Indian Ocean.
Mauritius, Belle Mare Resort.
From morning on, the air here was thick with tension.
Today was the day of the meeting with Adrian, the head of Parallax.
Inside the resort, a suffocating tension permeated the atmosphere, as if it might explode at any moment.
The Obsidian Unit, which had arrived first.
And the Parallax vanguard.
It had been a brief time, but the psychological warfare between them had continued.
They couldn't do a single thing comfortably,
and not a single thing was allowed to be done easily.
They interfered with even the smallest details,
picking fights over trivial matters.
Deploying security personnel.
Checking movement routes.
Even opening a single door hadn't been easy.
All of it felt like small-scale combat.
Additional Obsidian Unit operators were deployed,
and additional main-force personnel joined from the Parallax side as well.
The resort, which would normally be bustling with tourists, had become a completely different space.
There were no people at the swimming pool or the beach,
and the sunbeds and gardens were completely empty.
Instead, armed individuals
wearing earsets could be seen everywhere.
It was a sight that was anything but ordinary to any observer.
It was like the calm before a storm.
Allen checked the time.
9:30 AM.
Only an hour and thirty minutes remained until the meeting.
Allen informed all members over the radio.
"All members, report situation."
- West perimeter, all clear.
- Rooftop sniper team, all clear.
- Main gate team, no problems.
The reports came back in turn.
All teams were holding their positions without issue.
"The meeting is at 11 today. Maintain focus until the very end."
- Yes.
A brief radio transmission came through the earset.
"Any movement on Gregor's side?"
- He's acting prickly, but there's nothing particularly suspicious.
Gregor had been acting prickly, but he wasn't doing anything strange.
Even so, Allen couldn't let his guard down.
Not until the moment the boss left this place.
Then a report came in.
"Report. Word is that the boss has arrived at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at this time."
- Estimated time of arrival?
"Based on ground transport, 10:42."
Allen checked the time.
A little over an hour remained.
Allen asked again.
"Does anyone know when the Parallax side will arrive?"
- The Parallax side is not sharing information.
Allen snickered.
It was only natural.
They were also keeping their VIP's movement route and arrival time secret.
"Good. Maintain focus until the end. Report even the slightest movement."
*******
"Nice."
It was the first thing I said after arriving in Mauritius.
I felt like I understood why people came here for their honeymoons.
The refreshing air,
the warm yet not oppressive sunlight.
The gentle breeze lightly brushed against my skin.
Just taking a deep breath
made my body feel lighter.
I looked at the prepared car.
The one that would take me to the meeting.
Saying "meeting" was a bit embarrassing, actually.
I was just going to see an old man's face once.
A kind of formal introduction? A meeting?
Was it about an hour by car to get there?
But I didn't want to take the car.
I checked if there was another means of transport.
"We've prepared a helicopter."
"Let's go by helicopter."
.
.
.
A large cafeteria at the center of the resort.
It had been converted into a meeting room.
A long table was placed in the middle.
On either side of that table, the Obsidian Unit and Parallax stood facing each other.
They were glaring at each other.
All weapons, including firearms, were prohibited in the meeting room.
They frisked each other's bodies upon entry.
Even during that process, some scuffling and tussling had occurred.
Everyone was on edge.
Not a single gun or word was spoken,
but the air was steeped with killing intent.
A brief peace like the calm before a storm continued,
the kind where a fight would break out with the slightest provocation.
Then.
The sound of a cane tapping against the floor came from the entrance.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Everyone's gaze turned to the entrance.
An old man leaning on a cane was slowly walking in.
His legs looked uncomfortable,
but his upper body looked surprisingly solid.
His back was ramrod straight,
and though his legs seemed unsteady, his steps did not waver.
And his eyes...
were extraordinary.
Oh. Scary.
I sat in my chair, watching the old geezer walk in.
I was briefly surprised by his intense impression, but nothing changed.
At the end of the day, this bastard was nothing but trash who killed Dennis.
A being who could not live under the same sky.
They say revenge is a dish best served cold,
but waiting for it to cool was difficult.
My heart was beating too hotly while waiting for that.
I wanted to kill that bastard right this instant.
The method was simple.
I just had to shoot him dead right here.
Pull out the gun from my inventory and fire.
Revenge would be easily completed.
But the moment I fired, countless Parallax members outside the meeting room would rush in.
Our Obsidian Unit would also swarm in together.
Someone on our team would get hurt, injured, suffer harm again.
I was taking revenge because losing Dennis made me furious,
but I didn't want to lose another person in the process.
I didn't want to cause other harm.
