Serene City, West Division, Mu Family Residence.
The residence spans an area of 2 square kilometers and is surrounded by walls 5 meters high. Within this area, there are hundreds of houses, most of which are made of stone with rectangular structures. Among them are some two- and three-story buildings that are beautifully crafted with valuable stones. The design of such rectangular-shaped buildings is not only prevalent in this city but also in all five divisions of Serene City and even in every small and large city in the entire East Region.
In a specific building of this residence, Lu Jo is kneeling in front of a beautiful woman seated on a throne. Just behind Lu Jo, on both sides, stands the arrogant group captain and an unknown powerful metal artist, both with their heads bowed.
The woman sitting on the throne in front of Lu Jo has black eyes, a narrow nose, pink lips, and a slim figure. Her red short jacket and long green skirt give her a captivating appearance in the dim light of the room on this night, enough to drive any person mad. However, the trembling and perspiring Lu Jo reveals a stark contrast to this situation.
“Lu Jo, do you know what mistake you have made?” Suddenly, a spine-chilling voice echoed in Lu Jo's ears.
*An hour earlier!
Lu Jo exited the Slave Management building and quickly contacted his group captain. He left out some parts of the incident, narrating it in his way. After informing his group captain about the event, his communication talisman rang with a signal from an unknown source. From the other side came the voice of a mysterious woman who introduced herself as the leader of the X Group, and suddenly summoned Lu Jo to the Mu Family Residence.
The enigmatic leader, whom Lu Jo had never met during his 15-year career, had called upon him with clear intent. He now realized that the mission was of such paramount importance that the head of the X Organization was directly involved. As a result, all members were required to tackle the task with heightened awareness and caution, free from any greed or temptation. Unfortunately, by not fully appreciating the mission's seriousness, Lu Jo made the most significant mistake of his life, leaving him uncertain about his chances of survival in this dire situation. The circumstances had escalated beyond his control.
Thus, Lu Jo mentally rearranged the description of the event, omitting specific parts, so that no suspicion would arise during any future investigation. Without delay, he headed towards the Mu Family Residence. Upon reaching the residence, Lu Jo identified himself and was allowed entry. Before he could comprehend the situation, he was escorted by his group captain and another metalist into a large building, into the throne room. There, a beautiful woman sitting on a grand royal throne was waiting for him.
Upon entering the room, Lu Jo felt such an overwhelming pressure that he immediately fell to his knees, bleeding from his nose and mouth.
“Tell the whole story without leaving anything out.” A cold, chilling voice reached Lu Jo's ears, sending shivers down his spine and making his hair stand on end.
Because of the experience, he knew that the pressure he was feeling was not something artificially created. It was just the life-level difference between them without suppressing her stage.
Lu Jo, an 8th rank official of the Lu Family, bore the status and power of his position. He had previously encountered several 7th-rank and, fortunately, 6th-rank officials. But now, before him stood the mysterious X Group leader Who is known as a powerful 5th rank official, whose single word could destroy hundreds of metal artists like Lu Jo in an instant. To save his life, Lu Jo had already disclosed almost all events, except for the deal with Kelly and the sale of the child as a slave, to make the incident appear more natural and to avoid arousing any suspicion from the other side. He was well aware of how his group carried out interrogations. Which were so intense that they instilled fear in individuals that surpassed even the fear of death itself.
*Present time,
Lu Jo steadied himself and replied in a trembling voice, “I am sorry, please forgive me this time. Driven by greed, I attacked without properly assessing the situation or informing anyone, and in my sadistic delight, I revealed some aspects of the mission to the other side. I will never make such a mistake again in my lifetime. So please, please forgive me. Besides, I have already killed my target and completed the mission. So I am confident that even a crow does not know this matter...”
“ Just Shut up. If you had simply observed more carefully and sought assistance from others instead of acting recklessly, the task could have been completed quietly. However, your greed and impulsiveness have already caused a disturbance there. Meanwhile, our people in the East region are sacrificing their lives to fight against the invaders. In such a critical situation, if they become aware that the powerful LU family's secret X organization is targeting the nameless vulnerable individuals who fleeing their small city due to the beast tide, the consequences will be catastrophic.”a chilly voice thunder the throne room.
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Bangg!!!!
At the same time, Lu Jo felt a powerful blow so severe that it hurled his body against the back wall, breaking several bones like pieces of wood and causing severe bleeding from multiple injuries. Yet, Lu Jo silently forced himself to sit up, realizing that here he had no opportunity to speak. Speaking further would only anger the woman, meaning certain death. So he endured the pain and quietly awaited his fate, as his life now depended entirely on the words of the X Organization leader sitting before him.
Lu Jo's thoughts were interrupted by Lady Xia's cold, stern voice: “How does such an idiot join my organization? If such shitty men join in the future, their group captain will face dire consequences.” With these words, Lady Xia sent another powerful shock wave with a destructive force toward Lu Jo's group captain.
