L*st and Death

“Is the Joseph Elliott Sonia mentioned the same Joseph Elliott in this memo?”

At Siron’s question, Isaac nodded.

“Most likely.”

“What is this memo?”

“Immigration records.”

Siron looked between the memo and Isaac, genuinely impressed.

“Were you always this smart? Or did becoming an alpha make you smarter?”

“Becoming an alpha enhances all your existing strengths. The problem is, it also amplifies your weaknesses.”

He really did sound like a smart person saying smart things. Siron had been sincerely admiring him, but as soon as Isaac said the downsides got magnified too, a creeping unease washed over him. As if the world weren’t chaotic enough already, now it was crawling with lust-driven beasts causing harm.

Siron remembered Baekgyeong and Lewis during rut. They had charged at him like reason didn’t exist, completely consumed by lust.

Isaac must go into rut too.

The thought terrified him. That calm man turning into a rabid beast and attacking him... Just like with Lewis, the omega he was becoming would eventually end up willingly pinned under him, legs spread open.

“What’s this?”

Rafael, now awake, croaked out groggily like a sick chicken. In his hand was the sheet of paper Siron and Isaac had been scribbling on.

“If you don’t want to get involved in phenotypic business, it’s best you don’t know.”

“Still curious though. Hm, is it like some kind of riddle?”

Squinting at the paper, Rafael traced the words with his finger, his face still clouded with sleep.

“According to °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° 2014 records, ‘50 out of 1000 for eight years.’ A smiley face and Yoon Siron? What the hell is this supposed to mean? Haha, I’ve got nothing.”

“Oh! That note’s not Isaac’s—it's mine. It’s a puzzle I need to solve. But honestly, I have no clue either.”

“Hm, if it’s eight years ago, that’d be 2006. What even happened in 2006?”

Rafael started recounting major civilian disasters in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, but Siron was mentally scrolling through the film projects he’d worked on in 2006. He would’ve been twenty in Korean age—everything on set had felt dazzling and overwhelming back then. He remembered the feeling of clumsily reciting lines in front of the camera, and his face flushing every time staff members looked at him.

1,000 to 50. Come to think of it, that was probably the going rate on the officetel he briefly lived in—a 10 million won deposit and 500,000 won monthly rent. The only problem was, Siron had signed a lump-sum lease, not a monthly one.

“If you ever figure it out, let me know. To celebrate solving the riddle, how about we enjoy a bottle of Marea Oscura 18-year at some classy bar?”

“Just for cracking a puzzle?”

“Life’s short. Might as well enjoy it.”

There were still traces of drowsiness around Rafael’s eyes, but the slow smile tugging at his lips brimmed with a playful ease. That mocha cream skin, the stylish mustache, and the gently spreading smile...

What is this? I’ve definitely seen that smile somewhere before.

It struck Siron like déjà vu—like he’d seen that expression at some point, somewhere.

“How long till we arrive?”

Rafael let out a lazy breath as he asked Isaac.

“We’re expected to reach the destination in one hour.”

“Cool. Wake me in 50 minutes.”

With a massive yawn, Rafael got up from the couch and shuffled over to the bed. He climbed the ladder to the top bunk, yanked the blanket over his head to block out the lights, and promptly fell back into a deep sleep.

An hour later, the fishing vessel carrying the five of them slipped into a desolate dock under cover of night. As the dull hum of the engine died, Siron followed Isaac—who was carrying Baekgyeong on his back—off the boat. They climbed into a rusted van parked outside a crumbling shack near the harbor and drove out of the eerily quiet ghost town.

Siron parted ways with Sonia without even a proper goodbye. Just like with Ikbal, Ashimi, Anna, and Lewis, he had once again, without warning, been cut off from someone else’s world. His footsteps felt heavy, but there was no turning back. His life flowed ever forward, like a river toward the sea. And until he met that sea, this inevitable journey would continue.

Linhart Police Station was as quiet as ever. Though Hurricane Titanus had devastated most of Helsota State and thrown it into emergency status with countless new incidents piling up, Linhart remained relatively untouched. Besides two uprooted trees blocking the road and some busted CCTV and ALPR systems, it was so peaceful it felt like another country entirely.

Life here was uneventful to the point of monotony. But there was one source of disruption: Linhart Police Department’s official problem child, Anna McCarthy.

Today marked the 20th day in a row Anna had stormed into the chief’s office demanding backup. She insisted that her younger brother, Lewis McCarthy, had been kidnapped alongside a curry restaurant delivery man and begged for an investigation. She not only ignored her assigned duties but had grabbed the chief by the collar and kicked the shins of colleagues trying to restrain her.

Anyone else would’ve been fired long ago. But Anna was... different. She was still employed at Linhart PD.

“Seriously? How does someone who’s already dead get kidnapped? Has she finally snapped from grief?”

