Used to the Darkness || DoTae

Chapter Six

Please refer to the end of this chapter for trigger warnings if you require them.

Saturday, April 9th 2158, 15:39.

Neo City, Cheongnam, South Korea.

A curse escaped from Doyoung's lips before he could even consider stifling it, his eyes pinned open wide as he stared down at the horrifying sight of Yang Xufeng's disfigured face and the single shot that penetrated straight through the centre of his forehead. Doyoung was glad that Yang Xufeng's slain form was laying with his back against the stained concrete, as the exit wound wouldn't have been as clean as the entry one of his forehead. Doyoung let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head as he clenched his eyes shut, hoping that the action was enough to cleanse the image from his mind. It wasn't.

Yang Xufeng wasn't the only slaughtered soul in the Railroad Casino. A second man was killed as almost a carbon copy of the intended victim, though the agent assumed he was an accidental sacrifice, caught in the crossfire. Doyoung felt nauseous. He'd seen some horrendous crimes in his years in the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, but nothing could quite prepare him for the sight of small pieces of pinkish flesh that topped the ground around the two deceased men, clearly a result of the projective exiting their bodies. Doyoung had to turn away.

Lim Kangdae's killer's unexpected death meant that they'd have to rely solely on the information that they'd managed to extort from him illegally. It wasn't ideal, and frankly, Doyoung knew that it would result in him being disciplined by Chief Kwon for using force to get information, but it was all they had to work with. It also meant he'd have to shatter Minhyung's illusion. Doyoung glanced over his shoulder at the younger man, who was heading in his direction. He had initially been talking to the witnesses.

"I can't believe we lost our only source of valuable information," said Minhyung, scrunching up his face as he dared to examine Yang Xufeng's corpse. "I thought Qian Kun's men were supposed to be babysitting him? I haven't found a single one of them, there were only Neo City residents in the crowd, and they're all too shaken to answer any questions."

"If I had to take a guess, I'd assume that this second victim was a member of Noctis, and he probably posed a threat to the killer. I don't think the killer would be willing to risk getting caught, not if he's aware that he's going to be in the spotlight from now on," said Doyoung. "We aren't entirely out of luck, though."

"We're not?" asked Minhyung, his brow furrowed.

"I... I have already questioned Yang Xufeng. It wasn't comprehensive, I just needed to know who told him to kill Lim Kangdae. I know you think I'm some kind of genius or something, but Minhyung, I'm not the person you think I am," said Doyoung, and Minhyung tilted his head in confusion. "Yang Xufeng received his order from the Tengzhi Mafia's Chairman, Jiang Shui, but Han Changwon of the Namjeong Clan's Ryong Family is somehow involved."

Minhyung's gaze shifted to the bloodstained ground in front of him and he stared at the surface with narrow eyes, as though the action would help him process what he was being told. Minhyung gulped and nodded. "Right. Of course. You weren't going to tell me, but Yang Xufeng's death left you with no other choice."

"I didn't want to expose you to the degeneracy in the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Minhyung. You're a righteous and honourable man, I didn't want to taint that. I'm sorry, I know it isn't a good enough excuse for being dishonest with you," said the older man. "I wanted to apprehend Yang Xufeng legally, and have him confess to the murder so he could be handed over to the prosecution."