Chapter 4 The Truth They've Been Hiding
The room went completely silent.
Ren felt like the ground had fallen away beneath his feet. His ears were ringing. His heart was pounding so hard he could barely hear his own thoughts.
"Kenji Sato," he repeated. His voice came out strange. Distant. Like it belonged to someone else. "That's my father."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Everyone in the room froze. The woman with the cold eyes—Yuki—stopped glaring and just stared at him. The giant's jaw dropped. The crazy one, Kaito, actually looked serious for once. Even the quiet man in the back lifted his head.
"That's impossible," Yuki said finally. "We checked your ID. Your name is Ren Sato. You're just some kid who—"
"He's my father," Ren said again. Louder this time. His hands were shaking. "Kenji Sato. He was a clerk at the Hero Society. He was killed a month ago. He was shot in our living room. I saw it happen."
Ren's voice cracked. He could feel the tears threatening to spill out, but he forced them back. Not here. Not in front of these people.
Cipher was the only one who didn't look surprised. He just stood there, watching Ren with those cold eyes. But there was something else there too. Something almost like... recognition.
"I know," Cipher said quietly. "I already knew."
Ren blinked. "What?"
"Your father talked about you," Cipher said. "He talked about you all the time. His son. The one who was going to be a great Taekwondo fighter someday. The one who was going to make him proud."
Ren's breath caught in his throat. "He talked about me?"
"Every single time we met," Cipher said. "He showed me pictures. He told me about your grades, your training, your dreams. He loved you more than anything in this world."
Ren felt the tears starting to fall. He couldn't stop them this time.
"He was so proud of you," Cipher continued. "That's why he did what he did. He wanted to build a better world for you. He wanted you to grow up in a world where you didn't have to be afraid."
Ren wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I didn't know. He never told me. He never said anything about—"
"He was protecting you," Cipher said. "If you knew, they would have killed you too. He couldn't let that happen."
The room was silent again. Then the giant stepped forward. He walked over to Ren and put a massive hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, kid," he said. His voice was gruff, but gentle. "Your father was a good man. He fought for what was right. That's more than most people can say."
Yuki stepped forward too. She didn't say anything. She just nodded at Ren. It was a small gesture, but it meant something.
Kaito walked over and clapped Ren on the back. "Hey, we're going to make those bastards pay," he said. "Your old man didn't die for nothing."
The quiet man in the back didn't say anything. He just looked at Ren and gave him a small nod. It was enough.
Ren looked around at them. At the terrorists. At the people he'd been raised to fear.
"Thank you," he said. His voice was barely a whisper.
Cipher waited until Ren had composed himself. Then he spoke.
"I know this is a lot to take in," he said. "But I need to ask you something. Will you help us? Will you finish what your father started?"
Ren opened his mouth to answer. But before he could speak, the door behind him burst open.
Two people walked in.
The first one was a man. He was shorter than the others, but built like a boxer—broad shoulders, thick arms, a face that looked like it had been punched one too many times. He was talking before he even got through the door.
"Did you see that? Did you see what I did to that Hero? I punched him so hard he flew through a window! A window! I mean, it was already cracked, but still—"
"Kaito, can you shut him up?" Yuki said.
"Don't look at me," Kaito said. "He's your problem."
The boxer-looking man grinned. "Hey, I'm everybody's problem. That's what makes me so lovable."
Behind him was a woman with glasses. She was quiet, with dark hair pulled back in a neat bun and a calm expression on her face. She was carrying a tablet in her hands, and she was already looking at it.
"Everyone, focus," she said. Her voice was quiet, but everyone went quiet immediately. "We need to debrief. Did we get what we came for?"
Cipher nodded. "It's all here. We'll go through it in a moment."
He turned to Ren.
"Ren, these are the rest of our team," he said. "Everyone, this is Ren. He's going to be helping us."
The boxer looked at Ren with interest. "Oh, a new guy? Nice. I'm Kaito too. Well, not Kaito—that's him." He pointed at the crazy one. "I'm Hammer. But you can call me whatever you want. The ladies call me Handsome."
"They don't call you anything," Yuki said. "Nobody talks to you."
"That's not true! The cashier at the convenience store says hi to me every day."
"Because she has to. It's her job."
Ren looked at the two of them. They were already arguing. It was like watching an old married couple.
"Just ignore them," the woman with the glasses said. She walked over to Ren and extended her hand. "My name is Hana. I'm the strategist. If you need information, come to me."
Ren shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."
Cipher stepped forward and gestured to each of the team members.
"Everyone, show Ren your tattoos," he said. "It's time he knew who we really are."
One by one, they rolled up their sleeves, lifted their shirts, or pulled back their collars.
Yuki was first. She pulled down the collar of her shirt to reveal a tattoo on her shoulder. It was a winged snake, coiled and ready to strike.
"Flying snake," she said. "I can glide. I can sense vibrations. And I'm venomous."
The giant was next. He lifted his shirt to show a scarab beetle tattoo on his back.
"Dung beetle," he said. "Super strength. I can lift a building if I want to."
"Show off," Kaito muttered.
The quiet man stepped forward. He didn't say anything. He just unbuttoned his shirt to reveal an ironclad beetle tattoo on his chest.
