Just as Ethan and Lyla were about to speak, a black sedan came speeding toward them.

Ethan reacted instantly. He grabbed Lyla and pulled her aside, switching places with her.

The car tore past them, missing Ethan by inches. But he wasn't fast enough to avoid the side mirror.

Crack!

The mirror snapped off and clattered onto the pavement. Ethan stumbled back, a sharp pain shooting through his waist.

"Damn it, that hurts!" he groaned, clutching his lower back.

The car didn't stop. It sped off, disappearing down the road.

Victor and Lyla rushed to his side. "Ethan, are you okay?"

"I'll live," Ethan muttered, then shot Victor a look. "Is this how people drive around here?"

Hearing him joke, both Lyla and Victor let out small sighs of relief.

"Should we take you to a hospital?" Victor asked, still a little concerned.

"Nah, just a scratch," Ethan waved him off.

Victor nodded and pulled out his phone. "Leo, a black sedan just flew past your way. Have Williams stop it. License plate is…"

Ethan watched Victor calmly recite the plate number. Even at that speed, he memorized it?

'Damn… guess that's what makes an ace sniper.'

Lyla had wanted to take Ethan to Victor's place to rest, but Victor told them to wait, Williams had the apartment keys.

A few minutes later, the Predator Beast X pulled up.

Skyblade stepped out, shaking his head. "It's over. Williams lost his touch. Couldn't even chase down some lousy sedan."

"Damn it, give me a break!" Williams jumped out, glaring at Skyblade. "What was I supposed to do, plow through traffic with that beast? It's not a damn bulldozer!"

Ethan smirked. "Forget it."

Skyblade, however, wasn't ready to drop it. "No way. That wasn't random, it was clearly intentional. I'll run the plate number later—see who's behind this."

That word, intentional, made Ethan's expression darken.

His mind replayed the moment the car passed him. He had seen the driver's face. The guy wasn't panicked. He wasn't reckless.

He was calm. Too calm.

"What is it?" Lyla asked softly.

Ethan forced a smile. "Nothing."

He really wanted to believe he was just overthinking it.

"Come on, Ethan, I got you."

Skyblade took over from Lyla, helping Ethan walk.

Hand on his waist, Ethan followed them into the building. They climbed flight after flight of stairs. Ethan assumed they were heading to the sixth floor.

But they didn't stop.

They kept going, all the way to the rooftop. When they finally stepped outside, Ethan froze.

It was a makeshift rooftop shack, steel sheets patched together, blue paint peeling from years of decay.

"You guys live here?" Lyla asked, frowning.

Ethan's chest tightened.

How could he have forgotten?

This was the very place Skyblade had brought him in his past life, when he was on the run from Zachary.

He had spent years hiding here. Never once stepping outside.

Back then, Skyblade had brought him food every day. He had told Ethan this place used to belong to a close friend.

A friend who was now dead.

Was he talking about Williams? That would explain why, back when Ethan first met Skyblade, he had been alone.

Victor and Williams weren't there.

Now it made sense.

"Victor, before you joined Ethereal, you were planning to leave the country, weren't you?" Ethan asked suddenly.

The room went silent.

Even Victor looked taken aback.

But after a brief pause, he gave a slow nod. "Yeah."

That confirmed it.

Ethan finally understood why, in his past life, Victor and Williams were nowhere to be found. And after piecing things together from what Skyblade had mentioned in-game, he could make a solid guess:

They had become mercenaries.

As for Williams death… it wasn't hard to figure out. He must have died on a mission.

Whether Victor had survived or not, Ethan didn't know.

Skyblade had never mentioned it. He hadn't even told Ethan about Williams's death. This was something Ethan had only realized after arriving here.

"Victor, listen to me. Don't go. If you want to know why, I'll tell you, because he's going to die."

Ethan pointed straight at Williams.

Victor didn't say a word. He just stared at Ethan, eyes dark and unreadable.

"Holy shit, Ethan, how do you know about our plan?" Skyblade blurted out, stunned.

Ethan shot him a glance. "Not you. Them."

Skyblade turned to look at Victor and Williams.

The two men exchanged glances, then, suddenly, they laughed.

Williams gave Ethan an amused look. "Boss, don't tell me you're psychic?"

"What the hell?" Skyblade scowled. "You two weren't planning to bring me along?!"

His face turned red, real anger flashing in his eyes.

He grabbed Williams by the collar. "Answer me!"

Williams didn't resist, but Victor immediately stepped in, prying Skyblade off him.

"Leo, listen. You have parents. Williams and I don't. That's why we never planned to bring you."

Lyla shot Ethan a glare.

Her eyes practically screamed: Really? You just got here, and now you're making them fight? Is this what you're good at?

Ethan awkwardly scratched his nose. "Ahem… Skyblade, chill. Why not take it easy? I'm sure Lyla can find you a nice girl instead."

That immediately snapped Skyblade's attention away. He let go of Williams's collar and turned to Lyla.

"For real, sis?"

Lyla's fingers pinched Ethan's waist, hard.

Cold sweat beaded on Ethan's forehead, but he kept a straight face.

"There are plenty of beautiful girls," Lyla said sweetly, still twisting Ethan's side. "I just hope you can handle one."

Skyblade scoffed. "Handle? Do you know how steady my hands are? I've handled pistols just fine, how big would she have to be for me to not handle her?"

He even mimed gripping something in front of him.

Ethan burst out laughing. "Pfft—"

A second later—bam!

Lyla's small fist struck his waist. Right on the spot where the side mirror had hit him earlier.

And she didn't just hit, she used precise force. Pain shot through Ethan's body like a lightning bolt.

His legs nearly buckled.

That punch hurt way more than the car.