Undercover
The prime suspect, so to speak.
It was exactly one hour and twenty-six minutes after their call ended that Serena identified the most likely candidate for Zyrec's undercover agent.
Whether it was Serena who actually found him, or the blood, sweat, and tears of her subordinates, it was impressive nonetheless.
After all, they say managing one's subordinates effectively is also a mark of a leader's capability.
Serena had summoned the suspect she uncovered to a cafe near Swoo's office.
One might think a cafe with so many listening ears would be an inappropriate place for such a conversation, but the establishment Serena chose was an incredibly expensive one that offered private rooms.
Because of this, not even Swoo and Angela could sit in the same room.
It didn't really matter. They had already received and verified the suspect's profile, and Serena had set things up so that Swoo and Angela could see everything she saw.
Thus, a perfect setup was complete—one that naturally brought a smile to Swoo's lips.
"What makes you so excited, Swoo?"
"I'm eating delicious potato chips in a comfortable chair with a warm heater, watching something fun."
A beanbag, was it? However, it was on a completely different level from the beanbags in the world Swoo used to live in. It was an absurdly, unbelievably comfortable beanbag. So comfortable that she almost worried it might swallow her whole.
Even the potato chips were delicious.
They were unlike any commercially sold potato chips she had tasted so far.
Indeed, they were worthy of being recommended by Serena, an executive of Lui Chen.
"Potato chips, french fries, steamed potatoes, and now you're even growing them... You really love potatoes, Swoo."
"My hometown is Gangwon Province."
"...Gang... Gangwon? Gangwon Province? I think I've only seen that in history books. That was a region in the Republic of Korea, right...?"
"Yep. Potatoes were the currency there."
"I see."
Swoo must be playing another one of her cute roleplays.
Angela thought lightly of it, letting the comment go in one ear and out the other.
It was a bit of a shame they couldn't see Serena's face, but it was easy enough to imagine what expression she was making.
It probably wasn't much different from her usual expression.
Even when Swoo thoroughly provoked her, Serena's expression rarely changed much. So right now, she was likely maintaining a stiff, emotionless face.
"Serena must be really terrifying to him."
"Even if he's in a different department, he's still a Lui Chen employee, so he has no choice. And well, even if he weren't a Lui Chen employee, Serena is definitely a fearsome figure."
When she was with Swoo, she always acted as a punching bag... no, a good conversational partner, so it was easy to forget. But the position of a Lui Chen executive carried more than enough weight to strike terror into others.
Swoo, who dealt with and teased such a Serena without a care in the world, was... special in many ways.
...I guess I've gotten used to it too.
With that thought, Angela realized that she herself had become rather strange in many ways.
Serena, Salvador, and even Irina, whose true nature remained elusive—none of them felt intimidating anymore. They just felt like close neighbors.
Whether intended or not, Angela quietly gazed at Swoo, who had changed her so.
Swoo was eating potato chips with a lazy, utterly innocent expression.
Even the crunching sound she made as she tilted her head in enjoyment was incredibly cute.
It was a sight that didn't match her occasional spine-chilling deduction skills and overwhelming physical might at all.
This is troubling...
Her sense of vigilance had dulled far too much.
If Swoo acted this way, it was fine because she had the power to back it up.
But Angela could not afford to do the same.
All she possessed was a calculation speed slightly superior to others and her talent as a Netwatcher.
If someone approached at a speed exceeding her processing capacity and pressed a blade to her throat, she would have no choice but to submit.
Get it together. There's still a lot of work to do.
Angela whipped herself back into focus and turned her gaze.
Serena's conversation was just about to begin.
"I'll ask you directly. Actually, there's no need to ask, so I'll just tell you."
Serena hated drawn-out conversations.
Though she had been dragged around by Swoo and wasted time in various ways recently, wasting time was one of the things Serena detested most.
The only time she used her time leisurely was the early morning before work; when working, Serena scheduled and moved by the second.
Therefore, she wanted to wrap up this conversation quickly.
Especially when she thought of Swoo watching with bated breath from beyond her field of vision, she wanted to end it even faster.
