Chapter 62
The Experience Might Have Already Ended
***
“But……”
Whitney trailed off, unable to accept it.
Owen, noticing that it stemd from jealousy and stubborn pride rooted in his background, let out a short exclamation.
“Co to think of it, I heard you made quite a na for yourself before joining the Family.”
Since he had even possessed a nickna, he might have felt so sense of rivalry toward Ga-on.
“Then let’s do this. I’ll assign you the sa request I gave that guy. I’ll watch how you handle it.”
At the unexpected proposal, Whitney’s shoulders flinched.
“If you complete it first, I’ll make sure you never get entangled with him again. How about it?”
“Understood.”
“Instead, if you’re slower than him, I’ll take your right eye. If you can’t even distinguish soone more capable than yourself, there’s no need for it, is there?”
The chill that ran down his spine lasted only a mont. Only then did Whitney recall what kind of man Owen standing before him truly was.
He was a powerful man who cherished his subordinates dearly and was respected for it, but at his core, he was Mafia.
Above all, he loved lawlessness and was more fickle than anyone else.
To back out now, saying he couldn’t do it, would be no different from insubordination.
Concealing the cold sweat trickling down his forehead, Whitney bowed his waist.
“May I leave first?”
“Ah, you should. Since there’s a lot at stake, the departure ti has to be fair as well.”
After Whitney left, Owen, now alone, laughed lowly. It didn’t matter to him which side won.
He had set up the competition simply to see results more quickly.
Who would bring him the information first?
Even making a prediction would be a bit of amusent.
***
After leaving the Black Market, I organized my thoughts.
The main point of the request I had taken this ti was to identify and reveal the source of the new electronic drug, Eden.
I had received the basic information from Owen. That ant there was no need for to go around gathering clues on foot.
‘First, I should clean up the inside.’
The fact that Eden had spread within the Lucchesia Family yet they couldn’t trace the flow upward ant there were uncooperative mbers.
Figuring out the distribution route from them was the first task. Of course, if they could even stiffen their necks in front of Owen, an executive, there was no way they would treat a re fixer like kindly.
A physical clash was inevitable.
Perhaps this was what Owen truly wanted.
Even if it was clearly revealed that one of the Four Great Underworld factions stood behind it, the cards the Lucchesia Family could play were limited.
At best, they could form an agreent or issue a warning.
It was more appropriate to assu that they were using Eden to weed out internal mbers instead.
And by borrowing the hands of a third party at that.
Even on the surface, it looked clean.
Even though they had clearly cut them off by a decision from the higher-ups, they would not fracture and would instead unite. All the karma would fall squarely on Ga-on’s shoulders.
At first glance, it seed unfair, but in reality, it was not. It ant he could place Owen in his debt.
Owen might feign ignorance, but if that happened, Ga-on could simply defect to a hostile force and relentlessly tear at him.
To begin with, it was a aningless assumption. Soone incompetent enough to stand by until matters reached that point could never have beco an executive.
What mattered was using this dynamic to generate the greatest possible benefit.
Having organized his thoughts, Ga-on imdiately moved.
Night was approaching.
***
Club 999.
Occupying a corner of District 15, this club possessed a calm and luxurious atmosphere, unlike the countless entertainnt establishnts scattered across District 39.
It did not advertise loudly, nor did it solicit custors.
It had rely left its doors wide open, as if to say that those interested would find their own way.
Even the club guards maintained a polite deanor, like trained security personnel. However, not just anyone could enter. Along with an entrance fee of 1,000,000 Pia, one had to pass a strict inspection.
Since only the selected were allowed through, Ga-on had prepared himself more thoroughly than usual.
From head to toe.
He removed his worn-out coat and added accents with accessories. Still finding that insufficient, he exposed his forehead and even changed the color of his irises with fashion contact lenses.
Fortunately, these efforts seed to have reached the club guards, allowing him to pass without much difficulty.
After crossing the open dance floor, Ga-on took a seat at the bar counter set to one side and casually scanned his surroundings.
Club 999 had been the first establishnt to introduce Eden.
It was also the place run by Nakamachi Hiro, who was strongly suspected of spreading Eden within the Lucchesia Mafia.
Naturally, the man was an executive.
He did not rival Owen, the true power of the Lucchesia Family, but he was still influential enough to cause trouble.
‘No sign of it.’
Ga-on wondered if anyone might already be intoxicated by Eden, but it appeared that the drug was not handled in the openly visible areas. Of course, even without it, the place was undeniably chaotic.
Alcohol and desire mixed freely here.
Everyone was either a predator or prey.
In fact, several people grabbed at him. Hands that persistently groped his chest ca as a bonus. Carefully pushing them away, Ga-on changed his position.
“You and I are both alone, hyungnim. Ah, you’re not under twenty, are you?”
That was when a young man approached him.
Sensing sothing unusual, Ga-on initially suspected he was an operative dispatched by the club, but he turned out to be an ordinary civilian.
After exchanging a few words, Ga-on learned that he was a student studying at Isabella Public University just ahead.
The young man, Lawrence, added an explanation that his schedule had opened up when the friend he was supposed to et today failed to show.
“I could tell at a glance. You’ve ended up in a situation similar to mine, hyungnim.”
