I kept hammering my knee into the back of his skull, smashing his head against the toilet over and over. Gradually, his struggles weakened until he went limp.
Even then, I slammed his head two more times and scalded him with the boiling water, just to be certain he was truly unconscious—I wasn't about to fall for a trick.
Once Warren Briggs was out cold, I slumped against the bathroom wall, gasping for air, then rolled him over and checked his breathing.
Still alive...
I hauled myself up and unbuttoned his shirt. Stuffed in his waistband was a standard attendance sheet, with a blue plastic board underneath.
That explained why the masked man's stun gun hadn't worked—the current had been absorbed by the attendance sheet and plastic board instead of reaching his body.
I dragged Warren Briggs out of the bathroom. The masked man was still on the floor. Seeing me emerge, he said gratefully, "Th-thank you."
I asked if his leg was broken. He laboriously moved it a couple times, then limped to his feet, saying he was lucky—it wasn't broken.
Then he limped over to Warren Briggs and stunned him once more, just to keep him under longer.
I asked: "Now will you tell me? Who are you?"
He said: "Not me—us... We have a name. We're Sin Hunters!"
Sin Hunters...
My heart skipped. I'd heard that name before.
A mysterious figure who'd suddenly appeared in the city, polarizing public opinion.
To some, he was a criminal.
To others, a hero.
He killed—but only those who preyed on society, the ones who refused to change and kept reoffending.
Those who harassed women, repented in name only, then struck again—die.
Drunk drivers who killed, pretended remorse, then drove drunk again—die.
Robbers who injured their victims, vowed reform, then picked up their blades again—die.
That was his creed—arriving precisely when victims needed him, eliminating the wicked before they could harm the innocent.
His world had no legal procedures. He was the executioner in the shadows.
A saying circulated through the city: Fight evil with evil, counter violence with violence—Sin Hunter.
But he'd already been caught! Adrian Cross had arrested him personally!
I swallowed hard. "The Sin Hunter was captured. My husband told me—he was hunted down by Captain Su and died during the pursuit."
The masked man said: "That was the first-generation Sin Hunter. We're the second generation—stronger."
"Don't flatter yourself. You're really not strong."
"That was an accident—I didn't expect Warren Briggs to have that thing hidden under his shirt!"
I asked him about Derek Kane's body.
He explained: "That day, another Sin Hunter and I were hidden in your apartment. After you killed Derek Kane and the body was in your room, we started processing it while Adrian Cross was delayed at your door."
"Why were you hiding in my apartment in the first place?"
"Sin Hunters know everything."
"How could you be so sure about the timing of Adrian Cross entering my bedroom? How did you know about so many pieces of evidence?"
"I already told you—Sin Hunters can know anything in this world. I'm not joking. Take those two gold bars Derek Kane accused your husband of stealing—he actually gambled them away. He didn't dare tell his family, so after the fire, he tried to pin it on your husband to cover his tracks. He went to your home to pick a fight and manufacture a dispute so his family would believe him. But Sin Hunters know everything. We recovered the gold bars and delivered them to your home, because we believe they belong to you."
"Can you really know that much?"
"Let me prove it. Give me your phone."
I handed it over. He downloaded a strange app onto my phone, then said: "This is the Sin Hunters' platform—Judgment Tower. I've registered you as a Sin Hunter. The platform publishes tasks to punish evildoers, like what happened today. Once you complete a task yourself, you'll see I wasn't lying."
I frowned. "Why did you register me as a Sin Hunter without asking?"
"Why not? You have the ability—I'm giving you the opportunity. Sin Hunters operate in the city, punishing criminals the law can't reach. Fighting evil with evil, violence with violence—what's not to like? Plus, you earn substantial rewards after completing tasks. Like today's mission—the bounty is fifty thousand. You helped me out, so I'm giving it all to you!"
I shook my head. "I only helped to repay a debt. I have no interest in being a Sin Hunter. I just want to take care of my child."
"But you'd be really good at it!"
"I said I'm not interested."
