Several hours later, at the Governor's Mansion in Black Rock City.
Having finished his immediate work, David Rick walked slowly down to the second basement level. Here, a room had been temporarily converted into a cell to hold Marcus. David pressed his hand against the scanner beside the door, and the heavy slab slid open.
Under the dim light, Marcus was restrained in a specialized psychic suppression chair. His shattered power armor had been removed, leaving his bare torso covered in hideous wounds, some still seeping beads of dark red blood. His eyes were tightly shut, his brow furrowed, and his lips twitched occasionally as if he were enduring immense agony.
David stepped into the cell, and the door slid shut behind him, sealing out all external sound. He didn't speak immediately, standing a few paces away and silently observing his former subordinate.
"Ten years, Marcus. I thought we would never meet again. I didn't expect our reunion to look like this. It's truly a pity."
Marcus struggled to rise, but the restraint straps on the suppression chair tightened instantly, pinning him ruthlessly to the seat. Hearing David's voice, he slowly lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at David.
"You had several chances to kill me. At the transfer station, after your black cocoon exploded, even now—"
David shook his head slowly. He walked to a nearby table, poured a glass of water, and offered it to Marcus. "Drink some water first. In your current state, you barely have the strength left to hate me."
Marcus turned his head away, rejecting the gesture. He sneered, "Save your fake kindness. I'd rather die of thirst or be swallowed by Chaos than accept your charity. I never imagined that a Governor of the Empire would be a heretic. Now that I know your hidden secret, why haven't you killed me yet?"
David withdrew his hand and set the glass back on the table.
"Don't be naive. How could a secret from the mouth of an assassin easily shake my position as Governor? No one will believe the words of a pawn manipulated by Chaos. As for the reason I haven't killed you, it's simple: for me, you are more useful alive than dead."
Marcus let out a short laugh. "A joke. What use could I be as your prisoner? Stop playing riddles."
David walked up to the suppression chair and leaned down to look Marcus in the face. "Of course you're useful. You should know about the massacre that recently occurred in Alle City. Rumors are flying everywhere. I need to find a culprit to appease the dissatisfaction of the other four Great Families. Although the Bureau reported that Lacy killed everyone in the Valen family, his status as a kinsman makes it hard for people to believe. So—"
Before David could finish, Marcus interrupted, "So, you want me to be the scapegoat. Just like you, cold-blooded as ever. No wonder you could do what you did ten years ago. It's a bit of a shame I couldn't kill you at the transfer station, but it doesn't matter. I left a small gift for you in Black Rock City."
"What?" David froze.
"David, the catastrophe of Lobo City ten years ago will soon be re-enacted in Black Rock City. I look forward to your performance."
Having said this, Marcus burst into wild laughter. The sound was crazed and shrill, echoing in the cramped, dim cell with a desperate finality that made David's eardrums ache.
A cold glint flashed in David's eyes, but he took a deep breath and remained calm. "You think a prisoner like you can still cause trouble? The tragedy of Lobo City will never be repeated in Black Rock City. Since I suppressed it once, I can suppress it a second time."
"Suppress it?" Hearing this, Marcus laughed even more wantonly. "David, you are too conceited. You think you control everything? The gift I buried in Black Rock City isn't something you can easily resolve. Those who died because of you have been waiting for this day for far too long. They are all waiting to see you ruined and disgraced."
"Goodbye, David. I'll be waiting for you in hell."
Before the words had fully faded, Marcus suddenly tensed his entire body. His frame, originally suppressed by the psychic chair, erupted with a wisp of eerie black light. The light pierced through the restraint straps and surged from his wounds, instantly coiling around his neck like a cold venomous snake, tightening ruthlessly.
David tried to intervene, but he was a step too late.
Marcus's head slumped to one side, his bloodshot eyes wide open. The crazed smile remained on his lips, and even as his breath vanished completely, the hatred did not fade in the slightest.
He had planted a seed of self-destruction within his body long ago and detonated it the moment he finished speaking. This was his final act of defiance; he refused to be David's scapegoat and denied him any further opportunity for interrogation.
David looked at Marcus's corpse and remained silent for a long while. He walked forward slowly and reached out to close Marcus's eyes.
Then, he began to ponder whether the words spoken before the death were true or false. Marcus's voice still echoed in the cell, carrying a bone-chilling coldness that didn't sound like the empty threats of a cornered animal. David knew Marcus well. Ten years ago, he was a loyal defender of Lobo City. Ten years later, even consumed by hatred, he wouldn't easily issue a hollow threat.
"The catastrophe of Lobo City ten years ago will soon be re-enacted in Black Rock City... what exactly is the gift he left behind?" David murmured.
He took one last look at Marcus, then turned and pressed the scanner. The door slid open. Not far outside, two guards in black uniforms stood with their heads bowed. Seeing David emerge, they bowed immediately. "Governor."
"Handle the body. Examine it thoroughly; do not miss a single detail. Report any discovery to me immediately."
David's voice was cold and firm, showing no ripple of emotion, as if the grim-faced man from a moment ago had been an illusion.
"Yes, Governor." The two guards stepped into the cell, moving with extreme caution.
David walked along the corridor of the second basement level. The cold lights on the walls emitted a pale glow, casting his shadow long and making him appear exceptionally solitary.
Meanwhile, in a sewer within the lower district of Black Rock City...
Deep within the sewers, foul wastewater flowed slowly along the pipes. In an inconspicuous corner sat a square metal box. Its surface had no ornamentation, save for a biting seam on the lid so thin it was almost invisible.
At that moment, the lid opened.