Kai's car raced forward at full speed, slicing through the wind, rushing into a desolate stretch where not a single house could be seen for miles. But she wasn't alone. A man sat in the passenger seat beside her, trembling, terrified...as if he had just brushed shoulders with death itself.
Kai's eyes, however, were fixed only on the road ahead. Her face bore the intensity of a predator.....a wolf charging relentlessly toward its prey.
Moments later, the car screeched to a halt in front of the old carbon factory. Its walls, blackened and cracked, seemed to whisper threats of their own, as if daring anyone to step inside.
Kai stepped out of the car, followed by the trembling man. From the trunk, she pulled out a bag and, with nothing more than a gesture, ordered him to follow.
They entered the factory, heading straight to a room swallowed in darkness, lit only faintly by scattered rays of light. Tattoo designs covered every wall, their sharp lines and haunting figures giving the place a strange kind of life. Despite being in the ruins of a charred, abandoned factory, the room itself was unexpectedly clean and orderly.
Kai sat down with the man on a sofa, but his fear had not lessened. Then....the bathroom door opened. Out stepped Teanguan, towel slung loosely around his neck. Kai's old companion. No one knew of his existence, yet together the two of them had sent countless souls to the grave. Teanguan worked for Kai....and in more ways than one, they were bound like shadows.
The moment Kai's eyes landed on him, her fierce expression softened. Old friends meeting again. Teanguan, however, was surprised. This was the first time Kai had ever brought someone else here.
Before he could speak, Kai threw a paper across the table with a sharp slap. Teanguan's eyes widened as he picked it up. It was no ordinary paper. It was a tattoo design...the very one they had been searching for.
His grip tightened on the sheet as he stared at Kai.
"Does anyone else know about this?" he asked, his tone heavy.
Flashback
Earlier that day, Kai had stood across from The Gentle Heart Institute, a strange warmth stirring within her at the sight of it. But the moment was broken when her father called. His voice was sharp, commanding:
"There's a man who owes us money. Collect it. How you do it...whether with kindness or with force....that's up to you."
And then the line went dead.
Kai wasted no time. She rolled up the windows, pulled a mask over her face, lowered the brim of her cap, and set off.....ready for the hunt.
What she didn't know… was what she was about to witness.
Within minutes, she arrived at a bar, its walls glowing with flashing, vibrant colors. Music pulsed through the floor, people danced, laughed, and drank.....drowning themselves in chaos and pleasure. But hidden behind all that noise was a secret room. And inside that room was her target.
Every weapon he owned was already laid out, her defenses ready for any confrontation. But when Kai stormed inside, gun drawn, she found the man sprawled across the sofa, drunk and oblivious to the world. He hadn't even realized she was there.
Kai lowered her weapon slightly and scanned the room. And then.....her gaze froze.
Her heart jolted violently in her chest. For on the wall, a set of photographs hung. And not just any photographs.
They were of The Gentle Heart Institute.
And among them… was a picture of this nation's greatest laboratory.....
Aurea Flora Complex.
Kai's eyes trembled. She knew what that meant. She knew exactly what kind of connection this place had. After all, there wasn't a single piece of information about The Gentle Heart Institute that Kai didn't already know.
But this.....this was something far bigger than she had ever imagined.