“Why are you staring like that… What is he doing right now?”

Yeo Ji-woong grabbed a handful of pills from a container and forced them into the mouths of those lying on the ground, prioritizing those with lighter injuries.

It was the rampage drug that Yeo Ji-woong had intended to use on Yeo Myung-hwon earlier. Though not an immediately effective drug, overdosing on it changes the game.

“Truly insane behavior.”

It was worse than k*lling someone with his own hands. The rampage drug forcibly amplifies the user’s original power to twice its usual strength. When an esper takes it, they cannot endure the pain and become consumed by the flow of power, leaving them no choice but to rampage. To put it briefly, they lose their sanity, thrash about in agony, and die a long, painful death.

“What?”

“Move.”

Bang!

Leaving this place unscathed was no longer an option. In an instant, Yeo Han-ol’s body flew through the air and slammed into the ground.

Cough.

Yeo Han-ol hit the ground mercilessly, causing his back to bend unnaturally from the impact, and blood gushed from his mouth.

Ssss—

Before Gu-young and Su-hui could grasp the situation, Ji-woong’s aide approached them, veins bulging on his forehead and his blood vessels bursting. His eyes, now blood-red, moved at a speed incomparable to before.

“Ahhh! The others are acting strange too. They’re injured, but they’re still moving.”

Even those who had taken the rampage drug lunged at Su-hui and Gu-young.

Thud.

The people who drooled while lunging at Myung-hwon from behind crashed into the wall from his punch.

“Grrrr….”

But they rose again, seemingly unable to feel pain, with blood streaming from their mouths and their arms grotesquely twisted.

Crackle.

Energy began to ripple around Myung-hwon’s body.

He decided dealing with everything at once would be better than trying to stop them half-heartedly. Sparing those who had lost their sanity would only waste time.

Tap.

“Even after being deceived so thoroughly, you still haven’t learned?”

Yeo Han-ol blocked him.

“I might seem foolish, but I still need to try talking at least once.”

At Myung-hwon’s question, Yeo Han-ol gave a bitter smile. He might end up regretting it later, getting stabbed in the back again. But for now, he couldn’t let Myung-hwon kill him without at least hearing him out.

“After all, I was the leader. If my lack of reliability led to betrayal… then that’s partly my fault.”

“Foolish indeed.”

At Myung-hwon’s blatant criticism, Yeo Han-ol said nothing more and instead blocked a man charging at them from behind.

“Ah, ah, no. Did Congressman Yeo just forcefully administer an illegal drug that hasn’t even been officially released? Congressman Yeo is truly a frightening person.”

Kwak Seong-gwan muttered into his recorder, both terrified and thrilled at the scoop he had just captured. Meanwhile, Gu-young and Su-hui stood side by side, fighting off the rampaging people. Unlike monsters, they weren’t sure how to deal with humans and were clearly flustered.

“Knock them out.”

Myung-hwon struck the back of a man’s neck hard enough to render him unconscious.

Thunk.

He would have a hard time when he woke up, but his life wasn’t in danger.

“Ha… Can you really just feed your subordinates something like that?”

“What?”

Su-hui bit her lip in disgust, her expression filled with revulsion. Gu-young nodded in agreement, then suddenly realized that one person who should have been in his line of sight was missing.

“He’s really slipped away like a rat.”

Myung-hwon gritted his teeth. But before he could chase after him, the rampaging people mechanically resumed their attacks.

**

Yeo Ji-woong slipped away while everyone was distracted by the rampaging individuals.

‘As long as I make it back…’

That would mean his victory. His mistake had been his uncharacteristic panic in an unexpected situation.

“If I can’t win Yeo Myung-hwon over to my side, it’s best to eliminate him.”

Unlike other disposable tools, Myung-hwon was undeniably valuable due to their shared bloodline.

Even while fleeing, Yeo Ji-woong’s estimation of Myung-hwon’s worth continued to rise. His ability to read intentions and devise strategies was impeccable. Myung-hwon would have been disgusted to hear it, but Ji-woong couldn’t help but see a younger version of himself in him.

Despite being cornered, Ji-woong wore a satisfied expression. It had been a long time since his blood had boiled like this. Though he couldn’t shake the feeling of having been outmaneuvered, this was the first time he had ever been driven into such a corner. Not all of it was part of Myung-hwon’s plan, but sometimes luck was the most powerful ability.

“Haha… Since when?”

He had thought that bringing Myung-hwon under his control was entirely due to his own skill. The leash he’d placed around Myung-hwon’s neck after taking his hostage had been Ju-eon’s belongings, entrusted to Kang Yun-jae.

