Re:life with Karmic Gacha (Modern Family)-Chapter 340 - : Tea-time Strangler

[General POV]

The man in the janitor uniform dragged a metal chair across the living room floor. Mrs. Henderson eyed him defiantly. Her legs and arms were tied with white rope, and duct tape covered her mouth.

Grinning as he took off his cap, sunglasses, and fake mustache, he revealed a skinny, gaunt 40-year-old man with yellowish eyes. He had a tattoo around his neck—an Ouroboros—and a few smaller ones on his hand.

"The name is Kim," he said casually.

Then, he became slightly confused. "Wait. Is it James? Hmm... Toby? To be honest, I've already forgotten what my true name is."

Placing his hand gently on Mrs. Henderson's head, he ran his finger along her cheek. "It's warm," he added as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. Her eyes followed his fingers; however, she didn't flinch or try to pull away from his gaze.

"Strange. You're really strange." He suddenly gripped her face, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"I expected you to act more... human. Usually, they heave their breaths quickly, sweat, and fidget—trying to break free of the restraints. They all want to live by any means necessary. But you?"

She just sat there, staring at him motionlessly. Her eyes made him feel afraid, as if she could see through him.

He grabbed a trash bag he had brought with him and took out teddy bears from inside it, beginning to decorate around Mrs. Henderson and himself.

Then, he sat up a small orange teddy bear at the side. It was old and worn down, with its eyes ripped out and its mouth sewn together.

The killer dragged a small coffee table in between them and placed a teapot and cup on top of it. He added a third table at the side, telling Mrs. Henderson, "That's Jaime's spot. He loves to watch. Wait. I finally remembered my name."

Inside his mind, there was another person sitting with them in the third chair—a 15-year-old boy with a bruised neck, smiling innocently at him. He grinned creepily as he turned to Mrs. Henderson and said, "He's here. We can start now."

Mrs. Henderson still didn't react to anything he was saying, which infuriated him. He leaned forward with a dangerous glint in his eyes and ripped off the duct tape from her mouth forcefully.

Not even a small yelp came out of Mrs. Henderson's mouth.

"There, now you can respond. You can just shut up, but remember: I still have a bomb waiting to be detonated at your school—" He wanted to threaten her. He wanted her to be scared, as he wanted to know her true personality.

From his experience, people's true faces are usually revealed during moments of distress.

"It's already 4 o'clock. Mr. Martin has to go on a dental checkup today, so he's letting the kids go back home early. Press it, and you'll still kill no one," Mrs. Henderson interjected, speaking in a calm manner without rushing anything.

"Really? Then it's fine to press it, right?" he said as he pressed the detonator on his hand. In Franklin Middle School Theater Hall, the bomb hidden underneath the stage exploded, taking half of the theater hall with it.

The loud sound could be heard from miles away, and it made Edward—who was playing football with his friend—pause his running and turn towards the sound. Unfortunately, he was tackled at that moment by Tyler.

"Wow, you can actually see the school from here," the man said as he saw the smoke from the living room window.

However, he was soon disappointed as she didn't react at all to the explosion.

"Did you never doubt that the bomb was real?" he asked, taken aback. "Did you ever think that I was lying?" he said jokingly.

"Would I drive us back to my house if I did?" Mrs. Henderson sighed and replied noncommittally.

Irked by her tone, the man stammered, "T-Teddy. My name's Teddy." He scratched the skin on his neck uncomfortably. He didn't like the feeling of losing control. A red streak appeared underneath the snake tattoo, and he went silent for a moment.

"You must be dying to know what's going on," he said tauntingly, trying to take control again.

"Not really. Just get on with it," Mrs. Henderson replied with disinterest.

"Anyway," he quickly changed the conversation and took out an A4-sized brown envelope from his inner jacket.

The envelope was folded in two, and he straightened it out as he said, "You might think that no one could see through the act. But I can see it clearly: the reason why you don't fear dying."

