Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 72

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

72.
Liam gripped the stone with his left hand, letting his right arm hang limp as he caught his breath. Both shoulders screamed in protest from bearing his full weight.
A quick glance downward. He’d barely made it halfway up.
“Now I understand why they don’t bother posting guards on this side.”
Climbing a cliff face with nothing but your hands was far more exhausting than he’d expected. No sane person would attempt it lightly.
The problem was that Liam was far from sane.
He stretched his trembling hands upward again. The moment he shifted his right foot, it skidded out from under him. For an instant, he lost his grip.
!
A stone tumbled downward and vanished without a trace.
Liam’s eyes followed it into the darkness below. The black sea yawned open beneath him like a hungry mouth.
He locked his feet back in place and cursed under his breath. Wet stone was slipperier than he’d bargained for. One misstep, and the waves would swallow him whole—waves the size of houses.
That is, if he didn’t crack his skull on the rocks first. If he was lucky, it would be quick. If not, he’d end up paralyzed.
Liam drew in a deliberate breath. His injured shoulder throbbed, but he tilted his head back and searched for the next handhold.
This was his fault. All of it. He should never have sent Hee-ju alone. Better to be captured by the CIA than let her face this without him.
So he’d fix it himself. He’d bring her back. Without a single scratch.
And he would never let go of her hand again. No matter what.
…….
No decent handholds in sight—just massive boulders that towered above him.
There was only one way forward. Jump. Reach for the stone above. If his grip slipped, it would be over.
Liam held his breath, fixed his target, and threw himself upward with a violent push.
!
His right hand barely caught the edge of the rock. His palms were slick with rain. He jammed his left foot into a crevice he’d spotted earlier.
His body stopped swinging. He exhaled slowly.
He looked up. Barely halfway there. His side wound tore open, and sharp pain shot up his spine.
“Damn.”
But he didn’t stop. This pain was nothing. True pain was a life drained of all joy—a gray, meaningless existence.
Liam climbed methodically, one handhold at a time. The fortress that had seemed unreachable was drawing closer.
***
“Come out.”
The door opened. The guard jerked his chin at Hee-ju.
Hee-ju turned slowly from the window, where she’d been staring into the dark sea. The bedsheets and curtains had been confiscated long ago.
“The boss wants you.”
She rose and moved toward the door. The guard barked, “Walk faster,” and she obeyed without resistance, her pace quickening down the corridor.
The guard knocked on the Study door and turned the handle. Through the widening gap, Sergei appeared, pacing the room.
He turned and fixed his eyes on her. His expression was cold—visibly furious from the crown of his head to his toes.
The guard shoved her forward. She stumbled a few steps into the Study. The door closed behind her.
Hee-ju glanced first at Andrei, seated at the desk, then at Sergei standing beside him.
Sergei’s voice cut through the air, sharp as a blade.
“The password.”
Hee-ju caught the anxiety buried beneath his words.
They couldn’t crack the encryption on the USB. They were desperate. A bunch of rough thugs with no hacking expertise among them.
Hee-ju lifted her shoulders in a casual shrug.
“How would I know that?”
“You told us there was nothing left by your father. Yet here we are with a USB. Maybe I’ll break your fingers one at a time until you remember.”
He wasn’t joking. Andrei rose from his chair at Sergei’s words.
Hee-ju shook her head frantically.
“I tried my birthday, my name—nothing worked! I really don’t know!”
“How much longer do I have to listen to your lies? I’m getting bored.”
“Then why don’t you bring in someone who knows computers? A real hacker could crack it in minutes.”
“Faster to cut your fingers off. And bringing in outsiders means more people who know about this. That’s tedious.”
“But cutting off my fingers won’t make me know something I don’t. That’s just needlessly complicated, isn’t it?”
Despite her reasonable objection, Sergei showed no sign of relenting.
“Well, you have ten fingers, so at least ten chances. Let’s hope you remember before then.”
Hee-ju watched Andrei approach and shuffled backward. Instinctively, she scanned the room.
The Study was soundproofed. No scream would reach anyone outside.
Not that it would matter if it did.
Hard rain drummed against the windows. The fireplace crackled and blazed. Outside, winter rain fell. Inside, the Study was cozy and warm.
Which made Andrei’s expressionless approach feel utterly unreal.
Sergei lounged on the sofa like a man watching a film, sipping at his drink with leisurely ease. Hee-ju’s backward steps had taken her to the fireplace.
A display case beside the fireplace held expensive bottles of liquor, each one high-proof.
In the corner by the fireplace sat a small oil can—probably for lighting the logs.
Andrei took another step. He reached out toward her.
!
In that instant, Hee-ju grabbed a bottle from the display case and hurled it at him. Andrei twisted smoothly out of the way.
The bottle shattered on the carpet with a loud crash, soaking the floor in liquor. Andrei’s brow furrowed as he stared at the broken glass.
Hee-ju seized another bottle, her voice sharp with warning.
“Don’t come any closer.”
Sergei chuckled.
“Unfortunately for you, Andrei wouldn’t flinch if you stabbed him with broken glass.”
As if to prove it, Andrei took another step. Hee-ju’s back pressed against the wall.
She threw the bottle. This time it landed beside him instead of in front.
Sergei laughed.
“Missed at point-blank range? You must be terrified.”
Andrei closed the distance. Hee-ju threw two more bottles in succession. Both missed.
Crash.
…….
Andrei stopped. Hee-ju glared at him with lethal intensity. Neither gave an inch—they stood locked in absolute standoff.
Sergei’s eyes crinkled with amusement. Andrei’s thick hand shot out and seized her shoulder in an iron grip.
“Out of bottles, it seems.”
Sergei smirked at her empty hands and lifted his glass to his lips.
Hee-ju’s jaw clenched. His grip was unbreakable—she thrashed but couldn’t pull free. Despair was closing in when—
Bang!
An explosion. Sergei and Andrei snapped their heads around. Beyond the window lay only the dark sea.
Andrei pulled out his Cell Phone and made a call. His expression hardened.
“No signal.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll investigate.”
Andrei pocketed the Cell Phone and strode from the Study.
As he opened the door, the burly guard who’d brought Hee-ju stood outside.
The door closed with a soft click.
…….
Only two people remained in the Study. Hee-ju and Sergei.
Hee-ju gripped another bottle, her eyes locked on him. Finally, the moment she’d been waiting for had come.
***
Liam pulled himself over the top, hands pushing hard against solid ground. His feet found earth at last.
He bent double, breathing hard.
His breath steadied. He clenched his fists, then opened them. His hands were numb and shaking.
He crouched behind a tree, his sharp eyes studying the Mansion. It wasn’t a simple rectangle—the architecture was geometric, angular.
Whether that was the architect’s artistic vision or Sergei’s ego, he couldn’t say.
But the result gave him roughly ten meters of space between the Cliff and the nearest wall.
Cypress trees were planted densely there, forming a natural screen like a high fence. It hid him now.
Lights burned on the first and second floors. Silhouettes passed occasionally behind the windows.
He turned his head toward the front gate. Out of sight from here, but a broad garden would spread before the building.
Past the swimming pool and fountains, the gatehouse would stand guard.
A couple of guards on rotation. The rest stationed inside.
He didn’t know how many of Sergei’s men were here, but he needed to scatter them.
Liam reached into his pocket, pulled out his Cell Phone, and sent a message to Noel.
Your turn.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————