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Shiro, the rookie security guard, was freaking out.
Everything Julian had warned him about was coming true.
Thank god he'd listened earlier—kept things friendly with the others, played along on the surface. If he hadn't, he'd probably be tied up right now like the captain and that old guard who used to mentor him.
Both of them were already bound and out of the picture.
And if these guys really lost control… who knew? They might just kill them outright.
Terrifying…
Following the group, Shiro arrived at a villa.
A family of three lived here, plus a housemaid. In terms of strength, only the husband posed any real resistance.
A four-man team, striking by surprise—this would be easy.
Shiro hung back at the rear, fingers brushing against the phone in his pocket from time to time.
He'd been looking for a chance to tip Julian off.
But the guards around him were sharp. No opening so far.
"Shiro, you go knock," one of the chubby guards ordered.
Young guy like you should take initiative.
Left with no choice, Shiro pulled his hand out of his pocket and walked up to the door, pressing the bell.
A minute later, a middle-aged man in pajamas opened up.
At this hour, the whole family should've been asleep.
Shiro glanced at him and subtly tried to signal with his eyes.
The man frowned.
"What's wrong with you? Got eye gunk or something? Why are you blinking like that?"
"And what's with ringing the bell this late? What do you want?"
"Do you have any idea we're sleeping?"
He sounded annoyed—really annoyed.
His wife had finally fallen asleep, and he'd just been getting cozy with the maid… only to be interrupted by the doorbell. Killed the mood instantly.
Now he'd have to start all over again later.
"Well, here's the thing," Shiro said, giving up on hints and sticking to the script. "Some zombies got into the villa area."
"For everyone's safety, we need to check house by house."
"Zombies got in?" the man snapped. "What the hell are you security guards even doing?"
"You let zombies slip in? Useless! Absolutely useless!"
His temper flared.
It wasn't easy for him to get in the mood these days, and now it was gone. Just like that.
"Shiro, do it," the chubby guard behind him urged in a low voice.
The plan was to strike as soon as the door opened. What was he waiting for?
Shiro froze.
There was no way he could do it. His conscience wouldn't let him.
But if he didn't… how was he supposed to survive?
As he hesitated, a wrench slipped out from his sleeve and clattered to the ground.
He'd grabbed it earlier just to blend in.
The middle-aged man blinked, staring at it.
You show up in the middle of the night… with a wrench?
That's…
"Ah, well… as a professional security guard and maintenance worker…" Shiro forced a smile, sweat forming on his forehead as he bent to pick it up. "Carrying a wrench at all times is pretty reasonable, right?"
The man thought about it.
…Yeah, that actually made sense.
The chubby guard behind Shiro had had enough.
New guy's way too green. Clumsy as hell.
He stepped forward, shoved Shiro aside, and pulled out a claw hammer from behind his back.
Then he swung.
Bang!
The man's skull split open, blood pouring out instantly.
"Y-you…" the man stammered, collapsing to the ground. "What are you trying to do?!"
His skull had taken the hit, but he wasn't dead yet.
Dazed, he sat there, unable to stand.
"What are we doing?" the chubby guard sneered, straddling him. "I'll tell you."
"From today on, this villa district belongs to us."
He brought the hammer down again.
And again.
And again.
Soon, the man's hand went limp, dropping to the floor. No movement.
The guard's face was splattered with blood, but all it did was highlight the excitement blazing in his eyes.
So this is what it feels like to kill someone.
And not just anyone—a rich guy.
His whole body trembled with exhilaration.
"AHHH!!"
The maid, who had rushed out after hearing the noise, covered her mouth and screamed.
The man she'd been tangled up with just moments ago… had been beaten to death right in front of her.
Upstairs, there was movement too. The wife had been woken up.
The chubby guard turned, eyes bloodshot, locking onto the maid.
Another target.
Gripping the hammer, he stood and started toward her.
"Brother Okajima! Don't!" Shiro quickly grabbed him. "The vice-captain said not to kill the women!"
The guard shot him a glare, but stopped.
Orders were orders.
At that moment, the wife came downstairs, holding her five-year-old daughter.
The second she saw her husband's corpse on the floor, she collapsed.
Security guards… breaking in and killing people?
What the hell was going on?!
Was no one going to stop this?
…Apparently not.
"If you don't want to die, come with us to the central courtyard," the chubby guard said coldly to the wife and the maid.
Both women trembled, nodding immediately.
Fear filled them, but the instinct to survive pushed them forward.
"Brother Okajima," Shiro spoke up, "I'll stay behind and… deal with the body."
"We're going to live in this villa later, right? Can't let it start smelling."
Finally, a chance to be alone.
"Not bad, kid. You're catching on," the guard said with a grin. "Alright, clean it up quick. Once you're done, come meet us—we're hitting the next house."
"Gotta keep up the efficiency."
With that, he herded the two women and the child out, along with the other guards, heading toward the courtyard.
Only after they were gone did Shiro finally let out a long breath.
Jesus…
They'd just killed someone right in front of him.
Smashed his head in…
That chubby guy was way too brutal.
Shiro glanced around, making sure no one was outside the window, then quickly pulled out his phone and called Julian.
"Hello! Bro, something big just went down!" he whispered urgently.
"You were right—completely right. The vice-captain's started slaughtering the residents!"
"At this rate, every male homeowner in the villa district will be dead within an hour!"
"Only the men?" Julian's voice came through, calm but sharp. "Your vice-captain's got… interesting ideas."
"Got it. I'm on my way."
He hung up.
Shiro blinked.
"Why did it sound like he was… out of breath?" he muttered. "Working out this late or something?"
He scratched his head and put the phone away.
Then—
A shadow appeared in the doorway.
Shiro jumped.
"Shiro… I was wondering why you've been acting so weird tonight…"
A cold chuckle followed.
"So you're planning to betray us, huh?"
"Who were you tipping off just now?"
Okajima, the chubby guard, leaned against the doorframe, sneering.
Shiro's whole body went stiff.
"Brother Okajima…"
"Why… why didn't you leave?"
His hand slowly drifted toward the wrench at his waist.
After seeing how brutally this guy had killed earlier, Shiro's heart was pounding out of his chest.
The look in his eyes…
Yeah.
He definitely looked like he was about to kill him.
"....."