On Jody's side of the bridge, the wreckage of the helicopter had crashed down violently, separating Roxxy and forcing her to stay with her.
"I heard someone fall in the water!"
Jody leaned over the edge and spotted Sera and Toshi drifting in the river below.
They were safe.
But once she turned her focus back to the bridge, Jody realized her only remaining ally on this side was Roxxy.
The half-British girl looked just as tense and shaken as Jody—if not more so, especially now that the assassin "Soo-min" had arrived.
"…That little brat's not here anymore. So now I don't have to hold back. All of you… are going to die."
"!!!"
The words hit hard. Soo-min's presence came with a terrifying killing intent and an overwhelming aura.
And the moment Soo-min showed herself, it meant only one thing—Roxxy Barrett had already been infected with the parasite.
Roxxy didn't hesitate. She drew her pistol and opened fire on Soo-min without a second thought.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five rounds fired—only for them to dissolve in mid-air, just like Jody's had before. They fell as corroded, rusted fragments.
"It's useless… Her power decomposes anything fast-moving. Bullets are too quick—we need to—"
"I know."
"…."
Roxxy cut Jody off with a sharp, cold tone—one that clearly said: Don't tell me what to do.
What worried Jody more than the words was the tone itself… the change in Roxxy's voice. It sounded like someone on the verge of snapping.
"Roxxy! Listen! I know you don't like me—but we need to work together!"
Jody reached out to grab her before she marched toward Soo-min, but—
"Don't touch me."
Roxxy glared back at Jody, her eyes full of rage and a lethal glare that could kill someone where they stood.
Jody let go, stunned. Her face didn't change, but she could feel something terrifying radiating from this girl.
"Oh? Trouble in paradise?"
Soo-min smirked, hand on her hip. This was exactly what she wanted. Perfect.
Roxxy didn't answer. She just walked closer.
Dark veins were already rising beneath her skin—signs of the parasite's decomposition power starting to work.
"Roxxy! What are you doing?! Get back here!"
Jody's warning was ignored.
But then both she and Soo-min realized something at the same time.
Roxxy's skin—was coated in ice.
"You're… using ice… Ahh, I see now."
Soo-min shifted her posture into a combat stance.
"You're freezing your own tissues… to slow down the decomposition."
Yes. Roxxy was using deep-freeze to slow the parasite's effects—like freezing fish to keep it from rotting. But to do that, her body had to withstand extreme cold.
Jody realized that. And fast.
"Your power's nothing like your brother's… oh—wait. I've seen the symbols of everyone here but your brother. What is he, powerless? Or is there a trick…? Never mind."
Soo-min grinned wickedly.
"I'll just kill you first, and send your brother after you. Got that, shorty?"
As soon as Soo-min said that, it was like the world froze.
Even Jody felt it—something had snapped.
Cut to Toshi and Sera, still floating in the river.
"Shit… we have to get back up there!"
"Yeah!"
There were two directions to swim. Right would take them back to the public park. Left led to the pedestrian road.
Toshi swam right, aiming to catch up with Syd and Sally. Sera followed—but he stopped her.
"No! Sera! Go help Jody! She needs you more! You're the only one who can counter that parasite's effect!"
"O-okay!"
Sera turned and swam the other way.
Toshi knew Jody was with Roxxy… and that's what worried him most.
Because once she's separated from her brother, Roxxy might not be able to control something inside her.
And that wouldn't be good—for anyone, friend or foe.
He hesitated to tell Sera the truth… but remembering that Roxxy had started to open up to her, he decided to say it.
"Sera!"
"Huh?!"
"There's one more thing I need you to do!"
"…What is it?!"
"Keep an eye on Roxxy! Please! You might be the only person besides Syd who can keep her under control!"
"…."
Sera furrowed her brow, unsure what he meant.
"Keep her under control?!"
"…Sorry I didn't say this earlier—but the truth is, Roxxy—!"
.
.
.
Back up on the bridge.
Soo-min could feel a strange fluctuation in the aura of the small girl walking toward her.
Her instincts—sharpened by years in the underground—screamed at her to retreat.
But she stood her ground, swallowing hard.
Soo-min's calculation was simple:
That short girl is freezing her tissues to slow decomposition. If I let her get close, I can shoot her in the head. My power will break down the bullet before it hits her brain, but the impact might still be enough to finish her.
"…No…"
"!"
Soo-min heard the little girl mutter something.
"Nothing... there's nothing good! gimme a fucking break! NOTHINGS FUCKING DESCENT 'ROUND ME AT ALL!!!!!"
What shocked Soo-min the most wasn't the words—but the expression on Roxxy's face, twisted with rage into something almost unrecognizable. Her eyes glowed red, her brow furrowed deep, and veins bulged along her temple as hatred burned in her gaze. She's having a crash out.
Crack... pop... pop...
A chilling sound followed, and when Soo-min reached to check the wound on her arm, she realized—
Her blood was freezing.
And then—
"Minus three degrees..."
Roxxy muttered.
Soo-min's confidence began to crack. A coldness crept into her lungs—her breath shortening. The air around her began to sting. She was standing in a freezer… or worse.
"Minus three degrees—that's the freezing point of your blood, bitch."
"Aaaah!"
Soo-min could no longer fight off the instinct to survive. She yanked out her gun and tried to fire at Roxxy's head.
But nothing happened.
Because...
Thud.
The finger she was using to pull the trigger had frozen and broken off—now stuck on the gun's grip.
"Her... her finger!"
Jody had seen it clearly—the flesh on Soo-min's hand was frostbitten, frozen solid—and now literally stuck to the weapon.
"Metal... Metal conducts cold really well..."
Jody's eyes locked on Roxxy.
"This kid..."
Meanwhile, Soo-min was panicking.
