# Chapter 74
Fenil casually put a cigarette in her mouth and walked toward Boss. Her fresh green eyes narrowed mischievously, matching the image of her in my memories.
After quickly confirming Fenil’s appearance, I recalled what the man had said. He clearly mentioned that someone Boss cared about was at the abandoned factory. At first, I thought it might be Alice and was about to dismiss it, but then I suddenly remembered what Zenon had said before.
Zenon had definitely said he heard from Peace that I was alive. And Peace told him where I was, saying that only “Alice’s” boss would be able to enter that place.
I thought “Alice” would just ignore what was obviously a trap, but judging by the situation, that didn’t seem to be the case. After all, the person the man mentioned earlier was referring to me.
They must know that I’m dead… Even if they were trying to turn the trap against them, Boss usually avoided associating with Peace. I wondered what might have changed in his mindset. I simply couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.
“How did you know that!”
The man, who had turned pale, hurriedly shouted as Fenil revealed that she had created a disguised stand-in. She exhaled the smoke she had been holding in her mouth and tilted her head.
“Why? Because it’s not in the realm of hacking?”
“T-that’s…”
I couldn’t follow their conversation completely, but I could roughly guess what was happening. They must have tried something to avoid Fenil’s hacking, but it didn’t work against her.
But if what that man said was true, I was curious about how Fenil had found out. Her ability should be limited to hacking. She must have found this situation quite amusing because she burst out laughing at him. The laughter echoing in the silence sounded like a demon’s laugh.
I never knew laughter could be so terrifying… That was Fenil for you. After laughing for a while, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and spoke.
“But I never said my ability was hacking.”
Her sudden statement, with her laughter gone so completely it was as if it had never existed, surprised not only them but me as well.
I frantically recalled all my memories related to Fenil. But no matter how much I thought about it, her ability was hacking. So what did she mean it wasn’t? Had I misunderstood something?
“Then what exactly…”
“Do you think I’d tell someone as stupid as you?”
Looking at her attitude, she might be lying… But today she seemed particularly more cheerful than usual. In contrast to her, those who remained tied up and unable to move looked increasingly distressed.
“This bitch is really asking to die!”
One of them, apparently thoroughly angered, hurled a flame at Fenil with a curse. The flame was of considerable size and looked threatening even from where I was watching. But it was useless in Boss’s presence.
“How is this possible…!”
They stared in disbelief as the flames disappeared, evaporating before even reaching their target. Boss rarely showed his true power, but did they really think he couldn’t defend against this? That was foolish enough to be considered stupid.
Fenil seemed to share my thoughts as she briefly gazed at them with a look of contempt. Soon, as if she had just thought of something good, a chilling smile spread across her face.
“Boss, this bastard cursed at me.”
Boss, who immediately understood what Fenil wanted, seemed to play along as he displayed a faint smile.
“And?”
“Give him some divine punishment.”
“I should do that much for my precious subordinate who was spoken to so crudely.”
His tone didn’t match his words—there wasn’t a hint of affection in it. It was so bad that even Fenil let out a small laugh. It was like listening to someone reading from a textbook, but Boss nodded his head with an indifferent expression.
BANG—
The one who had used flames and cursed was then slammed into the floor at tremendous speed. This would surely kill him, but as if that wasn’t enough, the man’s body continued to sink deeper.
Boss’s power only stopped when the man’s body had broken through the floor, creating a deep pit. It happened so quickly that not a single sound came from the man.
“The benefits here are really top-notch.”
Fenil clapped her hands with satisfaction, but those who were captured were so terrified that some even fainted, thinking they would be next.
“That’s enough playing around, right?”
“Yeah, it’s been captured really well.”
And their fears were correct. After exchanging some incomprehensible conversation, Boss turned his foot. Then they all fell to the floor, creating strange screams. The place, filled with all sorts of bizarre sounds entangled together, was utterly horrifying.
“Save me—”
They died instantly, unable to even finish their pleas for help. If I were discovered now, I’d end up just like them. Because right now, I wasn’t Kay but Kane. I needed to escape as soon as Boss and Fenil moved away.
“Is it over now?”
“No.”
But my determination ultimately failed to materialize.
