Rio was in a panic. Despite the cold weather, his anxiety made his palms break out in a sweat.
He quickly made his way to the warehouse exit, and his nervousness subsided a little. His left hand shakily took out a cigarette from his pocket. But when he went to grab his lighter, he remembered it was in the restroom.
"Damn it... damn it..."
Kicking the piled-up snow on the ground, he cursed under his breath.
"Bang!"
"Ah..."
Before Rio could react, he was hit hard in the back, immediately throwing him forward onto the ground.
"What... what do you want?"
Rio, enduring the intense pain, turned his head only to see that the attackers were the two men in black, who'd been monitoring the warehouse.
"Uh..."
Before he could react any further, the two men in black grabbed Rio by the throat. One of them landed a harsh punch on his abdomen.
The impact on his vulnerable stomach was severe. Needless to say, Rio screamed in pain, barely able to avoid collapsing on the ground.
