Christian watched Nina’s back for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly as she disappeared into the dark.
Once you start killing... it sort of becomes your solution for every problem.
He’d read many phrases along those lines.
And right now, for some reason, this one rose to the surface of his mind.
His casual command for Nina to go and kill someone — it hit him, just then, how normal it had become.
And strangely, how it didn’t bother him.
That was what made him pause.
Or was this his original personality, merely brought to light?
Christian couldn’t be sure.
But he had a feeling that power had changed him — especially now, more than a year after achieving the first mastery stage, and with the second stage already within reach.
But... what could he do?
At the end of the day, even with his unique system, it didn’t give him everything.
Conflict with people was bound to happen — especially if he intended to keep moving toward what he wanted.
Needs. Goals. The path forward.
Should he restrain these changes?
But was there any need to?
Christian, who firmly believed that everyone he’d made a move against so far had been the worst kind of filth... simply shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
Like that, with Alpha silently following, Christian stepped into the building.
Inside, Zero was already waiting and immediately moved to welcome him.
Christian gave a small nod, then motioned for him to lead the way — to somewhere they could speak comfortably.
"Do you know what your mistake is?" Christian asked.
He was now seated in a grand office, occupying the head seat with effortless presence.
One leg crossed over the other. Chin resting lightly on his hand.
Alpha stood just behind him, calm and watchful, while Zero stood before him with his head lowered.
"I should have been more careful executing boss’s order," Zero said quietly.
Christian didn’t speak.
He simply kept staring, his gaze unchanging — as if that alone was telling him to continue.
Zero paused, then finally added, "It’s actually my fault for going out alone, despite all the chaos happening around the world. I should’ve brought the other fighting androids with me... or at least requested Miss Iris’s assistance."
He continued explaining the situation — every step, every misstep, laying it all out in detail.
And as Christian listened, his expression didn’t change.
But internally, he could feel something stir.
It almost reached his face, but he held it back.
Still, a quiet sense of satisfaction bloomed inside him.
And, observing Zero’s progress, he couldn’t help but feel a subtle, lingering sense of achievement.
Zero was showing a lot of growth, despite the mistake he’d made.
And for Christian, that was more important.
"Call your teammates," Christian finally ordered, cutting off his explanation mid-sentence.
Zero, for the first time, raised his head and looked at Christian — as if silently asking for confirmation.
But Christian didn’t say anything.
Zero understood, and quietly fulfilled the order.
Before long, three people entered the office — two men and one woman.
One of the men moved with difficulty, clearly just discharged from the hospital.
Their steps slowed the moment they saw the scene before them.
Their leader, Zero, stood stiffly like a guilty criminal in front of some rich, composed young man.
And behind that young man stood a beautiful maid — not just pretty, but imposing, calm, and seemingly dangerous.
Radiating the same aura as their leader!
And so, none of them were able to say a word.
They simply stood in silence, trying to understand the situation.
Christian, on the other hand, was also observing them.
He once again found himself thinking that Zero had really picked up some interesting subordinates.
But he didn’t comment on that.
Instead, he finally opened his mouth and asked:
"What do you understand about the situation?"
The room fell silent again after his question.
A heavy silence, slow and suffocating.
Eventually, it was Mina — the only woman among the four — who broke it.
"Are you someone from that side?" she asked. "Or... does Elias work under you?"
Her tone was cautious. Doubtful. Like someone approaching a sleeping beast with a stick.
Christian chuckled once. Then, in a clear and authoritative voice, he replied.
"It’s me asking, not you."
The group of three tensed immediately, at his words.
Christian could tell they wouldn’t respond easily at this rate.
So he restrained himself a little and spoke again, his tone just slightly softer — though no less sharp.
"Put my identity aside."
"I’m asking about your current situation."
"The mess you’ve gotten yourselves into."
"Or have you still not understood what kind of shit you’re standing in?"
The three fell silent.
They looked at one another, shifting nervously, even stealing quick glances at Zero — but no one answered right away.
Finally, Mina spoke up.
"Is it... related to that person who was following Miles? I don’t think he’s that big of a deal though..."
Christian smiled at that, with a touch of amusement. Then he turned his gaze to Zero, asking him the same question without repeating a word.
But Zero wasn’t any better than his teammates. Clearly, he still didn’t understand the full picture too.
That’s why Christian finally made a small gesture toward Alpha, who stood calmly behind him.
She stepped forward slightly, already prepared to deliver her report.
The situation itself was both simple... and at the same time, not.
Miles, in all his overly cautious behavior, had one enemy he hadn’t been able to eliminate.
And that enemy — just as careful, just as calculating — had remained hidden.
When Zero had begun digging through the debris, searching for Miles, who was still trapped somewhere underneath.
That someone... had been watching.
From a distance, the man had monitored the scene in silence.
Hoping Miles would crawl out alive so he could finish him off properly.
But in the end, after seeing the power Zero had displayed while searching — strength beyond what an ordinary person should’ve possessed — he made a different judgment.
He assumed Zero was someone from that side.
Someone who touched essence.
And so... he chose to retreat.