The blue light of Captain Vektor’s laser sword hummed ominously. It sliced through the drizzle and darkness of the tunnel, accompanied by a deadly static distortion. The intense heat radiating from the energy blade stung Jihan’s face, even though thick iron bars, as wide as a grown man’s arm, separated them.Jihan stood rigidly behind the gate.The knuckles of his right hand were shattered. Fresh blood continued to drip onto the concrete floor after his brutal punches against the steel bars. His breathing was heavy, but his pitch-black eyes remained fixed on Vektor and Tono, who lay helpless beneath the executioner’s boot.System.Jihan called out silently, his voice as cold as dry ice.Unlock Overdraft access. Take the rest of my memories. All of them. I want to open this damn gate right now.The air in front of Jihan’s face began to vibrate.A blood-red distortion started forming, preparing to manifest into reality and offer its demonic contract.However, before the screen could ful

Tono’s severed head, lying behind the iron bars, became a silent witness to Jihan’s absolute transformation. The young man’s pitch-black eyes no longer radiated grief; instead, they were filled with a pure emptiness that swallowed every ounce of his human emotion."Let's move, Manager," Jihan said flatly. His voice was hoarse and cold as ice.He turned around, pushing Dian’s wheelchair with his healthy left hand. His right hand, its knuckles shattered and bleeding, gripped the broken Elite Guard steel sword tightly.Luna wiped the remaining tears from her cheek with her dirty jacket sleeve. The former auditor stared at Jihan’s back for a moment. She knew this man had cast aside all of his hesitation. Tono’s death was the final line the Association had crossed. Now, all that was left was a bloody war."Wait, Han. Stop right here," Luna instructed, her voice suddenly turning firm.Jihan stopped walking. They had only gone about a hundred feet from the locked iron gate. The sewer tunnel

The blinding blue light from Vektor's laser sword hissed, evaporating the drops of wastewater pooling on the sewer floor. The elite Executioner stood thirty feet in front of Jihan, staring at the broken steel sword in the fugitive's hand with a condescending chuckle.Vektor suddenly pressed a button on the hilt of his weapon. The blue plasma blade died instantly. He holstered the laser handle back onto his waist."You know, Jihan," Vektor let out a long sigh, acting as if he were dealing with a tedious chore. "This plasma sword of mine costs as much as this entire slum district. It is way too elegant, way too clean to slit the throat of a sewer-stinking garbage porter like you."The black-armored man reached his right hand behind his back, drawing a weapon that had been locked onto his tactical armor all along.A giant sledgehammer.The handle was made of titanium alloy, and the hammerhead was an asymmetrical cylinder emitting a hot orange glow. The air around the hammerhead vibrated

The jagged blade of the broken steel sword pierced Vektor's neck with a sickeningly wet tearing sound of flesh.Fresh blood sprayed heavily, soaking Jihan's left fist. Captain Vektor, the Association's proud executioner feared across the country, convulsed violently for the last time. His eyes bulged in horror behind the cracked helmet visor, before the giant black-armored body finally lay motionless in the puddle of wastewater.Jihan yanked his sword out roughly. He panted heavily. The oxygen in this sewer felt incredibly thin.Just as Vektor's corpse grew cold, the air in front of Jihan's face vibrated violently. A neon green virtual screen exploded into his retinas, illuminating the dark tunnel with an overly cheerful corporate glow.[DEATH BANK: LOAN REPAYMENT DEPARTMENT][Asset Deposit Detected: 1 Unit of Executive-Class Pure Black Essence!][Soul Quality: Extremely High. Processing cosmic exchange rate conversion.][Congratulations, Client! Your balance has successfully covered

The silence inside the rickety wooden cabin felt as heavy as concrete. There was no sound of wind slipping through the window cracks, nor the chirping of crickets outside. The only sound was the static hum of the Mana stabilizer drawing power from the generator, and Dian's breathing, which was starting to rattle softly.In the middle of the dark room, the glow of blood-red light illuminated Jihan's deathly pale face.The young man sat paralyzed on the dusty floor. His hollow, pitch-black eyes stared straight at the Death Bank System interface floating right in front of him. In the center of the virtual screen, a red hourglass icon spun incredibly slowly. Every rotation seemed to mock the last shreds of Jihan's sanity, which was already on the verge of collapsing.[Processing Client inquiry. Your request is being forwarded to the cross-dimensional Customer Service Department.][Please wait. We highly appreciate your patience!]"Hurry up, you dog," Jihan hissed quietly. His jaw clenched