I wanted to proceed as cleanly as possible.
So when taking down a bastard like that, I had to be more careful and prepare more perfectly.
Either crush him with overwhelming force, or kill him so quietly that not even mice or birds would know.
That was the best way to minimize damage.
Regardless of my gaze, the old geezer approached with an indifferent expression and sat before me.
Even his sitting motion showed no openings.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Adrian."
He extended his hand.
"Alex."
I gave my name simply and took Adrian's extended hand.
Adrian observed my face for a moment and smiled as if amused.
"Your eyes are those of a soldier, but I suppose you aren't military?"
"Why do you think that?"
"Don't military men usually stand to greet their opponent? That's what I learned at the DGSE too."
This bastard was starting with a battle of wills from the get-go.
'Stand up and greet me because I'm your superior?'
He was trying to implant the notion that 'I am your superior' before starting the conversation.
Guys like me who didn't learn that stuff when we were young don't know such things.
Especially in front of this bastard, I want to know even less.
"Ah~ that? I only stand for people above me or people I'm glad to see. You create this shitty atmosphere and expect that kind of hospitality? Old man, you can't read the room as well as you look? I guess that talk about being able to tell right from wrong was a lie too."
I looked around the meeting room, grinning as I spoke.
"Hahaha. I wasn't expecting hospitality. I just need to take what I came to take."
Sly bastard.
He brushed off my attack with a laugh.
"What should I do, I don't have anything to give? Rather, shouldn't I be the one receiving compensation? I suffered some damage too."
I shrugged as I spoke.
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Take what you came to take... I wondered why you acted so fearlessly, but seeing your face, I understand. When you're that young, you're brave. You wouldn't know how scary the world is. Right now, the world must seem like it's all yours, mustn't it? But the world is far uglier and deeper than you think."
Adrian spoke in a calm, gentle voice, as if giving advice.
I fired right back.
"Old man, you have a real talent for missing the mark. Is that cane for missing the mark too? How do you miss on absolutely everything? Do I look like I came all the way here on a whim?"
"No?"
Adrian leaned closer to the table as if genuinely curious.
He pulled his chair right up.
"It's not a whim. I can't tell you because it's a trade secret, but I have some pretty decent skills myself."
"Well, if you say so. I'm not that curious about your know-how. It's probably just some petty trick that only works in the rural backwaters of the Philippines."
Adrian nodded.
Adrian didn't seem very curious about my trade secret.
He gave up too easily.
The fact that he just accepted it without a fight made me even angrier.
"Let's leave it at that. But I have something I'm curious about too."
"What is it?"
"Does Parallax have no talent? Old man, you don't even seem able to walk properly. At your level, shouldn't you retire and rest? Shall I buy you a resort here? Want to rest there? If you want, I'll introduce you to a prospective bride too. Lots of people come here for honeymoons, so how about living here in perpetual honeymoon?"
I glanced at his leg and spoke mockingly.
A brief silence flowed, and Adrian laughed loudly.
"Kahaha. Amusing. If you buy me a resort, I'll gladly accept. But let's settle accounts first. We can add the resort later."
"So what do you want? What do you want that you keep presenting these invalid bills?"
I rested my chin on my hand and looked at Adrian.
"Our recovery team that you took out. And the Singapore team. And Mateo and Victor, too. There's much to calculate. What will you pay with? Cash is fine, gold is fine, or weapons if you must—though those are hard to value well. We have plenty of weapons too."
Adrian counted on his fingers as he spoke slowly.
"Old man, you really don't know how the world works. The recovery team came to steal and got blown away. The Singapore team paid the price for executing Dennis, so there's no issue there. And Mateo and Victor are still alive. So it's too early to put them on the scales."
I likewise unfolded my fingers one by one as I spoke.
"Haha. Interesting. I can't even remember the last time I met someone like you. Fresh, I like it. Delightful. Kahaha. This is why I can't leave the field."
"I think you can leave more than enough. Don't be a nuisance to others and retire at the appropriate time. I'll buy you a resort. You can play and eat there. But I have absolutely no intention of paying compensation. Okay? If you understand, I'll be going now."
"Oh ho. Young friend, you're so impatient. I haven't even brought up my main point yet."
"You asked for money, I said no. Then isn't it over? Why are you dragging this out? Still have regrets? Is Parallax out of money? Can't pay the kids' salaries without compensation? Isn't that too pathetic?"
Even so, Adrian maintained a relaxed expression.
He was unfazed.
"I have many regrets. There's a mountain of things I must receive from you."
"I said I can't give them. If you're going to bring a bill, bring a proper one, not something scribbled together like this."