My body, which had been firmly on the ground, suddenly began to float. With nowhere to place my feet, I flailed in mid-air. There was only one reason why my body would float at this moment.
“That person is…”
“Do you know him?”
“Yeah, he’s the research staff in charge for Alice.”
As I suspected, Boss was behind this. Did he notice when he looked in my direction earlier? Our eyes met in mid-air. His eyes were so deep it was unfathomable. Had Boss’s eyes always been like that? I didn’t have time to ponder such things, but I couldn’t turn away from his gaze. As if drawn to something, I found myself staring into those red eyes.
“I see…”
A certain emotion subtly crept into Boss’s gaze. The moment I recognized it, I couldn’t help but feel my heart plummet.
Though subtle, what was contained in his eyes was unmistakable killing intent.
He had never shown such emotion when looking at me before. He wasn’t affectionate, but he didn’t dislike me either… Yet now, Boss was emanating killing intent toward me.
A corner of my heart went numb. Incomprehensible emotions boiled chaotically inside me. I could understand, but I didn’t want to understand.
I didn’t want to see him looking at me with eyes that conveyed he wanted to kill me right this moment.
* * *
A fishy smell and cold air permeated my entire body. With the familiar yet strange sensation, I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids. It was a narrow space made of pitch-black bricks.
Cobwebs were tangled here and there between the bricks, and the floor was covered with unknown liquids. Moreover, the walls were lined with tools that were obviously not ordinary.
It was an unmistakable space. In the past, I had always observed this place from the outside.
This was the underground prison beneath “Alice.” It was typically used for extracting confidential information from individuals or forcing those who threatened “Alice” to confess their conspiracies.
And now I was in such a place. Given that both my hands and ankles were tied to a crude wooden chair, it was clear that unfavorable treatment would continue.
Considering how he had glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, I couldn’t expect to leave normally. Recalling Boss from that time made a numbing sensation spread across one side of my chest. Though I had no memory after that, it must have been Boss who knocked me unconscious.
“Finally awake, huh?”
“Boss…?”
Just as I was sorting through the situation, a low voice came from behind me. I reflexively twisted my body. I hadn’t realized he had been watching without making any presence known. His expression distorted at my words, which even I hadn’t been conscious of saying.
“When was I ever your boss?”
It was a whisper small enough to be ignored, but it seems it couldn’t escape Boss’s ears. There was no point in trying to excuse my slip of the tongue, but I couldn’t even attempt it. The numbing sensation in my chest now became a piercing pain. I already knew he was no longer my boss, but I didn’t want to realize it again in such a way.
“Where am I?”
Hiding my hardening expression, I asked a meaningless question.
“Seems you’re braver than I thought. This is ‘Alice’s’ underground prison.”
“…So this is it.”
Though I already knew, it was confirmed that I had really been brought here. A bitter taste filled my mouth. I never imagined I would come to a place that had been like my own home in such a manner.
“Why didn’t you kill me?”
I thought Boss would certainly kill me. Capturing me wouldn’t be of any help to “Alice.” If anything, it would be a hindrance.
But I was still alive, and judging from Boss’s attitude, he didn’t seem like he would kill me right away. Boss clicked his tongue softly at me, who spoke as if I couldn’t understand.
“I thought you’d beg for your life…”
Did he want to see me crying and begging for my life? But even if I did such a thing, his heart wouldn’t change. I knew that better than anyone. The Boss I had observed all this time was like that.
So even if that was what he wanted, prioritizing understanding the current situation was more important than engaging in meaningless actions.
“You said I’m the research staff in charge for Alice?”
“That’s… correct.”
I cautiously answered while watching him, who was staring at me with an indecipherable gaze. Then the flow of air circling around Boss began to change suddenly. With a slight tremor, an unapproachable pressure swept through my entire body.
“How can I give someone like you a merciful death.”
It was the same killing intent I had felt earlier, but it was incomparable to now. The feeling of having each breath taken away made it increasingly difficult to breathe. My entire body began to shake, and my vision blurred.
I had never seen Boss use informal speech. This meant he was now angrier than ever before.
“You must be the one who caused Kay’s death.”
I had thought Boss was so angry because of Alice. But with his following words, I could understand the true reason.
He was angry because of me. Boss remembered my death.
