Screech-screech-screech.
In the dead of night, sharp bird cries pierced the silence outside the window.
Lying in bed, Leo's eyes snapped open.
He glanced at the sleeping Emily and silently slipped out of the villa.
In a shadowed corner, Leo spoke quietly,
"I thought you wouldn't show up, Faith."
Wearing ragged clothes, Faith replied,
"Boss, at your call… Where else can a wandering soul like me go?"
"With your skills, wearing something better shouldn't be hard."
"Clothes don't matter. My brothers lie rotting on that desolate island. I'm lucky to be alive at all. Boss, it's just the two of us here—call me Jess, one last time."
Jess Elvin.
Captain of Special Operations Team Three.
A man who walked out of an enemy trap alive.
The biggest victim of the unauthorized action in Maktenhuang.
Since that incident, his mind had never been quite right.
He was the living stain of that operation.
Leo had saved him by pulling strings and using leverage—
He had replaced Jess's identity with that of a dead orphan soldier, Faith.
"Jess," Leo said solemnly, "when it comes to revenge, we still need to build strength and wait for the right moment."
Jess's voice trembled into a hoarse cry,
"When is that moment coming?! I've watched that bastard climb higher and higher. Boss, do you know how painful despair is?"
The night flickered with the glow of two cigarettes. Gradually, Jess calmed down.
"You have to trust me," Leo said. "That moment isn't far off. In fact, things have gone even more smoothly than I'd imagined. Our first pot of gold has laid a solid foundation for revenge."
"What do you need me to do, Boss?"
Jess's eyes lit up with growing intensity.
"Remember the story I told you about the Eastern martial arts master?"
Jess lifted his head. His eyes, gleaming with madness, sparkled in the darkness.
"The one about surface and substance? I get it now. I know what I have to do."
In the ink-black night, the shadows began to move.
On the outskirts of town, a small lake had formed at the confluence of two rivers.
On the left bank of the town stood Georgian colonial-style homes.
Lakeside Manor—
The first foothold of the Aldo family after they landed on the American continent.
The moonlight, lake, and estate created a seemingly poetic scene.
But as one approached the specks of light glowing from the windows—
Shrill, harrowing screams pierced through the night.
Inside the lit rooms, one after another, young girls—
cried out under the abuse and torture from grotesque men or elderly monsters.
In the first-floor lounge, Patrick sat with his eyes closed, frowning.
Siro stood respectfully behind him.
On a smaller sofa nearby sat a young man with a striking resemblance to Patrick—his son, Eric Aldo.
Suddenly, the lounge door swung open.
Several scar-faced cowboys entered, two of them carrying squirming sacks over their shoulders.
Clearly, people were inside.
The bags were dropped and opened.
Out tumbled two terrified, golden-haired young girls with their hands tied behind their backs.
Their delicate faces were still flushed with the innocence of youth.
When they saw the man on the sofa—
someone they knew as the kindly town mayor—they let out muffled cries of joy from behind their gags.
Siro's brows furrowed—he recognized them.
One was the baker's daughter; the other was a Lockheed Martin factory worker's child.
"Sir, isn't snatching kids from town a bit—"
Before Siro could finish, Patrick cut him off.
Patrick's lifeless eyes scanned the girls.
He finally pointed at the baker's daughter.
"Send Julie to the second floor," he said coldly. "Mr. Chrysler likes freckled blondes."
Julie's eyes filled with despair.
Never had she imagined the kind town mayor was the devil himself.
The factory worker's daughter, meanwhile, looked relieved—
But she didn't notice that Eric had been eyeing her lecherously since she entered.
As soon as Julie was chosen, Eric stood up eagerly.
"Rune, send this girl to my room."
Smash!
A cup shattered. Blood trickled down Eric's forehead.
Patrick roared,
"Still playing around?! Do you know how much we've paid to clean up the mess from your filth?
If word gets out that we're kidnapping girls from town, the Aldo family is finished!"
Eric, clutching his wound, sneered,
"Spare me the lecture. Didn't Grandfather clean up your messes back in the day?
And aren't you the one who said this town is under your full control?
Sheriff Jonathan is your lapdog.
Who will find this place? Who dares to investigate?"
"Get out!" Patrick's body trembled with fury.
"Fine, I'm leaving. Siro, let's check the livestock barn.
I've been holding it in for days—need to blow off some steam."
Siro shrugged and followed Eric toward the barn west of the villa.
Beneath it was a massive basement filled with kidnapped girls from neighboring towns.
"Unfilial bastard..."
Patrick smashed everything on the coffee table.
When there was nothing left to break, he slumped onto the sofa and spoke to Rune.
"Go to Siro's place tomorrow and collect some money. Take your men to Richmond for a vacation.
And keep them in line."
Rune nodded, then pointed to the girl on the floor.
"Dispose of her in the lake?"
The girl began to struggle, but when she saw Patrick shake his head, a flicker of hope returned to her eyes.
"Send her to my room."
In the bedroom, Emily leaned against Leo by the window, watching William emerge from the barn.
"He studied all night?"
"Lowest score on the daily test has to stay for extra drills.
William's so slow he's always stuck until morning."
"Hmm? He's coming back. And Aldo too—he brought Hans!"
In the villa's parlor, Emily warmly welcomed Hans with a spread of delicacies.
To her, the Lynchburg Party was the most precious memory of her youth.
Although not everyone was still around, being able to sit together again brought her great joy.
"You're my friend, Hans," Emily said. "Tell us why you came."
After a while, Leo asked the same.
Hans looked at Leo with a complicated expression.
Just a month ago, this man was a scruffy soldier in worn jeans.
Now he sat in a fine suit, legs crossed like a gentleman.
Though they were the same height, Hans couldn't shake the feeling that Leo was towering over him.
"I want to join your training program," Hans said.
Before Leo could respond, he added,
"I've got money. I'll pay tuition."
Leo leaned back. His warm expression faded into calm.
He waved for John to pour him a drink.