Indian Ocean.
Mauritius.
Hot sunlight poured down over the white sandy beach.
The sea was unbelievably clear.
The few tourists there lay on the beach, sipping cocktails and enjoying the warm sunshine.
It was a peaceful scene.
Allen watched them closely.
They were people he did not need to concern himself with.
In any case, they would all be checking out and leaving tomorrow.
Even so, Allen did not let a single thing pass unchecked.
A meeting with the head of Parallax.
For that reason alone, this resort was no different from a battlefield right now.
Allen began his inspection from the parking lot behind the resort.
He was not dressed in black tactical gear, but he was not dressed like a traveler either.
He was simply wearing comfortable clothes.
He did not want to stand out,
but he was not trying particularly hard to hide either.
Allen spoke into his earpiece.
“Rooftop of the east building.”
“We’re checking it now.”
“How is it?”
“It’s a position fully capable of supporting a sniper.”
“Take up position there and keep watch in three shifts. Do not leave it unattended under any circumstances. From now on, comms check every hour. On D-day, radio confirmation every ten minutes.”
“Roger.”
“Support team. Hotel CCTV?”
“We’ve secured all of it.”
“The network?”
“We separated it independently. We’re using a separate network. There’s no overlap.”
“The basement?”
“Parking lot. Service tunnels. Even the piping has all been checked. No unusual findings, including explosives.”
The inspection was over.
It seemed they were perfectly prepared.
And yet Allen still could not feel at ease.
He lifted his head and looked around once more, as if checking the surroundings again.
The buildings, the terrain, the people—he examined them closely once more.
He was not simply looking.
He was hypothesizing scenarios and calculating.
Situations kept unfolding in his mind,
and he thought up responses suited to each one.
‘Rooftop of the east building—sniper deployment possible—surveillance team deployed.’
‘Western palm tree line—sniper concealment possible—patrol unit operating. Patrols every hour.’
‘Parking lot entrance—vehicle ramming possible—barricades installed.’
‘Service passage beside the pool—high possibility of infiltration route—guards stationed.’
The inspection seemed to be over.
And yet he still could not relax.
Then, suddenly, the sea came into view.
Allen slowly walked toward the beach.
He took off his shoes and stepped into the water.
The cold seawater covered his ankles.
He scooped up the water with his hand to check the temperature, then went a few steps farther in to check the depth as well.
“If they approach by sea, if they come in by speedboat, do we have countermeasures? At this depth, they could push in by speedboat, boat, or jet ski.”
“…I think that will be difficult.”
A weak reply came through the earpiece.
There was no point in scolding them here.
They could review what had been missed later and add it to the system.
Right now was the time to focus on the security inspection.
There was no need to pointlessly crush the team’s morale.
“Prepare boats and install radar as well. Add maritime security.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Not even a single jellyfish comes in from the sea.”
“Understood.”
Allen turned back toward the resort.
Through the earpiece, he addressed every member of the team.
“Do not think of this as a simple meeting. We don’t know what these bastards may have already done, and we don’t know what they’ll do next. Inspect the facility as if we’re under wartime conditions. Report even the smallest gap.”
“Yes, sir.”
A short but firm answer came back.
The Obsidian Unit scattered again and began the facility security inspection from the beginning.
As if preparing for war.
******
Zurich, Switzerland.
Zurich Airport Business Aviation Center.
A terminal exclusively for private jets, completely separate from ordinary passenger aircraft.
A black sedan entered the airport.
That sedan went through neither security screening nor departure procedures.
No one stopped the car.
The sedan entered the airport naturally,
then sped without hesitation down an empty runway.
The black sedan headed toward a large hangar.
When the car door opened, a man slowly stepped out.
Gray hair. A cane.
And an expressionless face that showed no emotion.
The head of Parallax.
It was Adrian.
As Adrian got out, the man waiting for him bowed his head.
“We’re ready for departure.”
As Adrian stepped out of the car, he instinctively scanned the surroundings.
It was a habit ingrained in his body since his days with France’s DGSE.
Instantly grasping the situation and picking out risk factors.
It was the weapon—and instinct—that had allowed him to survive in this world.
The hangar, the private jet, the security personnel.
Everything was ready.
“Where did you say it was?”
