No More Next Time

"Where are we going?" No. 2 asked, drawing his gaze back.

The boy in the passenger seat yawned and slumped deeper into his seat, grumbling, "What are you talking about, No. 2? Where else would we go? Of course we're heading back to—"

He stopped mid-sentence, his peripheral vision catching the rearview mirror. His eyes froze. At some point, someone had appeared in the back seat.

No, not someone. It was... Wu!

When had it arrived? Why hadn't he sensed it at all?

The boy felt every pore on his body open as cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Although he couldn't sense any killing intent from Wu, its silent appearance inside the car was a warning in itself. The boy had no doubt that it could kill No. 2 and him without a second thought.

If it wanted to.

"Left." A character appeared on the windshield.

No. 2 turned the wheel left without hesitation and drove into a pitch-black alley. From here, Jiang Cheng's studio was no longer visible. The boy's heart began to pound.

An astonishing pressure radiated from Wu. Even if it wasn't doing so on purpose, its strength made it impossible to hold back. The pressure pounded against the boy's fragile body like waves, as if trying to crush him flat.

No. 2 turned off the engine. The black car disappeared into the dark alley, surrounded by a downpour. The silence inside was terrifying. No one spoke.

The boy didn't dare move too much. The atmosphere was so oppressive that it felt like something terrible had to happen in the car to match the rain pouring from the heavens.

No. 2, on the other hand, seemed far more at ease. He pulled half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, put one between his lips, lit