He sounded disappointed. I asked how we'd deal with Warren Briggs, and he said someone would come to handle it soon.
While we waited, I checked out the app. It was called Judgment Tower.
Sure enough, there were plenty of tasks—punishing people who could only be condemned morally.
People like Derek Kane. Or women whose best friends were murdered by their boyfriends, who then said, "I already apologized, what more do you want?" Or drunk drivers who'd killed someone and served under three years.
The law couldn't make them pay a real price, but on Judgment Tower, they were targets.
All the tasks had one thing in common—they were marked "locked."
I asked the masked man about it. He explained Sin Hunters had ranks, from lowest to highest: Human, Earth, Sky, Four Lords, and The Emperor. Rankings were based on performance. Higher-ranked Sin Hunters could access more tasks and receive more from the platform.
The ranking system wasn't about proving strength—it was about protecting Sin Hunters' lives.
Tasks came in three types: Punishment, Confrontation, and Protection.
Punishment tasks: Targets were women, the elderly, or even the disabled who harmed society—any Sin Hunter could take them.
Confrontation tasks: Targets were strong adult males—Earth rank and above only.
Protection tasks... he said he didn't even know what those were. You had to reach Sky rank to unlock them. He'd been working for a year and barely made Earth rank, still far from Sky.
He showed me his platform interface. Punishment and Confrontation tasks were available with listed reward amounts, but the Protection tab was locked. At the top of his screen, it read "Earth Rank—Valerian," while mine just displayed "Ranking in progress."
I asked what that meant. He said it was his codename—Sin Hunters never used their real names. Each one had a codename.
His was Valerian.
I told him his name was pretty, but he was pretty useless.
He bristled, insisting it was an accident.
While we talked, a knock came at the door—two long, one short.
I stared at the door, but he said not to worry—it was one of theirs.
He opened it. Outside stood another masked man in black.
Valerian told me this was an escort.
Sin Hunters didn't kill. Captured evildoers were handed over to escorts, and the bounty came after transfer. He whispered conspiratorially, asking if I wanted to know where escorts took these criminals. I said I didn't need to know.
The escort stepped inside, glanced at Dylan Garrett's hanged body, and said: "Hemlock's work again?"
"Yeah, he was already dead when I got here..." Valerian sighed. "We agreed Sin Hunters don't kill, but Hemlock kills every time, and the platform doesn't punish him."
The escort cut down the body: "Hemlock is The Emperor—the strongest Sin Hunter. Who's going to punish him?"
I had no interest in watching them work, and no interest in stories about the strongest Sin Hunter. Since the escort had arrived, there was no reason for me to stay. I said I was leaving and turned to go.
Valerian wouldn't give up. "Are you sure you don't want to be a Sin Hunter? I really think you'd be great at it. I have lots of experience—we could team up. Trust me, within six months you'd make Earth rank. We'd fight evil together!"
I declined. He sighed and said at least let him walk me out—it was late, and a woman alone in an alley was dangerous. He could protect me.
He limped out of the old building beside me. Out of curiosity, I checked the app again. The system prompted me to pick a name.
Since I had no intention of taking missions, and I noticed Valerian and Hemlock were both named after medicinal plants, I chose another plant name: Dandelion.
Because I'd drifted through my whole life like a dandelion—rootless, homeless.
Valerian glanced at my phone and remarked that the name was a bit plain, then launched into another speech about the greatness of Sin Hunters. He urged me to reconsider, promised he'd mentor me well.
But I really wasn't interested. I didn't want to punish anyone. I just wanted to raise my child.
The moment I submitted my name, a notification popped up.
"Sin Hunter Dandelion, your profile is complete. Based on your known performance, you have been ranked as a Sky-level Sin Hunter!"
"Unlocked: Punishment missions, Confrontation missions, and Protection missions!"
"Location services activated for Protection missions!"
Valerian stared at my phone, silent for reasons I couldn't fathom.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated violently. Red text flooded the screen!
"Emergency Protection mission nearby! We urgently request you to protect the victim immediately! Your action can save an innocent life!"