“Sothing like that.”
“Instead of this, let’s call an MD and get into a decent spot. With a face like that, just drinking would be a life sentence, you know?”
Only then did I understand why he had approached so boldly. He seed to be the type more desperate for won than for drugs.
“I guess the friend you were eting was handso. And I’m the substitute.”
“Hyungnim, do I really look like that kind of guy to you?”
His exaggerated protest did not inspire much confidence.
Most likely, his friend had anticipated this side of Lawrence and chosen not to co.
For , however, it was not a bad developnt. He carried himself with the subtle air of soone draped in luxury. Moreover, he was not the sort of nouveau riche who flaunted wealth purely through price.
If sothing did not suit his taste, he was wise enough to wear items without a brand at all.
Those who revealed their wealth subtly were often richer than those who displayed it openly.
Besides, if he could afford Club 999, then perhaps—
‘My luck might have already run out.’
Since an appropriate counterpart had appeared, it was only natural to cautiously introduce the topic.
“No, I ca because I heard there was sothing special here that you could only obtain in this place.”
From my asured tone, Lawrence instantly grasped what I was referring to.
“So that’s why you ca, hyungnim. But what should we do? That side operates entirely on a referral basis. Without connections to a VIP, you can’t even get linked.”
“Judging by how well you know, I suppose you’ve experienced it a few tis?”
Realizing his slip, Lawrence pressed a hand to his forehead. Perhaps the alcohol had loosened his tongue.
“No, it’s not that I have. I heard it from a friend.”
“If it’s difficult to introduce , that’s fine. I don’t want to burden you unnecessarily.”
When I backed down so easily, it was Lawrence who grew uncomfortable.
As he hesitated, I seized the opening and adopted a dejected expression. Thinking of Fernandez made it effortless to imrse myself.
“It would’ve been dull to enjoy the night alone… Ah, whatever. Just follow .”
Lawrence sprang to his feet and beckoned to .
“Just in case, don’t do anything suspicious. It’s not that I don’t trust you, hyungnim, but you never know.”
“Understood.”
With a faint smile, I followed after Lawrence.
***
“Heheheh.”
Perhaps he was a regular, as the club guards recognized Lawrence imdiately and connected him to the assigned MD without delay.
We were guided to a discreet room on the upper floor, and in an instant, he received a handful of Eden.
This was the result of that process.
“Lawrence?”
“Kihit.”
Lawrence failed to withstand the pleasure induced by Eden and regressed into an infantile state.
It was a sight that starkly demonstrated how far a human could fall.
Yet, apparently unsatisfied, he picked up a small coin and inserted it into his device.
Inside the portable storage dium, the so-called package, was Eden.
The embedded algorithm stimulated the nervous system linked to the device, effectively kneading the brain itself.
Its potency reached one hundred tis that of fentanyl.
More than enough to effortlessly grind down an adult’s intellect.
“Hehe.”
Because he had been soone I had been chatting with pleasantly only monts ago, the disparity felt even more jarring.
Though I pretended to partake and used the package alongside him, I was not affected.
At a clandestine clinic, I had spent a considerable sum to update a program proudly recomnded by an old man. Not even a single byte of data penetrated my ntal defenses.
In that sense, it also served as a verification of electronic warfare counterasures.
After pocketing several packages, I imdiately stepped outside.
Unlike the lower floors dominated by the dance floor, the upper levels were thoroughly partitioned, forming entirely private spaces.
Casting a discreet glance into other rooms, I frowned.
They were filled with individuals seemingly competing to test the limits of sexual deviance.
Most were gasping, reduced to little more than beasts. A few were convulsing violently, oblivious even to the fact that their prosthetic limbs had detached.
What was most astonishing was that every single face was familiar.
There was no need to state that they were intellectuals bordering on society’s elite. Though, given the nature of the venue, their ranks were sowhat diminished.
It was shocking, yet even if one reported this to the Public Enforcent Corps, it was doubtful they would respond.
Even if, by so miracle, an investigation occurred, no charges would ever be found.
That was simply the nature of Eden.
“Ha.”
It was difficult not to let out a hollow laugh.
Technological progress, far surpassing human comprehension, had given rise to a dazzling civilization.
Now that humanity had advanced into space, it was hardly an exaggeration to say that no constraints bound them.
But that did not an humans had beco superior beings.
They still had not cast off their instincts.
The bright aspects had grown brighter, and the dark aspects darker.
This duality might remain a perpetual challenge so long as humanity existed as humanity.
Click.
Closing my eyes, I erased the scenes I had just witnessed from my mind.
I could now understand why Owen had been so wary.
It was not sothing that should ever spread widely.
***
The path toward the director’s office was uneventful.
I wondered what I would do if I encountered an MD or a guard, yet until I reached the stairs, I did not even glimpse their backs.
One might have assud security was lax, relying solely on the authority of the Lucchesia Family, but that notion was soon dispelled.
At the faint scent of blood brushing against my nose, I halted and pressed my back against the wall.
Peering cautiously into the corridor, I was t with a scene of carnage.
The operatives were already severed and scattered across the floor. Only traces of slashes and stab wounds remained.
‘A blade?’
It was ironic coming from soone who favored such weapons, but in this day and age, they were a rare sight.
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