Monarch of the Dark Night

Chapter 2

Xavier's information quickly made its way into the hands of important figures such as the State Governor and the Chief of Police.

At the police station, the detective in charge loudly read out Xavier's information in front of all the officers, "Xavier Young, male, eighteen years old. He is a student at San Lorenzo University."

"A few days ago, Xavier Young's girlfriend, Quinn Harper, was covertly drugged at Nightshade City Club by Kyle Wilson and her four other classmates. They traded her to Ironhead, the leader of the local gang Iron Fist Alliance, for a price of five thousand dollars. On that night, Quinn Harper was raped and tortured to death by 12 gang members of the Iron Fist Alliance, including Ironhead. It appears that Xavier Young may have committed this crime to avenge his girlfriend!"

Through systematic deductions, the detectives were fairly certain that Xavier was the perpetrator in this murder case.

On that night, a coordinated search operation involving 300 police officers was launched across Newbrook State to track down Xavier.

By dawn, the officers had finally located Xavier amidst a suburban cemetery.

In front of a freshly erected gravestone, Xavier knelt quietly, tears streaming down his face relentlessly. Before him lay numerous blood-drenched heads, and beside him was the large word 'Revenge',  arranged using the fingers of the bodies.

Xavier didn't resist when the police found him. He just spoke calmly to the gravestone, "Quinn, I have finally avenged you. You always said that a simple life wasn't for me, that it would put my talents to waste. But I never told you that my master wasn't an ordinary man; he had taught me fighting techniques that could kill. "

"All I wanted was to be with you, to live an ordinary life. But I was wrong, Quinn. If I make it through this, I will strive to become the hero you always saw in me, bringing you honor!" He suddenly changed his tone, full of regret.

At that point, Xavier turned to look at the somewhat impatient officers waiting behind him before continuing, "Too bad there's no chance for me to achieve that anymore, but soon I'll be joining you in another world. It's for the best—you won't be lonely anymore."

After he finished his words, the notorious serial killer was escorted into a police car under the watchful eyes of numerous officers.

Five days later, Xavier chose to waive his right to defense during the public trial. The judge immediately handed down the verdict on the spot—death penalty for Xavier.

Oddly enough, Xavier's death sentence wasn't executed right after the trial. Instead, he was transported back to prison in a prisoner vehicle.

Everything seemed to unfold calmly, yet there was something weird.

***

Paying no attention to the heated discussions surrounding his case, Xavier sat quietly aboard the prisoner transport vehicle. His eyes held no regret or pain but were filled with nostalgia and liberation.

Preoccupied with his memories, Xavier did not notice that what was supposed to be a five-hour journey ended up taking nearly ten hours of rough travel. And the prisoner transport vehicle traveled toward a secluded spot deep in the mountains.

When they finally arrived at the destination, the prisoner transport vehicle proceeded through layers of checkpoints and gates. It had gone through several inspections by fully armed guards before finally stopping in a wide parking lot.

Xavier's had not arrived at the prison where he was supposed to be executed, but at Apex Penitentiary. Located in the northern region of the Albion Republic, Apex Penitentiary was an international prison that housed the most dangerous inmates from around the world, making it markedly different from regular prisons.

With heavy handcuffs and leg shackles, Xavier mechanically complied with the guards' instructions to complete various prison onboarding tasks, including searching, undergoing physical examinations, getting haircuts, bathing, changing clothes, and eating.

After completing those onboarding tasks, Xavier was escorted by the guards to a communal cell. Because of the high number of inmates at Apex Penitentiary, communal cells were still in use. It had three walls and an iron gate at the front, with enough space for six bunk beds.

"Clang!"

After the cell gates were firmly shut, Xavier walked towards the only empty bed located at the corner, carrying his newly issued clothing.

After Xavier had taken a few steps, a burly man named Cougar suddenly reached out and stopped him. He lazily circled Xavier twice before abruptly spitting in his face. "Bastard, when you come into this place, don't you ever think of bringing some cigarettes to show respect to old Cougar, hmm? Do you think you can settle in easily without lifting a finger? Hmph, if everyone behaved like you, how would I manage people here?"

Without even sparing a glance at Cougar, Xavier walked straight toward the depths of the cell.

A bald, muscular man was enraged after seeing Xavier ignore Cougar. He immediately swung a punch, landing a hard blow to Xavier's lower abdomen.

With a muffled groan, Xavier spat out a mouthful of blood. He staggered back a few steps and crashed heavily into the bed rail.

Witnessing this, the surrounding inmates erupted into mocking laughter, "Hahaha!"

Xavier wiped off the phlegm and blood from his face and gave them a cold stare. "I don't want any trouble, so you better not mess with me either," he warned them with an icy tone.

After finishing his words, Xavier walked straight toward the empty bed.