Adrian spoke with a smile, in a very soft, gentle voice.
"Do you think I've only seen one or two kids who talk like you? But in the end, they all put their money on the table. They'd sell their organs if they didn't have enough."
"Really?"
"I'm a man who loves conversation, so I want to settle things with words as much as possible. We're enjoying this right now, aren't we?"
"Fun. Continue."
"I must receive compensation for the assets you destroyed. One hundred million dollars in compensation. And I want the Phantom Grid."
Adrian spoke decisively, as if delivering an ultimatum.
Adrian was utterly serious as he said this.
"Hahahaha. Old people are always so greedy. You really can't read the world. Watch some YouTube and see how the world turns. Or maybe you watch too much YouTube? YouTube only shows you the world you want to see. Anyway, I have absolutely no intention of paying compensation. Instead, a Phantom Grid sale is possible. I'd be willing to sell it for ten billion dollars."
"Tsk tsk tsk. Young friend, you don't listen to advice."
Adrian spoke as if slightly frustrated.
It was the look of someone watching a child who couldn't understand despite being told something good for him.
"The guys who listened to that advice all died. That's why I'm greater for having survived by not listening."
I spoke somewhat smugly.
Adrian snickered.
"By those friends, do you mean 'Okapi Sting'?"
The moment I heard those words, I froze solid.
That, and from Adrian's mouth—
I hadn't thought the words "Okapi Sting" would come out here.
I hadn't even imagined it.
Okapi Sting was a name we used among ourselves.
It was a nickname given to our team.
Okapi Sting was extremely famous in Congo, but
that only meant the team called Okapi Sting was famous. As for the individual members, their identities were kept under absolute security.
So if the name Okapi Sting had come up,
it meant it had come from within the military.
Okapi Sting was our pride and our symbol.
It was the achievement my brothers and I had earned, our trophy.
I hated the thought of it being sullied by other people’s mouths, by other people’s hands.
So we hid it thoroughly.
I thought we had hidden it well enough, in our own way,
so being found out by an old man like this was disconcerting.
And hearing it come from Adrian’s mouth made me angry.
Especially in a form that mocked my brothers.
Adrian was insulting them.
Before I knew it, my expression changed.
The playfulness I had carried until now,
the urge to needle this old geezer, vanished in an instant.
This was no longer a simple first meeting, no longer just a meeting.
Now I had a lot of questions to ask.
I barely managed to calm my heart, which felt like it might burst out of my chest, and spat out more words laced with mockery.
“You sure prepared a lot, old man. But ‘Okapi Sting’ is far too sacred a term to come out of that filthy mouth of yours, don’t you think? If you want to live what little life you have left properly, you’d better be careful with your choice of words.”
“Is that so? I prepared much more, so that’s a bit of a shame. ‘Candyboy.’”
Adrian spoke with a sly smile on his face.
The moment I heard those words.
The moment the word “Candyboy” came out of Adrian’s mouth, I felt strange.
Anger surged up inside me,
then shrank back from somewhere.
I was ashamed.
Ashamed that someone who knew my past was sitting in front of me.
In front of this man, I felt naked.
It felt like there was nothing I could use to hide myself.
Should I just kill him?
Should I just kill him and die too?
I thought of my inventory.
Dozens of guns were lined up inside it.
All I had to do was choose, and a gun would fall into my hand. Then I’d only have to pull the trigger.
That would be the end.
Then, at the very least, I would achieve my goal of killing Adrian.
He was probably wearing a bulletproof vest, so I just needed to aim precisely between his brows.
The distance between Adrian and me was less than a meter.
It was not a distance I could miss from.
One shot would be enough.
But I had to endure it.
Only then could I protect the people here.
If I pulled out a gun here, it would become a major incident.
Obsidian Unit and Parallax would collide.
Everyone might get tangled together and destroy themselves.
I clenched my teeth.
More importantly, just how much did this old geezer know?
What else did he know?
All at once, I became cautious.
I started to feel afraid to speak.
When I said nothing,
Adrian continued.
“We had a hard time too. Why do you have so many names? You’re the first person we’ve ever spent this long digging into. How did you separate your identities so perfectly? It’s simply fascinating. Ah, come to think of it, I’ll have to charge you for the information team’s operating expenses too. We spent quite a lot of money investigating you, you see. Kkeol-kkeol-kkeol.”
His face was filled with the expression of a victor who had completely won.
I clenched my fists tight.
I could not even remember the last time I had been this angry.
Powerlessly, all I could do was clench my fists and keep my mouth shut.
It was my complete defeat.