# Chapter 91
The power difference was so overwhelming that it made one wonder if he was even human. The video he sent, introducing himself as an executive of “Alice,” showed him destroying the superpower nullification zone inside the factory with just a single gesture.
He had destroyed it from the outside rather than from within, but the zone had been designed to withstand attacks from any direction. Yet that man had effortlessly demolished the abandoned factory.
It had taken no less than five barrier ability users to create that zone. Among them was even an A-class ability user. So even for an S-class, breaking through the barrier should have been theoretically impossible.
But the man had no choice but to accept the reality of what had seemed impossible. That the boss of “Alice” possessed power that easily surpassed S-class abilities.
S-class was the limit for ranking superpowers. Anything beyond that was difficult to even measure. This meant the gap between those within S-class could be enormous—one S-class ability user could potentially defeat ten others of the same rank.
“I should have eliminated him…”
Despite knowing this, the man wasn’t particularly concerned. After all, he had already dealt with everyone who could potentially threaten him. No one remained who could stand in his way. That’s why he had underestimated the boss of “Alice.” And this was the result.
Rage began to flicker in his eyes. Every time he thought he had succeeded, some obstacle would appear out of nowhere.
As if deliberately trying to block his path.
His teeth clenched so hard they made an audible grinding sound. The face of the man, who had always maintained a composed appearance, twisted into something ugly. He was now so furious that he couldn’t even maintain his usual calm.
“That’s not possible.”
How could this be happening after coming so far? No one should be able to stop him now. Not even the boss of “Alice.”
He had sacrificed everything to reach this position. Getting what he wanted meant having to give up just as much. He had come too far to give up, and he didn’t want to abandon his goals now. Even if that man surpassed his abilities, he had to continue.
That was his very reason for living.
If he couldn’t achieve it, he would rather die. The memory of that day’s wish carved itself into his mind once more. His heart gradually began to settle.
“How many have we secured?”
The man’s face slowly relaxed. The only thing that remained on his now calm face was the madness seated in his eyes. His gaze, with a gleam of that insanity, turned toward the woman standing like a statue.
Seeing his expression, she blinked her cloudy eyes a couple of times as if nothing had happened, then spoke mechanically.
“We’ve secured ten additional barrier ability users. How would you like to use them?”
“…First, put them under hypnosis.”
“Understood.”
She bowed at his authoritative command, etching his words into her mind. Binding them tightly in her memory so as not to forget, she then recalled another matter.
“What should we do about A-11?”
“…Ah yes. There was that.”
Seeing her waiting for an answer, he frowned in contemplation. Yes, this was one of the reasons that had made him so displeased. His original objective had been to find that man’s weakness. So even if the nullification zone was destroyed, it would have been fine if he had definitely found the weakness.
But the weakness he had found was incredibly irritating. The executive named Kay and A-11.
Both places he had called in were infiltrated by “Alice” members, but the real target, the boss, had gone to the executive. That would mean this Kay was his weakness. However, the man had casually demolished the factory. He must have known Kay was inside. Yet he could destroy the factory so nonchalantly…
Usually, a weakness is something one desperately tries to hide or protect.
In that sense, Kay didn’t seem to fit the description of being his weakness. If the person inside the factory had really been Kay, he would already be dead. But aside from that inexplicable action, everything else suggested Kay was the boss’s weakness.
If that was the case, he needed to change his perspective. Perhaps he had been too focused on one angle and missed something else. After pondering deeply, the man finally spoke.
“Could he have figured it out? That it was fake?”
His eyes narrowed sharply. If he knew Kay was a trap, everything would make sense. If he knew the executive inside was a fake, there would be no need to confirm, and he could kill without any hesitation. But even so, there was still an unanswered question.
To know it was a trap, he would have needed to verify. He couldn’t kill someone who might be his weakness based on mere speculation. And to verify, he would need to approach the target. Only then could he confirm if it was really Kay.