He took out the contents of the envelope and laid them on the table. Tapping his finger on the medical report, he smirked and said, "You only have two more weeks to live. Although you seem healthy, I wonder if the doctor diagnosed you properly. He said, 'Brain tumor,' didn't he?"

"You're going to die soon anyway, so you think it won't matter if you die today," he said, acting as if he had exposed something grand.

Mrs. Henderson yawned and didn't focus at all on what he was doing, which made him explode in anger. He slammed the table and shouted, "LOOK AT ME!"

"Is that the reason you're doing all of this? You... desperately want someone to recognize your existence," Mrs. Henderson said, gazing into his eyes.

Taken aback, Teddy's mind blanked out for a few seconds. He stomped his feet and stood up, walking towards Mrs. Henderson angrily. Then, he placed his hand on her neck.

Mrs. Henderson just waited without looking at him. He tried; his hand shook madly; however, he couldn't put any strength in his grip.

"Damn it!" He gave up and returned to his previous spot.

Mrs. Henderson blinked twice in confusion and asked, "You're giving up so easily? I know it's hard to kill someone without a valid reason, but it's not any reason to stop killing people. You can do it. Strangle me. I believe in you—"

"What the fuck—" Teddy was baffled by her encouraging words. His mind short-circuited for a moment before he fell into a deep rage.

He flipped over the table and started to destroy everything he could get his hands on in Mrs. Henderson's house. After throwing his tantrum, he breathed heavily as he gazed at her from afar.

Fear crept into his heart. He couldn't break her. The entire vindication of kidnapping criminals and striking fear into their hearts was that it gave him a sense of existence and control. He couldn't do that with her.

Sighing loudly, he slicked his hair back before walking towards the kitchen, giving up on maintaining a tough facade. "What kind of tea do you want?" he asked casually.

"Did you always have tea with your victims before you killed them?" Mrs. Henderson asked in confusion.

Teddy took out a sachet from the cupboard and cheered slightly, "Nice. You have Earl Grey. I love this tea." As he placed it into his teapot and poured hot water inside, he answered her question, "Yes. I always have tea first. It gives them the illusion that I'm hearing them out as they defend their actions."

He added as he watched the tea seep into the hot water, "They'll beg for mercy; they'll try to make me understand why they did what they did. Most of them will say that it's mutual love, but that just makes me gag."

Mrs. Henderson furrowed her eyebrows as she listened. Teddy noticed it and asked, "What?"

"I need more context to actually understand what you're talking about," Mrs. Henderson replied honestly. That's when Teddy realized that she didn't know anything.

Embarrassed, Teddy contemplated letting her go and digging a hole deep enough to bury himself in.

"Maybe I should tell you my story. I don't owe it to anyone else, but I think you deserve to know."

Her eyes glanced at the door, and then she sighed.

"Something on your mind?" Teddy asked with a chuckle. Mrs. Henderson didn't reply and let him tell his story.

Although she looked calm on the surface, her palms were sweaty.

'The longer I have to wait, the more hope will bud in me. My mind's building scenarios where someone will kick the door and save me. Even though it's a useless thought, and I know it's illogical... I still...'

"Where should I start? Hmm, probably from the very beginning." Teddy recounted his past and shared it with Mrs. Henderson.

...

Back to the football game. After the explosion occurred, the game was paused, and Edward's security team surrounded him, trying to protect him from hidden threats.

"Sir, we'll escort you to the safe house now," they said decisively. However, Edward stopped them and asked, "Is there anyone injured? How did it happen?"

Edward suddenly realized something and added a question, "We have a safe house?"

"It was arranged by the CEO," Mickey, the head bodyguard, answered. "We have no information about the situation yet, but we are going to figure it out now."

Edward suddenly smiled, which made Mickey break into a cold sweat.

"Why don't we go over there and check things out? If there's anyone injured, I can be of service."

Tyler suddenly interjected into Edward's conversation.

