It was a debt of gratitude, and a bond of brotherhood. He would die for Tarquin, so how could he ever betray him?


    Unless Tarquin went down the wrong path, betrayed everything they stood for.


    "And what if I don''t let you down?" Tarquin asked.


    "Then I could never betray you," Lowell replied.


    Tarquin''s brow furrowed as he gazed out the window, murmuring, "That''s right. If there''s no disappointment, why would there be betrayal?"


    Lowell, who understood him best, watched him with a pang of sympathy in his heart.


    He knew Tarquin was asking about the mystery man...


    Lowell thought for a moment before saying, "Betrayal without disappointment can only mean one thing: that person was born rotten. They just hid it so well that everyone was fooled into thinking they were a good person."


    "It''s like the fable of the Farmer and the Viper. You can give a snake all the warmth in the world, but it''s still going to bite you in the end."


    "Some people live by loyalty and honor, while others would sell their own mother for a dime. It''s just how the world works."


    "But it''s definitely not worth grieving over one evil person."


    Whatever rtionship the mystery man once had with Kendrick or Tarquin, he was evil now.


    He was into smuggling, drugs, murder, arson-you name it. He was pure evil.


    "By the way, Tarquin, there''s something I don''t get," Lowell said. "I remember he loved cats, but the mystery man is a cat abuser. How do you exin that?"


    Tarquin''s brow tightened. After a moment, he said, “I''ll add that to my list of questions. When I find the 8th generation virus and go to confront him, I''ll ask him to his face."


    Worry flickered in Lowell''s eyes. Confronting the mystery man meant a fight to the death.


    But not confronting him was impossible.


    The mystery man was a thorn in Tarquin''s side that had to be removed, and it had to


    be Tarquin himself who did it to quench his rage.


    ...


    At three in the afternoon, the private jetnded at the Border City airport.


    A group of people was waiting for them.


    Some were their own men, others were local officials.


    They got into a car and drove directly to the old man''s house.


    On the way, Lowell cheerfully asked one of the local officials, "How''s the old man''s health?"


    The official replied, "It''s decent. No


    major issues, just the usual aches and pains of old of old age. But his skills


    are still sharp. A few young guys together are no match for him."


    "He''s pretty famous around here. Even without his own dojo, he''s taken on a lot of students."


    "Anyone nearby who wants their kids to learn martial arts sends them to him. That''s how he makes a living."


    "To this day, he still grinds his teeth whenever The Punikon Family is mentioned." "Didn''t their fight end in a draw?" Lowell asked. "He didn''t lose, so why the hatred?"


    "It was a draw, but the old man


    wasn''t satisfied with the result," the


    official exined. "He believes he


    could have won, but The Punikon Family used a dirty trick that cost him the victory."


    Lowell then asked, "I heard his financial situation isn''t great?"


    The official nodded. “It''s not. The old man is an upright man. He''s taught a lot of kids, but he rarely charges tuition."


    “His wife passed away young, and he raised several children on his own."


    "Now the kids are grown with families of their own, all with modest means. The old man lives by himself, a simple life.”


    "We''vee to ask for the old man''s help, and we certainly won''t let him go unrewarded Lowell said. "We n to provide some financial support to him and the localmunity."


    The official was moved. "Thank you, thank you so much."


    Lowell and the official chatted idly, but Tarquin remained silent the entire time.


    His mind was upied by someone else—not the mystery man, and not the old


    man.


    It was the person he had trulye to Border City to find.