Somewhere in Europe.
Adrian did not return to his Zurich office.
Instead, he headed to a Parallax safehouse.
Alex's last words continued to linger in his mind.
'Imagine what will become of your future now that you've shown your face in front of me.'
'From now on, we're going to play hide and seek. The kind where you die the moment you're caught.'
'Hide well. If I see even a single strand of hair, you're dead.'
Pfft.
Words that should have made him laugh.
Words so boring they could have made him yawn.
How many threats had he received in his life?
That didn't even qualify as a threat.
To instill fear,
they were merely empty words thrown out on a whim.
That's what he thought.
And he was right.
Even so, those words strangely stuck in his ears.
They wouldn't be easily forgotten.
They kept nagging at him.
Even on his way to this safehouse,
Adrian had changed his route several times.
Because the thought that someone might be following him had flashed through his mind.
He had switched cars multiple times.
He wore a hat and a mask.
Even during the brief moments of getting out of the car,
he moved only through spots without CCTV.
He was fixated on preventing his face from being exposed to the outside.
It was thorough to the point of being excessive.
It was perfect.
He had moved far more meticulously than usual.
It wasn't because he was scared.
Nor because he was terrified.
He was merely being careful.
He simply didn't want to give any unnecessary excuse.
... That was all.
.
.
.
Having entered the safehouse, Adrian brewed and drank a cup of espresso.
A fragrant aroma rose first, followed by a bitter taste spreading through his mouth.
The crema floating atop the cup looked especially thick and rich.
As the espresso went down in one gulp,
his hazy mind grew clear.
Adrian slowly exhaled and replayed yesterday's events one by one.
There were no problems.
The negotiation hadn't gone properly, but
he hadn't expected to succeed at the first attempt.
He just had to keep probing, shaking, and pressuring.
If he pushed until the end,
he had no doubt that Adrian would ultimately be victorious.
The process of returning to the safehouse had been perfect as well.
He had constantly changed his route,
and hadn't exposed his movements.
There had been sufficient security personnel.
There had been no mistakes.
But.
It was strange.
An inexplicable discomfort continued to cling to him.
He kept feeling as if he was being chased.
This was the first time he'd felt this way since founding Parallax.
The sensation that someone was watching him.
It constantly made Adrian uneasy.
Whether it was because of Alex's words,
or simply due to fatigue, he couldn't tell.
Adrian set down the small espresso cup in his hand.
The moment he tried to dismiss this uncomfortable sensation as a mere delusion.
Knock knock.
The door burst open and his secretary entered.
Her face was deathly pale.
"Ch... Chairman."
Adrian's expression darkened.
"What is it?"
"We... a report just came in that Team 3 has been wiped out."
At that moment, Adrian's hand froze.
"What?"
Team 3.
They were the team in charge of outer perimeter security in Mauritius.
Adrian immediately raised his arm to check the time.
It had been exactly 24 hours since he parted with Alex.
It was exact.
No way.
Anxiety slowly crept through his body.
He could tell without even having to check.
Who had done it.
"The reason?"
Adrian asked in a low voice.
"They lost contact during movement, and were later discovered at the scene, all dead."
A brief silence.
"Understood."
Adrian nodded slightly.
His expression didn't change.
But his fingers trembled faintly.
.
.
.
The next day.
The chief secretary opened the door and entered again.
This time, she couldn't even string her words together properly.
"T... Team 2 has been wiped out as well."
Even hearing those words, Adrian didn't respond.
He simply stared out the window.
The city was peaceful as always.
People were walking,
cars were passing by,
filled with rivers of light.
As if nothing had happened.
But Adrian's mind was a mess.
Team 2 and Team 3.
Their commonality was that they had been deployed to Mauritius.
Other teams were fine.
There were no issues in other regions.
Only on that day.
Only the teams present at the scene were being precisely eliminated.
Adrian's pupils trembled slightly.
... Had he been found out?
If so,
did that mean this place wasn't safe either?
