When the words [Approved] appeared on the screen, Aquino’s eyes widened. The corners of his mouth curled up, unconsciously forming a smile.

It took only a few brief seconds to launch the sole program stored in this memory card and to wait to see if it would run smoothly. Those few seconds of waiting felt like an eternity, and finally, when the approval sign confirmed that the code had been successfully decrypted, Aquino almost burst out laughing.

Success. It was done!

This program had been verified as the correct decryption file, neither counterfeit nor mistakenly decrypted. Now, all that was left to do was to send it to the client, and everything would be finished. With that, this job of his would be over, and a substantial sum of money would be his.

Aquino did not hesitate and immediately pressed the button to send the file to the web storage device the client had provided him earlier. This device could only send the file at a precisely designated time. He had been worried that he might miss the deadline, but fortunately, he managed to send it just in time.

And just like that, his task was complete. Once the file had been sent, he could leave this security center, go anywhere he wanted, and do whatever he pleased. Perhaps he would rest at a serene resort or indulge in luxury on bustling streets.

The few brief seconds it took to send the file still felt like an eternity. In those long, drawn-out seconds, Aquino thought about what he would do upon leaving here. Ah, right, the first thing would be to go back to Rick and Alain to report that the mission had been successfully completed. Then——ah yes, that person too.

Aquino unconsciously furrowed his brow.

That’s right, that person, the one who impersonated Shima Qinwei. Although this mission had gone smoothly, he needed to thoroughly investigate why that individual had done so. How had they obtained the codes? If their intent had been to steal the codes, who was behind it pulling the strings? There were too many suspicious factors.

And, there were Rick and Alain as well.  

“…… Tsk.”

Aquino grimaced and clicked his tongue.

Anyway, though they had completed the mission together, he couldn’t stand those two.

Especially that Alain, who was always grinning annoyingly, making it impossible to figure out what he was thinking. And Rick as well.

Aquino had hated Rick since their time at the European branch of UNHRDO. Rick cared about no one but himself and always did as he pleased——but Rick was too strong, and no one could do or say anything to him.

Everything Rick did was an eyesore, infinitely suspicious and incomprehensible.

From the start, the very reason why Rick joined this mission alongside him had deeply irritated him. Who had recommended Rick? Aquino had even secretly investigated but couldn’t find any leads, which only frustrated him further. 

It felt as if someone was mocking him, that no matter what he did, he would never be able to beat that guy in his lifetime.

Aquino ground his teeth and muttered:

“Damn it…… Ilay Riegrow……”

“Aha, well, that’s perfect. I didn’t like you from the start either.”

When a deep voice echoed from behind, Aquino jumped in shock as though struck by lightning. He immediately sprang up from his chair and turned to look. The chair toppled onto the floor with a loud thud.

He was certain he had been alone in this private room of the security center, equipped with multi-layered security systems allowing only authorized personnel access; yet Rick had suddenly appeared there. Standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall near the door, Rick stared directly at Aquino. Who knew how long he had been standing there.

“How——How——.”

“Is it sent yet?”

Only when Rick said that did Aquino suddenly remember the screen and turned around. At that moment, the number jumping from 98%, 99% had reached 100%, signaling the transmission process was complete.

It’s done. Now, no matter who comes to interfere, it’s too late. Everything is finished.  

Aquino grinned broadly, revealing his teeth, hurriedly turning off the program and then shutting down the computer. But then, he felt bewildered and fearful at the presence of this man behind him, like a ghost.

“Alright——So this mission is complete. But…… how did you get in here?”

Aquino turned to ask Rick. Instinctively, a sense of vigilance arose within him. Why was this man here? How did he gain access? Could it be that he intended to steal the code——But he had already sent it. That meant this man had failed. Aquino smirked slightly.

Rick shrugged indifferently.

“How what? Is there any place I want to go that I can’t? Oh, and more importantly, does this mean this whole thing is completely over?”

“Yes, it’s over. Nothing you do now will make any difference.”

“Do?”

Rick chuckled.

“You misunderstand. I don’t care that you sent Eric Dustiff the decryption key related to the Mali Front. I’m not interested in that code at all.”

Aquino widened his eyes. This matter must be kept secret——except for a very few people, no one is supposed to know, and he certainly shouldn’t have known. How did he find out?

“I just need to confirm that the recipient you sent it to is Dustiff……. That’s right, if the code has been successfully sent, then by now the sender and recipient information must have been delivered to my client already, right?”

Rick added with a smile: “The program in that memory card is designed with such a secret code system.”

Aquino glared at Rick and gritted his teeth, muttering:

“……What is your purpose?”