Cougar followed closely behind, sneering as he watched Xavier tidy up his bed. Then, he unbuckled his belt, took out his genitals, and urinated on Xavier's bed.

Xavier's body tensed briefly, and then he slowly straightened up and stared intensely at Cougar. He then uttered in a low and hoarse voice, "I told you not to mess with me."

Xavier's cold tone was like an ice block in the dead of winter, causing Cougar to shiver involuntarily.

But being the self-proclaimed 'leader' of the cell, Cougar needed to maintain his dignity and couldn't let himself be intimidated by just any new inmate.

So he bellowed at Xavier, "Do you have a death wish, you bastard?"

Cougar swung his fist viciously toward Xavier's face. His massive fist carried a swift and potent force, closing in on Xavier in the blink of an eye.

"Smack!"

Xavier moved when Cougar's fist was less than two inches from his face. He tilted his head slightly and tightly clamped onto Cougar's fist.

With his right hand formed into a blade-like shape, Xavier unleashed a chilling strike aimed fiercely at Cougar's right ribs.

"Crack!"

The crisp sound of bones breaking sent a shiver down the spines of all the onlookers.

"Thud!"

Cougar fell backward with a loud thud, and blood began to gush from the corner of his mouth.

It turned out that Xavier's earlier knife-hand strike was too forceful, and it broke Cougar's ribs. One of the ribs pierced Cougar's heart, causing him to die instantly.

"Ahhhh!"

The inmates around them cried out in shock and instinctively stepped back in fear. They looked at Xavier with wide eyes, too scared to say anything.

The sounds of fighting drew the attention of the prison guards outside.

They rushed into the cell, six guards pouncing on Xavier simultaneously. They pinned him down, followed by the administration of a Taser shock.

They then proceeded to reapply the handcuffs and leg shackles that had just been removed from Xavier.

Right then, a prison guard who resembled the chief officer stormed in. Upon witnessing the scene, he appeared consumed with rage. Immediately, he shouted to the other prison guards, "Get him to the special detention cell!"

Swiftly, Xavier was escorted up to the fifth floor, passing through seven iron doors before finally arriving at the special detention cell.

The cells on the fifth floor differed from those on the first floor. On the first floor, the communal cells were large and housed several inmates simultaneously, faced a white wall. On the fifth floor, two cells faced each other in pairs, with each solitary cell housing a single inmate.

Xavier was thrown into the innermost cell, Cell 502.

As he smelled the musty, damp odor in the air, he felt no regrets.'Those bastards killed Quinn; they deserved to pay back with their lives!'

No one could imagine the pain he felt when he saw Quinn's mutilated body in the wilderness. It was at that moment that he finally understood the crushing pain of a broken heart. Even if given another chance, he would still not hesitate to kill in vengeance for Quinn!

His only regret was that he had failed to meet his master's expectations. With him imprisoned, he had forever lost the chance to showcase his skills to the world and become a true hero using the Jeet Kune Do his master taught him.

Xavier murmured softly, "My dearest Master, even though I couldn't demonstrate how powerful Jeet Kune Do is to others, I haven't embarrassed you either. I have reached Level 8 in Jeet Kune Do earlier this year. I hope this brings peace to your spirit in heaven."

Suddenly, a laugh broke Xavier out of his reverie, "Hey, look who just arrived in Cell 502. A little guy. This is pretty amusing, isn't it?"

Xavier turned around and saw a muscular, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man with a defiant gaze. He was sitting propped against the wall of the cell across from Xavier's, observing him with a grin.

The man was sturdy and muscular, his gaze filled with hostility and a thirst for blood. His chilling aura could arouse an unsettling feeling in most people at first sight.

However, Xavier merely glanced at him before lying down on his own bed and getting himself ready for sleep.

The muscular man was surprised to see that.

Amidst the clang of iron chains, he approached the iron-barred gate, eyeing Xavier with amusement. "Hey there, little guy, you've got quite the personality. I like you. I'm curious, what did you do to end up on the fifth floor? Did you know the inmates on the first four floors are already some of the world's most terrifying criminals? And those on the fifth floor are even scarier—they can make those top-tier criminals tremble. The rooms here are numbered from 501 to 520 based on danger levels. Cell 501 and 502, reserved for the most dangerous inmates, have been empty for a while. Today's quite a coincidence—I, Jaguar, move into 501, and you, a student, move into 502!"

Jaguar went on and said, "Little guy, it's boring as hell in here. How about chatting with me? What did you do to end up in Cell 502?"

Xavier remained oblivious to Jaguar's words as if he hadn't heard a thing. He rolled over and closed his eyes, prepared to get some sleep.

Despite Xavier's rudeness, Jaguar seemed quite patient. Licking his lips, he chuckled slightly and quipped, "I'm quite intrigued by you. You can't get away from me, little guy."