Kiyomi’s elbow struck the man’s chest. With such a force, it wouldn’t be surprising if his ribs broke. But he only frowned slightly, and at the same time, he grabbed Kiyomi’s wrist that was pointing at him and smiled when he saw the blunt knife Kiyomi was holding.

The man twisted Kiyomi’s wrist. 

The video had no sound, but you could clearly see Kiyomi screaming in pain. The knife in his hand fell heavily to the floor.

The face seen from the side had no expression.

Jeong Taeui unconsciously clenched his fist. A corner of his chest felt cold. The surroundings were silent without a breath.

The man held Kiyomi’s other arm and choked him with one hand. That neck fit perfectly in his large hand. Wherever his fingers passed, they left a long black mark on Kiyomi’s neck.

Jeong Taeui frowned, staring at those marks. There wasn’t any mud here, so the glove couldn’t have been soaked in dirt. What the hell was that……

And then he suddenly realized.

It wasn’t black. It was a dark red streak so deep it looked black. Perhaps even the glove wasn’t black but drenched in some sticky red liquid……

The expression on Jeong Taeui’s face gradually disappeared. The moment he frantically speculated about the red liquid, the man holding Kiyomi’s neck in the video pressed his thumb on Kiyomi’s collarbone and stabbed.

“No way……”

Jeong Taeui involuntarily exclaimed. The images before his eyes were so vivid that his tongue froze, unable to speak. His spine chilled.

The finger that had just pierced the neck slowly withdrew. Those fingers were stained with a liquid even darker than before.

Kiyomi’s eyes turned white, convulsing like a duck with its throat cut. He was mercilessly thrown to the ground. Jeong Taeui rubbed his chest, his brows furrowing.

Once again, the man stood there, looking directly at the camera. Jeong Taeui rubbed his cold lips with his fingertips. He had met that gaze. It was still a pale, calm face, completely unreadable as the person who had just pierced someone’s neck with his bare hands. It made Jeong Taeui’s skin crawl even more.

He looked at the camera for a moment and suddenly sneered. Immediately after, the screen was covered by the black glove, and the video ended.

Next were other combat videos, but Jeong Taeui’s retinas seemed to have imprinted the last smile of that man. His heart shivered with cold.

“What…… is this person……”

Jeong Taeui vaguely whispered, and a gentle answer came to his ear.

“That’s a lunatic from the European branch. Rick, a madman whom no one in the European branch can touch.”

Tou’s expression hardened as he answered with a tired voice.

“Not just the European branch; he’s famous for being untouchable even at the headquarters and all other branches, that bastard.”

Carlo’s heavy voice came from behind him.

“Riegrow from the European branch. Also known as Mad Rick.”

“Riegrow……”

“Because of him, Kiyomi had to have a tube inserted down his throat and struggled with death. It’s lucky he received timely treatment and survived by a hair’s breadth.”

Jeong Taeui seemed to see the lingering image of the man in the video in others after that. He frowned, turning to look at Tou.

“Even so, doesn’t the organization have any measures? He was even caught on camera like that?”

Carlo laughed bitterly at that. A smile both bitter and harsh.

“Hey Tay, that’s called ‘training’. Moreover, it was a counterattack by an ‘unarmed member’ against ‘an armed member’. Everything you just watched was training, okay?”

“Ha…… anyway, that bastard has intentionally tried to kill people many times. He doesn’t even try to hide it. So he has to go to jail multiple times.”

Tou pointed to the floor as if remembering something.

“Oh, there’s a prison on the 7th basement floor. Anyone who goes in once and comes out is all bruised and battered. It makes sense. If you’re locked up in a dark place for a few months, that’s how it should be.”

“…… But if it’s that bastard, wouldn’t the guard be the one who loses hair and gets thin?”

Jeong Taeui listened to their whispers and rubbed his goosebump-covered arm.

Is it ‘I’ll tear you to pieces before you tear me to pieces?’

No, before that, he should tear apart the mouth that said, ‘If he smiles, he must be adorable.’

Jeong Taeui had thought he was good at reading people, but now it was the complete opposite.

Only now did he understand his colleagues’ reactions. Jeong Taeui kept rubbing his arm. His spine still trembled with cold. His heart pounded with anxiety and wouldn’t calm down. Black eyes pierced through the screen. A pale face. Black gloves. Red streaks whenever those fingers passed somewhere.

“……”

“Alright. Did everyone watch carefully? I will point out some key points to remember, so pay attention from now on.”

The instructor on the podium tapped the table lightly and spoke. Once again, the videos started playing. Jeong Taeui took a deep breath and carefully rewatched the videos. His heart felt heavy.

In the end, Jeong Taeui concluded that of the 36 strategies, fleeing is the best.

**********************

The library on the 5th basement floor was always quiet. Maybe that’s why sometimes he saw people sleeping with their faces buried in books between the old shelves.

Usually, he would sit and read in the deepest corner among the bookshelves, but today someone had taken that spot, so Jeong Taeui moved to the other side and sat down. There was a spacious table for six people. But when he sat there, one or two familiar faces would come over and start a conversation. That’s why he liked the hidden corner, but mainly because it was a place he could lie down and sleep whenever he felt sleepy.

Jeong Taeui flipped through the pages of the book he had just picked up and quietly glanced at the shelves.

