Chapter 42: Reaper Returns

The Drake Mansion, private hospital room on the third floor of the main building.

William lay in the hospital bed, his face pale as paper, tubes running all over his body.

The heart monitor beeped rhythmically.

William suddenly broke into violent coughing and his eyes snapped open.

"Mr. Drake!"

The butler keeping watch at his bedside was shocked and quickly rushed forward to support him.

"Jonathan... Evan... they..."

William struggled to sit up, his voice hoarse.

"Mr. Drake, Jonathan and Evan are now..." The butler hesitated, unsure whether to speak.

"Speak!" William roared, aggravating his injury and triggering another fit of violent coughing.

"They've already started... killing each other..."

"What?"

William's eyes widened, his whole body trembling. "Those idiots! Idiots!"

"Henry and Charles are both dead... Jonathan and Evan each think the other did it... The family has completely split apart..."

William slammed his fist on the bed rail, straining his heart and causing sharp pain in his chest.

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out, staining the white sheets red.

"Mr. Drake!" The butler's face went pale with fright.

"I... I can't die..."

William used all his strength, trembling as he reached into the bedside table and pulled out an old encrypted phone.

This was his trump card, kept for thirty years.

A trump card he had never used.

His hands shook as he dialed the number only he remembered.

The phone rang three times before someone picked up.

"William?"

A steady male voice came through, carrying the distinctive toughness of a military man.

"Roland..."

William gritted his teeth and said seriously, "I want to... use... that thing."

"William, you know what this means."

Roland's voice became serious. "Once it's activated, there's no taking it back. And... Leo isn't an ordinary person."

"So what?" Madness flashed in William's eyes. "You're the Deputy Secretary of Defense! You have the authority to deploy Delta Force!"

"It's not about authority."

Roland said in a deep voice, "William, someone whose file the Department of Defense encrypted at the highest level--do you think that's an ordinary person?"

"I don't care who he is!"

William was practically shouting. "He killed my son! Destroyed my family! I want him dead!"

"Alright, understood."

The call ended.

William collapsed back onto the hospital bed, his entire body soaked in cold sweat.

"Mr. Drake..."

"Get out... everyone get out..."

William weakly waved his hand. "Leave me alone..."

The butler hesitated for a moment but eventually left the room.

The room returned to silence.

William stared at the ceiling, his eyes full of resentment.

"Leo... I want you dead... I want you dead..."

Meanwhile.

A private residence near the Pentagon.

General Roland hung up the phone, slowly stood up, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

He was about fifty-something, powerfully built, with silver hair combed perfectly in place and eyes sharp as a hawk's.

His chest was covered in medals, the most prominent being a gold "National Hero Medal."

"Activate the 'Urban Purification' contingency plan."

Roland picked up the landline and dialed a military encrypted channel. "Deploy Delta Force Fifth Unit stationed around New York, under the pretext of counter-terrorism exercises, seal off all of Manhattan."

"General, an operation of this level requires approval from the Secretary of Defense and the President..."

"I am the approval!"

"Yes, General!"

An immediate response came from the other end.

Roland said coldly, "This is an S-level classified operation. No one is to question it!"

"Yes!"

After hanging up, Roland sat back on the sofa and picked up his whiskey.

"Leo... I hope you can handle this."

11 PM.

A high-rise hotel in Manhattan.

Leo stood at the edge of the terrace, dressed in a black trench coat that whipped in the night wind.

He had a cigar in his mouth, its crimson glow flickering in the darkness.

Below, the sound of armored vehicles' treads on the street mixed with the roar of helicopter rotors tearing through the air overhead.

On the TV news, an official spokesperson was making a solemn announcement:

"Due to reliable intelligence that an international terrorist organization is planning a large-scale attack in New York, to ensure public safety, the military has decided to conduct a 72-hour emergency counter-terrorism exercise in the Manhattan area..."

The door suddenly burst open.

Victoria rushed in on high heels without even knocking.

She wore a wine-red tight dress, her fair skin covered in fine beads of sweat--clearly she'd been running.

"Leo! Big trouble!"

Leo looked up and gave her a brief glance.

"Speak."

"The Drake family has used their military connections!"

Victoria rushed up to Leo and slapped an encrypted file on the table. "Deputy Secretary of Defense Roland just ordered Delta Force Fifth Unit deployed to seal off all of Manhattan!"

"Officially it's a counter-terrorism exercise, but actually... their target is you!"

Leo looked at the file without even frowning.

"Delta Force?"

He exhaled a puff of smoke, a mocking smile playing at his lips.

Leo stood at the terrace edge, still in his black trench coat, cigar in his mouth, completely ignoring the armored vehicles and soldiers outside the window.

He simply exhaled a puff of smoke. "That's it?"

"That's it?"

Victoria froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Darling, do you have some misunderstanding about Delta Force? They're America's top special forces unit! Every single one is an elite among elites! They're hunting you across the city and you say 'that's it'?"

"There are over a hundred of them, fully armed, with armored vehicles and attack helicopters!"

"And..."

Victoria lowered her voice. "Roland has major influence in the military. He can mobilize even more resources. If he's determined to take you out..."

"So what?"

Leo cut her off, casually tossing the file aside and lighting another cigar.

"Military? Special forces? That's where I came from."

Victoria froze, then smiled seductively. "Darling, look at my memory--I forgot you're a monster too."

"Olivia."

Leo didn't answer her but pressed the intercom on the desk.

"Yes!"

Olivia's voice came through immediately.

"Get the car ready. I'm going to see an old friend."

"Understood!"

Leo hung up and headed for the door.

"Wait!"

Victoria quickly caught up. "Where are you going?"

"To see the commander of Delta Force Fifth Unit."

Leo didn't look back.

"What?"

Victoria's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? They're searching everywhere for you! And you're going to walk right up to them?"

"Walk right up to them?"

Leo laughed--a laugh full of disdain and arrogance.

"If I don't walk right up to them, how will they ever know who they're dealing with?"

Leo said calmly, "I've been out of sight too long. Some people... have forgotten about me."

With that, Leo strode toward the door.