"Ever since I can remember, my mother has told me that my father works in a very, very far country, so he can't come home to see us."

“I’ve always been a smart kid, so I guessed that bastard was probably dead, either in jail or he got her pregnant and then ran away.”

"However, a few years later... that idiot actually came back. It turned out he was just working outside."

"You know... I was very embarrassed afterwards."

Inside a convenience store in downtown Riverside.

Sergio picked out a bottle of wine that looked decent and a serving of cooked food, then ran to the counter and started rambling.

"Um...then you must have a very happy family, and your father loves you very much."

The shop assistant was clearly bewildered. The man was dressed in rags and covered in blood, looking like he and his mother had stepped out of a disaster movie, and he was talking nonsense. He had already subconsciously reached under the counter to hold the gun handle in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

"Love my ass, this idiot came back with millions in debt."

Sergio shrugged, bit off the bottle cap with his teeth, and took several gulps. Then, with an extremely satisfied expression, he sighed and said, "So, once I climb to a high position through my own abilities, I will kill them all, grind their bones to dust, and throw them all into the sea, body and all, in one go."

"Excuse me... what did you say?"

The shop assistant couldn't understand it; was this person mentally ill?

"Sigh...it's nothing."

He sighed again, feeling his craving for cigarettes returning, so he asked the man to pick out another pack for him, no extra flavoring, just the regular kind.

"Oh, right."

He seemed to remember something, and said this, his eyes calm.

"I don't have the money to pay the bill."

About ten minutes later.

Sergio was dragged out of the convenience store by the neck. He looked bewildered, as if he had encountered some indescribable accident, and was numb and dazed.

He didn't come to his senses until he was thrown into the passenger seat.

"Damn it, I really don't understand. What brings you here? After killing so many batches of Eoubs special agents, you still come here to buy a bento box. Is that reasonable? Aren't you afraid that the person in charge will go all out to send some perks over?"

Everything follows the law of fairness; whatever you want to gain, you must pay an equal price.

He was just trying it out casually, but unexpectedly he was hit by the aftershock of the explosion during his descent and was ejected from the 832 limit.

While he was bragging to the shop assistant, he was also using the butterfly effect to imagine that someone would come along and pay for him. If things went well, he wouldn't have to kill anyone. He could drink and eat some good food, then happily go back to Europe to play with women and do drugs. How comfortable would that be? As for the raid mission, it was just a passing fancy. With the current situation so murky, there was no need for him to get involved.

Who the hell would have thought that you, a man of natural disaster, would specifically choose a convenience store for a late-night snack? And it just so happens that you randomly picked the store. You're really unlucky. Your dad went to Antarctica to pick you up. You're extremely unlucky.

"All I can say is that fate brought us together, and it will also separate us. Dude, I admit you have a big reputation, but I want to go home now. Let's stop messing around."

"No."

Joseph's answer was concise and to the point.

Damn it, is this the butterfly effect? ​​What kind of crap is this, with such huge side effects?

The forbidden items in the Dolphin Hotel have long been in disarray, even 659. Moreover, Adam, that little bastard, is still missing, so going back now would definitely not end well. Besides, he hasn't even resolved the 'sharing' that Carlos has imposed on him. Judging from the temper of this devil beside him... he probably won't be satisfied until he has killed them all.

Doesn't that mean he has to die too?

"For the sake of the drinks we once shared, please let me go. I need to catch a flight at the airport right now. We're all human beings, there's no need to fight to the death, right?"

Sergio really wished he would agree. There were indeed very few idiots with lofty ambitions these days, and he was indeed very individualistic, but the idea of ​​eradicating all the taboos in the world and making the world anew was just too outrageous.

Thankfully, it came from the mouth of a B05; otherwise, you'd think it was some mentally challenged kid who just started kindergarten.

"No, since you've chosen to get involved, you should do your job properly."

Joseph didn't turn his head, but just stared into the distance, as if he could see the wasteland burned into a sea of ​​fire, death and blood staining half the sky red, angry and ominous.

That decaying land is surely decomposing and crumbling. By tomorrow, all the people, dungeons, corpses, and land will have turned into garbage and fallen into the ruins. Only when dawn breaks will the sunlight shine upon that pile of wreckage.

"That's amazing, bro. That's so domineering. If I were a pretty girl, I would definitely be attracted to you. I know a lot of bitches, and they all like mature older men like you."

"But... I am not the same as before."

Sergio coughed lightly; this was a perfect opportunity to show off.

Have you heard of the butterfly effect?

Joseph chose a side road, drove calmly, and then handed him a syringe; the dark green medicine swayed inside as they drove.

"Of course I've heard of it."

“I also know what you experienced at the Dolphin Hotel and what causal characteristics you awakened.”

"But it didn't work for me. These characteristics are just like those of early HIV, which become non-aggressive when exposed to PEP."

Sergio leaned back tactically, and he was greatly shocked. This metaphor, which was almost like a ghost, was truly unprecedented and incredibly sophisticated.

“What I mean is, although you are a natural disaster and you have been in the B05 position for so many years, I am now... capable of fighting you.”

He paused, then added.

"I'm referring to you, the true ace operative, who hasn't yet been stripped of your taboos."

Bang!

Joseph fired the shot.

With a speed Sergio couldn't even react to, he pulled the left wheel from beside the seat with one hand, disengaged the safety, aimed, and finally pulled the trigger.

The bullet pierced through his skin, muscle tissue, and bone instantly, penetrating his shoulder. Blood flowed from the wound, and even white smoke rose from it.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Sergio's face contorted in pain. Who knows what the bullet was made of? His scalp felt like it was about to explode. It was as if he had swallowed a freshly burned charcoal and a bucket of boiling molten iron along with it.

But soon—he realized something.

"You... you actually managed to hurt me."

"Should I shoot you in the head again?"

Before Joseph could finish speaking, the passenger in the front seat slumped back in his seat as if resigned to his fate, his face filled with utter despair.

"Damn...you win."

Sergio was dumbfounded.