Chapter 1053: Conflict, Choice, Interference

Frank walked over, grabbed Grote, and punched him in the face. “Here, tell our naive little friend what you did on the night of 20 December.”

Grote shuddered. “N- no.”

Frank punched him again. “Say it, or I’ll kill you like this.”

Grote’s face was covered in blood as he pleaded, “I… I really can’t remember.”

Frank smiled grimly. “Is that so? Let me remind you then: Lafayette Street, Room 207 on the second floor.”

Grote’s expression changed. “No, don’t. They’re the ones who forced me. There was nothing I could do.”

Frank punched him again. “Then there’s nothing I can do either.”

Grote screamed as he was knocked to the ground again. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything.”

Frank pulled out the pistol from his waist and aimed it at Grote’s head. “Then what’s the point of you being alive! I’ll give you one last chance. Tell him what happened in Room 207 on the second floor of Lafayette Street on the night of 20 December.”

Grote wept bitterly. “Don’t. I’ll talk, I’ll talk. They told me to kill a man. He got involved in something he shouldn’t have.”

Frank glanced at Matt and smirked a little. “See? This is the regular guy you’re talking about.”

Matt suffered a huge blow, but still said, “He should be punished according to the law, and turn himself in —”

Frank snickered and turned back around. “What else? You’re not finished yet.”

Grote hesitated again. Frank stepped on one finger and crushed it. “Say it.”

Grote screamed. “And an old lady. She shouldn’t have been there. It should only have been the man. She was screaming. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t help it. I had to shoot.”

Matt froze. “You —”

Frank: “Look, these are sc.u.m. They never have any good intentions.”

Matt said subconsciously, “But killing them won’t bring the dead back!”

Frank: “Yes, but if they’re dead, they won’t hurt innocent people again. Look at this city, Red. It’s full of rot. All this trash. They have no bottom lines. They can kill innocent people for their own needs. Why are you protecting them? Why are you letting those innocent people continue to be hurt and killed by them? Just for that little bit of ridiculous justice in your heart?

“Dog sh*t!” Frank scolded. “You come out to beat up these b*stards until they’re seriously injured, but you have to wear a mask and don’t even dare show your face. I dare! I know what I want to do, and I know what I’m doing. I don’t have to wear this fake mask to deceive myself. I’ve broken the law. What about you? Wearing a mask only proves that you’re a coward and running away. You don’t dare face this evil world with your real face. You and I, we’re just protecting the people of this city in our own way.”

Beside him, Luke scratched his head. It seemed that he was the one with the most masks here, but he wasn’t running away from anything.

Frank strode over to Matt and shoved the gun into his hand.

Matt’s hands weren’t tied behind his back. Frank had simply bound his body with the chain. Matt could still shoot with a gun.

Frank pulled out another pistol and aimed it at Grote. “Now, I’ll give you a chance. Choose to be your real self, or keep running away. At the end of the countdown, if you don’t kill me first, I’ll kill him. 3!”

Matt struggled. “No, you don’t have to. It’s not worth ruining yourself for someone like that.”

Frank was unmoved. “2!”

Grote was scared out of his wits. He struggled and begged, “Save me, save me. I don’t want to die.”

Matt: “No, don’t make me.”

Frank: “1… huh?”

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he suddenly felt that his hand was empty. The gun that was pointing at Grote was gone.

He turned around and saw Luke standing next to him with a gun in his hand. He weighed the gun in his hand and said, “Alright, how old are the two of you? Aren’t you tired of playing such games?”

As he spoke, he tossed the gun back to Frank. “That’s the end of it for today. I’m sending Red home.”

Frank’s mouth moved, but he didn’t say anything.

Matt was relieved, too. Fortunately, Puncher wasn’t completely on the other man’s side.

Luke crouched down next to him and started to untie him. “Not everyone can let go of the past or vengeance for their family. If you can do it, you’re a saint. If you can’t, you’re just an ordinary person. You can’t save him, and he doesn’t need your help.”

Matt: “But if he does this, he’s not just hurting himself; he’ll also cause ordinary people to misunderstand him.”

Luke said, “He doesn’t care. He only cares about his family, and they’re already gone.”

Matt was speechless.

Luke said, “Get some rest. Don’t worry about the adults.”

Matt looked up, puzzled. “Huh?”

At that moment, he heard a soft hissing sound. He felt a sting in his neck, and looked at Luke in astonishment. “What did you do?”

Luke raised the syringe in his hand. “It’s just a tranquilizer. It’ll help you sleep well tonight.”

Matt: “You *% $#…”

The second half of his sentence turned into m.u.f.fled sounds as his head dropped and he pa.s.sed out.

Luke untied him and stood up. “Let’s go. Aren’t you going to clean up the trash? I’ll go with you.”

Stumped by Luke’s action, Frank said after a moment of silence, “Aren’t you his friend?”

Luke took out two pistols from his backpack and tossed one to him. “But you’re Gray Rabbit’s friend. If you want revenge, I’m happy to help you get it.”

Frank caught the pistol and looked. It had a silencer on it. “I have guns.”

Luke said, “We should act quietly if we can. You’re not afraid of NYPD, but you don’t want to kill police officers, do you? If you carry on like this, you’ll be surrounded by NYPD before you’re done cleaning up your enemies.”

Frank had nothing to say to that. He had almost been besieged by the ESU today, although that was mostly because of Matt’s interference.

But it was true that Luke had rescued him.

Luke handed him another five clips. “Let’s hurry up and finish this in ten minutes.”

Frank was stunned. “Ten minutes?”

Luke said, “Of course. I still have to take Red home.”

Frank turned to look at Grote. “Then this guy…”

Luke said, “Let him go.”

Frank gave him a strange look, which was clearly saying, “You’re joking.”

Luke said, “Red doesn’t want you to kill him, so let him go.”

Frank had a strange expression on his face, but he nodded.

Luke took Grote downstairs and untied him. “You can go now. Don’t let us see you again, otherwise…”

Grote’s face was filled with joy. “I’m going. I’ll go as far as I can…” As he spoke, he staggered and ran away.