"Ironclad beetle," Cipher said. "He's indestructible. Nothing touches him."
Kaito grinned. He pulled up his sleeve to show a tattoo of a frog skeleton.
"Wolverine frog," he said cheerfully. "I can break my bones and use them as weapons. It hurts like hell, but it's so worth it."
Hammer stepped forward next. He flexed his arm to show a tattoo of a mantis shrimp claw on his forearm.
"Mantis shrimp," he said. "My punches are devastating. I was a boxer before all this. Now I've got hands of god!"
Hana was last. She pushed up her sleeve to reveal an elephant tattoo on her inner arm.
"Elephant," she said. "Perfect memory. I remember everything I see, hear, or read. That's why I'm the strategist."
Everyone looked at Ren. They were waiting.
"Your turn, kid," Kaito said.
Ren hesitated. Then he reached down and pulled up his pant leg.
The room went silent.
There it was. The horse's head. Bold black lines, like a brush painting. Its mane flowed like wind. Its eye was sharp and intelligent.
"You're a Finder," Yuki said. Her voice was flat. Disbelieving.
"Of course he's a Finder," Kaito said. "Did you see the way he moved when he woke up? He's got good instincts."
"When did this happen?" Hammer asked. "How did you get it?"
"I don't know," Ren admitted. "It just... happened. My father gave me a black puzzle piece before he died. I didn't know what it was. But when I touched it, it changed. It turned white. And then it bonded with me."
He looked at the tattoo on his leg.
"It's a horse," he said. "I think I can run fast. And I can kick hard. I haven't really tested it yet."
"Ren," Cipher said. "This changes everything."
"How?"
"Because you're not just a spy anymore," Cipher said. "You're a weapon. And weapons are very useful."
-
They gathered around the table.
Hana pulled up images on her tablet and projected them onto the wall. Photos. Documents. Charts. Everything the Vendetta had discovered over the years.
"Let's start with the basics," Cipher said. "Your father—Kenji—he was one of our best informants. He worked inside the Hero Society for years. And he uncovered something big."
Ren leaned forward. "What did he find?"
Hana tapped her tablet. A news article appeared on the wall.
"The Media," she said. "The news. Everything you see on television, everything you read in the papers—it's all controlled by the Hero Society. They own most of the major networks. They pay off the journalists. They decide what you see and what you don't."
Ren stared at the article. "But I've seen news reports criticizing the Society. I've seen—"
"Criticism that they allowed," Hana said. "Criticism that makes them look strong. 'Look at us,' they say. 'We're not perfect. We make mistakes. But we're trying.' It's a script. It's all a script."
Ren shook his head. "That's... that's insane."
"That's power," Cipher said. "They control the narrative. And people believe what they see on TV."
Hana tapped again. Another image appeared. This time, it was a church. A massive, beautiful building with golden spires.
"The Church," she said. "They're in on it too. They work with the Society. They tell people the Toxins are a spiritual sickness. They tell people that only the unholy get infected. And then they sell them holy water to protect themselves."
Ren frowned. "But the holy water works. Everyone says—"
"The holy water is just water," Hana said. "We tested it. There's nothing special about it. It doesn't prevent anything. It doesn't cure anything. It's just a way for the Church to make money."
Ren felt sick. "But people spend thousands on that stuff. Poor people. People who can barely afford to eat."
"Exactly," Cipher said. "And those are the people who get infected."
Hana tapped again. A chart appeared on the wall. It was a graph showing infection rates across the city.
"According to your father's research," Hana said, "almost ninety percent of people who turn from the Toxins are poor. They're the ones who can't afford the holy water. They're the ones who can't afford the protection. They're also the ones who are most likely to question the Society."
Ren stared at the chart. The numbers were stark. Impossible to ignore.
"Your father discovered that the Society has been covering this up," Cipher said. "They let the poor die. They let them turn. And then they use it as proof that the holy water works. 'Look at the poor,' they say. 'They didn't pray enough. They didn't buy enough protection.'"
"It's a cycle," Hana said. "Keep the poor poor. Keep them scared. Keep them buying. And if they can't buy, let them turn. Then use their turning as proof that you're the only one who can save them."
Ren's hands were shaking.
"Your father discovered all of this," Cipher said. "He was going to expose it. He had evidence. He had documents. He was going to release it all to the public."
"But they killed him first," Ren said. His voice was hollow.
"Yes," Cipher said. "They killed him. And now it's up to us to finish what he started."
The room was silent. Everyone was looking at Ren.
"I want to help," Ren said. His voice was quiet but steady. "I want to finish what my father started."
He looked at Cipher.
"But I have one condition."
Cipher raised an eyebrow. "What condition?"
Ren looked around the room. At the snake. At the beetle. At the frog. At the shrimp. At the elephant.
"I'm a Finder now," he said. "But I don't know how to use my power. My father was a Taekwondo instructor. He taught me how to fight. But this—" he touched his tattoo "—this is different. I need to learn how to control it. I need to learn how to be a good Finder."
He looked at Cipher.
"Will you teach me? Will all of you teach me?"
Cipher stared at him for a long moment. Then he smiled. It was a cold smile, but there was something warm in his eyes.
"Of course," he said. "That's what family does."
