Hidden building. Old man Landon's place. The air inside was thick with dust and the scent of aged paper. A single, weak bulb cast long shadows across the cluttered room.
Noah sat across from the old man, his posture relaxed but his gaze sharp. The worn wooden table between them felt like a barrier.
"It happened around ten years ago," the mustached old man began his story, his voice low and gravelly. He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table.
"There's a secret research facility somewhere in this country," he continued, his eyes distant, lost in the memory. He traced a faint watermark on the wood with a gnarled finger.
"I can give you the exact location later if you're interested in checking it out yourself," he said, looking back at Noah, a hint of weariness in his expression, "though I doubt there's anything remaining there."
"Something happened there?" Noah guessed, his voice calm but probing. He watched the old man's face closely.
The old man nodded slowly, the lines around his eyes deepening. "As you expected, something went wrong," he said, the words heavy. He sighed, the sound dry and papery.
"Nobody really knows what happened exactly, but for around a week, there was no communication from the facility," old man Landon said, folding his hands together. "So they sent some people to check." He paused, gathering the grim details.
"What they found was an eerie-looking building," the old man said, his voice dropping almost to a whisper. A shiver seemed to pass through him. "Even in daylight, the facility felt unnaturally dark and cold, as if it were swallowed by darkness. And then, they found out that everyone inside that facility was already dead, both the researchers and the subjects, with the same condition: their eyes turned completely black."
"Eyes turned black, huh?" Noah said, looking interested. A slight frown touched his brow as he processed the image.
The old man nodded again, his expression somber. "There were no obvious wounds found on any of the corpses," he said, emphasizing the point. "Not heart attacks either. They seemed to have just randomly died like that." He spread his hands slightly, indicating the inexplicable nature of it.
"That's indeed interesting, but what does this have anything to do with Liam?" Noah asked, steering the conversation back. He leaned back in his chair, waiting.
"When they checked the data about research subjects, one name caught everyone's attention like a sore thumb," old man Landon said, his gaze locking onto Noah's. "Liam Black. His corpse was the only one they couldn't find. So not only did people think he might not be dead, but some started to make a connection." He let the implication hang in the dusty air.
"I see," Noah said, his voice flat. "So you think he was the one who did it?"
"Maybe," the old man Landon said, shrugging his thin shoulders. He looked down at his hands. "Like I said, this is just my assumption. There's no real proof. After that event, they were never able to find him again, whether alive or dead. Well, until now." He glanced up meaningfully.
"Even if, for argument's sake, Liam from that facility is still alive," Noah said, his tone skeptical, "what makes you think he's the same as Liam from Joker Roulette?"
"Fine, I have no proof," old man Landon admitted, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. He sounded tired. "If they still had a file from that research facility, we could try to compare them, but someone stole it not long after that incident. And who knows if that file still exists now. Even so," he tapped his temple, "my gut feeling tells me that he is the same person."
Noah snorted, a short, dismissive sound. "Your feeling means nothing," he said bluntly.
"Yes, I know. That's why I'm not sure about telling you this," old man Landon said, touching his mustache self-consciously. He looked slightly abashed.
"Anyway, now that you're joining the same group as him," he continued, shifting in his seat, "maybe you've already seen his ability? Is it the same as this?" He leaned forward again, curiosity overcoming his hesitation.
"Nah, I don't know yet," Noah said, his expression unreadable. He gave a noncommittal wave of his hand. "Probably it is, probably not. I can't really tell right now."
"Is it now? That's disappointing," the old man Landon said, slumping back slightly. The light seemed to dim further in his eyes.
"Anyway, thanks for telling me this," Noah said, pushing his chair back, the legs scraping on the wooden floor. He stood up. "Not sure if it's going to be useful or not, though."
"Anytime," the old man said, forcing a small, dry laugh. He looked up at Noah. "I will try to dig more on my side. If I find something, I'll be sure to tell you again."
Noah smirked, a brief flash of amusement. "I expected as much," he said, turning towards the door.
---
On the other side of the world. The Serpent's Slaughter place.
Inside a private room, thick with cigar smoke and the smell of stale beer, the dreadlock guy was playing cards with his subordinates. Chips clattered, cards slapped onto the worn felt table. Low murmurs and occasional coarse laughter filled the space.
Not long after, there was a sharp knock on the heavy door.
A few people entered the room, their expressions tense. They stood awkwardly near the entrance, waiting for the game to pause.
"Hey, vice commander," one of them said, stepping forward when the dreadlock guy glanced up. "We finally found out where Zack has been sent to."
The dreadlock guy looked at them, his sharp eyes glinting in the dim light. He slowly laid his cards face down. A predatory smile spread across his face.
"Alright, tell me then," he said, grinning, leaning back and steepling his fingers.
"He was sent to an unknown place called Cardio City," one of them said, pulling out a phone. "I will send the exact location to your phone."
"Alright, good job," the dreadlock guy said, the grin widening. He pulled his own phone from his pocket, the screen lighting up his face. "Now, call everyone who is available. We're going to check this out."
"Everyone?" they said in sync, exchanging surprised glances. The card players around the table also looked up, their game forgotten.
"Of course," the dreadlock guy said, his voice hardening. He tapped rapidly on his phone. "If we're going to move on our own, we better succeed." He looked around the room, his gaze challenging. "It would be embarrassing if we failed the same way as Zack," the dreadlock guy said as he checked his phone screen intently. A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "So I've decided we will take this seriously."
"Understood, we will call everyone!" they said, snapping to attention before quickly filing out of the room.
The guy with dreadlocks laughed, a full, throaty sound that echoed slightly. He looked down at the maps displayed on his phone. The screen clearly showed the location of Cardio City. His thumb hovered over the glowing dot.
"I can't wait to see Zack's face when he sees his hunting ground completely dominated by us," he said, the laughter fading into a cold, satisfied smile.
---