Mark stepped out of the Deacon's office with the sealed envelope tucked securely inside his coat.The heavy iron door closed behind him with a dull metallic thud.For several seconds, he stood silently in the corridor before finally beginning to walk.As his footsteps echoed through the dim underground passageways, Mark quietly reorganized his plans.Yesterday, he had already discarded Plan A.Now, Plan B had become useless as well.The problem was not that he had offended the Deacon. Honestly, offending the Deacon was far from the biggest issue.The real problem was that the leak regarding compromised identities had now spread throughout Shadow Mountain.Yesterday, only Mark knew that several foreign intelligence agencies had likely obtained information regarding the candidates' fake identities and travel routes.But now?Everyone knew.Mark's eyes narrowed slightly beneath his mask.The higher-ups had intentionally released the information.There was no other explanation.A candidat

Mark automatically woke up when the agreed time to receive his things approached.He didn't need to set up an alarm.This was a habit formed through years of hard training.He picked up the hotel phone and ordered a light meal before heading into the bathroom to freshen up.By the time he came out of the bathroom, the food had already arrived.After finishing his meal, he opened the wardrobe in his room and took out the bulletproof and stabproof vest he had bought earlier in Black City.He wore the vest first.On top of it, he put on a full-sleeved black shirt.After that, he equipped several specialized belts and hidden straps around his waist, thighs, shoulders, and legs before finally putting on his boots.Then he opened the bag beside the bed.One after another, different weapons disappeared beneath his clothes.Guns.Knives.Throwing blades.Poison darts.Extra magazines.Even small hidden blades were strapped inside his socks and sleeves.After equipping everyth

The rooftop trembled beneath the rain.Cold wind swept between the buildings of the ghost town. Mark stood near the edge of the rooftop, one hand resting inside his jacket pocket.His dark eyes calmly scanned the surrounding buildings.Silent and peaceful.But it was the kind of peace that carried dread within it.Then suddenly he heard a faint metallic sound drifting through the rain.The moment his instincts sensed danger earlier, Mark's entire mind had gone into overdrive. Every one of his senses had become unnaturally sharp.His hearing , eyesight and even his sense of smell was enhanced.This was not some kind of superpower.It was a secret technique taught within Shadow Mountain.Very few people could master it.Mark had successfully learned the technique years ago, but he never revealed it to anyone—not even inside Shadow Mountain.Because one of the rules written inside his notebook stated:25) The more trump cards you hide, the longer you survive.When Mark first learned that Sh

A week after Mark's fight with the Hanzo Clan.Inside Shadow Mountain, Surveillance Wing—A man sitting and looking at his desktop screen was frowning. After that, he picked up his walkie-talkie."Captain, this is Shadow Eyes No. 15. I think we have got a problem here. Requesting a supervisor to come and check the situation."Two minutes later, two men entered the Surveillance Wing and headed straight toward him."What's the problem here?""Sir, Shadow Candidate No. 7's tracker is behaving strangely."Hearing that a Shadow Candidate was involved, both men immediately became alert.The supervisor narrowed his eyes and said, "Report.""Sir, it has been six hours since the candidate hasn't moved from his position."Hearing that this was the problem, the supervisor sighed in relief and scolded the man."Is this what you consider a problem? It's normal during a mission to stay in one place for several days. What is six hours?"But the man who was being scolded replied, "Staying

The deacon stood up straight. "Sir, there was an explosion inside the Archives Department. Although the damage to the archives was not extensive, we lost some crucial pieces of intelligence." "After all the relevant divisions came together and investigated the attack, they came to the conclusion that this matter is related to one person." "Shadow Candidate No. 7, or Mark. We believe that he is related to this attack." At this moment, an elder suddenly exclaimed, "Huh? Did Kenshin's little experiment escape?" This was the only elder not wearing a cloak. Rather, she had a white lab coat draped around her body. Her voice sounded mature, and she had a voluptuous figure. Hearing her mention Kenshin's man, the Grand Elder coughed to get her attention and gave her a signal with his eyes not to divulge critical intelligence in front of the deacon. The deacon may have seemed to hold a prestigious position in the eyes of others, but to the elders he was nothing more than an errand