"Hey, what about the football game?!" He took off his helmet and asked cautiously. Despite wanting to finish the game, he too was curious about the whole incident. Everyone on the field could see the smoke billowing from the middle school even though it was 3 kilometers away.

"The score is now 108 to 6. Do you really want to continue? Can you bridge the gap in just 10 more minutes of playtime?" Jacob looked at Tyler with disbelief. Tyler gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! But since you want to go, it counts as a forfeit!"

Edward replied, "No. We destroyed you guys. You lost. Jacob and I won. Deal with it."

"DAMN IT!" Tyler covered his face in embarrassment and cursed out loud. Tyrone tried to comfort him, and Kyle said, "Don't be sad, I'll buy us food. I just got paid a nice paycheck from my part-time job."

"You mean selling out your team!" Tyler retorted. "You're buying food for the entire team." Tyler said decisively, punishing Kyle for his action. However, Kyle wasn't deterred as he knew he had enough to feed all of them.

"Well, punishment fits the crime," Kyle said with a thumbs up, gesturing that he was okay with it.

Suddenly, Edward heard a cry that made his heart sink. With a pale face, Tara muttered, "E–Enid... I forgot to pick her up... She's still in school."

"What—" Edward turned to Tara instantly; however, he froze as he saw the tiny figure standing beside her.

"I'm right here?" Enid muttered with disbelief. Tara looked at her with shock and immediately went to hug her. "Enid! I'm sorry!" she apologized.

Preoccupied with the game, Tara hadn't even seen Enid's countless text messages. Thankfully, Finneas's mother offered her a ride, as the high school was on their way back home.

Edward rubbed his chest in relief and muttered, "Thank god. For a second there, I thought this would turn into a tragedy."

After a simple cleanup and changing his clothes, Edward drove with Enid, Alex, and Haley to the middle school to see what was happening there.

He saw a familiar face at the entrance of the school and a police barricade preventing citizens and reporters from getting close to the destroyed building. They weren't the first to react to the sound of the explosion.

"It'll be bad if you go there, right, Ed?" Haley guessed, concern etched on her face. Edward, however, smirked and turned to Alex. "Maybe. So I need someone to go bring Chloe to me."

"And you pick me?!" Alex protested.

...

Back at Mrs. Henderson's house, Teddy recounted his past.

"Jaime and I lived in a small town in Florida. We were homeschooled at first, but my mom's friend convinced her to send us to elementary school. There, we met a teacher who looked just like you."

Mrs. Henderson listened with empathy. Teddy gritted his teeth. "Eerily similar. You could be twins. But that would be abnormal considering she died 25 years ago."

Her eyes lit up as she connected the dots. Teddy continued, his voice heavy with memories.

"After school, she would keep my brother behind and raped him. It went on for months until he finally told our parents. He showed them his bruises and said he was scared. No one believed him—until the other students caught on."

"Word got to her husband, and he wanted a divorce. 'Finally, someone with common sense,' I thought. But she had a backup plan: 'Let's tell people that he—my brother—raped her instead.' She played the perfect victim."

Teddy struggled to continue, his voice breaking. "Her husband believed her. He ambushed my brother while we were playing in our bedroom, strangling him to death as I hid beneath the bed, watching the light fade from his eyes. I was seven years old."

Teddy remembered that night. How his brother struggled for air. How his body fell lifelessly on the ground. How his parents didn't even try to seek justice for his death.

Teddy sighed. "I loved my brother. He was the kindest person in that godforsaken town. He didn't deserve that ending. Do you want to know the worst part?"

"What's the worst part?" Mrs. Henderson asked.

"The perpetrator went on to teach for the next ten years, even winning 'Teacher of the Year.' She acted like the incident never happened, and my brother never existed."

"I tried to tell people the truth. I wanted them to care about my brother. I showed them evidence, but no one listened. So I decided to take matters into my own hands."

