EVIL SYSTEM

When they both stopped crying, they could speak more normally.

Dante began telling him about all the adventures he'd had during the time he'd been away.

Finally, he openly spoke about Ben and the guys he'd arrived in the city with.

"So that's why you're here?" Roger was surprised to learn that his grandson had exposed himself to his family's mockery and scorn just to help a few of his friends. "You're a very kind and good-hearted boy, son. But that tends to be a problem in this kind of world we live in."

"I know," Dante replied with a forced smile, remembering the incident with his cousin. "A friend of mine told me the exact same thing."

"That friend of yours is wise," Roger nodded.

Dante smiled and nodded as well.

"If what you need is a house..." Roger stood up and walked toward a closet, where he opened a small compartment and pulled out a set of keys. "These are the keys to the house your grandmother and I shared for a long time before buying this mansion."

"Grandpa..." Dante's hands trembled. "I can't accept something so valuable."

"Who said I was giving it to you?" Roger laughed. "You have to take me with you."

...

Ben burst out laughing when he saw Dante and Roger sneaking out of the mansion through a window.

Obviously, Leonardo wasn't going to let his elderly father leave with his "failure" of a son, so the grandfather-grandson duo escaped without telling anyone.

Ben started Bedsi and pulled up next to them, rolling down the window with a grin. "Need a ride?"

Dante laughed while Roger began petting Bedsi affectionately.

"Bedsi, old friend!"

"Just like you said, Grandpa," Dante patted Bedsi with a smile. "Bedsi's a real warrior."

"Get in already." Ben's ears twitched slightly. "I can hear footsteps coming."

Dante helped his grandfather into the minivan and climbed in after him.

"And who's this kid?" Roger asked.

"I'm Ben," Ben said, stepping on the accelerator as he introduced himself.

Roger felt his body thrown back by the sudden acceleration and panicked.

As he drove, Ben turned on the radio and blasted the music. When they approached the gate where the guards were stationed, he leaned out the window and shouted at the top of his lungs for them to open it.

But the truth was, he deliberately gave the guards no time to comply before crashing through the gate and taking it down with them.

He'd been furious hearing how they treated Dante and had wanted to storm into that house to slap every single one of them.

But since he couldn't, he settled for revenge in another way.

Both gates tore from the walls and flew through the air, along with the minivan.

"HAHAHAHA!" Ben laughed like a madman, while the guards below stared in shock and disbelief.

"I take it back," Roger muttered, terrified, gripping whatever he could. "He's not wise—not wise at all. In fact, he's insane!!"

Ben laughed at his words, and after Bedsi slammed back onto the ground, he kept accelerating into the distance.

He stuck his hand out the window and flipped off the mansion behind them with his middle finger.

"Somehow, this kid reminds me of an old friend," Roger whispered.

++++

Ben parked the minivan in the park and stared at the frat boys with a smirk.

"Why the long faces?"

"Ben!" Fan Mo jumped up excitedly. "Did you get it?"

Ben just jingled a set of keys with a grin.

"How did you do it?"

"Nothing too hard—just kidnapped an old man."

Ben felt a playful smack on the back of his head as Dante burst out laughing.

Fan Mo didn't find it funny but nodded, calling the others to load up the vehicles and head to their new place.

The old man's house wasn't small at all—it looked like a miniature mansion.

Big enough to fit everyone with plenty of room to spare.

"You lived in a house this big?" Dante asked his grandfather.

"Yeah," Roger nodded with a smile. "There was also a friend, but it really was too much space. We'd planned to raise a family here."

"No time for nostalgia!" Ben sprinted inside the mini-mansion. "I call the biggest room!"

"Idiot!" Dante yelled after him. "Even if you pick the biggest one, you'll have to share!"

Roger smiled and shook his head.

As they unloaded, everyone started settling in.

Ben and Dante stepped out to buy a ton of meat and spices.

Using the house's grill, they threw together a quick barbecue.

Everyone gathered around the bonfire, enjoying the food.

Most of them drank beer, but there were exceptions.

Like Ben, who hated alcohol and opted for a cold can of Frehss instead.

Ryuji and Shen Huiliang joined him with their own Frehss cans, while Roger just drank water.

Ben figured it made sense—at his age, a cold could be deadly.

Laughing at his own joke, he lay back on the grass and stole discreet glances at Judy.

++++

Under a bridge, inside a car, Suzanne and Hubert sat. They hadn't found a hotel either, so their only option was sleeping in the vehicle.

Luckily, Ben had given them plenty of money.

Money they'd used to buy comforts for car living.

Suzanne had even bought herself a brand-new, top-of-the-line laptop.

"Don't stare at the screen so long—you need sleep," Hubert scolded half-heartedly.

"You have to see this!" Suzanne ignored him and turned the laptop toward him.

On the screen was a recently created website that had already amassed a huge following.

"It's a fan site for the Butcher—made by and for his followers."

Hubert frowned, intrigued, and started scrolling.

He was stunned to see so many people supporting and obsessing over Ben's brutal actions.

He'd thought he was the only lunatic willing to sell his soul for revenge.

"That's not all," Suzanne said excitedly. She leaned in, navigating to another section. "Here, people share their darkest experiences and expose society's trash."

Hubert stared intently. Some had endured worse than he had—no wonder they idolized a figure like Ben.

"Look at this!" Suzanne pointed at a specific post.

Hubert's eyebrow rose as he read.

The more he read, the angrier he got.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Despite the late hour, he grabbed his phone and made a call.

It rang briefly before being answered.

"Boss, we've got a target."

On the other end of the line, Ben grinned excitedly and nodded.