guy paled.

  I cracked my knuckles. "Well then, I guess I should just kill you now."

  His whole body tensed. "B-but I told you everything!"

  I tilted my head. "Yeah, but your information isn’t that great. You think I’d let you live for some generic doomsday cult nonsense?"

  He gulped. "O-oh. What do I do, what do I do—"

  Then, as if divine inspiration struck him, he blurted, "I-I know something else!"

  I raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

  He swallowed again, trying to steady his voice.

  "A bull," he said suddenly.

  I blinked. "A what now?"

  "A bull," he repeated. "Was born in a butcher house. While his parents were being butchered."

  …

  I stared at him.

  Sebastian adjusted his glasses.

  Even Raven looked confused.

  "And?" I prompted, because if this was some weird bedtime story, I was going to be annoyed.

  The guy took a shaky breath. "That bull had a special power. The moment it was born… it killed the butcher who was about to slaughter it."

  I whistled. "Damn. That’s metal."

  He nodded frantically. "And it didn’t stop there! It killed several people before we captured it."

  That actually piqued my interest. "You captured it?"

  "Yes! We—Black Moon—captured it and locked it up. It all happened tomorrow."

  I blinked again. "…You mean yesterday?"

  "N-no! I mean tomorrow!" he insisted.

  I started to be annoyed. "Alright, are you dumb, or are you messing with me? Because unless you’re a time traveler, you don’t get to say something happened tomorrow."

  He frantically waved his hands. "I mean, it will happen tomorrow! The boss just talked about it today!"

  …

  Okay, that was slightly more interesting.

  I crossed my arms. "And what’s special about this bull?"

  He hesitated.

  I narrowed my eyes. "Speak."

  He flinched. "I—I don’t know much! But I overheard the boss talking about it. He said… the bull had intense murder intent."

  Now that was something.

  "Wait, hold on." I held up a finger. "You’re telling me a bull—a literal cow—is out here plotting homicides?"

  He nodded weakly.

  I rubbed my chin. "Okay, that’s both ridiculous and terrifying. Love it."

  Sebastian finally spoke up. "Sir, what do you plan to do with this information?"

  I grinned. "Isn’t it obvious?"

  Sebastian sighed. "You want to steal the bull."

  "Ding ding ding!" I snapped my fingers. "Give the man a prize."

  Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sir, might I remind you that stealing a genetically enhanced, highly murderous animal is not a wise course of action?"

  I shrugged. "Neither is keeping a pet raven that acts like a tiny mafia boss, yet here we are."

  Raven cawed in agreement.

  Sebastian sighed again. "I assume I cannot talk you out of this."

  I patted his shoulder. "Now, Sebastian, where’s the fun in that?"

  He muttered something under his breath, but I chose to ignore it.

  Instead, I turned back to our terrified captive.

  "Alright," I said. "You’ve earned yourself a very temporary lease on life. Congratulations."

  He exhaled in relief.

  Then I added, "But if you so much as think about snitching, Raven will find you. And he will peck your eyeballs out."

  The guy nodded so fast I thought he might break his neck.

  "Good talk," I said cheerfully. "Now get lost."

  He didn’t need to be told twice.

  He scrambled to his feet and bolted, tripping once before disappearing into the darkness.

  Sebastian adjusted his gloves. "Sir, that was surprisingly merciful."

  I stretched. "Yeah, well. Gotta keep things interesting."

  Then I grinned.

  "Now, let’s go steal a murder cow."