"I am not sorry for what I have done. How can a psychiatrist kill someone, right?" Coby continued, his voice cold. "The truth is, I did it on purpose, just to let out my frustration on somebody. I became a psychiatrist because I wanted to help people like me. When I was 16, my psychiatrist diagnosed me with ASPD (Antisocial Personality Disorder). After that, I chose psychology over writing my own books. Time passed, and I thought I had gotten over my disorder, but that was just the beginning of a new life. At some point, I completely lost control. I even tried to kill, but something stopped me. I kept going, even after a traumatic childhood. It's been five years since I turned 20, and things have changed for me. After my patient died, I couldn't hold it in anymore. That's when I killed your bodyguard st night."

  Roman's face turned red with anger. "I don’t give a fuck that you killed him! I need you to pay me back by killing those rats in the group!" He clenched his fists, fury radiating from him. "And your parents died in a car accident? You think that’s a traumatic childhood?"

  Coby looked at him with cold eyes and whispered, "There’s more you need to know, but I won’t tell you. You’ll find out yourself."

  finally the day had came which Coby and Roman was waiting for

  Roman’s voice crackled over the comm-link in Coby’s earpiece.“Coby, they’re here! Move in with my bodyguards—and for God’s sake, don’t shoot my men!”

  Coby slipped into the alley where the two members had been spotted. He gripped a combat knife in one hand and a silenced pistol in the other. His bodyguards fnked him, silent and ready.

  The two operatives burst from the shadows and lunged at Coby. In the chaos, one of the bodyguards pushed Coby aside but was struck by a bullet meant for him. Coby’s vision tunneled. He steadied himself, aimed, and fired—twice. Both assaints colpsed to the ground.

  Gasping for breath, Coby checked his own wounds—shallow cuts but none life-threatening. He retrieved the fallen bodyguard and carried him back to the safe house, along with the two dead bodies.

  Inside the facility, Roman rushed forward. “Where’s my bodyguard? Is he…?”

  “He’s gone,” Coby answered quietly. “The other one is alive.”

  Roman’s eyes narrowed. “And the two you killed—where are they?”

  “In the back,” Coby nodded toward the storage room.

  Roman approached the bodies and crouched to inspect them. He paused, tracing a strange tattoo on one man’s shoulder. “Must be their logo,” he muttered. “We’ll send these for autopsy.”

  He stood, then gnced at Coby with a sudden serious look. “Are you—married?”

  Coby cocked an eyebrow. “What? No. Why?”

  Roman shrugged. “Just—” he hesitated, “I feel sorry for your future wife if you’re like this.”

  Coby let a crooked smile creep onto his face. “Rex, I already did.” He grinned devilishly. “Just kidding.”

  Roman exhaled and cracked a half-smile. “You scared me for a second, bud.”

  "yeah."

  the result of postmortem had came out...

  “It looks like these two were injected with heavy drugs. Their veins were full of it. I’m guessing their leader is the one who did this,” Roman said as he read through the report.

  “I don’t know… maybe,” Coby replied, distracted, still processing everything.

  Everyone in the room was discussing the report when suddenly, a strange man entered. The room fell into complete silence. Everyone turned to look at him. He looked serious—masculine and intimidating. He said nothing, but where no one speaks, the silence does.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Roman asked, clearly annoyed.

  “Alexander.” the man replied calmly.

  “Who let you in here?” Roman questioned again.

  “I came for work. Is there something for me?”

  "Who helped you find this?"

  "I found it all by myself, wandering around, and then I saw this old factory-type building. What do you guys do here? Looks like some suspicious shit. Does the police know about it?" Alexander asked.

  "Who are you even to ask this? We don't have anything for ya. Now go back where you came from," Roman said, his tone cold.

  "Are you sure the police know about it? I'm pretty sure they would like to know what's happening here," Alexander replied, his words ced with a hint of bckmail.

  "What do you want?" Roman asked, his patience thinning.

  "Now that's what I’m talking about. Just tell me what you guys do, and I'll join you. I won’t tell the police. I’ll keep my promise," Alexander said, his eyes steady.