"When I turned seventeen, I broke into the teacher's house and tied her up, just like I'm doing to you. She confessed immediately, but I knew that as soon as I let her go, she'd act like a victim again and point her finger at me."

Teddy locked eyes with Mrs. Henderson. "So I killed her, the same way my brother was killed."

"I see," Mrs. Henderson said, understanding. "You were seeking vengeance for his death. I guess that's when you started down this path?"

Teddy grinned. "Yeah. There are many cases like this across the country. I killed them all—men, women. Gunshot to the head, car accidents, suicide by sleeping pills... strangulation. But that's only when I found a case similar to my brother's. They called me the 'Tea-time Strangler,' which is such a bullshit name."

Mrs. Henderson tilted her head. "I mean, you did set up a tea party here..."

Teddy became crestfallen. "It might seem unfair, but I have to eliminate you to continue my mission."

"You're condemning me to death, just because I have the same face as her?" Mrs. Henderson studied him intently.

He couldn't meet her gaze. "Your existence made me waver. I keep thinking about that day."

As Mrs. Henderson listened to his story, she couldn't help but see similarities with someone else she knew.

'Ironic. Fate is such a bitch. I didn't help him when he was young, so I guess fate is trying to show me what my actions could lead to. If someone—just anyone—had offered him a helping hand... would he have made a different choice in life?'

A memory popped into her mind. It was Halloween, and she held little Edward's hand as they went around trick-or-treating. Mrs. Henderson smiled softly at the recollection.

'It's too late now. Time won't turn itself back just from one person's regret.' Mrs. Henderson sighed slightly. 'Besides, he's bettering his life, even without my help. I... am not needed by him anymore.'

The memory was interrupted by Teddy's scoff. The serial killer touched the teddy bear beside him. "Years later, I found this teddy bear that belonged to my brother. He kept evidence that could've convicted her, but it's too late now. It's too late for me to turn back."

It was a nanny cam. He sewed the teddy bear's mouth shut and ripped off its eyes as punishment for not speaking up when needed. He lost sight of reality years ago, living in his own world filled with pain and torturous guilt.

Mrs. Henderson's eyes filled with pity, her expression crestfallen. She wondered if the evidence was the last thing his brother left him that could change his path, but alas, it arrived too late. It led her to envision Teddy wearing a detective badge and bringing the assailants to justice.

In Teddy's vision, his brother cried as he saw him hold that doll while sitting next to them.

His eyes flashed with newfound determination. "I'm sorry. I have to sacrifice you to save more people down the road."

Mrs. Henderson's expression faltered. "I pity you. You're desperately trying to defend your existence, even if it means breaking every rule you created."

Teddy's eyes filled with sadness. "You don't know what it's like to be alone your entire life and have the only person who's ever been nice to you die unjustly! So what if I broke my own rule? I need you to not exist for the rule to make sense."

Her resemblance to his past trauma juxtaposed with her caring nature, challenging his motives. He couldn't let her live; he couldn't let her be kind; he couldn't let her destroy the construct in his mind, or else he himself would be destroyed.

"I know someone who went through the same things you did, but he would never make the same choices you make." Mrs. Henderson's words pierced his guilty conscience.

"It doesn't matter. For me, you're her. I can't wait for you to become a monster first." Teddy walked to the kitchen abruptly.

Mrs. Henderson's eyes widened as she realized his plan. "You—"

Teddy grabbed the unplugged air fryer. "I noticed you have the original version of this machine. You never returned it despite the recall notice. This... starts a fire easily, right? Well, even if it doesn't, I have ways to make it happen."

"Don't worry. I won't make it painful for you." He took a chloroform bottle from his bag, wetted a clean rag, and covered her nose and mouth until she passed out.

As her head fell limply in the chair, he caressed her face one last time. "I'm sorry."

Turning on the air fryer, he stabbed a fork into the wire, causing sparks to fly. The fryer caught fire quickly, spreading to the magazines and newspapers around it. The flames grew stronger, engulfing the kitchen cabinets.

