Kio and his team moved to Han's other palace until they reached the place where Han would take refuge. This palace is located in a remote area atop a hill overlooking the sea. The outer walls are built of dark gray stone, giving the palace a strict and heavy appearance. The main entrance is flanked by white marble columns, which contrast with the stone walls and add a touch of cold luxury. The front gate is surrounded by an expansive garden planted with Japanese cherry trees and tall cypress trees, lending the place a serene and isolated atmosphere.
Inside, the floors are covered with glossy dark wood while the high ceilings are supported by exposed wooden beams. The lighting is dim and carefully arranged to impart a sense of security and warmth. The palace consists of several floors with winding corridors and staircases leading to rooms with heavy wooden doors.
Han: "Alright, disperse. I want seven guards outside and the rest inside the palace. Hatze, you."
Leo (Kio): "Sir, Hatze and I are among the strongest. Why don't we guard the door and form the first line of defense? If anyone attacks, the others will have time to regroup and prepare."
Han: "Good idea, Leo. Fine—you and Hatze will be at the gate, and the rest remain inside."
After leaving and taking a few moments of silence, Kio began to speak.
Leo: "Could there be snakes in this place?"
Hatze: "I know you fear them, but I won't lie—it's possible, or it may not be. I really don't know. Is there something?"
Leo (Kio): "I need to go to the bathroom, but I can't leave the guard post."
Hatze: "What will you do?"
Leo (Kio): "Alright, I'll go somewhere nearby. I need you to take my place."
Hatze: "Fine, but hurry."
Kio moved slowly until he reached a spot out of Hatze's sight. Two minutes later, Hatze heard a scream coming from Kio's location.
Hatze hurried over.
Hatze: "Leo, what's happening?"
Leo: "(stammering) A s… snake."
Hatze rushed to where Kio was, and as he arrived he found a dagger coming close to his neck. He tried to dodge, but the dagger wounded him.
Kio (laughing): "I knew you were smart, Hatze, and cautious too. But I did not expect you to think that your friend would betray you. Had you not been so careful, you'd be dead by now—and that won't change the fact of your demise."
Kio moved quickly. Hatze attempted to deliver a punch, but Kio evaded and then swiftly lunged toward Hatze's neck, plunging his dagger into it. He then drew his dagger again and struck in the chest.
Kio: "Eva, well done—this amazing situation wouldn't have been reached if you hadn't threatened Han."
Eva: "That was your idea."
The scene then shifts to Leo's house, where Kio is seated on a couch, ready. At that moment he is speaking with Eva.
Kio: "Eva, what's the best way to kill a politician?"
Eva: "I'm not sure—but perhaps poison or a sniper shot?"
Kio: "No—the scandal. That will force him into making reckless moves."
Kio
You know, Eva… for some people, losing power is worse than death. Men like Han — they don't just enjoy control… they *need* it. Strip that away, and you're not just taking his position — you're erasing who he thinks he is.
Eva:
It's true. Some people aren't driven by purpose, but by dominance. Controlling others becomes their only way of feeling alive. It's not ambition — it's addiction.
Kio
That addiction is what we're counting on. He'll walk into the trap not because he's foolish… but because he can't imagine a world where he isn't the one pulling the strings.
Eva
He believes he's untouchable. That no one can move without his permission. That illusion is what blinds him. And illusions… they break harder than bones.
Kio
Exactly. And when it breaks, he won't hear the silence of defeat — he'll hear the screams of everything he tried to control slipping away.
Eva:
People like him never understand they're prisoners of their own obsession. They see themselves as kings, but really… they're just pawns who crowned themselves.
Kio:
It's poetic in a way. He built a world of control… and we're letting him choke on it.
Eva:
You said it best the other day — *sometimes, the leash you use on others becomes the rope around your own neck.*
Kio:
And as Sun Tzu said, *"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."*
Eva: "I see. So you want me to create a scandal for him, don't you?"
Kio (laughing): "Eva, you're the expert. Do whatever you want, but finish it as quickly as possible."
