Workers 1st Affiliate
First Floor
Daniel scribbled on Alexander's back, searching for the stairs to the next floor.
Behind him, Vasco, Jay, Vin Jin, and Zack stood silently. Hudson wasn't present—he'd stayed at the entrance to stop enemies.
Daniel murmured as he read the map. "We're on the 1st floor. This is our current location."
"Hehe... That's ticklish. Wait...! That isn't a permanent marker, right?!" Alexander called out, panicked.
"Where are the stairs to the next floor?" Zack asked.
"It says they're at the end of the hall," Daniel answered.
Zack nodded. "We have to go through the hallway first. But..." He turned to the corridor. Prison-like chambers lined each side. The lighting was gloomy, the floor filthy. "It sure is a creepy place."
Zack walked further down the hallway. "Damn it. I hate this kind of atmo—"
Before he could finish, someone whispered in his ear. "—sphere?!"
Zack's eyes widened. Before he could react, several hands shot through the prison doors. Voices echoed.
"GET US OUT!!"
"GET US OUT!!"
The Allied members were both surprised and horrified.
"What... What the!"
"There are people locked up!!"
Alexander began explaining. "They're the patients the private paramedics have locked up."
Daniel turned to him. "Are they innocent people who were caught?"
"They were all normal, but after being imprisoned for so long, they went crazy," Alexander continued.
Daniel clenched his jaw. "These Worker bastards...!"
Several guards rushed in at the commotion.
"It's the intruders!!"
"Contact the managers!"
"We have to endure this until the manager comes out!"
"What are we gonna do? We're short on time. Are we going to face them or no?!" Vin Jin shouted at Daniel.
Daniel glanced back. "Let's let them go."
"What?" Vin Jin couldn't understand.
But Zack did. He opened the prison. Several madmen rushed out.
"WE'RE FREE!!"
"They're innocent people anyways," Daniel murmured.
The madmen rushed at the Workers.
"CATCH THEM!"
"CATCH THEM AND PUT THEM IN A WARD. YOU GUYS EXPERIENCE IT TOO!"
The Allied members slipped away. "We're moving to the next floor!"
They could still hear the madmen's shouts.
"PEE BLAST!"
Suddenly, Daniel stopped. A large figure stood before him.
"Fuck. These guys are clinging to me. Is this a gay bar or something?" Logan Lee grabbed one madman's head and smashed it onto the ground before stepping on it.
---
Basement, First Floor
Several Workers members lay on the ground, fist marks plastered on their faces, blood painting the floor.
The others backed away in fear.
"Damn it...!"
"We have to move to the first floor as soon as possible...!"
"Do we not have anyone who can take on those bastards?!"
Hudson stood among the bodies. "Next."
A voice came from behind.
"Weak. I guess, I shouldn't have expected much."
A blonde woman wearing a mask walked in, her crystal-blue eyes locked on Hudson.
Hudson turned. "You are?"
The woman scoffed. "Me? What will you do knowing that?"
She moved. One moment she was ten feet away. The next, she was inside his guard, a thin needle cutting toward his wrist.
Hudson jerked his arm back. The needle grazed skin, leaving a shallow red line across his forearm.
The woman stepped back, rolling the needle between her fingers like a pen. "I could've killed you now. Sadly, I'm contracted not to. So it's better if you surrender on your own."
Hudson didn't waste time. He lunged forward, his right fist cocked back. The punch came like a freight train.
She wasn't there.
His fist slammed into the concrete wall. The impact echoed through the corridor. Cracks spiderwebbed outward, chunks of stone crumbling to the floor.
Hudson pulled his hand free, dust and debris falling from his knuckles.
The woman tilted her head. "Hard hitter. Shame you're slow."
Hudson turned, eyes narrowing. She was behind him now, standing where he'd been seconds ago. "So fast!"
He pivoted and swung again—a wide, sweeping hook designed to catch her even if she dodged.