But this peace didn’t last long. A member came to this corner to see if the book he was looking for was there. It was a familiar face.

“You’re here.”

Jeong Taeui glanced at the person. It was Yuan Ho. Qing was also approaching behind him.

Yuan Ho stepped forward, picked up the book Jeong Taeui was reading, and tilted it to one side.

“What are you reading? …… The Art of War? This kid sometimes reads strange books. Reading things like this won’t help in reality, buddy.”

“Do you know any books that summarize the 36 strategies so neatly?”

Jeong Taeui rudely replied and took back the book. When he tried to refute the notion that these classic theories were outdated, Yuan Ho waved his hand and took a step back.

“Yeah, yeah, look carefully. The strategy instructor will probably treat you well.”

Jeong Taeui briefly thought of his uncle. His uncle was in charge of strategy theory. He chuckled and said, ‘No way.’

His uncle wasn’t someone who favored model students. Frankly, his uncle tended to be interested in strange people. His uncle wasn’t an ordinary person either.

“But why suddenly mention the 36 strategies? Are you planning to run away?”

“Well…… The training video yesterday. After watching it, I thought that’s the only way to keep myself alive. If someone isn’t confident enough to win, they should flee. Even if life afterward is miserable, they can extend their days.”

Yuan Ho and Qing laughed heartily. They probably thought what he said was a joke.

“Some understand it, and some don’t…… Well. You look like someone who would survive even if thrown into the deep forest and come back.”

Qing nodded and muttered, Yuan Ho nodded in agreement.

Jeong Taeui wondered how his image had deteriorated so much in just a few days. But he couldn’t deny it, so he just shrugged. He thought it was the feeling his uncle often mentioned.

In a very brief moment, he could make decisions and quickly judge the best course of action or what was best within his capabilities. Weighing what to forgo and what to gain to achieve the highest efficiency when considering the opponent and himself.

However, if facing a lunatic like a monster, it’s best to throw away male pride and face reality. That means as soon as they meet, just run away immediately.

“But…… There’s no record here on how to run away best, huh……”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, flipping through the book. As expected, the two next to him laughed as if it were a joke.

Looking at their grinning faces made Jeong Taeui want to smash the book into their faces. He looked down at the book and then at their faces.

Jeong Taeui closed the book and took a pager from his pocket. He looked at the strange number. The pager was only used within the branch, but the number was unfamiliar. So far, he only knew the numbers of the Instructors who had contacted him.

“If it starts with 07, where is that?”

Jeong Taeui replied – “Huh?” – when he heard Qing’s voice beside him and looked down at his pager. He had nothing to hide. Qing continued.

“If it starts with 07, it’s a number from the ground floor, definitely an Assistant Warden.”

“An Assistant Warden? Who would call me from there……”

Jeong Taeui muttered, raising his eyebrows, then suddenly fell silent. He stared at Qing without blinking. Qing took a step back because his gaze felt intense.

“Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?”

“…… No…… Put this book back on the shelf for me.”

Jeong Taeui stood up, threw the book at Qing, and immediately ran outside.

“The shelf at the back?”

A shout echoed behind him, but Jeong Taeui just ran out of the reading room, pretending not to hear.

That useless memory. Right. If they didn’t contact him yesterday, it would be today! Going to bed disappointed last night and forgetting all about it.

The elevator was stopped on the ground floor, so not wanting to wait, Jeong Taeui took the stairs. Jeong Taeui panted, running from the 5th basement to the ground floor.

He rubbed his heaving chest and walked to the office door. Business hours were over, so only the night shift person was left.

Jeong Taeui took a deep breath at the door, then reached up to knock. If he saw this scene on camera later, his uncle would probably laugh his head off. Shortly after, the door opened.

Xinlu was the only one left in the office. He smiled brightly at Jeong Taeui.

“Taeil-hyung, you’re here.”

“Yeah…… uh…… Are you here alone?”

“Yes, I’m on night duty today…… I guess you’re busy too?”

“No, I was just reading in the library because I was free. Although it’s a bit annoying to be interrupted, I ran here immediately when called. But if you’re on night duty, you can’t go for a walk.”

“Yes. Today was Kippen’s turn, but he had an emergency, so I took his place. So it’ll be hard to go for a walk today, sorry.”

Xinlu apologized and whispered. Despite that, Jeong Taeui couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It was an announcement canceling the appointment.

Even though he tried not to show it, Jeong Taeui’s face gave him away. Xinlu hesitated, looking at his face, then smiled shyly.

“But I don’t have much work today, just sitting for the night…… Do you want to sit down for some tea before you leave? Not long ago, Vice Director Gentil brought me a very nice tea. If you’re not busy, stay and have some.”

“Hmm? Okay. I’m not busy…… What kind of tea is it?”

“It’s green tea buds. Do you like tea?”

“I’ve never had it. Is it green tea?”

“No. It’s fresh tea leaves…… It smells nice. I’ll bring it to you, try some.”

Xinlu went into a small room inside and tinkered for a while. The sound of water and teacups clinking could be heard.

Jeong Taeui hesitated, peeking through the door, then stealthily sat down and looked at the camera in the corner of the office.

Right, not being able to walk was fine. It would be wonderful to walk along the beach and see the starry sky and vast sea, but more importantly, being with Xinlu was more important. If they were together, even staying indoors was fine. They could have a quiet conversation over tea.