Williams took the lead in the conversation. Now it was just him and Koji, staring at each other. The bodyguard remained vigilant behind his employer.

– Do you have any idea why we’re meeting? – Koji asked, lowering his head slightly, looking up at Williams.

– I have no idea. In fact, I hope it's something important. I'm sure you're aware that my time is precious.

For a brief moment, there was a slight twitch in Koji's left eyelid, but the smile never left his lips.

– Do you really think I'd waste my time if the matter wasn’t..." Koji kept his tone light, but he was soon interrupted.

–I'm sure you wouldn't waste my time. After all, you wouldn't want any delays in product transactions because of you.

Koji maintained his smile, but the corners of his lips twitched. He closed his eyes and began chuckling softly to himself. Williams wrinkled his nose at the sight. Koji then burst into an extravagant laugh, lifting his head.

–Funny you'd say that. After all, I've been wondering what the hell goes on in that empty little head of yours? – Koji commented, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. He took a drag of his cigarette, almost biting it. – Because you clearly don't have a brain!

– Are you crazy!? Do you know who I am!? – Williams lifted his chin as he asked, but his watch swayed lightly as his wrist began to tremble.

–An idiot! That's what you are! – Koji replied sharply, almost cutting Williams off. He then paused, studying him. – You have no idea what you've done, do you?

Koji resumed his grin and pulled out a pair of black gloves from his jacket pockets, both made from thick, durable material.

– What the hell are you talking about? The job was done with excellence; no mistakes were made. – Williams said, his expression puzzled, unable to comprehend.

Koji slowly put on the gloves, pressing a button on each glove's end, causing them to emit a faint vibration.

– Excellence, huh? It's funny that your nose is so high up you can't even smell the shit you've stepped in.

Williams stood still; his jaw clenched. The bodyguard watched Koji, taking a more alert stance in response.

– This ridiculous meeting makes no sense. If you have something to say, say it already! – Williams shot back, frowning but leaning back slightly.

– You plugged something into our provided device, didn’t you? – Koji asked while flicking his cigarette onto the ground.

– What are you talking about...? Of course, I didn’t plug anything in!

– Come on, Williams, don't you want to save us both time so we can get to what really matters? – Koji asked as he moved away from the stairs.

– You must be insane... I didn’t do anything wrong! All security protocols were followed!

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Koji took a deep breath, shaking his head slightly as he stopped after pacing briefly.

– You plugged a USB device into the laptop we provided, which wouldn’t have been a problem, – he said, furrowing his brow. – but you disabled the system's protections!

His smile gradually faded, replaced by a completely serious expression.

– You leaked some very important information, and there are people who aren’t too happy about your mistake.

– This is a waste of time! – Williams retorted, his heart racing as he avoided eye contact. – I didn’t do any of that!

Koji sighed and looked up, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

– October fifth… does that ring a bell? – he said, his black eyes fixed on Williams. – You disabled the security exactly at 10:50 PM. It seems you were working late...

At this moment, Williams froze, his gaze dropping to the floor.

– No... that's not possible... – Williams took a step back. –You must be mistaken. Check again, maybe you got it wrong because that was just an emergency!

– The mistake was yours, but that doesn’t matter anymore. What I want to know is... – Koji’s sharp eyes bore into Williams'. – Whose USB device was it?

– It doesn’t make sense... I know him, he’s just another regular man...

– Give me the name.

– You're wrong, you're looking for things that don’t exist! –Williams said with his arms spread wide.

– The name! Give me the damn name! – Koji snapped, shouting and stepping forward, his teeth clenched.

– It’s Kevin... Kevin Bright... But it wasn’t my fault! I didn’t know anything! – Williams replied, his voice cracking.

Koji, however, didn’t seem to pay him any attention. He appeared lost in thought after hearing the name mentioned. Then, he turned to Williams with a cold stare.

– If you think you’ll get away from this unscathed, you’re dead wrong. It’s because of you we’re in this tangled mess of shit. – Koji’s tone was harsh and direct, his gaze fixed like a predator eyeing its prey.

– This is ridiculous! I made no mistake! – Williams was growing more agitated, breathing heavily, with sweat now dripping down his forehead.

– Williams, you’re about to learn one of life’s hard truths: you’re not special. – Koji said as he lit another cigarette, savoring every second of that drag. –You’re just another easily replaceable number.

He let the smoke escape from the corner of his mouth with a crooked smile.

– You better not try anything! I’ve got my bodyguard! –Williams yelled as he slowly backed away.

– Ah, like a disobedient animal; in the end, I’ll still rub your face in the shit you’ve caused. – Koji said, rolling his eyes. Then, looking at the bodyguard, he added: – I'll pay you double what he’s paying if you just walk away. What do you think? It’s sure a lot of money for people like you.

Williams’ eyes widened, and he took a step back, shifting his gaze between his bodyguard and the man in front of him. The bodyguard stared at Koji, grinning, revealing some golden dental implants. He spat on the ground, returning to his stern expression.

Koji shook his head slightly, his eyes drifting to the left, toward the stairs, and then nodded briefly. – Do what you must...

Upon hearing this, Williams turned to his bodyguard, who suddenly rushed toward him. Williams attempted to retreat with fear in his eyes, as the bodyguard lunged forward with his left hand open as if about to strike. However, the bodyguard's hand passed by his head, and a supernatural glow sparked in the bodyguard's pupils, with a yellowish hue.

Then, in front of the bodyguard's hand, the dust on the ground dispersed abruptly, scattering briefly throughout the area and revealing a translucent hand-shaped figure floating in front of him. Suddenly, the sound of a blade clashing against something solid echoed from the direction of the translucent hand.

In a matter of moments, the dim lighting of the place began to slowly reflect the blade of a katana pressed against the translucent hand. Then, the figure of a black man wielding the blade was slowly revealed, as if emerging from the darkness.

He wore dark sunglasses that completely concealed his eyes. His skin was dark brown, like cocoa, and his long hair was tangled into long dreadlocks that reached halfway down his back. Moreover, a full beard outlined his thick lips. He was dressed in dark clothing, made of durable and comfortable fabric, with a type of vest that protected his torso. At his waist, other smaller blades and small pouches could be seen.

– Looks like someone’s going to have to play with their food today… – Koji whispered to himself, a smile forming on his face as he watched the battle unfold in front of him.