[CONTENTID1]re:demption[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter 24[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

The undercover agents smoothly adapted to their roles in the organization. Soojin wasn’t the only one who received a job to fulfill. Jongin, Junmyeon, and Chanyeol also managed to meet some wirepullers of the Red Force. Chanyeol received access to a group doing arms trafficking, whom he was supposed to help. It was an exceptional chance to learn more about how the organization operated in this field. The more names and faces he would uncover, the better. Meanwhile, Junmyeon got involved in narcotrafficking, which was a huge revenue stream for the Red Force. He learned about the most popular spots for drug dealers and addicts, mingling with them to gather intel. Meanwhile, Jongin focused on the money laundering going on behind the scenes.

The more familiar the agents got with the organization, the more they realized how rotten it truly was. Unfortunately, it was also incredibly powerful. Some of the Red Force’s clients, as Jongdae and Minseok found out, were famous actors, politicians, and singers, their immaculate image in the media contrasting with reality. They were involved in corruption and other schemes, all in the name of preserving their wealth and fame. Sehun, Jongdae, Minseok, Kyungsoo, and Yixing worked hard to gather evidence while the other EXO agents were undercover. They were determined to reveal every single bit of dirt they could get their hands on.

In the meantime, Soojin focused on the mission she had received from Doyun himself. Her partner offered to accompany her—there was no way he would let her fend for herself during her first actual job for the Red Force. Their target was a wealthy actor who lived at the edge of Busan and owned an uncommonly large property. Baekhyun presumed it was well-guarded and equipped with surveillance cameras, and his assumption turned out to be correct. Upon approaching the impressive villa at the end of the street, they spotted cameras and a tall wall encasing the garden. Soojin was prepared for this and disabled the burglar alarm system of the impressive villa, allowing them entry without being discovered. She also hacked the cameras so that she and Baekhyun could break in without leaving any evidence.

“Feels weird to be on the other side of the law for once,” she whispered to her partner as they climbed over the wall, helping each other.

“Yeah, it definitely does,” he uttered and landed on the other side, crouching immediately. The actor’s BMW was parked in the driveway, and a few windows of the modern-looking house were lit up. No security staff was within sight.

Their target, David Kwon, had grown up in Canada and moved to South Korea after making a name for himself in the movie industry. He was quite popular among his female fans, many swooning over his good looks. The Red Force’s influence had gained him a few movie roles in the past, and in return, he participated in money laundering and other shady businesses. However, Kwon had gotten cocky and embezzled funds from the organization—needless to say, Number Zero wasn’t exactly happy about this. The only reason this mission wasn’t an assassination was the fact that Kwon was still useful to the Red Force. The actor danced on a thin ledge—he should know better than to mess with the Red Force. To make matters worse for him, the Secret Service was now aware of his crimes too, and consequences would follow. EXO’s colleagues back in Seoul were already preparing for his arrest in the coming weeks.

Soojin eyed one of the windows, deciding it would make a perfect entryway into the building. She let Baekhyun know with a simple gesture, and he followed her like a shadow, opening the window thanks to one of his tricks. It swung open and they climbed through, finding themselves on a dark corridor. Their black, fitted clothing allowed them to blend in with the darkness, and their gloves prevented them from leaving fingerprints on the surfaces they touched. Every detail of this endeavour had been planned meticulously. However, there was one thing the agents didn’t see coming. David Kwon was not alone tonight; his bodyguard stayed in the building with him.

As Soojin rounded a corner, she stumbled right into the burly man, letting out a gasp when his fist swung at her stomach. She stepped aside and avoided what would have been a very painful hit. Baekhyun took her place, appearing from the shadows and taking the bodyguard by surprise. He hadn’t expected another intruder, tensing up.

Baekhyun wasn’t in the mood for a drawn-out fight, and besides, the agents shouldn’t alert Kwon to their presence, or else he might escape. Therefore, Baekhyun didn’t hold back and attacked with a ferocity that stunned even Soojin. He shifted his weight on his left leg and kicked his opponent, his shin connecting with his ribs. The bodyguard cursed and retaliated with a punch and a jab, but he stood no chance against two trained agents whose teamwork was impeccable. While Baekhyun distracted the man, Soojin snuck around him and attacked him from behind, her arm snaking around his neck and pulling him back. He growled in anger, attempted to throw her over his shoulder. Luckily, she was faster and knocked him out. His body went limp in her hold, and she slowly let him down on the ground. By the time he would wake up, the agents would be long gone.

