Debts Must Be Repaid
988 Words
The classroom fell into deathly silence.
Every student froze in place, mouths agape.
Not just because the typically timid Catherine had suddenly lashed out, not just because she had actually won—but because none of them had seen her moves clearly!
Her speed was inhuman, like something from a special effects movie.
The beaten boy, Zack, struggled to sit up, one hand covering his face, the other clutching his stomach, his eyes mixing shock with humiliation: "Catherine! How dare you hit me?! Do you know who my mother is?!"
His mother Sandra was one of Saint Crane Academy's board members!
She'd lost her mind to cross him at Saint Crane!
"Only the weak announce their connections after losing a fight," Catherine said calmly, as if stating an obvious fact.
"You just wait!"
Zack spat out these words and stumbled out of the classroom, clearly running to tattle to his mother.
The remaining students exchanged glances, expecting to see regret or fear on Catherine's face.
But her eyes showed no trace of panic.
She calmly opened her textbook as if nothing had happened. Morning light slanted through the windows, bathing her in a soft golden glow, yet she radiated an aura of cold detachment—solitary and untouchable.
"I must be dreaming... how did that country girl suddenly become so... badass?"
Students with weaker nerves began slapping their foreheads, trying to wake from this bizarre hallucination.
●
Meanwhile, at Brook Village General Hospital.
In a private room, General Haines sat propped up in bed receiving IV fluids, his complexion much improved.
Beside the bed sat a man of elegant bearing and noble bearing, his handsome features focused on peeling an apple. His long, pale fingers moved with fluid grace, like an artist crafting a masterpiece.
Yet the entire room was shrouded in oppressive tension.
"I'm fine, Julian. Don't be angry," Haines said gently.
The man called Julian didn't respond, still concentrated on his apple.
The old general could only signal his aide Leo with his eyes.
Leo wiped sweat from his brow and spoke reluctantly:
"Mr. Julian, the General just wanted to go fishing in the mountains. No one expected foreign assassins on home soil."
"Yeah," another aide quickly added, "and we still haven't figured out who sent that killer."
Elton possessed comprehensive surveillance networks. Finding no trace at all was highly unusual.
"Queen," Julian said suddenly, stopping his work.
"You mean... the attack was connected to Queen?" Leo's expression turned grave. "If it was her, that would explain everything."
The Queen—a legend among assassins. Queen, from Europe.
Notably, "Queen" wasn't a self-proclaimed title, but an honorific bestowed by the entire underground world.
She had single-handedly assassinated the Golden Triangle's biggest drug lord, crossed the sss rainforest alone, and toppled the extremist organization known as the Sunset Empire—a true legend.
If Queen was behind this, everything made sense.
But...
"Queen is dead."
Leo picked up a nearby tablet, entered a URL, and opened a video.
He turned the screen toward the others and pressed play.
The footage was dark, the cameraman having deliberately cut the lighting, making it impossible to identify the location. Only a cold flashlight beam illuminated the ground.
In the circle of light lay a small boy, his profile innocent and pale, but his breathing barely perceptible.
"Lucifer, won't you come back? Don't you want to reunite with your brother?"
As the words ended, the boy unexpectedly stopped breathing entirely, completely motionless.
Already frail, he couldn't endure such torture.
"No!" The cameraman exploded in rage. "Save him! Didn't I tell you to go easy?!"
Amid chaotic cursing, several medics rushed forward to attempt resuscitation, but ultimately could only shake their heads.
He was gone.
The video ended there.
"This boy was Queen's brother," Leo explained grimly. "A month ago, Queen escaped the organization with him. The boy turned back midway to buy her time. The organization's leader filmed this in rage, hoping to force Queen's return, but there was an accident... the boy died."
His voice carried barely detectable sorrow.
The boy in the video had never revealed his sister's whereabouts, never even cried out in pain.
Was he afraid that if she heard him, she'd return for revenge regardless of the consequences?
But in the end... she did return.
"Seven days after the video was uploaded, Queen went back to the organization and died with them all... consumed by flames."
So Leo shook his head. "This incident probably has nothing to do with Queen."
Julian's gaze left the tablet screen.
That once-mighty queen had met such a tragic end.
"Report—Catherine's file has been compiled," a soldier announced at the door with a salute.
"Bring it here." Haines eagerly wanted to see this information.
The first page showed a girl's school photo with text below:
Catherine Williams, 18, Brook Village resident. Father: William. Mother: Grace. Currently attending Saint Crane Academy, Senior Year. Ordinary student.
"That's it?" Haines flipped through the file repeatedly, feeling like something was missing.
"Yes, sir..." The soldier seemed puzzled too, unable to connect the docile, quiet girl in the photo with the person who had saved the General from a foreign assassin.
"Julian, what do you think?" Haines handed the file to Julian.
Julian studied the girl's photograph for a moment, his gaze finally settling on "Saint Crane Academy."
"I'll pay Saint Crane a visit."
The Winter family must repay this life debt.
●
Saint Crane Academy.
The closed door of Class 3-2 was suddenly shoved open.
A wealthy, heavyset middle-aged woman stormed toward the podium—
"Where is Catherine?"
This was Sandra, Zack's mother and one of Saint Crane Academy's board members.
Zack followed behind her, cotton still stuffed in his nostrils, scanning the class with vicious eyes. He spotted Catherine almost immediately—
She was still sitting calmly in place as if nothing had happened!
"Mom! That's her!" Zack pointed and shouted.
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