Teddy untied Mrs. Henderson's limbs, took one last look at her, and left the house. The fire spread rapidly, consuming everything as Teddy drove away.

The teddy bear that contained his brother's evidence also caught fire, and the last connection for him to his past was gone.

"Oh shit. I forgot. My name is not Teddy." He mumbled as he drove the car away. "I think it's... um... What is it? I know the last name is Franzetti..."

...

[Edward POV]

"A bomb?" I asked, incredulous as Detective Decker explained the situation. I got out of the car and spoke with her while the others stayed inside the Mustang.

"We're looking for more evidence, but we found the janitor tied up in the janitor's closet, stripped of his clothes. He showed signs of dehydration, so I guess he had been tied up for a while."

Chloe sighed as she looked at the smoke billowing into the air. Firefighters worked hard to contain the blaze, their faces glistening with sweat in the oppressive heat. The police were asking around for any witnesses to the incident or if anyone had seen the impostor.

Chloe's partner, a middle-aged man in a beige trench coat and fedora, sporting a handlebar mustache, jogged over. As he saw me, he asked immediately, "Hey, did you find a witness? Homeland is coming here right now to take over the scene, so we can pack it up soon."

"No—not yet," Chloe replied before turning to me. "By the way, did you—"

"Nope. I didn't see anything weird. Also, I don't go to school here anymore," I shrugged. Chloe furrowed her brows and said, "I can't help but think there's something else to this entire case."

Noticing her worries, I thought of my friends in the backseat. "Enid and Alex go here, so maybe they saw something? I'll go ask them."

Tapping on the backseat window, Enid rolled it down cautiously. "I didn't do it!"

"I'm not accusing you of anything. Did you guys see anything weird happening today? Something that felt out of place?"

Alex thought for a moment and replied, "I have no clue. I don't really care about what's going on around me."

Enid smiled at her and suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah. If we're talking about things out of sorts, then I saw something weird. Mrs. Henderson went home with the janitor today. I wonder if they are dating."

My eyes widened as I heard her. "Oh shit. CHLOE!" I turned and called the detective immediately as I got into the driver's seat.

Chloe rushed toward me and bent slightly to ask, "What is it?"

"The janitor guy—he went home with my teacher. She might be in danger." I spewed urgently. Chloe was taken aback and immediately said, "I'll notify the station, then I'll follow your car. You know where she lives, right?"

"Yeah, follow me." I agreed easily. Chloe put on the police cherry lights on her Lexus, and we rushed to Mrs. Henderson's place.

"Oh my god! The house is on fire!" Haley exclaimed, her eyes widening as she saw smoke curling menacingly from the house.

My heart sank as I remembered the way Mrs. Henderson said farewell at the party. I stopped my car right in front of the house and exited hurriedly.

"I'm calling the firemen right now," Detective Decker said urgently, but I couldn't hear her.

My mind was focused on the inferno before me. Flames licked the walls, casting an eerie glow against the darkening sky. My feet moved without thinking, and I rushed to the front door, drawing surprised expressions from everyone.

"Edward!" Haley called out in concern, wanting to follow me, but Detective Decker caught her immediately. My security guard was following me from behind, but they were too late to react and I was already inside the house.

"Stop! EDWARD, IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!" Alex shouted. Enid's face paled, and her knees weakened as she pieced the information together. "The janitor is the bad guy?" she mumbled.

I kicked down the front door and was greeted by thick, acrid smoke that stung my eyes. Covering my mouth with a rag from my pocket, I rushed inside.

The structural integrity of the house—ruined by the fire and made worse by my entrance—caused several wooden beams to fall, blocking the front door and trapping me inside.

The deeper I went, the stronger the fire became, heat radiating against my skin like a furnace. However, the smoke didn't interfere with my vision at all.

'Is this the effect of [Blessing of the Mist]? It works for smoke too?'

