The safe house was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Cold air seeped through the broken windows, and the faint hum of passing traffic was the only sound outside.
Inside, tension crackled like a live wire.
Seojin sat on a metal crate, bandaging her wounded arm. Hyunwoo paced near the entrance, his face dark with anger. Minji was disassembling her gun, cleaning it with sharp, precise movements—her way of keeping calm.
Kai was the only one glued to the laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as he hacked into the remnants of his old network.
The silence was suffocating.
Then—ping.
Everyone froze.
Kai's screen flashed with an incoming message.
From Jinho.
Seojin's stomach clenched.
Dojin narrowed his eyes. "He has a death wish."
Kai exhaled, clicking on the message. A video file loaded.
"Play it," Seojin ordered.
Kai hesitated, then pressed enter.
Jinho's Last Warning
The screen flickered to life.
Jinho appeared on the grainy video, sitting in a darkened room, his face partially shadowed. He looked exhausted—blood on his cheek, a bruise forming near his temple.
He wasn't alone.
Behind him, a man loomed—clad in black, his presence menacing.
It was someone Seojin recognized.
Director Choi.
One of the highest-ranking members of the Phoenix Syndicate.
Jinho's voice was tight. "Seojin… if you're seeing this, then you already know I made a mistake."
A bitter laugh. "They played me. I thought I could negotiate with them, but they don't make deals."
He inhaled sharply, then continued. "The list you're looking for—it's not just names. It's a ledger. It contains financial records, bribery transactions, and locations of secret Phoenix operations. If that information gets out… the entire syndicate crumbles."
Kai muttered, "That explains why they're so desperate to find it."
Jinho's voice turned urgent. "I know where it is."
Seojin's fingers clenched.
"But you have to get there first."
His gaze flickered to something off-screen.
Then—a gun cocked.
Choi stepped forward, placing the barrel of a silencer against Jinho's temple.
Seojin's pulse spiked.
"Wait," Minji whispered.
Jinho didn't flinch. He kept his eyes on the camera. "It's at the old Seonghwa Orphanage. Basement level."
Choi smirked, speaking for the first time. His voice was silk laced with venom.
"You should've stayed loyal, Jinho."
Jinho exhaled. Then—he smirked.
And in the last second before the video cut—
Bang.
The video ended.
The room was dead silent.
Minji covered her mouth, her eyes wide.
Kai exhaled shakily. "Shit…"
Hyunwoo slammed his fist against the wall. "Damn it!"
Seojin forced herself to breathe. She replayed the last few seconds in her mind. Jinho's smirk. The gunshot.
But no confirmation.
No body.
She turned to Kai. "Can you trace where this video was sent from?"
Kai's fingers moved rapidly.
"…It's encrypted," he muttered. "They hid the origin. But if Jinho's telling the truth, the orphanage is our only lead."
Hyunwoo scoffed. "So what? We trust him now?"
Seojin didn't answer.
Jinho had betrayed them—but at the last second, he chose to help.
That meant something.
Dojin spoke up. "If the Phoenix is holding him hostage, they won't keep him alive for long."
Minji's jaw tightened. "We go. Now."
Seojin nodded. "Gear up."
They didn't have time to waste.
End of Chapter 59