Chapter 58: Family Is Family

Time.
Four in the afternoon.

At this hour, Winster usually lingered in the gentle afterglow of the afternoon; on clear days, one could even witness the dazzling Tyndall effect shimmering across the distant sea.

Of course, to the people of Winster, such a spectacle was called a miracle.

Even those without faith in the sea god had long come to instinctively regard it as a divine sign.

But today, there was no such miracle on the sea.

The sky had darkened ominously at this hour, visibility was poor, and lamps were already needed indoors.

No snow had fallen yet.

Only the wind howled.

On a nearby hill not far from Winster University, two figures crouched silently.

Though the fading light had reduced visibility considerably, their eyes seemed unaffected.

Before them lay the only road leading to—and from—Winster University.

From their vantage point, they commanded a strategic high ground, perfect for suppressing anyone passing through.

In ancient times, this would have been an ideal ambush point; a team of archers stationed here could prevent anyone from passing.

And in the present day, the principle held true.

All it required was a gun with sufficient range.

Such a weapon was now in one of their hands.

That person was none other than Lewis.

Lewis gripped the new long-range rifle specially dispatched from the capital by Marvin, firmly aiming at the prime location.

An ordinary person might have had the range but lacked the keen eyesight to hit the target.

But he was a True Name bearer.

No matter the distance, it posed no problem—just as on that rainy day, when he exerted absolute control over Verin and the others.

Today would be no different.

Today, everything would end.

The thorn that had long lodged in his heart would finally be removed.

After today, the people of Winster would remember his name anew.

Because he was about to eliminate Ethan Polleta.

Completely uprooted.

Such an outcome would surely earn him respect from both the underworld and the law.

“It’s 4:01. Are you sure about this? What if he doesn't come?”

Standing beside him was Vincent Polleta.

In fact, Vincent was the true protagonist of today’s drama; Lewis was merely an observer—or perhaps the director.

After all, he had orchestrated everything.

Thinking of the entire plan made Lewis intoxicated with satisfaction.

Indeed, those who abandon all boundaries are the strongest.

“He will come. What’s a school gathering compared to striking at his main artery?”

He glanced at the sky.

By now, things should be in chaos over at Gary’s place.

Then Verin would surely make a move.

Once Verin acted, Ethan and his little maid would still be at Winster University.

His heart would be left completely exposed.

His heart... south suburbs, craft factory.

Lewis had long known that this was Ethan’s clandestine base for illicit liquor production. Capture it, and Ethan would be a dead rat.

But he felt that was not enough.

Far from it.

Ethan was a cunning rat; even trapped in a cage and dying, he might still bite him unexpectedly.

That one bite had nearly cost Lewis everything.

This time, he wouldn’t allow the rat to struggle.

He would kill it.

Only the dead were truly safe.

The one to act would naturally be Vincent.

Sometimes Lewis wondered if fate itself was aiding him.

At the crucial moment, it had delivered such a man into his hands.

A perfect killer, a flawless puppet.

Once Ethan was dead, Vincent would become the best puppet to help him control the entire Polleta family.

Perhaps he really ought to offer thanks to some deity?

At 4:08, the sound of a car finally broke through the cold wind.

Lewis carefully identified it; his hatred for Ethan was so deep that even the engine sound of Ethan’s signature Klaus Longgun was etched into his bones.

No doubt.

It was him.

He had arrived.

“Vincent, it’s your time to perform.”

Lewis smiled fiercely, cruelly, his teeth clenched in grim delight.

He slowly aimed his rifle at the Klaus Longgun that had just appeared.

Ethan, how about that? In the end, I’m the one who wins!

I told you, I’d always be watching!

Time—

Ticked away.

The next moment—

Trigger pulled! Lewis was already savoring the outcome of brothers at odds.

Yet suddenly—

A hand snapped up, grabbing his gun hand, lifting it...

“Bang—”

The shot missed.

It was as if a warning had been fired.

Indeed, Ethan had been warned—more precisely, alerted.

He already knew where the enemy was.

In fact—

He hadn’t been in the car at all.

Only Anya was inside.

He had gotten out midway and followed the car on foot.

He had guessed someone might attack him along the way but didn’t know where.

Now he did. The gunshot exposed the hostile intent. He quickly locked on and sped forward.

Anya also got out, instinctively sprinting alongside Ethan.

On the hilltop—

Lewis’s face darkened to an extreme. Pointing his gun at Vincent, he roared, “Vincent, do you even know what you’re doing?!”

“Soft-hearted at a time like this?!”

“You don’t even know what kind of monster your brother is. You’re going to get us both killed!”

Vincent listened calmly, then shook his head.

“You’re wrong, Lewis.”

“What?”

“You’ve been wrong from the start.”

“I never intended to hurt Ethan. I was just deceiving you. What I didn’t expect was that you’d be so foolish as to believe I could be persuaded by you. What’s even more foolish is that you really thought I would harm my own brother. Lewis, my surname is Polleta!”

With a fist as swift as lightning, Vincent, fully restored and even stronger than that night, struck.

Lewis never had the chance to fire. Before his finger could pull the trigger, Vincent’s punch shattered his jaw.

The crack of his jawbone was like a cruel symphony.

Beautiful, in its cruelty.

Lewis howled in pain, unable to speak. He tried to shoot back, but Vincent had already grabbed his alchemical prosthetic arm.

Holding the arm, Vincent stared into Lewis’s eyes and said,

“Lewis, today I’ll teach you the rules of the black mud—Polleta family’s first commandment...”

“Family is family.”

Behind them, the sound of the sea swelled endlessly.