“I’m more shocked she hasn’t been fired after throwing all those tantrums.”

The woman with acne-scarred cheeks started trash-talking Anna, and the man playing a mobile game beside her replied with a bored shrug.

“She’s probably got dirt on the chief.”

“Or maybe they’re related. Some folks say Anna’s the chief’s illegitimate daughter.”

“No way. They look nothing alike. If anything, I’d sooner believe they were... involved.”

The guy sighed deeply at the ridiculousness of that suggestion.

“You nuts? With Anna McCarthy?”

“Why not? She’s not ugly.”

“I mean, fair... but seriously, Anna and Chief Ponce?”

Just then, a sharp cough echoed from the stairwell. Both officers spun around in panic, scrambling to pretend they weren’t gossiping. Chief Ponce was glaring daggers at them, his Botox-stretched face frozen in fury.

“You two—see me this afternoon.”

“Uh, yes, sir.”

“Y-yessir! Understood!”

The chief stormed out, radiating cold fury. Moments later, loud thuds echoed as Anna McCarthy thundered down the stairs after him.

“You bastard! Running away again?!”

Earlier, Chief Ponce had tried assigning Anna to sort the old case files in the records room by date, hoping she’d accept the task and give him a chance to escape. He’d bolted for the driver’s seat of his car like a man desperate for freedom. But before he could even lock the doors, Anna climbed into the passenger seat.

“So, you running off again? Or is it Botox day?”

“Hmph! I’ve got a meeting at the fire station! What of it?!”

Ponce’s whole body trembled with rage, but his frozen face could barely twitch.

“Fire station, my ass. Where were you really going, Chief Ponce?”

Anna’s voice boomed loud enough to wake the dead. Ponce shot her a withering look before collapsing against the steering wheel.

“You’re out of your damn mind.”

“Yeah, I’ve got nothing left to lose. So don’t you dare run.”

“For god’s sake, Anna McCarthy. I’m so sick of your crazy ramblings I can’t take it anymore!”

Anna’s face hardened into a glacial mask.

“If you’re tired of my bullshit, then recover the data.”

“The hell? From who?”

“From whoever deleted the CCTV footage and ALPR logs.”

Anna practically growled the word whoever.

Ponce laughed bitterly, shaking his head.

“Oh, so now we’ve got forces at work? Anna, get a grip.”

“You want me to say it outright? Hybris.”

He picked at his ear like he hadn’t heard.

“What the hell happened on August 28 on Owens and Hickox Road that made Hybris overwrite the 28th’s data with files from the 29th? And that’s not even the only anomaly. Want me to list them all?”

“Ugh. You think data corruption is some rare freak event? Happens all the time. Don’t waste my time with these delusions.”

Ponce barked and glared at her, face still stiff like a mask.

“You don’t even have NCIC clearance. Whose computer did you use? Leah Carter’s? That little—”

“You knew Lewis wasn’t dead.”

Anna cut in, her voice suddenly hollow.

“Lewis is alive, isn’t he?”

Her fists clenched. They trembled with fury. She looked ready to beat the truth out of him. Ponce barely managed to hide the panic in his expression.

Anna was the kind of woman who made men uneasy. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a husky voice and muscle like a sculpted truck tire. Piercings dangled from her ears. Strange tattoos curled across her skin. And she never, ever smiled at a man’s joke.

All of that was more than enough to rattle a short, pudgy, middle-aged man like Shawn Ponce. But he didn’t ignore her because of some personal aversion. In fact, deep down, he wanted to tell her the truth.

If you value your life, stop poking the hive. You’ll end up dead—just like your father.

But, as always, Ponce kept his mouth shut. He was just another pawn—only allowed limited movement across a vast chessboard.

Maybe there was a reason Anna McCarthy was still alive despite how many people had reason to want her dead. But if she kept stirring the hornet’s nest, it was only a matter of time.

“Where’s Lewis? And the Asian man who disappeared with him—where is he?”

Anna didn’t know a thing, but she kept drilling down like a jackhammer. Ponce sneered inside.

Hell if I know. But I bet the Commissioner does. He’s been real interested in that Asian guy.

Ponce stared at her with slitted eyes before finally opening his mouth.

“Just because you dig doesn’t mean something will magically turn up, Anna. Your brother was dead to begin with. If you’re seeing ghosts, go talk to a therapist—not me.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it. Anna’s face turned deathly pale, her expression cracking like marble. A deranged, glassy look replaced her features.

“You... fucker! You know! You fucking KNOW!”

She snapped. Grabbing Ponce by the collar, she slammed her rock-solid forehead into the bridge of his nose. The sharp edge of her brow hit like a hammer. Bone and cartilage crunched. Pain shot from his skull to his toes like an electric current gone berserk.

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