(Author's note: The dialogues in telepathy are italicized.)

  "An! An!" Gabriel's voice reaches Anna's ears like a muffled sound through a haze. It grows louder as her mind clears.

  "An! Do you hear me?"

  Anna snaps out of her daze. She is sitting on the stage, surrounded by people trying to control the chaos. Gabriel kneels in front of her, his eyes filled with concern.

  "Are you alright?" He asks worriedly. "Are you hurt?"

  "I'm... I'm fine..." Anna stutters, still in shock. "What about you? You're bleeding!"

  She panics at the sight of Gabriel's left shoulder, soaked in red.

  "Oh, this?" Gabriel tries to reassure her. "It's okay. It's not as bad as it looks."

  But as he speaks, sweat breaks out on his forehead, and his face turns pale. Anna's eyes fill with tears, making Gabriel flustered.

  "What's wrong? You got hurt, didn't you?"

  "No, I didn't!" Anna says, irritated. "You covered me, remember?"

  A few minutes earlier, when Gabriel's neck string signaled that William Kensington was nearby, Gabriel rushed to protect Anna. In that brief moment, he could only shield her while bringing her to the ground. Then came the gunshot, the bullet piercing his flesh. Sharp pain shot through his shoulder, and the warmth of blood trickled down. Everything happened in a flash.

  "An! Gab! You alright?"

  Kyle appears before them, as white as a sheet.

  "I was just at the harbor. Turns out the officer mistook the light reflected on the tube for the signal. Then I heard from the team here..."

  Kyle pauses, seeing Gabriel's wound. The young detective looks extremely distressed.

  "I got the signal," Gabriel tells him. "He was targeting An with a gun."

  "You guys stay here with the paramedics and the police," Kyle instructs his siblings, then starts calling his team. "We are going after him!"

  The police's search for William Kensington is hindered by the panicked audience. But the concert is surrounded by CCTVs, which James and the surveillance team are monitoring. Amidst the chaos, they spot William moving through the crowd, trying to slip away.

  "He's at side exit No. 4, Kyle!" James speaks through his telepathic line.

  Kyle teleports there, followed by officers converging on the exit, splitting up to cover all possible escape routes.

  "Stop!" Kyle shouts at William, pointing his stun gun at the criminal.

  William looks back, attempting to use his memory manipulation on Kyle, but the detective teleports out of view, dodging the attack. William breaks into a sprint, weaving through the fleeing spectators. Kyle teleports after him, but it's difficult to fire with so many people around.

  "Damn it!" Kyle mutters as the chase becomes more complicated.

  "Ah, ah, testing, one, two, three."

  A soothing female voice comes through the loudspeaker, but the chaotic crowd pays no attention.

  "Hey, everyone. Stop running and stay the f*cking still!"

  The sudden harsh tone of the female voice makes the panicked throng pause in stunned silence. They look at each other in bewilderment.

  "Good! Now follow our dear police officers' guidance... PLEASE!"

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  The voice softens, though it still carries a hint of annoyance. Thanks to this, the hectic masses calm down and cooperate more willingly with the police.

  "What's happening?" Kyle stares at the loudspeaker above him, wondering, "Who's that?"

  As if to answer his question, all the spotlights flare up, focusing on William Kensington as he tries to get away. Blinded by the strong lights, he freezes, covering his eyes in a fluster.

  "Wow! Check it out! I look like a celeb!"

  The owner of the female voice on the loudspeakers appears. She descends to the ground with the same drone that assisted Anna in her performance, except this young woman is a stark contrast to the pure and innocent image of the idol girl. She arrives with pink-dyed short hair and a jet-black leather tight suit, emphasizing her sexy curves in a dark and evil way. She stands tall on her spiked high heels, a smirk on her face and an aluminum briefcase in her hand.

  "Ugh..."

  William tries to run, but the woman won't let him. With a high kick to his temple, William loses balance and falls to the ground. The woman stomps on his back while other figures in black uniforms pin him down, covering his eyes. After ensuring the criminal is subdued, the woman looks up at Kyle with a smile.

  "Hi, Detective!" she says casually. "I'm Hela Range from the NET. This is my team."

  Hearing her introduction, people instinctively increase their distance from them.