Adrian asked indifferently, as if he had no interest at all.
“Dubai. After handling business in Dubai for two days, you’ll move on to Mauritius.”
“Is Mauritius where I’m meeting that friend?”
“That is correct.”
Adrian’s face took on a satisfied look.
“Mauritius… A fine place. For a honeymoon.”
“It is.”
The subordinates around him chuckled softly and agreed.
“Did that friend say he was coming too?”
“Yes. He said he would come in person.”
“That’s how it should be. That’s what makes it fun.”
Adrian smiled slowly and headed toward the private jet.
His steps were slow, but strangely, he dominated the air around him.
As he walked with his cane, he asked lightly,
“How are the preparations going?”
“Forty security personnel, and the support team is being organized separately. The advance party has already headed to Mauritius.”
Adrian stopped walking.
“Will that be enough?”
“Pardon?”
The subordinate was startled.
It was ample security personnel.
No, it was enough security personnel to be considered excessive.
And yet he was asking if it would be enough.
“That friend… might come to kill me, you know?”
At those words, the subordinate’s face stiffened for a moment.
But Adrian showed no sign of tension at all.
If anything, he looked pleased.
It was the expression of someone looking forward to what might happen.
“It’s fun, isn’t it?”
Adrian paused briefly, then continued.
“Still, I can’t die there, so prepare thoroughly.”
“Ah… Understood.”
The subordinate bowed his head.
When Adrian boarded the private jet, the door closed.
Then it moved onto the runway and took off toward Dubai.
******
The eastern coast of Mauritius.
Belle Mare, a top-class resort embracing an emerald sea.
Behind the peaceful sound of waves, a suffocating tension wrapped around the entire resort.
Allen sat in a café overlooking the resort, drinking a cup of coffee.
An earpiece was in his ear.
His gaze was directed toward the sea,
but his attention was focused on the radio chatter of the Obsidian Unit deployed throughout every corner of the resort.
Just then, five black SUVs glided into the resort entrance.
The people who got out of the vehicles looked far removed from tourists.
Restrained movements and cold gazes.
They were Parallax’s advance party.
After sweeping their eyes over the surroundings once,
they walked naturally into the resort.
Allen went out to meet them.
Behind Allen, members of the Obsidian Unit fell in.
They had not drawn their guns,
but their hands rested where they could reach them.
From the Parallax side, a man stepped forward.
He was dressed in a neat suit.
Looking at Allen, he gave a light smile and greeted him.
“Good to meet you. I’m Gregor.”
“Good to meet you. Allen.”
Allen lightly took the hand Gregor offered.
“You arrived early.”
Gregor was the first to throw a verbal jab.
It was a reproach asking what he was so afraid of that he had come this early.
“There was a lot to inspect.”
Allen answered without being flustered.
“Is that so? Then we’ll be busy too.”
Gregor replied glibly.
“We’ve finished the inspection. There should be no problems. As long as you don’t do anything particularly strange.”
Allen answered with a barb of his own.
Gregor laughed.
“Haha. Good. Still, we have our own inspection process. I think we’ll have to inspect according to that.”
“As much as you like. But I’d prefer it if you didn’t touch the security system we’ve established.”
At Allen’s answer, Gregor deliberately put on a troubled expression and spoke.
“I’d like to do that, but… if you look over there.”
Gregor pointed to the rooftop of the east building.
“That’s not a place where there should be snipers.”
“That is why our security team is on standby there at all times. So a sniper cannot take position.”
Gregor’s face drew close to Allen’s.
Close enough for their breaths to touch.
“How could we leave that entirely to your side? Shouldn’t our team be there too? How would we know when your side might take out a sniper rifle?”
Allen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Are you saying you can’t trust us?”
“This isn’t a matter of trust.” Gregor shrugged.
After briefly glancing around, Gregor said,
“We’ll begin our security inspection now. I ask for your understanding.”
Allen nodded.
“I understand. But since we don’t know what you people might do, our team will confirm things together with you.”
“Are you saying you’ll monitor us?”
Gregor’s eyes narrowed.
He made no attempt to hide his displeasure.
“Let’s call it cooperation. After all, the goal is to keep this resort safe, isn’t it?”
At Allen’s words, Gregor said nothing.
A brief silence settled over the resort.