Bannng!!! !!Boom!!!!!
This time, it was not Lu Jo but his arrogant captain who was thrown against the wall. Then Lady Xia, raising her right hand, commanded as she pointed towards Lu Jo: “This entire mission, which I entrusted to the entire X Group to complete, was nearly ruined by your foolish sadistic pleasure. Its impact would have been not only on this organization but even on me. Thus, even if I fed you alive to dogs, it wouldn't suffice to atone.
But this is a secret organization governed by rules and discipline inherited from my ancestors. Even though you put the entire organization at risk, you completed the mission, so I am giving you a choice. Choose painless death by my hands or destroy your core by yourself and live crippled for the rest of your life.”
By now, Lu Jo realized that the woman and child from the previous incident were prime targets on their X Group's hit list. But if they found out that Lu Jo had lied and the target on their hit list was still alive, and even worse, that Lu Jo himself had sold the target to Slave Management, not only Lu Jo but his entire family would be executed for betrayal. Not even his unborn child would be spared from this brutal massacre.
Previously, when Lu Jo had been involved in countless murders at the behest of the X Group and had cruelly tortured others for his sadistic delight, he never imagined that such a dire situation would ever befall him. These thoughts continued to swirl in his mind, preventing him from making a clear decision during this difficult time. A few moments later Suddenly, images of his helpless family and unborn child flashed in his mind, clearing away all other thoughts and making him realize that he needed to choose a path quickly, or things would spiral out of control.
So without thinking further, Lu Jo chose the harshest path.
Boooooooooommmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!
****
Meanwhile, Black Alley Road.
Slave Trading Building, Underground Room.
“No. Father, I won't go anywhere without you, please come with me. Aunt Kelly please convinces him. Father... Father...” In the dim moonlight, the pitiful cries of a child in a nightmare echoed throughout the dark underground room. In this situation, a harsh voice from one of the iron cells resounded angrily.
“Hey... wake up... w.a.k.e..u.p… Brat. Hey.... fuc.....! My head's been pounding from your crying and shouting for almost ten minutes, I can't even sleep. Fuck, if you don't wake up now, I'll smash your head.”
Slap!!!!!
After a few minutes later a loud slap echoed throughout the underground room.
“Hey, why are you hitting the kid while he's in a nightmare? Can't you see he's struggling?” Suddenly, the shaky voice of an old man was heard from within the cell.
The man, enraged, shouted, “Shut up, you fool, or you'll be next to get hit on the face.”
SLAPPP!!!!!
Again another slaps sound heard inside of the iron cell.
After being slapped hard again in a dream state, the child suddenly awoke from his nightmare. Suffering from intense hunger and pain, he slowly sat up from lying on the floor.
As he opened his eyes, the child saw a distorted face in front of him. It took him a moment to realize it was human, as half of the man's face and eyes glowed in the faint moonlight, while the other half was in darkness, resembling a beast from a nightmare.
The child found himself in a dark room, where, despite the surrounding darkness, he could see several faint iron cells in the moonlight, from which whispers of people could be heard. Frightened by this suffocating, dark environment, the child tremblingly asked the man in front, “Who are you? Where are my father and Aunt Kelly? And how did I get here...?”
“SHUT UP, BRAT! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!” the man yelled, his voice filled with rage. He leaned down, his bloodshot eyes glaring at the child, and once again struck the child’s forehead with his right hand.
With this sudden attack, the child, unable to maintain balance, rolled backward.
Ahhhhh!” A child's yelp echoed through the cell, piercing the oppressive silence and resonating with fear.
“You're so damn noisy. So stop right now and listen!” the man spat, his voice thick with disdain. “Here, you’re nothing but a wretched slave—yeah, a goddamn fucking slave. Nothing else matters anymore!” He sneered, relishing the new, grim fate that awaited the child, his mockery slicing through the air like a knife.
The air in the underground room was thick with a mix of despair and resignation. Around the child, various figures lurked in the shadows, each bearing their own scars of captivity. The damp smell of the room mingled with the whispers of the broken souls trapped there, creating an unsettling symphony of hopelessness. The child, now fully awake, could sense the weight of despair that hung over the place like an oppressive fog. The other prisoners, some of whom had been there for many years, observed the newcomer with a mixture of pity and indifference, each too consumed by their own misery to offer any solace.
The child, despite the terrifying circumstances, clung to the memories of his father and Aunt Kelly, using them as a beacon of hope in this darkness. He resolved to survive, to somehow escape this nightmare and find a way back to them. But as the reality of his situation began to sink in, he realized that the road to freedom would be fraught with challenges that he could scarcely imagine. His journey was just beginning, and he would need every ounce of courage and resilience to navigate the treacherous path ahead.
****
Now the true journey begins………………….