  "What is the NET doing here?" Kyle and his team become alert, as if the people in black are even more intimidating than the serial murderer lying there.

  "To do our job, of course." Hela shrugs, showing a badge with the logo and name of the National Execution Taskforce, along with a paper bearing the court's stamp.

  "The court passed down this judgment for Mr. William Kensington." Hela reads the paper. "The defendant is hereby sentenced to death. The final execution shall be carried out upon the completion of the relevant investigation and the apprehension of any accomplices. In the interim, the defendant shall be deprived of his special ability—memory alteration—by the removal of his eyes... Oops! I forgot I was still wearing a mic."

  Hela removes the microphone from her head, but everyone present has already heard her loud and clear. Whispering spreads through the crowd. People glance at each other nervously and curiously.

  "So, we are carrying out the pre-execution, removing his eyesight." Hela opens her briefcase and takes out an eye drop bottle. She settles beside William, ready to administer the drops. The condemned man startles in panic.

  "H... hold on!" Kyle interrupts her. "Let me confirm with my superior!"

  "Sir!" Hela looks at him, disinterested. "I showed you the court's decision already... Fine, go ahead, quickly." She's clearly annoyed. "PLEASE!"

  Kyle hurriedly calls James in his mind. The detective leader responds:

  "It's true, Kyle. The prosecutor and the judge processed the case."

  "You submitted the case already?" Kyle asks, surprised. "I thought we would hold it until after Kensington's capture?"

  "There was no other way. We needed the NET's positioning system UPS to track him down ASAP." James explains. "This case is very serious, Kyle, so the higher-ups decided to disable his ability first to keep him under control. The investigation will continue later, as you heard."

  "Yeah, okay," Kyle replies.

  He turns to Hela, who is tilting her head, waiting for him. Kyle silently nods.

  Hela smiles brightly, as if just given permission to go to a party. She reaches to pry open William's eyes while humming a spooky melody. Strongly gripped by the men in black, William desperately struggles and cries at the top of his lungs.

  "No... no! Not my eyes, please! I'll cooperate. I'll tell you everything. I can erase all my memories too. Yes, won't I be like a blank slate then? I can even become one of you, the... the NET!"

  Hela ignores him, dropping the blinding drug into his eyes.

  His painful cries pierce through the suffocating air, leaving everyone shocked and terrified. Some sob quietly, while others turn away, unable to watch.

  "Shhh... It doesn't hurt. Stop being dramatic. You didn't spare your victims, though," Hela says softly. "Consider this their payback. I'm a recessive woman too, just your taste, right? And thanks, but we don't lack... I mean, we don't NEED psychos in the NET."

  She collects her briefcase and stands up, dusting off her clothes.

  "All done!" Hela bows gracefully, like an artist bidding her audience goodbye. "Thank you for watching, ladies and gentlemen."

  Hela waves her team to retreat. Before leaving, she pauses as if noticing something. Then she suddenly turns to look directly at Gabriel, who is sitting in an ambulance nearby. A glimpse of recognition glitters in her brown eyes, making Gabriel shudder.

  But she just winks, blowing a kiss at Anna who is standing next to Gabriel, before walking away.

  "What's her deal?" Anna asks, stunned.

  Gabriel secretly lets out a sigh of relief, dizzy from his wound and the execution show Hela just puts on. She and the NET are still exactly as he remembers. Though rare, every time they appear in public, people are scared witless.

  "Even if you erase your memories, your crimes are still there, bastard!" Kyle growls, putting handcuffs on William, who can't see anything anymore. "Let's wrap it up, everyone." Kyle instructs his team. The police continue guiding civilians out of the venue, calling it a vexing night.

  Lying on the stretcher in the ambulance taking them to the hospital, Gabriel just wants to rest. But feeling someone's stare, he opens his eyes to see Anna. She pretends to look away. The atmosphere becomes awkward.

  "What is it?" Gabriel asks his little sister. "Just tell me."

  "You..." Anna hesitates. "Why didn't you tell them what really happened... seven years ago?"

  "What are you talking about..." Gabriel is confused for a moment, then he looks at Anna with wide eyes. "You remembered?"

  Anna looks back at him, tears welling up in her eyes.