She ducked under it, needle flashing toward his ribs.
Hudson twisted. The needle scraped across his side instead of sinking in. He grabbed for her wrist but missed.
She was already gone, several feet away, watching him. "I thought it'd be difficult since so much money was offered. But it seems particularly easy. I heard there might be several intruders... Are you perhaps the weakest of them all?"
Blood trickled from the shallow cut on his ribs.
Hudson exhaled slowly. "Sorry. From now on, I will fight you properly."
"Huh," she said. "I don't think that'd change."
She came at him again, faster this time. A burst of speed that blurred her outline.
Hudson planted his feet and swung, but his fist caught air.
Three cuts—his arm, shoulder, thigh—all precisely placed.
Hudson gritted his teeth. Blood seeped through his clothes.
He shifted his stance, guarding his right side. If she wanted to cut him apart piece by piece, he'd force her to come close.
The woman circled him slowly. "Just like I said, it changes nothing."
Hudson didn't respond. His eyes tracked her movement.
She moved.
Hudson swung preemptively, his left fist cutting through the space where she would be.
But she stopped mid-step, letting his punch sail past her face by inches.
Then she kicked. Her boot slammed into his ribs, right where she'd cut him earlier.
Hudson grunted, his stance faltering.
She was already moving, blade in hand now—a short, curved knife that gleamed under the dim lights.
The slash came low, aiming for his wrist.
Hudson pulled back, but not fast enough. The blade bit into the back of his hand, cutting across his knuckles.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
Hudson clenched his jaw and threw a punch with his bleeding left hand.
She dodged.
He threw another.
She sidestepped.
He swung his right.
She leaned back, the fist passing inches from her mask.
Then she struck.
A needle drove into his shoulder.
Hudson's arm seized up, the muscle spasming.
The woman stepped back, flicking blood off her needle. "With that level of skill, I don't understand how you're considered even a threat."
Hudson breathed heavily, blood running down his arm, his hand still twitching. He couldn't feel his fingers.
But he didn't back down.
He stepped forward, swinging his left hand in a wild arc.
The woman darted in, faster than before.
She entered his space. Her blade flashed.
Hudson's left hand erupted in pain.
He pulled back, staring at his hand. Two fingers hung limp, tendons severed cleanly at the base.
The woman stood a few feet away, blade dripping. "It's over. I won't waste more time on just one opponent."
Hudson's vision blurred. Blood loss, exhaustion, pain—all of it crashing down at once.
He tried to move forward.
His legs wouldn't respond.
The woman tilted her head. "Still standing? Impressive."
She walked past him without looking back. "But you're done."
Hudson collapsed to one knee, breathing ragged. His right arm hung dead. His left hand leaked blood onto the concrete.
The woman paused at the doorway, glancing over her shoulder. "Don't worry, your friends will get the same treatment."
Then she was gone.
Hudson knelt there, surrounded by bodies, his blood pooling beneath him.
"How?" he whispered, barely audible.
---
Workers Headquarters
Eugene sat on a sofa, a smile on his face.
Mandeok sat before him, confused. He finally asked. "Are you that confident about her?"
Eugene's smile broadened. "You know which bloodline she belongs to? Alexander. The strongest of Russia. Alexander Valentina... She is not just an ordinary mercenary."
Mandeok sighed. "Her information seems to have been blacklisted by the Black Market."
Eugene smiled. "That's normal. After all, she's the reason behind the Black Market's destruction. Her very actions caused the war."
Mandeok raised an eyebrow. "She is that strong?"
Eugene's smile reached his eyes. "She defeated that person from Gangwon-Do."
Mandeok's eyes widened. "Deukman Chu... She defeated him?! Isn't he someone even the Fighting Prodigy failed to kill?!"
Eugene nodded. "Yes. She is that capable. Anyways, we also have other fighters on the level of the Fighting Prodigy, so there's no need to worry."
Mandeok nodded, slightly surprised.