My eyes widened as I saw the state Mrs. Henderson was in. She lay on the floor, a thick wooden beam pinning her down. Her left hand was badly burned, as were her clothes.

"Eve!" I called as I knelt beside her, trying to snuff out the flames on her clothes with my bare hands. My [Flame Immunity (One Time Use)] kicked in, and I no longer felt the heat.

The fire had caused the beam to fall and hit her as she tried to escape. I slapped her face lightly, trying to wake her. "Eve. Can you hear me?!"

"Ugh..." She groaned softly, struggling to open her eyes. I turned to the wooden beam, but as I tried to move it, I noticed a pool of blood seeping from underneath it. Mrs. Henderson grunted in pain, screaming as I attempted to lift the pillar.

"Shit." I cursed, letting go of the wooden beam. "You..." I turned to Mrs. Henderson, my gaze faltering. Her abdomen had been penetrated by a steel rebar, causing her to bleed excessively. The rebar was connected to the pillar, making it impossible to move without causing her more damage.

Mrs. Henderson slowly blinked her eyes open and whispered, "Edward?"

"Hey! You're awake. I'm going to find a way to get you out of here." I muttered urgently, calling for help, "Robin. Come on in."

A sleek, black drone with a red camera flew in through the broken roof and hovered next to me. "Scan the rebar. I want to know how deep it has gone through her abdomen."

A blue scanning light appeared as Robin complied. A holographic blueprint of the wound and the cross-section of her body displayed through holographic projection.

"Damn it. It went through her kidney." I gritted my teeth at the scan results. Robin notified me urgently, "Sir, the firemen are arriving in 3 minutes."

"She doesn't have the time. Robin, see if you can find any fire extinguishers." I ordered.

I knew of the drone's capabilities, but I couldn't depend on her to fix the situation.

The drone could move objects weighing up to 30 kilograms, shoot tranquilizer darts, provide medical diagnoses, and infiltrate computer systems. However, it still wasn't finished yet. I hadn't had time to upgrade it with advanced weaponry to help with the situation, especially after my lab was destroyed.

'Is it my fault? Because I wanted a break from this kind of life?'

I began wondering what would happen if I prepared more.

Two mechanical claws extended from the drone's underside, and Robin flew away to get the fire extinguisher immediately.

By the time she left, Mrs. Henderson said, "Edward. It's useless. Save yourself."

"It's just a rebar." I forced a smile to calm her and said, "I will get you out of here, I promise."

Mrs. Henderson looked at me intently. "Even if you did, I won't be able to survive."

"Yeah, the kidney thing is quite troublesome," I agreed. "But I have something I can use. The transmutation skill. I can rebuild your body so you can recover from your injuries."

Slightly shocked, Mrs. Henderson said, "Don't do that. You should keep it for other uses. Even if I survive this, I still have... I'm going to die, Edward."

"Don't say that. I can save you." I said urgently as I focused on her injuries.

"Edward—" She tried to speak again, but I snapped at her, "DON'T SAY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DIE AGAIN! If I can't even save you, then what's the point of having all the extraordinary skills I got from the gachas?!"

Mrs. Henderson was silent for a while, then coughed up blood. Turning toward her hurriedly, I noticed she had inhaled too much smoke, and her body was deteriorating rapidly.

"Fuck!" I cursed and wanted to pick up the wooden beam, but it was still stuck. Racking my brain, I thought of a way to move it away from her.

"I need to cut the rebar or the beam," I said as I walked to the kitchen to grab a knife. Mrs. Henderson coughed violently, her eyes begging me to stop.

"Stop speaking. Save your strength," I urged, holding the kitchen knife in my hand.

What I was about to do was either foolish or... well, it was foolish. I had practiced the Shigeru Kosaka sword skills through the knowledge I received. She could cut through iron with a spoon and even sever a tank's nozzle with her sword.