  "Why do you want to work here?" Roman asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

  "Nothing. I just want to do something," Alexander shrugged, his expression unreadable.

  "I'll tell you everything in the morning. My teammate will take you to your room. And one more thing... I don't trust you, mate."

  Coby woke up the next morning and asked Roman, "Who’s that weird guy? Is he new here?"Roman whispered back, "Long story, man." Then turning toward the stranger, he said, "Alexander, right? Okay, tell me—why should I trust you?"Alexander looked unimpressed. "Are you the manager here? I want to talk to someone more mature because you're asking the same thing over and over. I want to work with you guys because I like doing these things.""‘These things?’ What things, huh?" Roman narrowed his eyes."This building's interior… it screams something secretive. I want in. I don’t care what it is—I just know I want to be part of it."Roman looked him up and down and sighed. "Hmm… I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with you, mate, but since you’re built like a damn tank, I might have something for you.""seriously? a tank?"

  "I mean, look at you—big-ass muscles. Anyway, I’m hiring you as Richard’s assistant. You’re his personal bodyguard from now on."

  "Who’s Richard?" Alexander asked, confused.

  "He’s my old friend. Just came here for work," Roman replied.

  "Richard?" Coby whispered, leaning in.

  "We don’t trust him yet," Roman whispered back. "Just pretend your name is Richard, and mine’s Thomas."

  "What are you guys whispering about?" Alexander asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Nothing serious," Roman smiled.

  Roman then briefed Alexander about the group’s mission and told him to assist "Richard" during the attack.

  Alexander nodded, asking no further questions. He was ready.

  "You should start training tomorrow, Alexander," Roman said.

  "I’m already trained. No need."

  "How’s that?"

  "Long story," Alexander said, pausing. "You’ll find out soon."

  "You look suspicious, dude."

  "It’s not that deep."

  "As you say," Roman muttered.

  Over the week, Roman started to feel comfortable around Alexander—but Coby didn’t. Something about him felt...off.

  One night, while checking the CCTV footage, Roman saw three guys standing directly in front of a hidden camera—flipping it off.

  No one knew where the cameras were. They were nearly invisible.

  Roman’s heart sank. He immediately dialed Alexander.

  "These your friends, mate?"

  "What? No, I don’t even know who these assholes are."

  "You sure, bud?" Roman raised an eyebrow.

  "Bro, how many times do I have to say it? Should I speak in sign nguage now? I don’t know these guys."

  "Fine. You can go now. And send Richard to me on your way to your room."

  "Okay."

  Roman leaned toward Coby and whispered, "I don’t trust him, man. There’s something off about him."

  "You’re the one who accepted him, not me. Why are you telling me this? Listen... this guy showed up right after we killed those two. Maybe he’s connected to them. I can’t say for sure, but something about him doesn’t sit right with me. Or maybe I’m just jealous of his muscles." Coby tried to ugh, but the tension didn’t fade.

  "You’re overthinking, mate," Roman said, brushing it off.

  "I said what I had to. Do what you want, but don’t bme me ter if shit goes south."

  Coby walked off and headed straight to his room. As he threw himself on the bed, his phone started ringing. He checked the screen — it was his wife.

  He sighed. He didn’t want to answer but picked up anyway.

  "What now?" he said coldly.

  "I didn’t go through with the abortion, Coby," she said softly. "I want my child to meet their father. I miss you... When are you coming back—"

  Coby hung up.

  He stared at the ceiling, a knot in his chest. For a second, he regretted ending the call. But before he could gather his thoughts, his phone rang again — this time, an unknown number.

  He hesitated, then picked up.

  "Hello?"

  "Who do you think you are?" a deep voice said. "You really think you’re going to find me?"

  "Who the hell is this?" Coby asked, sitting up.

  "Don’t py games with me, Coby. I warned you not to dig into that case. But you thought it was easy, huh? You’ll regret this soon. I won’t hurt you... but my words will haunt you."

  The call ended.

  The call ended, leaving Coby still haunted by questions—who was that, and how did they know his name? But it was the same chilling voice he’d heard the night his patient was brutally murdered. Coby couldn’t shake the feeling. Once again, he spent the entire night awake, trapped in the unsettling echo of that phone call.