But from the video, the boss of “Alice” never approached close enough to see Kay’s face. Although the fake was overlaid with a superpower disguise, the external appearance was identical to the executive Kay. It would have been impossible to tell by eye.
A dead man alive. That alone would be enough to make someone lose their mind. So despite being suspicious, he thought the boss would roll into the enemy territory holding onto a strand of hope. And if in that state he saw someone identical to Kay, he wouldn’t be able to resist approaching.
That’s why he had deliberately used such a flimsy plan. If the boss didn’t take the bait, it meant A-11 was the weakness; if he did, it meant the “Alice” executive was. If the boss came to such an obvious trap, it would be a valuable card to play in the future. In front of a powerless boss in the nullification zone, they could pretend to kidnap the executive again, making it seem like Kay was in Peace’s grasp.
Then he would have no choice but to submit. While killing him wouldn’t be a bad option if things didn’t go as planned, having him alive would be more convenient for controlling the villains.
But that plan had shattered in an instant. How had he figured it out? He had thought there were no identifying marks to recognize fellow organization members. Moreover, even if there was something he didn’t know about, it shouldn’t have been possible to figure it out so quickly.
He should have killed him. It was a mistake to assume he would act foolishly due to emotions. While he wasn’t brainless and wouldn’t carelessly spread information about Peace’s experiments, this situation still left them at a disadvantage with their weakness exposed. That couldn’t stand.
“For now, keep it there.”
After a long contemplation, the man finally spoke. While A-11 wasn’t particularly valuable, it was still an experimental subject. Having endured extensive experiments for so long, it seemed premature to dispose of it. So it wouldn’t be a bad idea to maintain it elsewhere and assess its value as an experimental subject.
“And check the corpse of the ‘Alice’ executive once more. We need to verify if that body was really the executive.”
This was the more pressing issue.
No matter how he thought about it, the boss’s actions were strange. That’s why he questioned whether the “Alice” executive was truly alive.
He had clearly seen Kay die in a bomb explosion. He had even confirmed the remains, which could hardly be called a corpse. So having such doubts was meaningless. But when suspicions arise, they must be properly investigated. Ignoring them could lead to disaster.
Wasn’t it due to carelessness that he had underestimated that man? He had lost far too much to him. After everything he had safeguarded until now, he couldn’t afford to overlook anything.
The woman, who had been watching the man’s solemn expression, bowed at his command and replied.
“Understood.”
“You may leave now.”
Slowly straightening up, she left the room with the sound of her clicking heels. There was no presence felt in the room except for the man. Only then did he subtly raise his hand. His stiff hand painfully bent and straightened. Wrinkled skin folded limply with every movement.
“Is this the limit…?”
The man’s gaze turned to the newly forming wrinkles. They emerged like veins, writhing as if alive before settling into his skin as wrinkles. They seemed to suck out vitality, turning what was once soft skin into something dry and withered.
It was an eerie phenomenon, but he observed this scene calmly. In his quietly downcast eyes, a fierce flame flickered.
* * *
Kay, who had been continuously refusing to eat, started eating quite well after that day. Observing this, Boss decided to move on to the next step.
“Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
He asked, looking at Kay who was still wrapped in the blanket. At first, there was no response, but thanks to his persistent questioning, Kay occasionally gave brief answers. The blanket wriggled before slowly being lifted. A tiny gap, barely deserving of the name, was created.
“Cake.”
Kay peered slightly through that gap to answer before immediately hiding again. He was still full of wariness. But Boss thought even this much was a significant development. Noticing that Kay looked a bit hot from that brief glimpse, he lowered the heater temperature slightly before leaving the room.
He already knew Kay liked sweet things. That’s why the refrigerator was fully stocked with desserts.
Chocolate, candy, cookies, and various other sweets that looked like they could rot teeth just by looking at them—Boss casually surveyed this parade of desserts before reaching for the cake. His hand grabbed a slice of cream cake in packaging. On top of the cake sat a dainty strawberry.
