Swift and Black Dog

When he woke up, he realized that he had fallen asleep.He was about to stand up when he realized he had drifted into the shallow end of the pool.The algae-green water was just up to his waist, and he shuffled in the water toward the granite steps, and finally got out of the pool.

Thick moss covered the edge of the dark pool. Outside the pool, yellow dandelions filled the cracks in the floor tiles, and a mass of luxuriant vines stretched their branches on the rotten beach chairs, entangled with the parasols that had not been used for a long time.

He must have fallen into the old terrace on the eastern slope.

Based on the ornate design of the abandoned place, Jack figured he was on Hanford Terrace.It used to be a resort for important people, and towards the end of the tyrant's reign, the entire terrace was evacuated, because Emilia set the tyrant's fuel storage on fire, killing nearly half of the Phobos, and also hit the own life.Today, all that remains of the terraces above Hanford is a crumbling ruin.After the first round of explosions, scorched limbs and burning gasoline poured down from above for several consecutive days, and none of the hotels and high-end clubs here were spared.

Since then, no one has planned to return to Hanford Terrace, even if David's colleagues in the Ministry of Health declared that the Terrace is habitable.

People can be forgiven for not wanting to return.To this day, the smell of Emilia's deadly spell still lingers in the air, which is faint but still makes people tremble, and the smell of charcoal black bones under the feet is also pervasive all around.

Jack pushed open a weed-covered door and staggered onto the dilapidated balcony.The fiery red sunset outside rendered the gradually dissipating rainstorm clouds, the golden cabinet's planes were everywhere on the mountain, and below, densely packed black Defense Department helicopters patrolled the sky above the terraces, and the searchlights swept the streets back and forth.The sentry has been broadcasting the speech recorded by the Minister of the Cabinet, Kamble, thanking the people for their cooperation in the exercise of the Ministry of Defense.Jack looked around and saw that the streets were empty except for the neon lights of the bars on the bottom terrace, illuminating their battered landing pads.

The old place is still a familiar sight.

But now he is alone, and he is no longer belligerent.He felt old, worn out by the past ten years.

Jack stooped, hiding behind the shadow of the rusted iron railing.

A few miles down here is a river.As long as he jumps, he can float into the sea with the trash discarded by the Republic.He will follow the sewage, carrying thousands of leaflets denouncing the rights and interests of gay men and gays, and be washed to a corner forgotten by the world.

Even exhausted, Jack still didn't want to do it.He leaned his face against the rough iron rod, forcing himself to think of a way, not to recall, not to regret, just concentrate on thinking.

He is no longer the domineering teenager he used to be, but he will not let go of Pete who killed Bidor and put a pole on Rachel.Now those short-sighted cabinet members are nothing, and he thinks Pete is even more hateful.The anger kept building in Jack's chest, and he continued to hold it, letting it warm his cold bones.

As promised to Rachel, he would dig out the ivory gun and burn through Pete's chest with Pentagram fire.But Jack found that he needed not only a shovel and a change of clothes, but also money, a lot of money.A thought, like Amelia's dying smile, woke him--that there were still many forgotten treasures in Hanford Terrace.

-TBC-