Stabbed for the Second Time

The three of them immediately turned their attention towards the source of the sound. Theo's body froze as he stared at a group of people standing at the entrance, dressed in neatly black attire. It wasn't without reason – Theo could clearly see the mark he had been searching for all this time, prominently displayed on their necks.

"That's the Bloodhound Cartel!" Jim muttered quietly.

"I suspected this would be a bad omen," commented Berta, growing more uneasy. On the other hand, Theo remained silent, gazing at the newly arrived Bloodhound Cartel.

They... those people... Theo clenched his fists tightly. He would never forget the mark engraved on the necks of those who had robbed his home and nearly taken his life.

The group stood still for a moment, observing their surroundings. Their presence made some of the other patrons uncomfortable, especially after all the members of the Infero Ravens suddenly stood up upon seeing their archenemies arrive at the same place. Their two leaders exchanged sharp glares, indicating the intense enmity between them. The Bloodhound Cartel walked past, trying not to pay attention to the Infero Ravens group. They all approached the bar table where Theo, Berta, and Jim were seated.

Theo remained silent, still staring at them sharply. Now, their positions were directly in front of him. One of them noticed Theo's hostile gaze and approached him, standing right in front of him.

"What are you looking at? Are you challenging us to a fight?" the man asked, staring at Theo intensely. Theo remained completely still, unaffected by his words. Instead of averting his gaze, he returned it with an equally sharp look. "Tsk! It seems like you do want to challenge us. Daring to stare at us like that. Maybe I should teach you a valuable lesson?"

Berta, realizing the situation, quickly tried to protect Theo. She pulled the man away from the guy who had just approached him. "Sorry about our staff's attitude. He's a new server; he doesn't know any better."

Berta pulled Theo away, whispering and urging him to leave before things escalated. But Theo seemed suddenly deaf. He didn't even listen to her words and chose to stay put.

"Next time, teach your new employee some manners on how to look at loyal customers. Don't make us intervene ourselves to teach him," the man remarked as he walked away. He joined his friends, who had already moved to a table in the corner near the bar. Berta bowed, apologizing.

"Hey, Theo! You shouldn't stare at them like that. If you stare too boldly, they'll misunderstand and think you're inviting them to a fight. You don't want to get into trouble with them, right? So, don't look at them like that. All the Bloodhound Cartel members are ruthless, and they get easily offended. Especially if they're noticed like criminals."

"They sure are criminals," Theo replied, glancing at Berta intensely.

"W-what? Hey! Don't talk so loud. If they hear you, you'll really get into big trouble." Berta panicked.

"Alright, I've got to serve customers," Theo said as he got up from his seat, leaving Berta and Jim staring at him strangely in silence. Theo's demeanor seemed to change instantly upon encountering them.

I've been searching for them everywhere, and unexpectedly, I ran into them here. It seems like fate's been on my side from the start, Theo thought. His steps suddenly halted before he could approach the table of customers who had just called him.

<Ding! >

<Quest received!>

<Quest: The Group You Seek!< p>

"In the shadows, hidden foes. Your greatest adventure is when you close.

Who is it that you seek?

Answer the riddle, secrets here peek."

Category: Main

Difficulty Level: D

Completion Requirement: Search and gather as much information as possible about the Bloodhound Cartel group that stabbed you from the people around you.

Time Limit: -

Reward: Coin reward will be calculated based on the amount of information you acquire. So, the more information you gather, the more coin rewards you will receive.

Note: Please avoid talking or conversing directly with them, as they might recognize you. Additionally, your fighting abilities are not adequate to face them if the situation becomes complicated!>

Theo grinned, reading the newly appeared quest. "The quest showed up at the right time."

*

"I hope the situation stays under control," mumbled Berta, still uneasy seeing both groups in the same room.

"Don't hope too much. The odds are 0.0001 percent. You know yourself, they can't get along when they meet," Jim replied.

"Yeah, I know. But, aren't they tired of constantly fighting and quarreling? Even I, just watching them, get bored with it."

"Haha, you're funny. Fighting is their daily bread. How could they ever get tired of it?"

"Talking to you only makes me feel more uneasy," commented Berta, who then left Jim alone at the bar table. The bartender could only smile and shake his head slightly in response to Berta's recent remark.

Jim's attention shifted to Theo, who approached him and asked Jim to prepare some bottles of drinks for a group of college students celebrating a friend's special day. Once the drinks were ready, Theo delivered them to the table that had placed the order. Theo returned to the bar table, where Jim was. Jim had been working at the club for a long time, and Theo was sure he knew a lot about the Bloodhound Cartel.

"Jim, mind if I ask?" he began, starting the conversation.

"What do you want to know?"

"From what I know, you've been working here for a long time, right? That means you know who the loyal customers are, right?"

"Yeah, of course, I know. Why?"

"I want to ask about the Bloodhound Cartel. Who are they?"

Jim, upon hearing Theo's question, leaned closer and spoke in a hushed tone. "Why are you suddenly asking about them?"

"I just want to know."

"From what I know, they're a bunch of mafia henchmen that are supposedly quite respected. They're a dangerous and feared group."

<Reward 10 coins have been added because you obtained the first piece of information!>

Theo smiled at the notification. If it went like this, he'd be even more motivated to gather information.

"Since when have they been coming to this club?"

