The Wetting Conglomerate's Alt branch building.
No one had expected things to reach this point.
Nor had anyone expected these gang members to be bold enough to attack the Alt branch building.
That had led to the current situation: the Wetting Conglomerate's security department in Alt was being driven back by a gang, while headquarters had realized something was wrong too late to send reinforcements.
A conspiracy targeting Jonas had become an open assault on the entire Wetting Conglomerate.
Bullets poured into the defensive wall. Ston grinned, and the gang members behind him roared with excitement.
"Boss, we're pinning those dogs in suits down!"
"Don't celebrate too soon. Save the champagne until we've taken those dogs down."
Despite his words, Ston was thrilled. The information the mysterious person named K had sent him matched the actual situation perfectly. As a result, their surprise attack had been unexpectedly successful, breaking through the outer defenses in less than an hour.
Before long, they would break through the inner defenses as well.
So although Ston spoke cautiously, he already considered victory assured.
Gunfire rained down, blasting the defensive wall open. Ston's eyes lit up, and he roared:
"Advance!"
The heavily armed gang members closed in on the Alt branch building, surrounded by mechanical wreckage. With its defensive wall gone, the building lay wide open, its bulletproof glass doors shattered underfoot as though they were mere decorations.
The moment Ston stepped into the Alt branch building, a sense of pride welled up inside him.
He had conquered this place.
But before he could savor it for long, he noticed something wrong.
The Alt branch building's security personnel were gone...
Perhaps his earlier victories had come too easily, causing him to overlook that detail.
At some point, the security personnel who had been fighting them had disappeared, leaving only mechanical units to engage them.
The realization dampened some of Ston's excitement over his victory. Just then, an abrupt clapping sound rang out.
-Clap, clap.
In the center of the empty lobby, a black-haired young man sat on a raised platform, applauding as though he had just watched a spectacular performance.
The young man wore a suit, his slender figure seeming entirely out of place amid his surroundings.
He smiled and said:
"You... did very well."
Unease rose in Ston's heart. The image transmitted by his prosthetic eye showed the black-haired young man's face with perfect clarity.
As a gang leader in the Alt District, he naturally recognized that face.
The heir to the Wetting Conglomerate, Jonas Wetting.
Why was he here?
Before he could make sense of it, he forced down his unease and thought viciously-
Trying to bluff me with an empty fortress, huh? I don't believe you can turn this around all by yourself.
As soon as that thought arose, he moved to raise his gun, intending to intimidate the young man.
But before he could lift it, he saw the young man speak:
"..."
Ston never heard what the young man said, because an explosion drowned out every other sound.
-BOOM!!
Amid the flames and explosions, screams rang out one after another.
The ground began to shake, and shards of glass flew everywhere under the powerful impact.
A blast wave swept through in an instant, carrying flames, death, and utter silence.
It flung Ston to the ground, sending him rolling several times before he came to a stop.
Rubble sliced his cheek, and blood spilled out.
In an instant, his consciousness sank into darkness.
When Ston woke again, he was tied to an alloy chair.
A basin of cold water had jolted him awake, clearing his head instantly. He stared at the young man standing before him, and fear crept over him as he realized his situation.
The man before him was, of course, Jonas. Beside the Wetting Conglomerate's heir stood a girl with neat, short hair, watching the scene.
In truth, Eiffel had yet to recover from her earlier shock.
Jonas's arrangements had been like a sharp blade, cutting precisely into the rioters' weak points and turning what had been an uncertain situation into a one-sided battle.
She was unsure whether this was luck or whether Young Master Jonas had been hiding his abilities, but one thing was certain: he did not seem nearly as incompetent as she had imagined.
Standing before the gang leader, Jonas had no idea what the girl beside him was thinking.
He was more concerned with another question.
Without giving the man any more time to react, Jonas looked into his eyes and asked:
"Who gave you the information on the Alt branch?"
Ston stared at the young man before him and opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He seemed to still be choosing his words, hoping to gain more leverage.
But before he could speak, a gunshot and a burst of agony made him scream.
-BANG!
The bullet passed through his thigh. Blood streamed out, and his face went deathly pale.
"I ask. You answer."
The man's voice sounded like a demon from hell, making him tremble involuntarily with fear.
"Ahhh! It-it was K! I don't know his identity either! I only know his name is K!"
No longer daring to test the unpredictable young man's limits, Ston spoke in a voice on the verge of tears.
After a moment of silence, Jonas asked again:
"Do you still have his contact information?"
"Yes, yes! I still have his anonymous email address."
Ston answered hurriedly and copied out the email address.
Looking at the unfamiliar address before him, Jonas smiled.
The sight of that smile sent a shiver through Ston.
-What was he planning to do?
In a dimly lit room.
A white-haired girl looked at the message she had received, her expression darkening.
She had given Ston almost all the information she had, yet that idiot had still managed to fail.
She did not know whether he had sold her out... If her existence had been discovered, things would get troublesome. Evading the Wetting Conglomerate's pursuit would be no easy task.
Just as her thoughts were in turmoil, a video suddenly arrived in her anonymous inbox.
It had been sent from Ston's account. Her heart lurched, and unease crept over her.
In the end, however, she opened the video.
In it, a black-haired young man stood elegantly in the center of the frame, with Ston tied to a chair beside him.
As though he could see her across thousands of miles, he stared into her eyes and slowly said:
"Mr. K, is it?"
"It's an honor to speak with you here."
"I thoroughly enjoyed the performance you presented. In return..."
Before he finished speaking, a gunshot rang out. Ston's head burst apart, splattering blood onto the camera.
Seemingly indifferent to the bloody scene, the man removed the white glove he had worn while firing and tossed it into the pool of blood.
After a pause, he looked into the camera again and said:
"I'll find you very soon and properly thank you for the performance you presented to me tonight."
"Finally, I wish you a wonderful evening."
"Mr. K."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The video went black. Cold sweat had soaked the white-haired girl's back without her noticing. Once she came to her senses, she gritted her teeth and moved to gather her equipment and flee her current residence.
I have to run... She knew exactly who the young man in that video was.
After all, he was one of her plan's targets. As the heir to the Wetting Conglomerate, Jonas was widely known.
Being targeted by someone like him was hardly good news...
She could not help regretting her recklessness.
I should have prepared more thoroughly before putting the plan into motion.
But it was too late for any of that now...
He had already discovered her existence. Given the Wetting Conglomerate's reach, it probably would not take long for them to find this place.
She had to find somewhere safer to stay.
The white-haired girl's thoughts were tangled, but then she seemed to realize something and checked the timestamp on the video email.
Two minutes ago...
As though something had suddenly occurred to her, her expression changed, and she checked the time of Ston's attack on the Alt District branch.
A full hour had passed since the attack had failed.
Barring any surprises, Ston had also been dead for an hour.
Why would he wait an hour before sending me a video like this?
The thought had barely formed in her mind.
The next instant, an alarm sounded.
Then the front door was blasted open.
-Boom.
Under the girl's dazed gaze, the black-haired young man in a suit slowly walked inside.
"Good evening, Mr. K."
"Or should I call you Miss Amau Sueko?"
Before you continue