In the quiet hospital corridor, the ninjas sat silently on the chairs outside the ward, waiting for news from the chief. They had just received basic medical treatment, and thanks to the elemental power within them, their wounds were healing rapidly.
After a while, the door opened, and the chief emerged. Seeing him wrapped in thick bandages from head to toe like a mummy, the group nearly burst out laughing.
"Are you okay?" Kon asked, trying hard to suppress a grin.
"Heh, you ended up with the least injuries, yet you look worse than all of us," Liang Wei teased, barely holding back his laughter.
The chief rolled his eyes. "That's probably the difference between humans and ninjas. You all have elemental powers helping you heal. I, unfortunately, do not. These bandages are the best I can rely on."
He was right. Even though the ninjas hadn't fully awakened their powers, their bodies instinctively accelerated their recovery. Within a few hours, their injuries were already close to healing.
"Sorry for dragging you into this mess," the chief said, guilt in his voice. "If I had known it would end like this, I'd never have called you in."
"It's alright. Like you said—it's just a few scratches. We've healed up already," Jed said casually, waving his hand.
"Yeah, these injuries are nothing. Don't forget—I'm a cyborg who once survived being hit by a speeding train," Mark said with a grin, standing up and patting the chief's shoulder.
"Ahhh! Watch it!" the chief yelped in pain, making everyone chuckle and easing the heavy mood.
"Anyway," the chief continued, "good news—the fire at the scene has been extinguished."
"That's a relief," Liang Wei said, visibly cheered.
"But..." The chief's tone dropped. "All the evidence, including the bodies, was destroyed in the flames."
Silence fell over the group. The weight of the situation returned in full force.
"I get the feeling we were the target from the very beginning," Mark said, breaking the silence.
"What makes you say that?" the chief asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Liang Wei chimed in. "No ordinary person would rig a corpse with explosives. It was a trap. He knew you'd call us in, so he set the stage perfectly."
"Yeah, and even if he didn't manage to kill us, he still wiped out all the evidence," Kang En added. "Two birds, one stone."
"Hmm… But there are two things I still don't understand," Mark said thoughtfully. "First, what did that message on the wall mean?"
"And second, why does he want us dead?" Jed followed.
"Exactly. That's been bothering me too," Mark said, frowning. "We don't have much to go on, but one thing's clear—whoever did this planned it carefully."
"Well, since we're at a dead end, you all should go home and rest," the chief said, sounding tired. "If anything new turns up, I'll contact you immediately."
Just as the ninjas were about to leave, Mark's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and paused.
"You guys go ahead. I need to take this," he said quietly.
He answered the call. "Hello?"
"Mark... it's me, Mary." A soft voice came through the line.
Mark froze. His expression stiffened.
"Ma... Mary?" His voice tightened.
"I… I have something to tell you…" Her voice trembled. "I'm getting married."
Mark's heart sank. His smile faltered. Forcing himself to sound calm, he said, "Congratulations."
Mary had been the woman he once loved—who had once loved him too. But after the accident that turned him into a half-cyborg, Mark had chosen to leave her behind, hoping she could live a peaceful life away from his dangerous world.
"The wedding… I hope you'll come. Will you?" she asked softly.
Mark clutched the phone tightly. After a long pause, he finally said, "Yeah… I'll be there. Don't worry."
When the call ended, he stood motionless, heart heavy and conflicted. He clenched his fist and cursed his helplessness. Without a word, he turned and left the hospital.
Soaring through the night sky, he landed on one knee in the courtyard of Longwang Temple. There, Jed was still practicing his sword forms against a wooden dummy.
"Hey, Mark. You're back," Jed said, slowing down as he noticed his friend.
Mark ignored him and headed straight into the temple. He pulled a can of beer from the fridge, then stepped out alone onto the terrace. Jed noticed something was off and silently followed him inside.
Mark downed the entire can in one gulp.
"What happened?" Jed asked, standing behind him.
Mark didn't reply.
"I know you're upset. Want to talk about it?" Jed asked again, walking over to lean against the railing beside him.
Mark let out a long sigh and said, "She's getting married."
Jed paused, unsure who he meant at first. Then it clicked. "…Mary?"
Mark nodded. "She called just now. Told me herself."
"I'm sorry, man," Jed said softly, patting his friend on the back.
Mark chuckled bitterly. "I thought I could move on. I thought I had already let her go. But when I heard her voice... it all came rushing back."
"You still love her," Jed said.
Mark didn't answer directly. He just stared out at the night sky. "She deserves a normal life, not someone like me… half machine, half man."
Jed thought for a moment before replying, "You gave up your happiness to protect her. That's not weakness, Mark. That's strength."
"But it still hurts," Mark whispered.
"I know."
The two stood there in silence for a while, the wind gently brushing against their faces. Far below, the city lights twinkled like stars. But to Mark, they felt cold and distant.
After a long pause, Jed said, "You're going to her wedding?"
"Yeah. I said I would," Mark replied.
Jed nodded. "Then go. Say goodbye properly. Maybe it'll help you move forward."
Mark looked down at the empty beer can in his hand, crushed it, and tossed it into the bin nearby.
"Thanks, Jed."
"Anytime."
The two went back inside the temple. Tomorrow would bring a new mission, but for tonight, Mark needed time—to grieve, to heal, and to let go of the past.
Early the next morning, a mysterious package suddenly appeared in the main hall of the Dragon King Temple.
"Hey, did any of you order a package?" Liang Wei frowned and looked at the other ninjas.
Everyone shook their heads.
Kang En picked up a small knife and carefully sliced open the seal.
Surprise! Hahahahaha!
Suddenly, a jack-in-the-box clown toy popped out of the box, letting out a creepy laugh that startled everyone.
"Ah! What the heck is this thing?!" Kon jumped back in fright.
Jed leaned forward to take a look and spotted something else inside the box.
"There's a letter in here too," he said, pulling out an envelope and placing it on the table.
"Really? Let me see." Liang Wei casually placed the clown on the table and opened the envelope. He began reading aloud:
"Did you like my little gift? Hope I didn't scare you too much.
Oh wait—we haven't actually met, have we?
Oh well, let's call it a token of fate!
No one got hurt last night, right? You're ninjas, after all.
That was just a warm-up, you know? Bet you didn't expect me to tamper with the bodies.
Bet you didn't notice the oil barrels hidden beneath them either.
Relax, I wasn't planning to kill you just yet. That'd be too boring.
The real game hasn't even started—wouldn't want it to end too soon, would we?
We'll be seeing each other very soon. Just wait till next week. That's when my big show begins.
All you'll be doing... is picking up the bodies.
This will be the greatest performance of my life!
Let's play a game. After my performance, I'll tell you who my next target is.
That way, you'll have plenty of time to prepare. Fair, isn't it?
But let me be clear—no matter what plans you make, my target will still end up dead.
Just thinking about it excites me.
Enjoy the game, ninjas!"
The air grew heavy once again.
"Looks like I was right," Mark said coldly. "He's coming for us."
"But what exactly does he mean by this 'performance'?" Liang Wei asked, frowning.
"We'll have to wait and see," Jed said after a moment of thought, sighing.
"But we can't just sit around and wait! There's only a week left. More people are going to die," Kon said, frustrated.
"Calm down," Liang Wei replied, just as helpless. "We don't have any clues yet. There's nothing we can do right now."
Just then, the sheriff called in:
"We've found some new leads."