A moment of silence.
Adrian shook his head.
That couldn't be.
He had perfectly erased his traces on the way here.
He had come here hiding himself like a thief.
No one could know about this place.
No, no one should be able to know.
Even so, he couldn't hide his unease.
They had precisely targeted Teams 2 and Team 3.
It was no coincidence.
Was it because he had revealed his face then?
Or was there another reason?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Since that day, Adrian had not once slept comfortably.
******
Northern Mindanao Air Base.
Between the slightly opened hangar doors,
containers and pallets were visible.
Unable to fit inside the hangar,
equipment was stacked even on the road beside it.
They were all supplies airlifted from Korea.
Even at this very moment,
transport planes were shuttling back and forth like shuttles,
and cranes and forklifts were moving without rest.
Ammunition. Anti-tank weapons, communications equipment, various military supplies.
Just what had entered the air base was enough to set up an entire front line.
At sea, container ships were carrying even more weapons.
But the ones inspecting the weapons weren't the Philippine military.
It was the Obsidian Unit.
"No discrepancies in quantity."
"The numbers match."
"No defects."
Short, dry reports continued.
Allen slowly walked between the weapons.
He checked each weapon, each box, with his own eyes.
"Sort them by weapon type. Have them ready for immediate deployment."
"Yes, sir."
At Allen's orders, the Obsidian Unit immediately moved.
Beside him, someone was quietly watching this scene.
The very instigator of the civil war, and
officially the leader of the rebel army the Philippine government was hunting.
It was Simon.
But there was none of that atmosphere here.
It was all just a rigged game anyway.
Both the government and the rebels knew this wasn't dangerous.
On the contrary, looking at the weapons, ambition filled Simon's eyes.
"This is it?"
"Yes."
Simon asked, and Allen answered concisely.
"Wow, this is incredible. It's on a completely different level from what we used. It's all brand new stuff."
Simon approached the weapons and ran his hand over them as he spoke.
His touch was mixed with greed and affection.
"We always got smuggled goods. Used stuff. This is new."
Allen answered while checking the weapons.
"If the war with Parallax doesn't happen, does all of this go to us?"
Simon asked with a slight smile.
But his voice was already filled with greed.
"I suppose that will be up to the Boss to decide, won't it?"
Allen answered, deliberately avoiding Simon's gaze.
"Of course he will. But this is too much. And you said more is coming?"
At Simon's immature remark, Allen spoke as if scolding him slightly.
"This is what the Boss barely managed to bring in. It's the weaponry to destroy Parallax, and our trump card to avenge Dennis."
Hearing those words, Simon's expression hardened.
He withdrew his hand from the weapon he had been touching.
The greed-filled light in his eyes subsided.
"...Ah."
He let out a short breath.
It was the expression of someone who had realized what he'd been thinking.
The moment he recalled Dennis, his thoughts from moments ago felt childish.
Simon coughed.
"I didn't mean it like that... Ahem, is there anything else you need? We'll help."
Simon looked at him briefly.
"You're already helping us a lot. Just keep doing that."
Simon looked at the weapons once more.
But it wasn't the same greed as before.
It held something else.
.
.
.
"We've received the items you sent."
"I'm relieved they arrived safely."
Through the phone,
President Kim Minsu's calm voice was heard.
"Thank you for sending them so quickly. They arrived much faster than expected. Thanks to that, we've had time to prepare. It's been a great help."
This wasn't a formal greeting.
It was sincere.
Even though they were purchased with money,
a country doesn't move like this just for that.
A nation must proceed according to laws and procedures.
Should even the slightest problem arise in that process,
the media and political circles would make an issue of it and point fingers.
It could even end one's political career.
Not only that, but there would be international pressure.
The U.S. would demand explanations,
and Japan and Russia would openly express their displeasure.
China would... probably stay quiet.
Since they can just make a phone call.
Anyway.
President Kim Minsu had pushed forward with this matter despite all those risks.
All to help me.
And to rescue his kidnapped countrymen.