“Good work,” Baekhyun whispered to her before a noise caught their attention. Their target had left the living room and stood in the middle of the hallway, his wine glass slipping from his hand. It shattered on the ground, the shards raining down on the polished wood. David Kwon wore a silky dark blue robe and clearly hadn’t expected any visitors—especially not the dangerous kind. He gaped at the intruders blocking his path. The actor didn’t recognize Soojin with her short blonde hair and striking gaze, but her confident posture instilled fear within him, as did the gun at her belt. It was a different case for Baekhyun, however. Although half of his face was hidden behind a black mask, his peculiar white hair and feathery braids left no doubts about his identity.

“N-Number Four?! What are you doing here?” he stammered.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at the unnecessary question and reached for his gun, approaching the man with slow and deliberate steps. “You know why I’m here.”

The actor blanched at his words, facing one of the Red Force’s most notorious assassins without any protection. His bodyguard was unconscious on the ground… or perhaps dead? Kwon had often heard of people disappearing after encounters with Four—he was like a vengeful spirit, silent and deadly, going after those who dared to betray the organization. For the longest time, Kwon had believed the rumors about him to be lies until he had seen him at the Messenger’s side many months ago.

“D-Don’t kill me! It… It was a mistake! Please, I won’t… do it again,” the man begged, his knees shaking.

“Did you think Zero wouldn’t notice your actions? Did you really believe the leader of the Red Force would sit back and watch as you keep stealing from him? How naïve… I would say you deserve everything that’s coming to you,” Baekhyun sneered and played with the gun in his hand, twirling it around until he suddenly released the safety catch and took aim. Kwon let out a very unmanly scream, and his knees gave out. He certainly wasn’t the tough guy he always pretended to be in front of his fans.

“P-Please don’t!”

Bang. A bullet got lodged in the floorboards, missing Kwon by a hair’s breadth. Soojin was a little impressed by Baekhyun’s accuracy—the shot was fired close enough to scare the hell out of Kwon but not to cause harm. She stood next to her partner with her arms crossed, keeping her eyes on the target.

“Next time, he won’t miss,” she hissed. “Number Zero doesn’t take kindly to backstabbers. Don’t you think you should return the money you stole?”

“I’d say you follow her advice if you want to make it through the next week alive,” Baekhyun added. “No matter where you go, I will find you. Running from me is pointless.”

“F-Fine! I’ll do anything, I’ll return the money, I swear, I—”

Baekhyun clicked his tongue in annoyance at his rambling and exchanged a glance with Soojin. “Think we could make him spill something?”

She cocked her head, lips twitching behind her black mask. “Possibly. I bet you know how to make people talk, Four.”

His eyes narrowed when he smirked, giving him an air of arrogance. “Of course I do. Watch and learn.”

Kwon didn’t even hear them, too engrossed in his begging and groveling. He was on his knees, staring at the ground, until Baekhyun’s shadow fell over him, and his black boots appeared in his field of vision. Only then did he finally shut up. Baekhyun crouched in front of him, pushing the barrel of his gun against his chin and tilting his head up. He caught the actor’s frightened gaze, rendering him motionless. Undoubtedly, Kwon felt like a rabbit sitting in front of a snake. Soojin stepped closer, leaning against the wall as she watched her partner do his thing.

“I came all the way here to meet you, Kwon,” Baekhyun drawled. “Do you think I would leave empty-handed?”

“I-I don’t have cash in the house, but I can give you anything valuable you want! How about jewelry? Watches? I have a Role—”

“No, there are other things I’m interested in. Why don’t we test your loyalty to the Red Force, hm? How many people have you told about the organization?”

“N-Nobody, I swear! I-I could never tell anyone. The press is ruthless… My fans would…” he stammered, struggling to get out whole sentences. Baekhyun scrutinized him, tapping the gun against his chin.

“Then what about the Messenger’s true identity? Have you told anyone?”

“I don’t even know who he is, I’ve never seen him without his mask! M-My contact person for business is called N-Number Fifteen.”

Baekhyun glared at him, prompting him to flinch. “I mean, the only thing I know about the M-Messenger is that he has ties to a local politician. I saw Cho Unho leaving the bar with him one time I was there. B-But I would never tell anyone about that!”

Cho Unho—could he be linked to Number Zero as well? Baekhyun furrowed his brow, keeping the name in mind. He had never heard of this politician before, so he was probably not particularly influential. The agents would look into it later.

“You’re nosy... Don’t tell me you also met Number Ze