  The next morning, Roman approached him, noticing his exhaustion. "What’s wrong, mate? Didn’t sleep a wink, did you?"

  "Yeah," Coby replied, rubbing his eyes, "It was that damn phone call. The same threatening voice. The one I told you about when I first came here."

  Roman's expression darkened, though he tried to mask it. "So that’s what’s bothering you. Don’t worry, mate. You’re safe here, for now. But tonight, two members from the group are coming back. They want to check on the two we killed. And for the first time, we’re going to see Alexander fight for us.""Yeah," Coby muttered.

  Roman’s face turned serious. "Coby, you have to move now. You need to get there before they do. We don’t know the exact location, so you’ll have to search for them. I’m sending Alexander with you."

  When Coby and Alexander reached the area, it was deserted. Darkness swallowed everything, and the night made it nearly impossible to see.Suddenly, from the shadows, they were ambushed—four group members surrounded them.

  Without hesitation, Alexander lunged forward, stabbing one of them in the stomach—but the man was wearing armor. Without missing a beat, Alexander smashed the hilt of his bde into the man's head, dropping him to the ground, lifeless.

  The remaining three charged at Coby. He barely managed to ssh one of them across the leg, sending him stumbling into the dirt. It felt like they were standing in a pool of blood.

  Alexander quickly moved to assist, even as he took a deep cut across his shoulder. But together, through sheer will and desperation, they brought them all down.

  Bloodied and battered, they stumbled back to the building. They buried the four bodies under heaps of rusted junk in the junkyard.

  Roman greeted them with a relieved expression. "I’m gd you’re alive, Alexander. Both of you fought well." He then noticed Alexander's bleeding shoulder. "Take your shirt off. Let the medics bandage you."

  "No, thanks," Alexander replied coldly. "I can handle it myself."

  Roman stepped closer, insisting, "No, let them do it."

  "I said I’m fine," Alexander snapped. His voice was low, almost dangerous. "I just don’t like anyone near me."

  "fine, mate."

  Alexander never wanted to take his shirt off. No one knew why, but it was clear he was hiding something.Roman, as usual, chose to ignore it and move on.Coby, however, could sense something was wrong. Yet he stayed silent—he knew Roman wouldn’t listen. Alexander had already earned Roman’s trust by saving Coby during the attack.

  "Now there are four of them left," Roman said grimly. "And they won’t take long to strike. We have to prepare for the final fight. We haven’t even seen their leader yet—there’s a chance he’ll show up next."

  "No, he won’t," Alexander replied without hesitation. "He won’t sacrifice himself. His group has already fallen apart. He’ll send his st three men, and if they die... he’ll simply move on."

  Roman raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

  Alexander looked away, his voice quieter, almost bitter. "It’s just my experience with old friends. Over time, I realized—those in power never stay to mourn. No matter who they lose, they only care about themselves... and their survival."

  That night, everyone went to sleep—except Coby.Alexander’s words kept echoing in his mind, refusing to let him rest.Feeling thirsty, Coby dragged himself zily out of bed and wandered to the kitchen.He poured himself a gss of water, gulping it down. But as he drank, he caught something—a figure moving across the hallway.

  Startled, he hastily set the half-empty gss on the table.The corridor was drenched in darkness, heavy with silence.Heart pounding, Coby crept after the shadow.

  And then...Alexander stepped out silently, his face hidden in the gloom.

  "You got scared, Coby?" Alexander’s voice was cold, cutting through the silence, a sharp edge in every sylble.

  "Yeah, I thought it was a ghost or something... Wait—how the hell do you know my name?" Coby stammered, his body drenched in sweat, his heart pounding faster with each word.

  "So, you got scared again?" Alexander’s tone remained devoid of warmth, almost amused. "I know everything about you, Coby. In fact, I’m not even hiding it anymore. Just wait until you find out who I am."

  "How do you know everything about me? Who the hell are you?" Coby demanded, his voice trembling now, a mix of fear and rising fury.