I had never tried it before, so I didn't know if I could do the same. Holding the kitchen knife steady, I took a deep breath and focused on the rebar. If I couldn't do it, the momentum would hurt Mrs. Henderson even more.

Tears flowed from her eyes. "Edward. Even if you could do it, you cannot save me. I'm supposed to die here today."

"What?" I looked at her, dumbfounded. She continued, "Even if I escape, even if you rebuild my body, I will still die. That... won't change as fate needs it to happen."

"Why?" My expression faltered as I gazed at her, crestfallen.

"To teach you... one final lesson before I go," she said, spitting out more blood.

Maybe it was a lesson to let things go and not everything is in my control. Maybe it was something else, but I didn't care.

"If you wanted to die, you should've done it where I couldn't be. Even if it's useless, even if I can only prolong your life for just ONE more day! I would do it, even if I had to use all the cards in my hand."

My voice shook as I said, "I... cannot have another family die in my hands again."

Mrs. Henderson went silent and broke into tears. My heart raced, but I tried to keep my mind calm. "Huuuuh..." Exhaling softly, I swung the kitchen knife with all my strength.

Through external medicines, bodybuilding skills from Mash, and pink muscle training from Kennichi, my strength had long surpassed that of an ordinary teenager.

However, as I swung, debris from the rooftop fell, interrupting my motion. It landed in front of me, causing me to jam the knife into the wooden beam. The impact hurt my hand like I had just been hit by a truck.

"ARGH!" I yelled in pain. My fingers shook, and it began to bruise. Mrs. Henderson begged, "Edward! See! Even the world is trying to stop you from saving me!"

"Shut up! If I can't use my right hand, then I'll use my left! If I lose that, then I'll use my foot! Just shut up and trust me!" I shouted at her before grabbing another knife from the kitchen.

Sweat dripped down my chin as I focused for a second time.

'Just one moment. I just need my mind to shut up, just this once,' I begged inwardly.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my mind and focused on my memories with Mrs. Henderson. From the first classroom lecture to the after-class lessons she gave me to help me keep up with my friends, the advice she provided—I owed her too much.

Gritting my teeth, I opened my eyes and swung the knife held in my left hand toward the rebar. It drew a semicircular arc before it stopped. I breathed heavily, looking at the rebar in disbelief.

"Did I miss the mark?" I muttered in shock.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Suddenly, the rebar snapped in half. I immediately grabbed the burning wooden beam and threw it far away from Mrs. Henderson.

Robin returned with the fire extinguisher and began spraying the area around us. The firefighters arrived, sirens blaring as they rushed to contain the fire.

The wall collapsed, and the drone immediately shielded me from the falling debris.

"Sir, please exit the building now," Robin urged.

"I need to heal her first before bringing her out," I muttered as I placed my hand on her wound. Her breath weakened, and her eyes grew dazed. If I took her out first, I might not make it in time to save her.

Despite having the philosopher's stone-level transmutation ability, I lacked knowledge of human transmutation. However, I did have extensive knowledge of surgical procedures and human anatomy.

"Mrs. Henderson, can you hear me?" I called out, needing her to be awake for this. "You cannot go right now. Not for me, obviously. I will be sad, but seriously, it's not for me."

I racked my brain and said, "Enid saw you going back with the bad guy. If you die now, she'll blame herself for not telling anyone what she saw. So if you want to keep her bubbly self, you have to wake up—just for a second."

Mrs. Henderson reacted to my words, slowly opening her eyes. I smiled and said, "Good job," as I activated the transmutation circle. Electrical sparks flew around us as I focused on healing her.

...

[General POV]

Outside the house, Haley and the others waited anxiously for Edward to come out, their eyes filled with tears.

The time it took him to enter and exit the house was less than five minutes, but for Haley, time felt like it was standing still. The firefighters sprayed water on the house, desperately trying to contain the flames that licked hungrily at the structure.

"There are still people inside!" Chloe told the firefighters urgently. Several onlookers began recording the scene when suddenly someone shouted, "There! Someone's coming out!"