"It's to rescue our country's hostages. Of course we must do it."
"About that... I'm truly grateful."
A brief silence flowed.
They both knew.
Just how much he was risking to proceed with this.
Because they knew without needing explanation,
words were unnecessary.
They couldn't help but support each other.
"How are the hostages?"
"They're doing well. You needn't worry."
I closed my eyes for a moment and pictured the hostages.
A laugh escaped me.
The hostages must be having a good time.
Playing on white sandy beaches every day must be nice.
Eating what they want, doing what they wanted—it must be pleasant.
Since they can't contact the outside world, they probably don't have a worry in the world.
The hostages? Even they and their families could only communicate with the outside through NIS agents.
The families had come to the Philippines under the name of the 'Philippine Kidnapping Incident Family Countermeasure Committee.'
Their only task was to spend pleasant time with their families.
"We'll continue to count on you."
"Yes, I'll keep an eye on things."
"You know the field best, so I trust you."
"Thank you. I'll handle it well."
"If you need anything during the operation, contact me anytime."
"It's already more than enough."
"Still..."
"I'll contact you then."
"Then I'll wait for your call."
"Yes. Thank you."
The call ended.
.
.
.
After the call, I headed toward the hangar where Simon and Allen were.
The area around the hangar was extremely busy.
"How is it?"
"No issues. The count matches, and there are no defects."
Allen answered with a satisfied expression.
Seeing Allen's expression, I felt satisfied too.
For no reason, I felt a bit proud of my homeland.
"Korea's good at this kind of thing. They don't scam you."
"It seems so."
Allen agreed briefly.
"The tests?"
No matter how quickly they'd been brought in, testing was essential.
The weapons had to function in any situation.
Whether in heat, cold, desert, or jungle.
But understanding that difference,
and applying it in the field were entirely different matters.
Just as being able to drive a car
is different from driving on highways versus country roads.
Just as knowing how to swim
is completely different from swimming in a pool versus the sea.
Knowing how to use weapons
and handling them properly were entirely different matters.
Time was needed to get used to the new equipment.
Practice was needed, and adaptation was needed.
"As you instructed, we began testing the moment we received the weapons."
"Really? How are they? Good?"
I asked out of habit.
"There's something strange."
Allen said, tilting his head.
"Why, are they defective?"
Had a problem arisen?
I worried.
"No... They hit better than expected."
"What?"
"The specs state an 80% hit rate... but so far it's 100%."
"Really?"
Allen nodded and added.
"The range is also far greater than what's listed in the specs."
"That's a relief. It'll help with the operation."
I nodded.
"Yes. I believe it will help tremendously."
Allen spoke with a voice full of conviction.
Then Simon, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, cut in.
"By the way, is that bastard Adrian really going to come?"
"I don't think he'll come."
"Why?"
Allen answered, and I, curious about the reason, asked.
"We already eliminated Parallax's Team 3 and Team 2, haven't we? He's probably scared stiff right now."
"I think so too, but... he's an unpredictable man."
Given the current situation, Adrian couldn't come.
But Adrian always used different methods.
We couldn't let our guard down.
If he doesn't come, I'll go find him first.
.
.
.
"Have you located Adrian?"
I asked Chen Zihao.
Chen Zihao had found all the Parallax bastards through 'Tracenet.'
Even if they covered their faces, he could find where they were hiding through body type, gait, and movement.
Naturally, I thought Adrian's location would have been identified as well.
But.
"No. We couldn't find Adrian."
It was unexpected.
But if we couldn't find Adrian, we just had to take out his surroundings.
Just as Adrian had done to me.
"Won't he come out if we sweep through the guys around him?"
"He seems to have changed all his security personnel. The guys who guarded him in Mauritius are now in completely different places."
"Really?"
As expected of Adrian.
He was incredibly good at hiding like a rat.
He was probably hiding somewhere no one knew, planning another operation.
But I had no intention of just taking it either.
It was time to activate Plan B.