"My—my finger! My finger's gone!"
And then—BAM!
Roxxy slammed a brutal punch across her face.
It was fast. So fast that Soo-min didn't even have time to brace. This girl knew how to fight—trained, hard.
In what felt like slow motion, Roxxy's punch came down like a hammer. The power behind it was shocking—on par with a grown man. And to make it worse, her fist was wrapped in ice—like a makeshift brass knuckle.
"Aaaah!!"
Roxxy climbed on top of Soo-min, bracing a knee against her chest, and pounded away at her face without mercy.
"You called me short?! You insulted my brother?! Who the fuck do you think you are?! Die!!"
Her voice cracked into two—one that screamed like a child throwing a tantrum, the other like a beast howling for blood.
Jody stood frozen—this wasn't a tantrum. This was a breakdown. Roxxy had snapped.
Soo-min tried raising her arms to shield herself, but each punch felt like a wrecking ball—raw and wild. If this kept up, her arms would break for sure.
Then Roxxy grabbed her collar and switched to body shots, slamming her fists into Soo-min's ribs.
"AaaaaAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Each blow was thunderous. Two of Soo-min's ribs snapped instantly. She screamed—but there was no pause.
And in the chaos, Soo-min saw a window.
As Roxxy focused her punches lower, her face became exposed—and Soo-min used that moment to land a counter uppercut.
It connected. Roxxy's faceguard of ice shattered as she was knocked back.
"Haaah… haaah…"
Soo-min barely managed to stay upright. Her face was a mess. But she wasn't done.
Because Roxxy wasn't done.
The girl leapt again—wild as a starving animal. She tackled Soo-min back to the ground and clawed at her face—her fingers driving toward her eyes!
"You trying to run?! Huh?! You think you can run?! Die!!!"
"Aaaaghhh!!"
They struggled—Roxxy screaming, Soo-min trying to fend her off. But then—
Roxxy leaned down and bit her.
She bit off a chunk of Soo-min's face and spat it aside, blood dripping from her mouth like a predator in the wild.
Jody watched in horror.
Was this even human?
Roxxy didn't seem to care—or even realize what she'd done.
"You think you're tough?! You think you can rot people alive?! Huh?!"
"Ugh..."
And then Jody noticed something else—something alarming.
The ice on Roxxy's fists... it was melting. Fast.
Soo-min felt it too. Her opponent's icy gloves were thinning.
"!?"
And in that moment—Soo-min knew this was her shot.
She launched an uppercut straight into Roxxy's jaw, knocking her back.
"Hah!... pant... pant..."
She's fierce… vicious… she nearly broke all my bones!
Roxxy was panting too. And Jody wasn't surprised. She'd put everything into that.
But what scared her more was seeing that the ice had fully melted off Roxxy's hands.
Soo-min reached to touch her wound and saw her blood was flowing freely again.
"Shit…"
Jody raised a finger and fired a wind bullet—but just as she did, Soo-min dove off the bridge and vanished.
The shot hit the bridge instead.
Jody rushed to the edge and looked down…
Nothing. No splash. No sign of where she went.
"Jody! Roxxy!"
A familiar voice called out from the far side of the bridge. Jody turned—and saw Sera.
Soaked. Out of breath.
"Sera!"
Could that be why she fled? Did she sense Sera's approach?
"Where did she go?!"
Sera ran over and helped Roxxy off the ground.
"...She jumped. But she didn't hit the water. I don't know where she went."
And then—Roxxy exploded.
"Why didn't you shoot?! Why didn't you do anything, huh?!"
She shoved Sera's hand away and stormed toward Jody.
"You're fucking useless! Trash like you's only good for dragging us down! Just go die already, you cripple!"
"..."
Even Sera was stunned.
But Jody said nothing.
"Useless! You're fucking useless! Nothing good ever happens in my life!"
Roxxy stormed toward the edge of the bridge and slammed her fists into the railing, denting it. Her eyes scanned across the river, up the pedestrian path…
And she saw her.
Soo-min—limping—running down the sidewalk, toward the main road.
"...Found you. You're dead."
"Roxxy—!"
Too late.
Roxxy jumped off the bridge and sprinted after her.
"She's running! That assassin's trying to escape! She's heading toward the construction zone!"
"...Go, Sera..."
"Jody…"
Sera looked back at Jody. Anyone else would be furious after what was just said to them. But...
What she saw was something else.
Jody's eyes were blank. Her face unreadable.
Exactly like when Toshi had put a hand on her shoulder earlier...
"...Go, Sera. Go kill her."
"And what about you?"
"I can't run right now."
"!? What?! Wait—didn't Syd give you a concrete buff? What do you mean you can't run?!"
"..."
"..."
"...Wait… I saw him use his power on you! Back on the bridge!"
"...Yeah..."
"...Jody… don't tell me... That buff Syd gave you… it wasn't concrete, was it?"
Jody didn't answer. Instead, she gripped Sera's arm.
"I'll catch up… Just buy me time. I figured out how to kill her. But I'll need your help..."
"Kill her? How?!"
"There's no time to explain. But you have to go. You're the only one whose power can weaken hers. Your power to create—that's the only thing that can resist her decomposition. We need you. Trust me… she's cornered."
And somehow—Jody's certainty snapped Sera out of it.
She was right.
Sera was the only one whose body hadn't been eaten away. Not like the others. Her skin had darkened, sure. Veins popped, color changed… but nothing had fallen off.
Because her power was the opposite—creation versus destruction. Her cells regenerated as fast as they were being consumed. Her power created; the parasites consumed. Over and over.
They were locked in a loop.
"...Okay… got it."
Sera turned to run—but paused.
"Jody… you… are you okay—?"
"..."
"Jody…?"