Blood splattered on Maxen's face, dotting it with funky crimson red. On instinct, he closed his eyes yet the image of MIB2 blowing his own brains imprinted in Maxen's mind.

He saw something similar before on the battlefield when he joined the military years ago. Those years in the military camp were an ugly reminder for him that there were no victors in war. 

At most, those who bear the brunt were the casualties—those who had no option but to hide from the flying bullets or the raining bombs from the sky. They never asked for it, yet they were hauled up in a dark corner, praying for their lives to be spared and for them to see another light of day.

It was also the same time when his eyes opened for the first time as he witnessed countless suicide bombers offering their bodies like lamb for the 'greater cause' by detonating the bomb attached to their c.h.e.s.ts, taking with them the lives of innocent bystanders. 

Through the years it brought him nightmares in his sleep, yet it also opened Maxen's consciousness, towards the plights of the common people. It showed him how waging a war should never be an option to win or to conquer.

As one raised the white flag in surrender, families already lost a loved one or two, and those who survived would have to return to a pile of rubble and dirt they once called their home.

Yes, he had an ounce of pity for those people, but what struck him the most was to see life drift away from someone close to his heart.

At that exact moment, out of all the crazy things that Maxen bore witness to in his life, nothing prepared him for the day he would see someone who had been by his side for years, to pull something as nasty as suicide right before his very eyes.

MIB2 or Jules, as Lance called him, walked behind Maxen for almost a decade. He was a competent young soldier, and his future was full of potential and promise. 

It was why Jules quickly rose through the ranks and secured a spot as one of the very few who could join the elite team that would stand in close proximity to the royal family.

Never did Maxen feel that MIB2 was a traitor. He was always easy-going and on top of that, he always viewed the world in a positive lens. However, just like any other war, you'd never know whose life would be taken, and this time, it was the quirky security detail whom everyone was fond of.

After a few seconds, the ringing in Maxen's ear subsided, and his eyes shifted from left to right, scanning the shocked faces in the room. One by one, heads snapped to where Lance Go sat.

He was laughing with his eyes closed and his head hung low. "Ahhh, what a dramatic way to die," Lance Go said, and the hint of mockery in his tone made Maxen's jaw tick.

Rolling his tongue over his teeth, Maxen suppressed his anger and chained the Loch Ness monster that was threatening to surface from the pits of his stomach.

"Take Jules out," Maxen barked his command, snapping his fingers to get MIB1's attention.

MIB1 who stood motionless by the door finally snapped out from the shock. He pushed the men who tried to carry MIB2 like a swinging hammock. He sneered. He thought MIB2 didn't deserve that kind of treatment. 

"Put him down. I'll bring him out myself," MIB1 growled and the two neophyte soldiers slowly put MIB2's body on the floor.

MIB1 hooked MIB2's arm on his shoulders and grunted as he stood up. He dragged the cadaver out of the room, leaving two parallel lines of fresh blood from MIB2's toes in their wake.

The soft click of the door closing told the men and women in the room that they had an interrogation to finish. Eyes snapped back to Lance Go who never stopped shaking in glee. Dipping his hands in his pockets, Maxen towered over the insolent bastard.

"So, you're a member of the Huks?" It was not a question but a statement, and it silenced Lance Go from sneering like a meerkat.

"It's not just me. There's more of us blending in with the people."

"And your plan is? To overthrow the Suis? Shouldn't you overthrow the one sitting in the government? Our family is nothing but a decoration. Legislation belongs to the parliament, not on us."

"Don't you think I knew that?"

"I'm not one who loves to judge a person without personally knowing him."

Lance Go scoffed but exerted too much muscle that he felt a pang of pain between his legs. "The Suis are still receiving taxpayers' money. Money that should belong to the people and not the lifestyle which you were born with. People are dying of hunger. Your. Highness." Lance Go punctuated every word of Maxen's title to ridicule the monarch, but his smile fell the second Maxen's booming laugh echoed in the room.

"So… you risk one life after the other just because you wanted to dip your fingers in the pot? Your people hid in the mountains and then wreaked havoc every once in a while, just because of some twisted logic?"

"For the greater good," Lance uttered.

"What's greater than a peaceful country, Lance Go?"

"Nothing's greater than equal opportunity for all."

"Everyone's been given an equal opportunity. First, education is free to those who want to learn. Next, jobs are available to those who are willing to accept it. Lastly, those people in the marginalized sector were given free access to almost anything, including housing. What the Huks were fighting for all these years was for nothing, and you know that. You're a businessman after all."

Taking in a sharp breath, Maxen's broad c.h.e.s.t rose and his eyes closed. The smell of iron was still present in the air, but it was his reminder to end the Huks's reign of terror once and for all.

"Does your silence mean you agree with me?"

"Just kill me Maxen. You won't get anything from me."

"Hear me out, Lance. I won't strike the same deal again with you. Do you understand? Tell us the location of the Huks in exchange for an exile to a country of your choosing with your wife, Selena, and newborn daughter."

Maxen c.o.c.ked a brow as he regarded Lance Go. He could see the gear in the latter's mind churn. If he could guess right, he didn't want anything to do with Selena Lee and their child. It was obvious. The insolent bastard would rather kidnap Olivia than escape with his family.

"It's not Selena who I want. I want the child and Olivia."

Wyatt chuckled. He tried his best to hold the sound in but the absurdity of Lance Go's words was too ticklish in his belly, he couldn't help but loosen up and let the sound rumble off his c.h.e.s.t. His eyes darted to Maxen who didn't like what he heard. Of course, who would want someone asking for one's wife for a bargain?

A gun c.o.c.king heightened the tension that filled the room, and eyes darted to Maxen who kissed the muzzle on Lance's kneecap. "Olivia gave you her answer. See?" Maxen lifted the Ziploc bag with his other free hand and dangled it in the air like a carrot.

"Then just kill me. I'm dead according to the news anyway."

Raising both of his hands, Maxen slowly placed the gun and Ziploc bag on the table. He didn't want to waste his time with Lance Go. Although it would be nice to know where the Huks hid, he had an inkling that the resistance group was probably on the move to make a statement soon.

"You wanted Olivia Lin?" Maxen c.o.c.ked a brow on Lance Go and nodded. His question sounded more like a statement than a question. "I can ask my wife if she wanted you back."

"Wi-wife?" Lance stuttered. Disbelief splashed all over his face.

"You didn't know? Oooh right, nobody knew." Maxen uncuffed his sleeves, rolling it up just below his elbows. "For the record, I hated how we had to keep it in secret, but the look in your face is oddly satisfying." A corner of Maxen's lips tug up in a c.o.c.ky smile. 

He wanted to laugh as Lance Go growled like an angry Pomeranian in his seat.