- SS PARTNERS HIERARCHY -
LEVEL 0
Unknown Authority
(Status: Classified)
LEVEL 1
Special Executive Chiefs (4)
• Null
• Fang
• Chief 3
• Chief 4
LEVEL 2
Special Executives
Each Chief commands 4 Special Executives.
Example:-
Null Squad
• Hollow
• Executive 2
• Executive 3
• Executive 4
LEVEL 3
Base Executives
Example:-
The Gaurds who were with Hollow
---
Volume 2nd [ The truth they buried ]
Chapter No.18 - Game begins - begins....!
---
The scene begins with a tense atmosphere spread throughout the basement.
Kye had just returned from his training with Hollow. Surprisingly, the entire team was together today. Even Arisa had arrived because she wanted to see their hideout for herself.
The moment Kye entered, Elena rushed toward him.
Elena: "Kye, what are we supposed to do? This man isn't telling us anything! I'm starting to think he'll never talk normally. We might have to get a little stricter with him."
Kye: "Of course he isn't going to tell you anything that easily. The guy has worked with an organization that huge for years. Don't worry about him. I'll handle it. And Arisa, you just sit quietly here, understood?"
Arisa immediately frowned.
Arisa: "And who exactly are you to tell me what to do?"
Kye: "I don't like disturbances or unnecessary hassle while I'm working."
Arisa: "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just go."
She turned away while mumbling under her breath.
Arisa (thinking): You are really rude..Kye
Kye entered the room where Dr. Arthur was being held.
Arthur was a man somewhere around his forties or fifties, with a deep voice and a stern expression. His hands were restrained, but his attitude hadn't changed in the slightest.
Dr. Arthur: "You're the one who brought me here, aren't you? Let me go. Otherwise, things aren't going to end well for any of you."
Kye stared at him for a moment.
Kye: "Hmph... Uncle, if I wanted to let you go, why would I have brought you here in the first place? You're not exactly a guest in our hideout. Now, let's get to the important part."
Kye stared at Arthur calmly.
Kye: "So, why don't you just tell us everything you know? And maybe after that, I'll let you go. Because honestly, they already know about me, so there's no real secret left to protect. And besides, killing you without a reason would be pointless."
Arthur let out a faint scoff.
Arthur: "Kid, what exactly do you think you're capable of? You seriously think you can stop them? Those people operate on a global level. I'm not even sure an entire country could stop them, and you're planning to take them on alone? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Kye: "I guess time will tell what happens. But backing down before I've even tried isn't how I do things."
Arthur remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
Arthur: "Hmm... Look, just let me go and I'll forget everything that happened here. Everything. And anyway, I'm not going to tell you anything. Tell me something instead—what exactly do you want, kid? What are you hoping to achieve by doing all this? If someone close to you got caught up in this, then tell me. I might be able to help you. After all, I used to work with them. It's better than getting yourself involved in something you don't understand."
Kye's expression changed slightly.
Arthur: "There's no point picking a fight with people like them."
Kye went silent.
His mind wandered through everything that had happened so far—the incidents, the people he'd met, the things he'd discovered, and all the questions that still had no answers.
After a long pause, Kye finally spoke.
Kye: "What do I want?"
He lowered his gaze for a moment.
Kye: "Maybe I don't even know what I want myself. But I do know one thing—the thing I'm doing right now isn't wrong. Maybe the way I'm doing it isn't exactly right either... but what difference does that make? I know what I'm doing is right, and I'm going to see it through. That's all that matters."
Arthur stared at him strangely for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
Arthur: "What an odd kid... You people really seem to have a death wish."
Kye: "Alright. Since you don't want to tell me anything, I guess I'll start doing things my way."
Kye slowly raised his fingers toward Arthur's eyes.
Kye: "Don't be scared, Mr. Arthur. It won't hurt that much. You just might not be able to see anything afterward."
Arthur immediately started struggling against his restraints.
Arthur: "Wait! Wait! Are you insane?! What the hell are you doing?!"
Kye: "You were the one who said you weren't going to tell me anything. So I'm just doing whatever comes to my mind."
Arthur: "Listen! Just listen to me first! Look, kid, I don't actually know that much. I was only a low-level scientist. The senior members had access to far more information than I ever did. You should go to Dr. Z He was my senior and the head of the research team. He's still working there. If you want the real information, you'll find everything you need from him. Now let me go!"
Kye suddenly raised his voice.
Kye: "Cut the bullshit! You're seriously telling me that you know nothing? There's no way that's true. Do you have a death wish, old man? At this rate, you're going to die before I do anything else."
Arthur's face became visibly tense. He was genuinely terrified of dying.
Arthur: "Wait! Please, listen to me! Look, I don't want to die. I only joined the government's operation because the salary was extremely good. I wanted to spend the rest of my life rich, living comfortably and enjoying luxury. That's it. I had no other reason. That's also why I never got married—I didn't want unnecessary fights and problems in my life. I'll tell you everything I know, but only if you agree to two conditions."