"I don't remember exactly. But they've often been coming because their boss knows the owner of our club."

"Are they friends?"

"No. They just happen to know each other, and that's why members of the Bloodhound Cartel visit here frequently. The clearer reason is that they feel powerful in this place."

"Oh, that makes sense... Do you know why they don't get along with the Infero Ravens gang?"

"I don't know. But from what I've observed, it seems like they have grudges and personal issues. That's why they never get along."

"Have you ever met the leaders of that group? I mean, have you ever seen them?"

"I have. A few years ago, both leaders of the group came here."

"Really? How do they look? I'm getting more curious now," Theo said, staring at Jim with a lot of questions.

"The leader of the Infero Ravens group is an older guy. He's got this rough and scary appearance, but he's a good guy. And, the leader of the Bloodhound Cartel is a young man, probably around our age. I don't remember his face much, but one thing's for sure, he's got the same tattoo on his chest."

"The scorpion tattoo?"

"Yeah. I know because their leader always leaves the top three buttons of his shirt open, so the tattoo's visible."

Theo fell silent, trying to digest every piece of information he just got from Jim. He attempted to recall where he might have encountered a man with a scorpion tattoo on his chest. Despite his efforts, Theo couldn't remember where he had met or known someone with such a tattoo. As far as he could remember, he had never met or known anyone with a chest tattoo like that.

<Reward 7 70 coins have been added because you obtained valuable pieces of information!>

<Your current coins are: 415,650C>

Theo's attention shifted when he saw the leader of the Bloodhound Cartel approaching the bar table and ordering some more drinks. Theo stayed silent, observing him. From what Theo could see, the man didn't have any chest tattoos; instead, he had a tattoo on his neck, just like the other members. Judging by the way his friends respected him, it seemed like he held a higher position than the other members. Could he possibly be their leader's right-hand man?

"Please, take these drinks to the table. I've got to take this call!" the man told Jim, pulling out his phone that had just rung with an incoming call. Theo froze in place upon hearing the man's voice. He suddenly became aware of it.

After checking the call on his phone, the man hastily left the bar table, heading outside to answer his phone. Unconsciously, Theo hurriedly followed him from behind. The man exited the club, walking toward the alley behind their club, and answered his phone there while pulling out a cigarette. He then started to smoke. I'm sure my guess is right. He is the one. The person who spoke to me that night was the same person who stabbed me. I can't be wrong. I still remember his voice vividly.

With a pounding heart, Theo felt his adrenaline rush. The man approached the wall, hiding there while trying to eavesdrop on his phone conversation.

"Alright, Master. I understand," he said.

Theo was stunned, continuously listening to their phone conversation. Master? So, he's talking to the person who ordered him to kill me that night?

Theo kept eavesdropping to the point where he didn't realize that the man had been talking to the person he referred to as master for quite a while. After talking for a considerable time, the man left his spot, still talking on the phone. But just as he turned to go back to the club, he accidentally bumped into Theo, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

Theo jolted in surprise as the man suddenly appeared from the front, startling him. In the collision, their bodies caused the man's phone to fall to the ground. The phone was still lit, and Theo could see the ongoing call with the contact name labeled 'master.'

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to..." Theo stammered. However, without warning, the man immediately punched him in the face, causing Theo to fall to the ground in one swift strike. Theo was shocked by what was happening. His brain tried to process the events, but before he could comprehend everything he was experiencing, the man moved closer. He grabbed Theo's shirt collar and struck his face, causing blood to flow from his nose. Theo winced while trying to protect himself from the attack. However, his efforts were futile, as the man was too strong and his movements too swift. He repeatedly hit Theo's face with his fists, then roughly threw his body, crashing into one of the trash bins nearby.

In just a few attacks, Theo's body looked battered. The crisp white shirt that had appeared so neat was now stained with blood from the punches inflicted by the man. Theo tried to endure, crawling, hoping to escape. However, the man immediately pulled his leg and pinned Theo down, rendering him helpless. Ruthlessly, he attacked Theo again, repeatedly striking his face until blood poured even more profusely.

"Because of you, me and the others ended up being chased by the cops! Why didn't you just die that night? How the hell did you manage to survive and involve the police in all this? I'll warn you one thing. You messed with the wrong person! And now, it's time for you to pay for your actions." The man halted his assault on the now defenseless Theo, blood continuing to seep out. The man shifted, reaching for something behind his jacket. Theo, in his thin consciousness, could see a shiny, flat object now in his grip. The man directed it towards Theo's abdomen, and in one thrust, Theo could feel the coldness of the object piercing and deeply cutting into his stomach. His breath caught, and his body became even more powerless. An extraordinary pain shot through his stomach where the folding knife had just been plunged.

The man withdrew his knife, causing blood to flow from the wound. After seeing him helpless, the man stood up, cleaning the blood stains on his knife with a handkerchief. "Go to hell!"

The man walked away, leaving Theo in a crumpled, blood-soaked state. His face bore severe injuries from the brutal assault, and blood gushed profusely from his freshly stabbed stomach. Theo's consciousness faded further, and in his current state, he could vaguely see the system screen appearing before him.

<Main Quest failed to complete!>

<Warning!< p>

The body is losing too much blood. Consciousness and life are in danger!>

The screen he saw suddenly blurred, and shortly after that, Theo couldn't see anything at all except darkness. He couldn't even feel his body.

***