Jack clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He turned his head slightly, closed his eyes, then opened them with force—blazing with fury.
Everyone felt a terrifying power standing behind them. But before Nizar could turn around, his neck flew into the air. Jack had already caught Zahir before he could hit the ground and gently lowered him.
The gang members all trembled at the sight and turned their eyes to the masked man.
Jack, coldly: "Let her go..."
One of the gang members: "Hey! How dare you attack members of the ga—"
He didn't finish his sentence because a rocky spear burst from the ground and knocked him out cold.
The gang tried to flee quickly—but it was futile. Jack appeared in front of them and wiped them all out.
Zahir ran swiftly to his mother and siblings.
Mother, anxiously: "Zahir, are you okay, my dear? Ruby? Nile? Are you both alright?"
Children, crying: "Mom!"
Zahir wiped his mother's tears, his own face covered in tears.
Zahir: "Mom, Nariman... I'm sorry I couldn't save you sooner."
Nariman, smiling: "What are you saying, my dear? You were very brave."
Jack gave them a final glance before turning to head home. But this time, he felt someone grab his hand. When he turned, he saw Zahir holding it.
Zahir, with hope: "Are you the hero of our city?"
Jack: "What?"
Zahir: "When there are villains, heroes appear and save the weak and the oppressed. Are you the hero?"
Jack: "No."
Zahir: "That's okay, then."
Jack was surprised by the child's response.
Zahir: "Then… can you train me, please?"
Jack's eyes hinted at refusal, so Zahir continued.
Zahir: "Please don't say no. They killed my father in front of me, and I couldn't save him. Now they're all I have left—I want to protect them."
Nariman, concerned: "Zahir, what are you saying? Come back here."
Zahir: "Please, I beg you."
For a moment, Jack didn't see Zahir—he saw himself as a child.
Jack, quietly: "And what would you do if I became the city's hero?"
Zahir: "Then I'd feel very relieved and happy. I'd train hard to stand behind you."
Jack: "Then go to your mother."
He gently pushed him toward his family and walked away quickly to his home.
------
All night, he kept thinking—what should he do? What should he decide? His war was too big to be distracted by anything else.
Jack, thinking: "Gara... was this how you were years ago when you saved us? Did you face these choices too?"
He chuckled bitterly: "We should've found a place in the mountains to stay away from this world's troubles."
Then he went to sleep. The day had been filled with events.
Early in the morning, Black woke up and went to the kitchen to drink some water, but she couldn't find any bottles in the fridge.
She headed to a room and gently knocked on the door, but received no response. Carefully, she opened the door just slightly and peeked her head in.
Black whispered, "Jaaack…"
She got no reply for the second time, so she knew he was in a deep sleep.
She quietly closed the door again and returned to her room. She took out some clothes from her bag and got ready to go out. She knew he would be really upset if she went out alone, but she couldn't bring herself to wake him—she knew that soon, he might not get the chance to rest at all, so she let him sleep.
She went back to the kitchen to check what they were missing so she could buy it, then headed out into the city.
She didn't forget to wear a mask—because of the outbreak Fahd had told them about the night before.
------
She bought what they needed, and on the way back, she decided to stop by the pharmacy for some extra medicine, just in case.
What she saw shocked her. Many sick people were waiting for medicine, but gang members stood at the entrance, demanding money to enter, and even more money to buy the medicine. One man collapsed near her, struggling to breathe.
She ran to him, checked his condition, pulled a syringe from her bag, and prepared it. But just as she was about to inject him, a gang member grabbed her hand, saying she had to pay first. She hit him so hard he flew away, then administered the injection. Two minutes later, the man could breathe again.
As the gang tried to seize her, Fahd appeared out of nowhere and sped away with her. They stopped when he noticed the gang had stopped chasing them.
Black, amazed: "Wow, you're really fast! What's your secret?"
Fahd, stunned: "And what about you? That punch of yours sent him flying! The gang was so shocked they just stood there!"
A beautiful girl appeared, though she looked annoyed.
She had long black hair and sharp brown eyes.
The girl: "Fahd, you idiot! Why did you show up with her? She and her lover are the ones who beat up the soldiers last night, right?"
Black, shocked: "Lover?!"
Fahd: "Helena, calm down."
Helena: "Calm down?! Look what you've done! I told you to find a doctor, not trouble."
Fahd: "She is a doctor."
Black: "How did you know?"
Fahd: "Didn't you just save that man? So you know medicine, right?"
Helena: "Tell me, girl—are you a doctor?"
Black: "Yes, I am."
Helena's expression changed from anger to hope.
Helena: "Can you help us? Many of the sick are in serious condition—they desperately need medical help. Please."
Black looked into their faces and realized she couldn't refuse. She was a doctor. This was her duty.
Black: "Where are they?"
They lit up with joy. Helena grabbed her hand, nearly jumping with happiness.
Black knew it was the right decision, but she hoped she could return before Jack found out what happened—because once he did, the day wouldn't end peacefully.
--------------
They took her to a house in the center of the city.
Fahd knocked on the door.
Knock knock knock.
Fahd: "Grandma, open up, it's me—Fahd."
An elderly woman opened the door and let them in.
Old woman: "What brings you here?"