Gregor slowly spoke.
“Even so, it doesn’t feel good.”
“Given the situation, I ask for your understanding. This is an important matter, isn’t it?”
Gregor’s expression changed.
The plan was going subtly awry.
Originally—under normal circumstances—
the moment they arrived here, they should have seized the initiative.
They should have taken control of the resort
and drawn up an entirely new security plan so that Parallax could operate comfortably.
But.
The security inspection had already been completed.
The rooftops. The parking lot. Even the main routes had all been arranged.
And now they were saying that if he wanted to conduct an inspection, he had to do it together with their team.
They called it cooperation, but it was clearly surveillance.
It was far too obvious that they would not change a single thing in the security system they had already installed.
Nor was there any justification to demand changes.
Even at a glance, the security system already seemed to have been handled at the highest level.
All Gregor could do was deploy a few Parallax agents there.
To make sure the existing security team did not get any ideas.
Gregor did not like this situation.
No one said anything to him, but Gregor instinctively felt pressure.
This resort felt exceedingly uncomfortable.
He wanted to draw his gun right now, kill every one of these bastards,
and slowly do whatever he pleased with the resort.
But it would not be easy.
Even at a glance, they looked like well-trained people.
And there was a considerable difference in numbers.
He slightly regretted not bringing more people as part of the advance party.
Reluctantly, he allowed it.
“Let’s do that. We’ll confirm things together.”
Gregor and Allen formed teams and began inspecting every corner of the resort again.
When Gregor tried to check an entrance, Allen spoke.
“You can’t open that door. We put encrypted security on it. If you touch it, alarms will go off across the entire resort.”
“We need to open it and check.”
Gregor, too, answered without backing down.
“Is there really a need to open this entrance and check it? No, will there ever be a need to use this door?”
“……”
Gregor looked at Allen without a word.
“Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to reduce movement routes as much as possible? This is an unnecessary route, so let’s block it off. If you want to deploy an agent here instead, I’ll allow that.”
Gregor’s eyes narrowed.
He did not like the fact that he was receiving permission in a space they should have been controlling.
But there was no justification for opposing it either.
Here, doing so was correct.
Gregor himself would have done the same.
It was reasonable, but humiliating.
At least, that was how Gregor felt.
“…We’ll deploy an agent.”
They moved to the next area.
It was a sniper point on the rooftop.
The Obsidian Unit had already taken the position there first.
Near the railing.
It was the best spot, overlooking the entire resort.
It was not a place that could simply be passed over.
It was one of the most important positions in the resort.
From the resort’s main gate to the central garden,
and to the entrance of the main building where the conference room was located.
It was a key place where most of the major routes came into view at once.
The Obsidian Unit had already taken that position.
With sniper rifles, no less.
“We can’t accept this. We’ll deploy our sniper team here as well.”
“That won’t do. The space is too cramped. If two teams are here, even a minor misunderstanding could lead to an accident.”
In Gregor’s eyes as well, the space was not wide.
Even so, he could not give up that position.
“You’re telling us to simply give up a place with a clear view of the routes just because it’s narrow? We can’t do that.”
Allen thought for a moment, then offered a compromise.
“There’s a way. We’ll raise the railing a little higher and put up a structure. Then shooting downward will be impossible, while the view upward will remain secured.”
“And the sniper team?”
“A sniper team prepared for external enemies can still be deployed.”
It was a measure that was sufficiently reasonable.
Even so, Gregor did not like it.
“Still, we will deploy our team.”
“Then we’ll pull out half of our team. Only half of yours may come in.”
After thinking for a moment, Gregor nodded.
That was the best method.
In that way, the resort’s security inspection proceeded.
But the more they looked around, the stiffer Gregor’s expression became.
The areas they checked were almost exactly the same.
Dangerous routes, structures that could become threats. Positions where sniping was possible. Escape routes.
Everything had already been inspected.
The measures taken in response seemed perfect as well.
Gregor grew more and more irritated.
It felt as though there was nothing for them to do.
They had clearly come to confirm and inspect, but in truth, there was nowhere they could lay a hand.
All they could do was nod and give an “OK” sign.
Gregor felt as though this was a place where he was not welcome.
It was a top-class resort, but it felt extremely uncomfortable.