“Purpose? What does that have to do with me? My client wants to know who needs the decryption; I just investigate and inform them, and what they do with that information is none of my business. So my task is complete.”

“So you came here to confirm the recipient?”

“No, if that were all, I wouldn’t need to come here. I already knew beforehand. The confirmation notification would be sent automatically anyway.”

Aquino stared at Rick suspiciously, then gritted his teeth and asked: “Then why……?” Rick sneered as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“I already told you, I didn’t like you from the beginning.”

But Aquino could feel Rick’s voice growing colder. It was like a stream of icy water dripping down his chest.

Aquino hastily searched his distant memories to recall the ‘first time’ Rick had mentioned. He had met Rick for the first time at the European branch of UNHRDO nearly a decade ago……

“It’s not something so far back. I don’t even remember clearly what you were like back then. What I mean is, I haven’t liked you since the first day you came here.”

Rick lowered his voice, speaking as if he could read Aquino’s thoughts. In the moment Aquino thought that Rick’s deep voice sounded strangely familiar, then……  

A powerful blow struck. Before he could understand what was happening, Aquino was knocked backward, slammed into the computer and desk, and fell to the ground with a resounding thud. Aquino only realized that Rick had slapped him after hearing the crashing sound of the machinery.

It seemed like his jawbone had been broken, but he didn’t feel any pain. Aquino tried to twist his neck, it made a cracking sound, then he opened his eyes wide to look at Rick. Rick was standing right in front of him, with an incredibly composed expression. He grabbed Aquino’s collar and pulled him up.

“You, you——”

“How dare you go around hitting people indiscriminately like that?”

Aquino stammered and couldn’t utter a single word, while the guy who had just hit him casually said that. Then Rick delivered another powerful punch in the opposite direction. Aquino’s face was struck to the side and made a cracking sound.

Aquino held his breath. In that moment, anger, fear, and worry about Rick surged through Aquino’s mind.

Why? Why suddenly like this? For what reason?

Before he could think it through, a third blow came crashing down, and only now did Aquino begin to fight back.

However, even when using all the strength in his body to retaliate – throwing punches, elbow strikes, and kicking at Rick – Aquino knew he could not possibly defeat this monster.

It was a truth he had paid a steep price to learn a long time ago, back when he was at the European branch——and now, unease and fear were spreading more and more within his mind.

During the struggle, he suddenly noticed the gloves the man was wearing. A pair of jet-black gloves. Even if they were stained red with blood, they would not reveal any trace. Aquino shuddered, goosebumps rising all over.

It wasn’t clear how much time had passed; it felt both agonizingly long and like the blink of an eye. Aquino lay sprawled out on the floor, panting feebly, completely different from his well-groomed appearance earlier. Rick nudged him lightly with the tip of his shoe as if he had just finished warming up.

“Don’t quit so early, we haven’t even started yet.”

“—, —, why, —.”

Rick tilted his head, looking at Aquino, who could only manage to utter incoherent sounds. Then he slowly crouched down and looked down at Aquino from above. Aquino struggled to look at Rick with his swollen eyes, forcing himself to look at the corner of Rick’s mouth, which was slightly curved in a smirk.

“No matter how furious I get to the point of losing my mind, with no outlet to vent, I wouldn’t dare lay a hand on him. Yet someone else dares to hit him, is that alright……? Hmm?”

He said incomprehensible words. Aquino tried to think but couldn’t figure it out. Did this guy hit someone? Someone who shouldn’t be touched——could it be someone considered Rick’s Achilles’ heel?

“Even going as far as breaking his arms and shooting through his legs…… Oh no, now I realize I forgot to bring my gun. I was planning to return the exact same favor you did to him…… Well, guess I can’t.”

Hearing him mutter about using something else to pierce through, Aquino’s eyes widened. After hearing that sentence, Aquino finally guessed the person Rick was referring to.

“That, that, that person……”

But why? Why would it be that person……?

Ilay adjusted his slightly disheveled glove while looking down at the bewildered Aquino with wide-open eyes, then let out a laugh.

“I’m sure you know. There’s not a single person close to me who doesn’t know his name.”

When Ilay mumbled: “People must think it’s strange that I’m with him, right?” Aquino suddenly remembered something.

He remembered. Over the past few years, Rick had always been around a certain man. A young Asian man, who seemed to be named——. 

“Actually, you didn’t do anything wrong. In your position, completing the assigned task accurately isn’t wrong. It’s not wrong, but…… the target wasn’t good.”

Rick put on his gloves, clenching and unclenching a few times to check the condition, then looked down at Aquino.

“You’re just unlucky, Aquino.”

Rick smirked. Immediately after, his jet-black glove came down, completely covering Aquino’s view.