The sound of gunshots suddenly echoed from outside.
The moment Emma heard it, she shoved Haiku aside, pulled a gun out of the box, and said, "Take the gun from under the bed, Haiku."
She quickly entered a code into the group chat: 125197.
There's no need to worry now. They'll all be here soon."
With that, she grabbed Haiku and hid inside the wardrobe.
"Don't make even the slightest noise," she whispered. "I don't even know how many people are out there."
There was a small hole in the wardrobe, just big enough for Emma to look through. She saw several people entering the room. They were wearing black hoodies, and each of them was carrying a gun.
There were around five of them.
Just then, Haiku's phone started ringing.
"Quick! Turn it off!" Emma whispered urgently.
Haiku glanced at his phone. It was Haruto calling.
He quickly silenced the phone and sent Haruto a message.
Haiku: What's wrong?
Haruto's reply came almost immediately.
Haruto: There are more than 50–60 people gathered below your apartment. I don't even know how many there are now.
Haiku noticed something else.
The Lions.
Just then, Emma stepped out of the wardrobe.
"Open fire."
Without wasting another second, the two of them took down all five men.
Haiku looked at Emma.
"Wasn't that a little too soon?"
Emma glanced at him.
"Not everyone has arrived yet. We haven't even dealt with half of them. If I'd known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have needed you. I could've handled those five alone."
She paused before continuing.
"But we still don't know which hole that rat has crawled into and hidden himself."
Haiku remained silent.
So, the very thing I was afraid of has happened.
Will Tokyo once again drown in a river of blood?
Will Emma become the same person she used to be? Someone who sees only her friends in front of her and no longer sees the human beings standing against her?
Well, at least she doesn't raise her hand against children or girls.
No matter what happens, she has never crossed that line.
"Lost in your thoughts?" Emma's voice interrupted his train of thought.
"You're wondering whether Tokyo will return to the way it used to be, aren't you?"
She looked straight at him.
"I'm making you a promise. It won't happen."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"It'll only be like this until I find him."
Emma then picked up the coat Zoya had given her and put it on.
"How do I look?"
For the first time, instead of reaching for a lollipop, Emma pulled a cigarette out of her pocket.
Haiku stared at her.
I wonder how Deccan and his sister are able to see Emma in this state.
They were just like this whenever they were about to do something big. They'd pull a cigarette out of their pockets and put on their coats.
His sister had even stopped leading the gang days ago because of this.
Haiku's thoughts came to a halt as he looked at Emma.
She had tied her hair back.
And now, there was nothing in her eyes except anger.
Emma walked downstairs and approached Angel.
"My bike is still parked on that same hill, isn't it?"
She paused for a moment.
"I thought I'd never go there again. But it looks like I'll have to."
Emma looked toward the distance.
"You remember, don't you? What happened to the entire city back then?"
She took a deep breath.
"I'll go there today. And perhaps, I'll return only after taking someone's life."
Her expression darkened.
"But first, I need to find him."
Emma took out her phone and opened a group chat.
WE KNOW ABOUT YOU.
She entered a code into the group.
1295.
A reply appeared on the screen from the other side.
Unknown: President, how have you been? You're back!
Unknown: We thought the group had disappeared after you left. We never imagined it would start again.
Unknown: Anyway, the task you assigned us will be completed.
Emma smiled faintly.
Now, the game begins.
She slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned toward the others.
"Shall we go?"
Emma walked toward her bike.
It was shining as if it had just come out of the showroom. There wasn't even a speck of dust on it.
She glanced at Kuro.
"Brother, you did a perfect job."
Emma got on her bike, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Now then..."
She started the engine.
"Shall we go hunt down our prey?"
Just then, we were shown that someone was watching Emma and the others through a drone.
Emma noticed it in the sky.
Without wasting a second, she pulled out her gun and shot the drone down.
Emma looked at the falling drone and said,
"As far as I remember, I didn't have this many enemies."
Just then, a small amount of blood trickled from the corner of Emma's mouth.
She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand and called out,
"Haiku, do you have a handkerchief?"
Haiku looked at her and replied,
"Yeah. But for now, at least clean that blood."
He handed her his handkerchief.
Emma took it and gently wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
Emma wiped away the blood and thought to herself.
Is my condition getting worse again?
She paused for a moment.
But it doesn't matter anymore. Not right now.
Her thoughts drifted back to Zoya.
As she remembered her, a faint trace of tears appeared in her eyes.
How long am I going to keep crying? How long will I spend my entire life drowning in tears? I've cried enough. I've mourned enough.
But this time, I'm going to avenge Zoya.
This time, I won't be the one crying. I'll make others cry.
Just then, Haiku noticed that Emma's eyes had turned completely red.
He immediately held his forehead in frustration.
Dear God, please protect Tokyo today.
I don't even recognize my Emma anymore.
She doesn't look like Emma. She looks like a devil who's about to destroy this entire city.
Author's Note 📝
Hey, my lovely readers! ❤️
I'm really sorry if this chapter is arriving a little late. My exams have officially started, and yesterday, I had my English paper. Now I have Science, followed by Hindi, and then Maths.
And guess what? I haven't even opened the first chapter of Maths yet. 😭
At this point, even x has probably given up on me. I keep searching for its value, but nobody is searching for the value of my sanity. 💀
Right now, I'm busy preparing for my exams, so if the next chapter gets delayed, please forgive me. I'm trying my best to balance studying and writing, but my syllabus seems to have a personal grudge against me. 😂
Please keep supporting my story and wish me luck for my upcoming papers. I desperately need it, especially for Maths. 🥲❤️
Thank you for being so patient with me, and I'm really sorry again if the story updates a little late.
Love you all! Take care, and don't let Maths ruin your lives the way it's ruining mine.
____Night