Harry was walking distractedly through the city, reflecting on his frustration with the search for Qi-infused items, when he entered a narrow, dimly lit alley. He barely had time to react when he saw three figures emerge from the shadows — Alexander and his two loyal sidekicks. Though it seemed like coincidence, it wasn't. Still stung by the humiliation at school, Alexander had sent one of his goons to follow Harry.
With their usual bully swagger, the three surrounded Harry. Alexander, as always, started with provocations.
— "Look who we found! The 'Shaolin Master'! Hahaha!" — he mocked. — "Just because you learned a few Kung Fu moves you think you're some grocery store security guard now?"
Harry adjusted his posture, stood firm, and responded with a cold stare:
— "I'm not the same anymore. You'll pay for what you did before."
Alexander, with no patience for more words, lunged forward with a straight punch. His two sidekicks flanked Harry, ready to block any escape. But Harry, with weeks of cultivation and Kung Fu training, noticed that Alexander's moves seemed slow, predictable. He easily dodged the punch and countered with a sharp strike to Alexander's face — not using his full strength, of course; he still didn't want to kill anyone.
The impact landed square on the nose. Alexander fell back screaming in pain, blood pouring from his face while he cursed Harry.
The sidekicks, stunned, rushed in. One tried a kick, the other a punch. Harry, with trained reflexes, blocked the kick with his leg and caught the punch with his hand. He was about to finish them off, his back turned to Alexander, when...
BANG!
A gunshot echoed through the alley.
Harry felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and staggered. Alexander, unbalanced and consumed by rage, had pulled a pistol hidden at his waist and fired. The impact was brutal. Harry fell to his knees, his shoulder bleeding, and the sidekicks took advantage to land a flurry of kicks and punches.
But the gunshot drew attention. People heard it and started screaming. Police were called. Alexander and his cronies fled through the alleyways, not before shouting:
— "This is just the beginning, nerd! I'm gonna destroy you for this!"
Lying on the ground, breathing heavily, Harry muttered to himself, tasting the metallic tang of blood:
— "Idiot... I was arrogant... a stupid nerd... stupid... stupid..."
Minutes later, the police arrived, finding Harry bloody but conscious. Ambulances followed shortly. Despite his pain, Harry used the old mindset of a regular civilian and told the officers he had been the victim of a random robbery. He knew bringing cultivation into this would only cause more problems.
Taken to the hospital, he underwent surgery and woke up the next day, his shoulder wrapped in bandages and his body aching. He barely managed to open his eyes when he saw dozens of missed calls from Vinícius. He grabbed his phone and called him, giving a brief summary of what had happened.
Thirty minutes later, Vinícius arrived, breathless, his face full of concern.
— "Dude, you're seriously messed up... what happened? How did they manage to shoot you?!" — he asked, almost shouting.
— "Long story... I was an idiot," — Harry replied, looking down.
As they talked, the hospital felt restless. Noises in the hallway, nurses whispering to each other, a tension in the air. They heard bits and pieces of the murmurs: "mutilated", "third case", "again?"
Curious, Vinícius stood up and peeked through the door. A group of staff crowded around the reception desk, whispering.
— "Another mutilated body was found. It's the third one this month..."
Vinícius turned back, eyes wide, and whispered to Harry:
— "We have to investigate this. It's clear now... those demons are more active than we thought."
Harry clenched his fists, feeling the pain flare in his shoulder, but the fire in his heart burned stronger than ever.
This city was under threat... and they were the only ones who knew it.