[The Next Day]
Kevin sat slouched in his unmarked car, eyes fixed on the glowing arcade entrance across the street.
The neon light reflected against his windshield, buzzing faintly like so eternal reminder that he was wasting yet another day staring at a young man who, by all appearances, was perfectly ordinary.
Luke entered the arcade like clockwork.
Every other day, sa rhythm, sa pace, sa casual slouch of his hoodie over his head. He’d swipe his mbership card, vanish into the VR chamber, and stay there for hours before erging, tired but calm, then heading ho.
At first, Kevin thought the arcade was a cover—so kind of safehouse for the Nine Headed Dragon Alliance, or maybe a discreet laundering front.
But after weeks of surveillance, bug sweeps, and even planting an undercover clerk at the reception desk, he had to face the disappointing truth: it really was just an arcade. Kids playing gas, couples flirting over claw machines, people sinking into VR pods to escape the real world.
Nothing sinister. Nothing strategic. Just ordinary.
And that, Kevin thought grimly, was the strangest part.
Luke was supposed to be extraordinary. The guy had stolen from the Alliance, sothing no sane person did and lived to tell about. He wasn’t dumb either; Kevin had been following him long enough to know Luke was cautious, maybe even paranoid.
And yet... his life was too clean.
It didn’t add up.
Kevin rubbed his temples, fatigue wearing on him. He didn’t notice the faint crunch of gravel behind his car, nor the shadow that had slipped across the rear-view mirror.
The passenger-side door clicked open.
Kevin’s hand instinctively reached for the pistol under his coat, but he froze when a familiar voice cut through the silence.
"Why are you following ?"
Kevin’s heart jolted. He turned slowly.
Luke was sitting in the passenger seat, calm as a ghost. His hood was pulled low, but his eyes burned with suspicion, sharp and focused. His voice wasn’t trembling—it was asured, controlled.
For the first ti in weeks, Kevin felt the balance shift.
"...Ah," Kevin exhaled, leaning back against the seat. "You scared the hell out of ."
"Answer the question."
There was no hesitation in Luke’s tone.
No flinching, no second-guessing. Just cold, pointed demand. Kevin studied him for a mont. This wasn’t the voice of an ordinary arcade brat.
"Fine," Kevin muttered, raising his hands slightly to show he ant no harm. "I’ve been keeping an eye on you because you’re in trouble. The people you stole from? The Nine Headed Dragon Alliance. They’re very offended. And they’re after us both."
Luke’s brow furrowed. "Us?"
Kevin gave a humorless chuckle. "You think you can just dip your hand into a hornet’s nest and only you get stung? The Nine Headed Dragon Alliance doesn’t forgive. They don’t forget. And anyone even remotely connected to the incident—you, , whoever they suspect—becos a target."
Luke sat in silence, digesting the words. His fingers drumd against his knee, controlled but restless.
"...I’ll return the money," Luke said flatly.
Kevin turned to him, stunned into silence. Then, slowly, he shook his head.
"You really don’t get it, do you?" Kevin’s voice was quiet but heavy. "This isn’t about the money anymore. You could return ten tis what you took and it wouldn’t matter. To them, it’s about face. Respect. You embarrassed them, and that’s sothing they can’t buy back. They need blood. That’s the only paynt they’ll accept."
Luke’s eyes narrowed slightly. His jaw clenched.
Kevin leaned forward, voice dropping lower. "And it gets worse. I got word from an informant—reliable one—that they’re sending a Dragon Fang."
Luke’s breath remained stable as he arched a brow in confusion, though he tried not to show it. "...Dragon Fang?"
He didn’t know what that ant.
Kevin nodded grimly. "One of their generals. Directly under a Dragon Head. When a Fang shows up, it ans the Alliance isn’t just interested. They’re invested. They want to make a statent."
For the first ti, Luke’s mask of calm cracked.
The corners of his mouth twitched in hesitation. The word general carried weight. This wasn’t so disposable gang foot soldier he could brush off.