She could have dragged it out to entertain her, but she absolutely refused to. It was a petty revenge for everything Swoo had put her through so far...
"P-Please speak..."
The man sitting opposite her, Isaac Evan, was also well aware of how strictly Director Serena Moretti lived her life.
Thus, he had expected her to get straight to the point.
"The CSIA is trying to kill you."
However, he hadn't expected it to be this fast.
Cutting out all the context and starting with the conclusion?
No, he wasn't even sure if this was the conclusion.
A warning? A threat? An announcement? Did it contain all three? With a blank look on his face, Isaac broke the absolute taboo of conversing with Serena.
"...Pardon?"
"It seems you weren't properly trained by your superiors."
"*Gasp*..."
Serena hated being asked to repeat herself. It went beyond hate; she loathed it. That was why it was a taboo, and why it must never be done.
It was said that anyone who asked her to repeat herself even once was never seen in Lui Chen again...
"P-Please spare me...!"
Isaac immediately climbed onto the table, knelt, and bowed his head. However, Serena's brow only furrowed deeper.
"Where did you learn the manners to climb onto a table with your shoes on? This is a cafe, Isaac Evan, not your living room. Either cut off your head and place it on the table, or replace the table and bring fresh coffee. I will give you one minute."
"I'll replace it right away!"
It took Isaac fifty-eight seconds to bring a new table and coffee.
What would have happened if he had been three seconds late?
Swoo, watching from afar, was highly curious.
Of course, Serena had no intention of actually cutting off Isaac's head. At least, not while Swoo was watching.
If she hadn't been watching... she probably would have.
She would have severed it, taken it to the lab, and extracted the information inside.
Along the way, she would have checked the evil deeds he committed and comforted herself with the thought that he deserved to die anyway.
"So, your answer?"
Serena, wetting her throat with the freshly brewed coffee, tilted her head.
"I-I don't quite... understand. I am truly sorry...!"
"Are you slow-witted, or just stupid? Tsk. I know you are a CSIA undercover agent. So tell me your next move. The CSIA is trying to kill you. To be precise, they are trying to extract the information inside your head. What do you plan to do now?"
Isaac's mind went completely blank.
How did she know he was a CSIA agent, and how did she find out they were trying to kill him? And why didn't he know about it?
A myriad of thoughts swirled in his head.
But he couldn't keep his mouth shut forever. The moment those fingers tapping tap, tap on the table stopped, there was no telling what would happen.
His opponent was the infamous Director Serena Moretti.
One wrong move, and something beyond his worst nightmares would unfold.
"I-I want to live..."
"Good. Tell me the information in your head."
"...U-Uh."
"I've hacked all the cameras and wiretaps. From now on, no one is listening to your words but me."
Serena said so, but Isaac couldn't bring himself to open his mouth easily. At that, Serena narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
Even so, Isaac, pale as a ghost, could only gape like a fish.
So what, are you telling me to just let Isaac die?
Serena cast those subtitles onto the screen Swoo was watching.
A soft chuckle immediately echoed back.
But what you want hasn't come out yet, has it?
Suddenly shifting the topic would look incredibly awkward. But that was exactly why she wanted her to shift it back to a normal conversation.
Just letting them know that Serena was aware of them would create quite a few variables.
I believe I already sent you Isaac Evan's personal profile.
Why was she so curious about people?
They were all ugly and base creatures anyway.
Serena swallowed a sigh along with that thought.
What should I ask him?
Swoo, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, spoke softly in her usual tone.
"Isaac Evan."
"Y-Yes...?"
"I hear..."
"...your daughter is turning ten soon."
"She must be very cu—huh?"
Wait, didn't you say a simple conversation?
This is literally a threat to eliminate his daughter!
Serena was about to send a message asking if this was really okay, but the need to do so vanished.
It was already too late.
"Please!! Please!! Not my daughter, please!! I beg of you!!!"
Isaac, who had thrown himself flat on the floor before anyone knew it, slammed his head against the ground repeatedly, completely ignoring the blood starting to seep from his forehead.
"Oh, for fuck's sake."
It's my fault for trusting this lunatic. With that lament, Serena buried her face in her hands.