"Justin, you psycho! You''ll die a horrible death... Karma wille for you. The heavens will punish you!" Sheryl shrieked.


    She moved faster than a human could. In a blur, Justin was on the floor and Sheryl was over him, mping her teeth down on his ear like a feral beast. She bit down hard—so hard she tore off a piece of flesh.


    The searing pain sent a numbing shock through Justin''s scalp, his vision blurring. He thrashed wildly, kicking and struggling.


    But Sheryl clung to him like a vice, refusing to let go no matter how he fought back. Rage burned in her bloodshot eyes as she kept her jaws locked onto his ear like a rabid animal.


    She had suppressed herself for far too long-controlled, restrained, broken. Atst, she could cast off every inhibition and unleash her madness on this despicable man. For once, she was living for herself.


    Realizing his ear was about to be torn off, Justin, in desperation, grabbed the whip lying nearby. Without hesitation, he looped it around Sheryl''s neck and pulled with all his strength.


    She gagged instantly, both hands wing at the whip constricting her throat. The crushing suffocation emptied her mind. Her eyes bulged, and her face shifted from pale to a horrifying purplish-red.


    "H-Help—"


    Barely a sound escaped her lips. Blood filled her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.


    But Justin had already sumbed to the frenzy of a bloodthirsty killer. He tightened his grip on the whip, veins bulging on the backs of his hands, his brutalityid bare.


    Sheryl''s mouth hung open far wider than seemed humanly possible. Her lips turned a ghastly shade of purple—a pitiful yet terrifying sight.


    "Mr. Justin, are you alright?"


    Eden burst through the door, rmed by themotion. At that exact moment, Sheryl''s naked body slid limply off Justin.


    Shey on the floor, eyes still wide open in death. Her once delicate, pretty face was now lifeless, tinged with a deathly purple. Even in death, she found no peace.


    This was the dark destiny shared by all who served him. Unbeknownst to them, Justin had already calcted their worth and marked them for sale. In his eyes, they weren''t allies; they were assets waiting to be liquidated.


    Perhaps, in Sheryl''s final moments, her life had shed before her eyes.


    Vanity and deceit had been the roots of her downfall. More than her resentment toward Alyssa or her hatred of Justin''s cruelty, what she loathed most was herself.


    She had once been more fortunate than Alyssa. Jasper had adored her, devoted to her in a way few men ever could be. She had once held the best version of him in her hands. And yet, driven by selfish desire, she had torn her own happiness apart -even when it had been within reach.


    She truly deserved this end.


    "M-Mr. Justin... I-Is she dead?" Eden stammered, stumbling back as the color drained from his face.


    Justin flung the whip aside and pressed a hand to his mangled ear. Enraged, heshed out, kicking Sheryl''s corpse several times.


    "Call a medic!" His eyes zed with fury as he staggered to his feet. "And bury this bitch somewhere in the mountains!"


    The following evening, authorities cordoned off a stretch of highway south of Sna City.


    Cyrus led his team to the scene. As the forensic unit examined the bodies, one of his subordinates stepped forward to deliver a report.


    can''t


    "Chief Taylor, there are no surveince cameras along this stretch of the highway, so we can''t determine exactly what happened Based on the forensic pathologist''s preliminary assessment, the time of death was around 11:00 pmst night.


    "All four victims died from fatal gunshot wounds to the head. From the looks of it,


    this was the work of a professional, or at least a highly skilled shooter."


    Cyrus slipped on a pair of sterile gloves, frowning. "If they diedst night, why wasn''t this reported sooner? It''s not like this road is deserted."


    "People did pass by," the subordinate replied. "But they assumed the upants were asleep. Most were in a hurry and didn''t stop to check. It was a rancher who noticed something off and alerted the police."


    Cyrus stepped past the cordon and approached the vehicle. "Any other findings?"


    The subordinate hesitated before answering. "It appears to be a shootout resulting in mutual destruction."


    "A shootout?" Cyrus echoed, unconvinced.


    "Yeah. The three upants in the ck sedan were all killed by headshots Ballistics match the firearm found on the man in the other vehicle At the same time one the


    of the weapons recovere


    sedan matches the bullet that killed the lone man. Both sides tested positive for gunshot residue."


    Cyrus fixed him with a sharp look. "Three people in one car. One in the other. All dead from headshots. So tell me who fired the first shot?"


    The subordinate faltered. "Uh..."


    "If the three fired first, the lone man wouldn''t have survived to return fire. If the lone man fired first, what are the odds he could take down all three in session?"


    Cyrus'' eyes gleamed coldly. "And even if he was a sharpshooter and managed to take all three out, how did he end up dead? The moment he missed, he would''ve been shot At least one of the three should have survived. Don''t you think so?''


    "Perhaps..... Perhaps there was a fifth person?"


    "Exactly. There had to be a fifth person." Cyrus nodded with a look of disbelief.


    "Took you long enough to realize it."


    The subordinate fell silent.


    As Cyrus spoke, he stepped closer and leaned into the car, peering inside.


    Suddenly, his eyes widened.


    "I-It''s him!"