Kevin noticed the flicker in Luke’s expression. He pressed.
"You’re in deep, man. Deeper than you realize."
Silence stretched between them. Luke turned his gaze toward the glowing arcade sign outside, eyes reflecting the neon. He thought about how much Kevin seed to know.
Too much. This man wasn’t just so random tail.
His fingers brushed the hilt of the hidden knife inside his sleeve. The thought crossed his mind—’If I kill him now, that ends it. He won’t expose . He won’t dig deeper.’
The car was quiet, tense.
Kevin kept his eyes forward, as though he hadn’t noticed the faint shift in Luke’s posture.
But he had. He was not ordinary, after all.
Years of instinct told him when soone was on the edge of violence.
And yet he didn’t flinch. Didn’t reach for his gun. Didn’t tense his shoulders. He just sat there.
If he had ant Luke harm, he’d have acted already.
’What the hell am I thinking? Killing soone? A cop for that matter?’ Luke exhaled slowly, releasing the thought. ’When did I start thinking like Draco?’
No. Killing Kevin wasn’t the answer.
Not only was it against his moral code, but it would create more problems than it solved.
Finally, Luke spoke.
"...If it’s that serious, shouldn’t you be involving your cop friends?"
Kevin smirked bitterly.
Luke still thought he was a cop, though the ID he showed him was fake.
"If only it were that simple. The Nine Headed Dragon Alliance isn’t so street gang we can just raid and dismantle. They’re embedded deep—in the city, the politics, the police. The ones who are clean? They’re busy tearing at the Alliance from other angles. Besides, they don’t have the backbone. No one would dare risk chasing down one Fang sent by the organization."
Luke shot him a sideways glance. "...So I’m on my own?"
Kevin shook his head. "Not exactly."
His eyes finally t Luke’s, steady and sharp.
"We could work together."
Luke raised a brow. "...Work together?"
"That’s right." Kevin leaned in slightly, his voice asured. "You and . Take down the Dragon Fang. Cover our tracks. And more importantly—we learn everything the Alliance knows about us in the process. That way, we’re not just waiting around for the noose to tighten."
Luke stared at him, expression unreadable. His mind raced. This man wanted him to fight the Alliance directly?
Wasn’t it a criminal organization akin to the Triad or sothing?
’Just what did I get myself into?!’ Luke was beginning to regret his actions at the ti.
Cri truly doesn’t pay.
Things had grown out of hand and had gotten insane.
He studied Kevin carefully.
The man’s words seed to carry no deception. But still, Luke couldn’t fully trust him.
"...Why ?" Luke asked finally. "If you’re a cop, don’t you have athers you can talk to about this, right? Why risk working with so guy you barely know?"
Kevin gave a hollow laugh. "Because this is an off-books mission. It’s the only way to avoid the gaze of the Alliance. Even my departnt doesn’t even know I’m here. If they did, they’d pull out. I’m on my own. And you... well, you’ve already proven you can hold your own. Most importantly, you have guts."
Luke’s eyes narrowed. "...You don’t even know who I am."
"Don’t need to. Actions speak louder than nas. You poked the dragon and lived. That’s enough for ." Kevin smirked faintly.
The two sat in silence again, the weight of the proposal hanging heavy in the air. Neon light flickered outside, casting alternating shades of blue and red across their faces.
Luke finally broke the silence. "...And if I say no?"
Kevin shrugged.
"Then you keep hiding in your VR pod while the Alliance closes in. But sooner or later, that Fang is going to find you. And when they do..." He let the unfinished thought linger like smoke.
Luke’s gaze hardened.
He was slowly getting scared, worried... really anxious.
It was one thing to face Dragons as Draco, but this criminal organization sounded really dangerous. Could he really take them on in real life?
"So..." Kevin extended a hand across the seat. "What’s it going to be? We can fight separately and die alone, or fight together and maybe—just maybe—win."
Luke stared at the offered hand, his thoughts spiraling.
Trust was dangerous.
Partnership even more so.
’What should I do about this now?’
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