Black looked at the woman—she was probably in her late fifties, but age hadn't dimmed her beauty. She had short blonde hair, beautiful green eyes, and an elegant appearance.
Helena: "We found your white bird and came to return her."
That was the secret phrase—if someone strange was with them, this meant it was safe, and the person could be trusted.
The woman looked at Black, evaluating her.
Old woman: "Are you new here?"
Black, confused: "Why does everyone keep asking that?"
Old woman: "Because only newcomers agree to come with us. They don't realize the consequences."
Helena: "Grandma..."
Old woman: "Silence, both of you! You brought this girl without telling her she'll be killed for helping us."
Fahd was about to speak, but Black cut in.
Black, smiling: "Is that the consequence? Don't worry—I just want to see how I can help."
Grandma: "Aren't you afraid of what could happen?"
Black: "Trying to kill me isn't something I fear. If I were afraid of death, I wouldn't be here."
The grandmother saw honesty and courage in her eyes. She was neither naive nor a spy.
She told her to follow, and the three followed her—only to be surprised when they went into the kitchen. Then she moved the table, and Fahd shifted part of the kitchen, revealing a basement.
They went down.
The place was huge. It looked like they had built tunnels beneath their homes. Many people were there, suffering—the disease had clearly ravaged most of them.
Black was filled with intense anger. Her chest rose and fell violently. She forgot something crucial—the energy chip from Jack embedded in her heart. It had started to glow.
---
At Jack and Black's house...
Jack was sleeping—but then his eyes opened.
---
Back at the grandma's house...
Black rushed to help them, but the grandma stopped her.
Grandma, worried: "Be careful, it's a plague. You could catch it."
Black: "Don't worry about me, Grandma. I'll be fine."
Two doctors were already helping. One of them approached the grandma after seeing Black assist the sick.
Doctor: "Grandma, who is this girl? We need a real doctor, not a student or an amateur."
Fahd, stepping in: "She's no amateur, Max. She's a good doctor—I saw her save a man who collapsed earlier today."
Then he turned to the grandma: "And she can fight. Did you hear about what happened last night at Uncle Gabriel's restaurant?"
Grandma: "Yes, two maniacs beat and killed the king's soldiers."
Max: "If only we had people like them on our side, we could protect the empire from the tyrant king and the criminal gangs."
Fahd, laughing: "She's one of those maniacs."
Then seriously: "She hit a gang member today, and the other guy—he was even stronger. He's the one who killed the soldiers last night. But I think they're preparing for something."
Grandma: "What do you mean?"
Fahd: "I'm not sure. From what they said yesterday, it sounds like something big is coming. They were anxious. That's why they don't want to get involved in anything else right now."
Grandma: "Then don't ask much from them. We all have our own battles. It wouldn't be fair to drag them into another."
Helena: "I heard this morning that some gang members have disappeared."
Grandma: "They might have been killed. Be extra careful. The gang will be more dangerous after what happened last night."
Everyone: "Understood."
Black was examining the sick, taking blood samples. Doctor Heather saw her and approached.
Heather: "Don't waste your energy. The labs are under gang control, and ours was destroyed by those thugs."
Black: "But I don't need a lab."
Black, to herself: "Sorry, master—but I need to use my powers to save these people."
She used her abilities to analyze the samples. Everyone watched in awe.
She manipulated the water with expert precision, mixed in some other components from her bag, added the sample, and the water transformed into a multi-stage tube that processed the sample.
She watched the whole process intently, documenting changes in a small notebook.
Max: "How did you do that?!"
Black: "It's an ancient method used before labs were invented. It requires energy and skill."
Grandma: "Can you teach it to them, miss? So we can save more people and spread the knowledge?"
Black, smiling: "Of course, I will."
Black, Max, and Heather worked tirelessly for over three hours. Finally, they succeeded in creating a vaccine for the plague. It showed effectiveness within the first hour, reducing the symptoms.
Max, happily: "We did it! Miss, you really are a brilliant doctor. I'm sorry for doubting you."
Black: "No need to apologize, Doctor Max. What matters is that we succeeded."
She added seriously: "To recover quickly, they need to take the medicine three times a day."
Heather: "But we don't have enough materials to make enough for everyone."
Fahd: "Then I'll raid the medicine factory in the city today and bring everything you need."
Grandma: "No, Fahd! That's too dangerous. Please don't."
Fahd: "Don't worry—I'll run as fast as I can."
Helena: "I'll call the other guys. Let's meet there."
Max: "But this could have serious consequences for everyone in the city."
Heather: "And there's no guarantee you'll survive fighting Kruger's gang."
Black, stepping in: "Then I'll go with you."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted: "No, you won't."
Everyone froze. Who appeared out of nowhere?
It was Jack, now sitting calmly in a large chair beside them. His presence was imposing.
Black didn't flinch. She knew that voice well. But she felt nervous—this was exactly what she'd hoped to avoid. She had lost track of time, absorbed in her work, and didn't realize how late it was. She had sensed his energy earlier but assumed it was the chip, not Jack himself. Judging by his thunderous expression, he had been there for quite a while.
Helena pulled out a knife to attack the stranger, but Fahd stopped her. The doctors prepared to fight—but the grandma stayed calm. She noticed Fahd and Black weren't alarmed, so she immediately understood—they knew him.
Grandma: "Are you her friend?"
To be continued…
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