All eyes turned to the front door, widening in shock at the sight before them. Edward's shirt was ablaze, burned off to reveal his sweaty, muscular torso. He held Mrs. Henderson in his arms, cradling her like a princess as he walked slowly toward the paramedics. Traces of transmutation marked her arms and abdomen.

Her body was limp and covered by a blanket. Enid faltered to the ground, her voice shaking. "Is she dead?" she muttered.

Her eyes followed Edward as he placed her on the paramedic's stretcher, then turned to her with a smile. Her fear washed away, replaced by relief.

Haley rushed toward Edward and hugged him tightly. She flinched slightly as his body felt too hot, but she didn't pull away.

"We made it. She's safe now," Edward comforted the girls, patting Haley's head.

"Edward, your hand—" Alex exclaimed, noticing his injuries. Haley finally realized it and broke into tears, saying, "Edward! You're injured."

"I may have some fractures, but it's not that serious," he replied casually. His adrenaline was still pumping, so he didn't care about the pain yet.

"Holy shit. I snapped a pretty good picture," a reporter muttered as he checked the images he captured—Edward carrying Mrs. Henderson outside, flames swirling around them.

Edward went with the paramedics to the hospital to prevent any more accidents, and his hand was placed in a cast.

...

[Edward POV]

"Oww-Oww-Oww!" I whined as the doctor checked my hand. Right now, I was in the VIP room of the hospital, with Mrs. Henderson admitted to the ward beside mine.

"The specialist will come take a look at it tomorrow, so you have to stay here for the night," the doctor said, removing his glasses. The middle-aged doctor turned to my dad, who nodded slightly in agreement.

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine, actually. I don't really have to stay here. I still need to find the guy who created this entire mess."

"Sit down." Frankie scolded me, while my dad stopped me from getting off the hospital bed. I pouted and said, "At the very least, let me go to Mrs. Henderson's room. I want to hear about the case."

"It's fine. They don't need you there. She remembered everything. Chloe already has a lead on the suspect, so you don't need to be involved anymore."

I looked downward, saying, "If I solved the case before when the files were in my villa, do you think that—"

"It's not your fault, Edward." Frankie interrupted, pulling me into a hug. I sighed and then smiled again. "I'm going to Mrs. Henderson's room," I said decisively.

"Ed—" My dad called, but Frankie stopped him. "It's fine. Only his hand is injured. He's perfectly healthy everywhere else."

As I opened the door to the ward, I saw Enid lying on top of Mrs. Henderson, having just cried herself to sleep. Her parents were waiting outside in the waiting room to take her back home.

Mrs. Henderson looked at me with a conflicted expression as she brushed Enid's hair lovingly.

"I'm sorry that you wasted such a precious ability on me," she said apologetically. "But I'm still going to die. You know that, right?"

I had learned about her brain tumor when we arrived at the hospital. I smiled and said, "I have no regrets. Do you?"

She looked at Enid and smiled softly. "No. This... borrowed time... is precious to me. I still... I want to see my student..." Her voice cracked and tears flowed freely from her eyes.

She sobbed as she said, "Even though I had prepared myself...I still..."

I smiled sincerely and said, "No one will ever be prepared for death. I should know; I've experienced it before."

Mrs. Henderson wiped her tears and replied, "Thank you, Edward." I grinned and added, "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad I could finally save someone close to me."

She gestured for me to come closer and gave me a hug. I smiled as I embraced her in return.

As I lay down on my bed, I reflected on the events of the day. What started as a simple day of playing football and hanging out with friends had almost turned into a tragedy.

It filled me with fear.

"I think I need to stop messing around now," I muttered to myself. "Or else, who knows what's going to happen?"

While I was sleeping in the ward, it seemed that the day's tragedy wouldn't end there. In front of my house, a Cuban woman wearing a floral dress and a large white hat that obscured her face stood after getting out of a cab, carrying a suitcase.