The scene returns to Kio standing before Hatze's corpse. Kio dons a mask and readies his gun with a silencer, then moves into the palace. He proceeds slowly inside, hiding behind a tree while waiting for a patrol guard to move. When one appeared, Kio quickly moved toward him, strangled him from behind, plunged his dagger into the guard's neck swiftly, and then hid the weapon among the trees. He then moved to find the next victim. Kio traversed the darkness, shooting another guard with his silenced pistol and hiding that body as well. He then attacked the remaining guard in that eastern section of the palace—with his dagger.
Guard: "Leo, what's happening?"
In an instant, Kio skillfully threw his dagger at the guard's neck, ensuring death within moments, then moved toward two other guards standing together. He struck the first with his dagger and dispatched the second with his pistol to end them both.
Kio: "I'm bored, Eva. Can you disable all of Han's communications and cut his connection with his men, along with the surveillance cameras?"
Eva: "I disabled his cameras a long time ago. Do you think I'm as foolish as you? But what do you plan to do?"
Kio: "I'm going to play with them a little."
Kio then stormed into the palace, pouncing on the guards without any attempt to hide and killing them swiftly. The barrage of gunshots and dagger strikes left them with no time to comprehend what was happening, until Kio reached the hiding room of Han, where three guards stood before the door.
One guard asked, "Who are you?"
Kio used a staircase to leap and kick one guard in the face. Another tried to throw a punch, but Kio caught his hand, twisted it, and threw his dagger at the other. He then drew his gun and shot the guard holding it in the stomach until he collapsed quickly. The third guard, after a kick, tried to stand again, only to be assaulted by Kio's relentless blows. Kio first broke the man's hand; when he attempted to punch back, Kio broke his other hand with several blows until he fell. Kio seized a dagger from the corpse and stabbed the other guard.
He then moved into the room where Han was hiding. The room is on the basement level of the palace, enclosed by thick, insulated walls for security. It features a huge iron door equipped with a complex electronic lock system. The interior is dimly lit, with a very small window overlooking the back garden that allows only a faint light to enter.
Inside the room, the furnishings are simple yet comfortable: a large wooden desk in one corner, an armchair with a proper backrest, and a modern-design bed with straight lines. On the walls hang surveillance screens connected to cameras covering every corner of the palace. The room is further equipped with additional security systems, such as a hidden safe built into the wall that contains weapons or important documents, as well as a small locked cabinet housing an emergency phone.
Kio entered the room, where Han was seated behind the desk.
Han: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Kio moved swiftly and plunged his dagger into Han's arm.
Kio: "I'm the one asking questions here, you bastard. You will only answer, and you'll die when I say so."
Han: "Fine, but let me go."
Kio: "Who works with you?"
Han began to speak, but Kio interrupted.
Kio: "Eva, did you record what that man said?"
Eva: "It's been recorded."
Kio pulled out his dagger and plunged it into Han's shoulder.
Han: "Didn't you say you'd let me go?"
Kio: "I never said I'd let you live. What, are you looking for mercy? Then you know there's no such thing in this world." Kio then drew his dagger again and began to cut Han's jaw.
At that moment, Kio produced the mental drive—a small device about the size of a softball, though far more complex than its size suggests. Its body is made of a dark, scratch-resistant, unbreakable metal, resembling glossy black onyx. Its surface is intricately engraved and adorned with tiny blinking lights that are barely noticeable. The device radiates a mysterious energy that one can feel upon approaching, as if it were reacting to your presence.
The drive is almost spherical in shape, with some sharp angles that give it an unnatural appearance. There are small slots along its sides used for inserting or retrieving mental data, as well as a tiny digital display showing complex codes that are not easily decipherable. The drive itself is secured by a system that relies on brainwave patterns or neural codes—meaning that unlocking it requires matching the data with an extracted mental fingerprint.
When the extracted mind is placed inside the drive, it emits a faint flash and a low whisper, as if the trapped memories within were attempting to resurface