Badass in Disguise (Shadow) novel Chapter 331

Chapter 331

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Rain had just stopped, leaving the streets slick and shimmering under the dim streetlights. Puddles formed small mirrors reflecting our silhouettes as we faced each other in the deserted alley. The clone stood before me, his body tense and poised for combat, a throwing dart gripped in his right hand. His eyes–Dusk’s eyes–stared at me with empty precision.

“You know you can’t win against me,” I said quietly, my voice gentle like I was speaking to an old friend. “So why come alone to die? Clones might be emotionally empty, but they’re not machines. Don’t you value your life at all?”

My last words weren’t meant for the clone. They were for the original–for Dusk–who had thrown away his life to save mine.

The clone stared at me, expressionless and silent.

“Can’t clones speak?” I asked, a sad smile playing on my lips. Before he could respond, I continued, talking more to myself than to him: “I suppose it doesn’t matter. You were always the quiet type anyway.”

I slowly withdrew my hand from my jacket pocket, revealing my own tactical knife. “Let’s get this over with.”

The skies opened up again, cold rain falling in sheets. My jacket collar flapped in the sudden wind, icy droplets stinging my face. Dusk’s clone lunged forward with lethal precision.

I met him halfway.

The rain grew heavier, our fight accelerating with it. The clash of metal against metal cut through the downpour. Blood mixed with rainwater on the pavement–I couldn’t tell if it was his or mine. One of our weapons clattered to the ground.

I fought with a brutality I hadn’t shown in years, my movements decisive and merciless. My recently healed wound screamed in protest, but I pushed through the pain. When his throwing dart sliced across my arm, I didn’t even pause. I couldn’t afford hesitation. This wasn’t about hatred–it was about survival.

I fought like a killing machine, afraid that if I slowed down for even a second, I’d lose my resolve. One of us had to die here. I couldn’t let it be me.

The clone slammed against the brick wall with bone–crushing force. Blood trickled from his mouth in thin streams. I’d severed the tendons in both his hands; his arms hung uselessly at his sides. His body pitched forward, and I stepped in to catch him before he hit the ground.

His blood–soaked chin rested against my shoulder as I held him up.

“Say something,” I whispered, “and I’ll spare your life.” My tone was gentle, like coaxing a child.

The only sounds were the pattering rain and his labored breathing in my ear.

“Call me Shadow,” I pleaded. “Just once.”

Survival instinct won out. His bloody lips parted slightly, and after a moment of struggle, he managed to rasp out: “Shadow.”

That voice–Dusk’s voice–nearly broke me. Twenty years of memories crashed through my mind: training together as children, watching each other’s backs on missions, those rare quiet moments when we weren’t killing or being punished. The only warmth I’d known in my previous life.

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10:35 Fri, Oct 3 M

Chapter 331

I stared straight ahead, my expression completely blank.

In one swift motion, my knife pierced through his throat. Hot blood splattered across my face, mixing with the cold rain.

Ethan returned quickly, much sooner than I’d expected. As he approached through the side streets, his steps faltered when he spotted me crouched on the ground, my face streaked with blood and rain.

Before me lay a man’s body.

I was gently stroking the dead man’s gaunt face, wiping away blood from his features.

Ethan approached cautiously.

“Jade? Ethan’s voice was soft with concern as he knelt beside me.

“Do you know what Dusk looked like?” I asked suddenly, my eyes still fixed on the dead clone’s face.

The fine rain continued to fall, pricking our skin like tiny needles.

Ethan glanced at the body on the ground.

My pale fingertips traced the clone’s thin eyelids. “He looked like this,” I said, my voice devoid of emotion.

“Is he…?” Ethan began.

“Dusk’s clone,” I confirmed.

Ethan’s expression grew increasingly complex as he processed this information.

“I’ve known Dusk since before I could form complete sentences,” I continued, “before I could even remember. For over twenty years.”

Confusion flickered across Ethan’s face. His first instinct was that I had my timeline wrong, but he knew I wouldn’t make such a basic

error.

“We trained together every day, studied together, lived together,” I said. “We were punished together, we survived together.”

“He was part of my life from the beginning, like a limb I never imagined losing.”

The rain mingled with my words, making them feel heavier, more painful. “His death was connected to me, but I always thought it was an accident. Then Shadow Organization told me he died for me. That he killed himself.”

Ethan stared at me, the question clear in his eyes.

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