Kye stared at him for a moment.
Kye: "You've got quite a lot of courage for an old man, don't you? Fine. Tell me."
Arthur swallowed nervously.
Arthur: "First, you let me live. I just want to live out the rest of my life. That's all. And second—and this is the most important thing—whatever I tell you, they can never find out that I told you. If they discover that Dr. Arthur gave you this information, they'll kill me before they ever get to you."
Kye remained silent for a moment before answering.
Kye: "I understand. You have my word. I keep my promises, so you can speak freely."
Arthur's expression suddenly became completely serious before he began speaking.
Arthur: "Look, I'm not going to say that I know nothing. But at the same time, I don't know everything either. I was only a part of the operations. I was never involved in the entire objective behind them."
Kye also became completely serious and sat quietly, waiting for him to continue.
Arthur: "Look, whatever you already know is true. The government is definitely trying to create something resembling superhuman abilities, but why they're doing it? I have no idea. But if I speak from my own experience, I don't think this is limited to superhuman powers. And I don't think this is simply about political affairs either. I've heard the higher-ups talking several times. They were always discussing things related to biological products and civilization. I never really understood what they were talking about, but I can tell you one thing—their plans don't seem to end with humans. They're trying to do something, something that's being kept hidden from the rest of the world."
Arthur paused briefly before continuing.
Arthur: "I've personally worked on several serums that could greatly increase physical strength and enhance a lot of other abilities. But the strangest thing was the chemicals themselves. Some of the components inside them were things I'd never seen before throughout my entire career in science. That's pretty much all I know that might actually be useful to you."
And lastly one more thing before ending -
*inaudible voice* --/--
Kye remained silent for a few seconds.
Kye: "Actually... that's enough. I have enough of a scale now to understand what I'm dealing with. Thanks."
Without saying anything else, Kye immediately unlocked Arthur's restraints.
Arthur stared into Kye's eyes and realized something.
Kye wasn't joking anymore.
There was no arrogance or excitement in his expression. He was genuinely dedicated to finding out what was happening.
Arthur (thinking): People like this actually exist...? Just thinking about it is unbelievable.
Arthur slowly got up and began walking toward the main entrance.
Elena and Saito immediately looked at Kye in disbelief.
Elena and Saito: "Wait, Kye! He's leaving! What are you doing?!"
Kye didn't even turn around.
Kye: "We've already gotten everything we needed from him. Let him go."
Kye then sat down in front of them and began explaining everything he'd learned.
And the scene shifts..!
---
Kye had finally made it onto the road. He was thinking to himself, I've told them everything I know. Things are much clearer now. Our next objective is to gather solid proof against them. For that, we simply have to wait for their next move. But before that, I need to—
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
Four people were standing together right in front of him.
They were none other than Fang's Special Executives.
The woman among them stepped forward with a smile.
Raven: "Hi, Kye. I honestly didn't expect you to be this handsome. My name is Raven.
One of the men immediately sighed.
Draken: "There she goes again. This stupid girl has started already. Anyway, let me introduce myself. I'm Draken.
The other two introduced themselves as well.
Blade: "I'm Blade."
Needle: "And I'm Needle."
Kye stared at all four of them for a moment before speaking.
Kye: "Wait, who the hell are you jokers? And what do you mean by Special Executives? I don't get it. Look, I don't have time for this. Take off those fancy costumes and go home. It's already late. Your mom and dad are probably going to kill you."
Blade's expression immediately changed.
Blade: "You bastard, shut your mouth! We're Special Executives. We're the same rank as Hollow, so don't even think about comparing him to us. Got it?"
Kye suddenly became serious.
Kye: "Oh... now I get it."
The very next second, Kye turned around and started running in the opposite direction at full speed.
Those guys also start chasing Kye.
Draken: "Asshole, just how far do you think you can run from us?"
Kye kept running until he finally reached the same open fields beneath the clear sky—the very training area where he usually trained.
The four Special Executives had followed him all the way there.
Draken smiled and spoke.
Draken: "You stupid brat, you really think you can run away from us? Where are you going to go now? There's nothing but a forest behind you."
Kye: "What? You idiot, why the hell would I run away from you? I only came this far because that place was important to me. I didn't want anything happening to the people close to me, and fighting in a populated area would only create unnecessary chaos. That's the only reason I came here. Got it, dumbass?"
Needle: "So you're saying you didn't run because you were afraid of us?"
Kye: "No. Is there actually anything about you people that I'm supposed to be afraid of?"
Raven: "How about we show you exactly what we're capable of? After we kill you, I'll play around with your dead body. How does that sound?"
Kye: "Whoa, why are you taking this to an 18+ level? Anyway, I want to see something too. I want to find out just how much I've grown through all those training sessions with Hollow."
Kye remembered his clashes with Hollow during their training sessions.
He slowly clenched his fist and smiled.
And that's how Chapter 18 - Game begins - ends...!