The only thing more dangerous than fear, is indifference.

“Fool,” said the Madman, “long have I dreamed of this moment, for it is only once in a lifetime that a man gets to kill his best friend.”<br><br>Old Buddhalong looked at the madman in surprise. “Is that what you call it?” he asked.<br><br>“Yes,” said the Madman. “I have been planning this for quite some time. I have spent years studying the ancient art of ninjutsu. I have spent months gathering intelligence. And I have spent days preparing the environment.”<br><br>Buddhalong sighed, knowing that he was beaten. “Go on,” he said.<br><br>“Yes. Well, you see, my plan was quite simple. All I had to do was wait until you were alone and unguarded, and then attack. I would strike quickly and silently, before you had time to react. And then I would kill you, right here, right now.”<br><br>Buddhalong looked at the Madman in horror. “You’re insane,” he said.<br><br>The Madman grinned. “You have no idea.”<br><br>And with that, Buddhalong knew he was doomed. He tried to run, but the Madman was too fast. He tried to fight, but the Madman was too skilled. And in the end, he was killed by the Madman, right there on the spot.<br><br>But as he died, Buddhalong realized something. The Madman had been wrong. Killing him hadn’t made him feel any better. In fact, it had made him feel much worse.<br><br>And so, Buddhalong’s spirit went to the afterlife, where he found that the Madman was waiting for him. “You won,” said Buddhalong. “You killed me, and you got away with it. I guess you were right.”<br><br>The Madman smiled. “I told you,” he said. “I’m a ninja.”<br><br>Buddhalong laughed. “But you were wrong about one thing.”<br><br>“Yeah? What’s that?”<br><br>“The only thing more dangerous than fear, is indifference. Because if people are indifferent to your actions, they won’t care that you’re doing something bad. But if they’re afraid of you, they’ll try to stop you.”<br><br>The Madman nodded thoughtfully. “I see what you mean. Thank you, old Buddhalong. You taught me a valuable lesson today.”<br><br>Buddhalong smiled. “Anytime, my friend. Anytime.”<br><br>And so, Buddhalong and the Madman became friends. They lived happily ever after, killing and destroying things together, until the end of time.<br><br>How did you guess this was a quote from Killing Buddha, the second book in the Buddha Series by Scott Lynch?