Twenty years passed. Hades City became a city ruled by fear and death.
One day, a man arrived at the city gates. His name was Brian Matthews, a former scientist from the Sovereign Nation who had been exiled. Since Hades City allowed outsiders to enter, he was able to come in.
He parked his car and stepped out.
Taking in the unfiltered air, he couldn't help but sneeze.
"Ah-choo! Excuse me," Brian said politely, covering his nose with a handkerchief from his pocket.
As he looked around, he noticed everyone staring at him strangely.
Then one of them—an old man—walked up to him.
"Hey, kid. What's a fine lad like you doing moving into this neighborhood? Didn't anyone tell you how dangerous it is?"
Brian replied with a gentle smile. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Brian Matthews, from the Sovereign Nation."
Immediately, everyone around scattered and fled. Doors slammed shut. People disappeared.
What's that about?" Brian asked.
"It seems you're not aware, kid," the old man replied. "Your so-called Sovereign Nation is an ally of those wicked Psion leaders.
"Because of their influence, our country—now just a city—was reduced to this crime-ridden wasteland.
"Now, whenever the people of our sector hear of a visitor from the Sovereign Nation, they all hide away, fearing it might be a spy sent to gather information on them," the old man explained.
"Is that so? I thought it was just a rumor when I heard about it back in the Sovereign Nation," Brian replied.
"It is indeed true, kid. Your great nation is responsible for the ruin of our once-great country.
They made this place what it is now. You think they'd welcome you with open arms?"
"Now, whenever we receive a visitor from the Sovereign Nation, all we can do is hide."
Brian responded calmly, "I understand. But I'm not like them. I've been exiled from the Sovereign Nation."
The old man raised an eyebrow. "Exiled? For what?"
Brian looked down. " Because I was the one who created the Psyche V-9 drug…"
The old man's face twisted in anger. He grabbed Brian by the collar. "You did WHAT?! That damn drug killed my son!"
Brian didn't fight back.
The old man's grip loosened. He sighed, then turned away. "Sorry, kid. I know you didn't mean for it to happen. I let him take it.
the old man said grievously. I didn't have money to pay the protection fee, and they threatened my daughter. Because of my failure, my son had to use that drug to fight them off..
"Even after driving away those thugs, he died two weeks later from overuse. Apparently, he had been using it every night to protect his sister and me, in case they ever came back. Now his life is gone—leaving only me to take care of her."
Brian looked away, his voice low. "It wasn't ready. It was untested and not yet ready for use.
I told them not to distribute it. However, the head of my research department didn't listen—and released it anyway.
A year later, I heard that it had been administered to people in your city."
"Apparently, they sent it here through other people, disguised as a means of help. But the truth is, it was just a way to use the citizens here as guinea pigs.
Now that they had achieved their plan, they moved on to creating a new drug based on my work. They needed my experimental documents, but when I refused to hand them over, they gave me two choices: surrender the documents or face imprisonment.
When I stood my ground, they decided to send me to the worst place imaginable—No Man's Land. The most feared prison in existence. A place filled with death row inmates and some of the most dangerous people known to mankind.
To prevent that, my father—a high-ranking official in the government—pleaded on my behalf. Out of respect for him, they chose to exile me instead. I was banished for twenty years. After those twenty years, I would be allowed to return."
He looked back at the old man. "I came here to make things right. I'm going to make a better version of the drug—one that won't kill the people who use it."
The old man was quiet for a long time. Then he sighed. "Well... welcome to Hades. The City of the Damned."
The old man took Brian to a nearby house.
"This place is for rent. I live next door. I'm the landlord."
A while later, the old man called his daughter outside.
"Catherine!" he shouted.
Out came a beautiful young woman with nice light skin, long brown hair, and captivating brown eyes. She had a striking figure that could make any man lust after her. She wore a green camisole and a black skirt that perfectly hugged her voluptuous figure. Her presence was stunning—Brian couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Hi, I'm Catherine," she said, extending her hand.
Brian shook her hand awkwardly. "I-I'm Brian Matthews. It's… nice to meet you. You're really beautiful."
She smiled softly. "Thanks."
"Hey!" the old man snapped. "Don't get any ideas, kid! I know she's pretty, but if you lay a finger on her—you're out of here!"
"Dad, stop yelling," Catherine said with a sigh.
"Alright, alright. Fine, since you say so," the old man replied.
After that, they helped Brian unload his few pieces of luggage, packed them inside, and left.
"Thanks again," Brian said gratefully to the old man.
"No problem, kid. You're new here, so this is the least I can do to help you out."
"And thank you too, Catherine," he added with a blushing smile.
"You're welcome, Brian," she replied.
"Hey, don't eye my daughter, kid. You hear me?" the old man warned. "And your rent is 20,000 Hades dollars, don't forget." With that, he left.
Brian then began to set up and arrange his new home. After four hours of intensive work, he was finally done. By then, it was already evening. He sat on the sofa in his living room and took deep breaths, trying to regain his stamina.
Just then, he heard a knock.
Knock. knock. knock.
"Who is that?" he shouted. He walked to the door, looked through the peephole, and saw a familiar female face—Catherine. He immediately opened the door quickly.
As he opened it, Catherine greeted him.
"Good evening, Brian. I made too much food at home, and my dad said I should bring some for you. Since you just moved in and it's already late, he thought it'd be best to at least give you this to eat," she said, stretching out a sealed food container.
"Tell your dad I said thank you," Brian said as he collected the food. "And thank you too," he added, smiling at her.
"I'll tell him that. And you're welcome," she said before turning and walking back to her house next door.
As her figure vanished from his sight, Brian closed the door behind him and stepped back into the living room.
Opening the container, he saw mashed potatoes with beans and chicken on the side. The delicious fragrance from the food made his mouth water.
Not wasting any time, he devoured the entire meal, drank some water, and washed the container.
After that, he waited for two hours, took his bath, and finally fell asleep on the living room sofa.