  "I am your reality. I am everything you need to know. I am everyone you want to find, Coby"

  "Shut the fuck up, bastard. You’re getting fired tomorrow. Just wait until you find out who I am."

  "I don’t have to," Alexander replied, his voice unnervingly calm.

  The conversation ended abruptly, like a door smming shut. The next morning, Coby stormed to Roman, spilling everything. But Roman, barely blinking, waved it off. "It must’ve been a nightmare," he muttered, clearly dismissing Coby’s fears. That response pushed Coby over the edge. Fueled by anger, he confronted Alexander.

  "You’re lying!" Coby’s voice was sharp, louder now. "What’s your game? Last night—"

  Alexander cut him off, his face expressionless, and his words colder than ever. "What are you talking about? I was barely awake st night. Didn’t talk to anyone. You must’ve been drunk."

  "I don’t drink," Coby shot back, fury rising in his chest like fire.

  "Then you must’ve been high," Alexander chuckled darkly, a slight sneer tugging at his lips.

  "Shut the fuck up!" Coby exploded, grabbing Alexander by the colr, his hands shaking with rage. He could feel the heat of his anger, his heartbeat hammering in his chest. The room seemed to shrink as the tension between them thickened, ready to snap at any second.

  Roman, hearing the commotion, rushed in, his eyes widening when he saw the scene unfold. He stormed over, grabbing Coby by the arm to pull him off. "You guys better stop fighting right now! And Coby—this is your st chance. If you keep this up, you’re fired. You’re trying to get rid of him because he’s taking your pce!"

  "what? who is he even? I am your friend and he is just a guy. how can you trust him and not me?"

  "because he's not a coward like you! I noticed when you fight you are scared and he fights fearless. I wanted someone who could fight and I found him."

  Coby clenched his fists, fury building in him. "I’m not leaving until I find out what I’m here for! And let’s see who’s gonna fight when you’re down to your st life, Alexander!"Days passed, and the conflict between Coby and Alexander remained unresolved. Tension simmered, both men too proud to back down.Then, one day, Roman’s voice broke through the building, urgent and frantic."Coby! Alexander! They’ve entered the building! They’re attacking everyone!"Roman's shout rang out, the panic clear in his voice."Get out of your rooms! We need cover!" Alexander barked, his focus shifting immediately. "Coby, cover me! I’m hanging back! They’ve got machine guns. Three of them. Coby! Throw the grenades!"Without hesitation, Alexander sprang into action, positioning himself strategically to protect the building from the assault. Coby, despite his tension with Alexander, moved swiftly into position, his instincts taking over.Grenades went off in a blinding explosion of chaos and debris. Coby rushed in, surprising even himself as he took down the attackers one by one. It wasn’t easy, but his training kicked in, and soon, all of them were dead.When the dust settled, Coby turned back to Alexander, who was badly injured. Coby knelt beside him, quickly reviving him. Roman, too, was severely hurt, but he was alive.Coby and Alexander were both wounded, their bodies bruised and bloodied, but they had fought through it together. The building was still standing, and most of the people inside had survived, but it had come at a heavy cost.

  It took an entire month for them to recover. When Alexander finally announced that he was leaving soon, the news stunned everyone — everyone except Coby. Deep down, Coby had sensed it. He knew Alexander was done with this pce. And honestly, he was happy to hear it.Alexander was in his room, quietly packing his belongings, when Coby barged in without knocking, shutting the door behind him with a sharp click."So, you’re leaving?" Coby said, his voice unusually calm. "Well... I just wanted to say that I’ll miss you."Before Alexander could react, Coby lunged forward, stabbing a syringe into his neck. The Propofol rushed into Alexander’s bloodstream. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second — and then, everything went bck. His body crumpled to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut.Coby stood over him, breathing heavily. That’s when he noticed it — something dark inked on Alexander’s shoulder, half-hidden under his shirt.Curious, and filled with a growing sense of dread, Coby pulled the shirt off Alexander’s unconscious body.What he saw left him frozen.A tattoo.The same tattoo he had seen on the group members he had fought and killed.It hit him like a hammer — Alexander wasn’t just one of them.He was their leader.