‘Hand over those belongings to me.’

He had found it irritating that Myung-hwon was so attached to something so trivial.

‘It’s nothing but trash.’

‘…So you’re saying no?’

But if Myung-hwon wanted it so badly, it must have held great value to him. If he could control Myung-hwon with just a few worthless items, Ji-woong considered it a bargain.

Before transferring the belongings to Myung-hwon, Ji-woong had even consulted experts to see if they held any hidden value, but the results were as expected. They were nothing more than used items and clothes with no intrinsic worth.

‘If he manages to survive and return, then live as you please.’

It had been a clear mockery since there was no way a dead man could come back to life. But now, that mockery had turned into poison.

“A tiger is still a tiger, even if it’s a cub.”

The legalization of private guilds was nothing but a farce. In the end, only the terminology had been dressed up to make it seem legitimate, but nothing had truly changed. It was all just wordplay by those in power.

“If I can secure another hostage, I can put the leash back on him somehow.”

Though he had decided to dispose of Myung-hwon, it felt like a waste. Myung-hwon’s abilities, his luck—everything he possessed had been given to him by Ji-woong, so using him was Ji-woong’s responsibility.

Everything had gone wrong when Woo Ju-eon returned. But now, he could use Ju-eon to set things right. Entrusting the matter to incompetent subordinates had been the mistake. If his aide survived, Ji-woong decided to assign him to handle Ju-eon’s affairs.

Tap.

Yeo Ji-woong’s steps came to a halt as Lee Ho-yun appeared in front of him. He had thought Ho-yun had already evacuated, but it seemed he had been caught up in the explosion and couldn’t escape in time.

“Ho-yun. You’re just in time.”

Ji-woong greeted him warmly, a rare occurrence. With Ju-eon’s return, Ho-yun had become a useless card, but he could still be useful for getting out of this place.

“Congressman.”

Lee Ho-yun quickened his steps to support Ji-woong.

“To think you’d get caught up in something like this… Are you alright?”

Feigning the demeanor of a powerless old man, Ji-woong smiled weakly as he leaned on Ho-yun for support. But when he noticed what Ho-yun was holding, he froze. It was only natural for Ho-yun to serve him. He was trash that could be discarded and picked up again without complaint.

“I shouldn’t have picked up the trash again.”

Realizing what was about to happen, Ji-woong spoke bitterly. Ho-yun shrugged and replied.

“Sometimes, stepping on discarded trash without knowing it hurts even more.”

Stab.

A shard of glass lying on the ground became a weapon and pierced Ji-woong.

“It’s easy to throw something away once, but throwing it away a second time is even easier.”

Ho-yun’s voice trembled with emotion. He was exhausted—tired of living in constant fear, of feeling worthless just because things didn’t go Ji-woong’s way. Everything had become repulsive. Even if he returned home, he would only be treated as a useless person.

In truth, Ho-yun had been observing the standoff between Myung-hwon and Ji-woong from the sidelines. The presence of civilians had allowed him to hide his identity from Myung-hwon.

He had overheard that Woo Ju-eon had returned. Though he hadn’t confirmed the truth, the mere possibility was enough to push Ho-yun to the edge.

Initially, Ho-yun had planned to die alone inside the building. Returning home would only lead to his engagement being canceled, further humiliation, and more disdain from his family. The thought alone made him sick.

Then he encountered Ji-woong. It felt like a final opportunity. So Ho-yun decided to take Ji-woong with him.

“Y-you… ugh….”

For Ji-woong, dying in such a pitiful place at the hands of someone he had so thoroughly scorned was the worst possible ending.

Drip. Drip.

Ji-woong looked down at his stomach in disbelief. Red blood soaked the gray concrete beneath him.

**

Clunk.

“This way’s blocked too.”

The door was still intact, but the upper floor had collapsed, pinning it in place. Forcing it open would only make things more dangerous.

The explosion had blocked all the paths, and Ju-eon had spent quite some time wandering inside, searching for an accessible entry point.

It had been so long since he’d had a proper meal or rest that he couldn’t even remember. Moving alone was inefficient, and his body, worn from exhaustion, wasn’t functioning as it should, slowing him down even more.

Am I even going the right way? Doubts crept in, but Ju-eon kept walking.

Step by step. The deeper he went, the more severe the damage became. The only silver lining was that he hadn’t encountered any civilians along the way to slow him down.

Buzz.

“This is serious.”

The lights above flickered on and off, casting an eerie atmosphere.