Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 73

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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73.
Noel, who had been staring at his cell phone, jumped at the sharp chime, his eyes snapping wide open.
“Phew.”
Taking a deep breath, Noel slung the bag over his shoulder and climbed carefully out of the car.
Having to hide the vehicle in an inconspicuous spot meant he had quite a walk to the mansion.
Patter-patter—the rain striking his head grew heavier. Noel quickened his pace, the cold winter downpour soaking through his clothes.
In the darkness, his heart raced at the thought of enemies lurking. He flinched at every small sound.
Not far from the mansion, Noel stopped and ducked into the bushes. Then he pulled the RC car from his bag.
Activating the remote, the small vehicle let out a low growl. Vroom, vroom.
“Good.”
The downpour fogged his glasses almost immediately. He could barely see ahead.
Noel wiped his lenses repeatedly as he steered the RC car. A whirring sound filled the air.
The RC car raced toward the mansion’s front gate. Then, in that instant—
“Damn!”
The RC car sank into a mud puddle and went completely still. Vroom, vroom—the wheels spun uselessly, the noise loud and helpless.
His mind went blank. His heart pounded violently in his chest.
“What do I do?”
Noel’s expression twisted with despair as he bit his nails. The thought that he might ruin everything made the world go black before his eyes.
He peered toward the mansion with tense, searching eyes. Just then, a man in a raincoat emerged from the Gate House, opening the door.
The man took up a flashlight and began his patrol. Beyond the wrought-iron gate bearing a lion emblem, his shadow flickered in and out of view.
“Because of me, Hee-ju and Liam are going to die at the hands of the Mafia. It’s as if I killed them both.”
Noel’s face crumpled—then in the next instant, his eyes flew open.
“No! I promised Liam I’d do my part. I have to find a way. I can’t fail.”
His heart hammered as if it might burst, his legs trembling beneath him, but he couldn’t afford to collapse here in tears. Hee-ju had far more to fear than he did.
Noel gritted his teeth and charged through the rain. He tried to muffle his footsteps, but each time his foot landed in a puddle, water splashed audibly.
His heart trembled like an aspen leaf. Suddenly, the beam of a flashlight swung in his direction.
“!”
Noel froze solid in that spot. He held his breath, his eyes clamped shut.
It’s over.
Despair washed over his face.
I’m sorry, Hee-ju. I’m sorry, Liam.
But no matter how long he waited, he heard no approaching footsteps. Not a shout, not a curse.
He cracked his eyes open. The murky beam of light was receding in the opposite direction.
Breathe.
Convinced his heart must have rolled away onto the ground, Noel rescued the RC car from the mud puddle.
He set the dripping RC car on level ground, then hid back behind the bushes and reactivated the remote.
Vroom. The RC car raced ahead confidently and halted in front of the mansion’s main gate.
Between the sounds of rain, he heard what sounded like a muttered “What the—?” Noel’s lips pressed tight as he pressed the button.
Bang!
The explosion detonated with force. The heavy front gate flew apart, and a man’s scream pierced the air.
“Yes!”
Noel threw his clenched fists high into the air, unable to contain his victory celebration.
“Wait. This isn’t the time to celebrate.”
He still had one task left. Noel opened his laptop and ran a program—a signal jammer to disrupt cell phone reception.
“Done.”
He made his way back to the car, staying low in the bushes, then paused and glanced back toward the mansion. He could sense the men moving frantically about.
“Good luck, Liam.”
Noel’s brow furrowed as the thought crossed his mind. Only now did he realize what greater problem awaited him.
He’d never actually driven this car before.
“I know the basic principles. I can do this. It’s just a hunk of metal anyway. I’m a higher form of life than any automobile.”
***
Sergei set down the wine glass he’d been holding onto the table.
“Waiting for Andrei is tedious, so let’s have a conversation between ourselves first. Once I break a finger or two, the password might come to mind. I’ve never seen anyone I’ve interrogated last past five fingers, but what about you?”
Hee-ju backed away without taking her eyes from him. Her leg brushed against an oil can. There was nowhere left to retreat.
Sergei knew he held the advantage, and his demeanor radiated absolute composure—or perhaps arrogance would be the better word.
“Which finger should I start with? Index? Middle?”
He murmured the words as casually as if humming a tune, then turned his back. He walked to the desk and opened a drawer.
Finding what he wanted at last, he picked up a monkey wrench. Why on earth was that in a desk drawer?
Sergei turned back to her and smiled cruelly.
“You have a curious look. Wondering why this is in a desk drawer?”
She didn’t want to hear his answer. But Sergei spoke on, his tone maddeningly unhurried.
“Some time ago, a man stole my medicine and tried to run. I used this to break his teeth one by one. Now he’s resting at the bottom of the Golden Gate Bridge. Tell me—what sort of death would you prefer? I’ll be generous.”
“If I had my choice, I’d like to die of old age.”
At Hee-ju’s murmured words, Sergei let out a loud laugh. “Ha ha.”
In that instant, she snatched the oil can at her feet and hurled it at him.
“What the—!”
Thoroughly drenched, Sergei glared at her with fury blazing across his face.
“You won’t listen to reason, will you?”
As he took a sharp step forward, Hee-ju plunged her hand into the fireplace.
“!”
Only then did Sergei detect the scent of oil brushing past his nose. He lunged at her frantically.
“Get that hand down!”
“Ah! So hot!”
Hee-ju grit her teeth against the throbbing pain and seized a piece of firewood. She hurled it at Sergei with all her strength.
Fire erupted instantly. His clothes caught flame from the edges. The fallen firewood ignited the spilled alcohol from a shattered bottle, and flames roared up in a sudden blaze.
“Damn it!”
Sergei beat frantically at the fire clinging to his clothes. But once alight, the flames wouldn’t be extinguished so easily.
He hastily tore off his jacket and tossed it away—straight onto the sofa. The fire spread to the furniture.
“Damn! Water! Water!”
Sergei thrashed about wildly, desperately trying to snuff out the flames licking at his hair.
In the chaos, Hee-ju bolted from the room and threw open the door. The man standing guard snapped his head toward her.
She gestured frantically into the room behind her.
“Fire! The room’s on fire! Your boss—!”
“Aaaah!”
At the screams from inside, the man dove into the Study Room.
“Boss!”
As if she’d been waiting for exactly this, Hee-ju bolted down the corridor.
“Seize her!”
“Wait! Help me here!”
Sergei’s shouts trailed behind her like a shadow. Hee-ju raced down the long hallway. Her heart felt ready to tear from her chest.
She had the overwhelming sensation that someone behind her was about to grab her collar. Suffocating terror made it nearly impossible to breathe.
If they caught her now, she was dead. This time, truly.
“!”
Then she heard footsteps ascending the stairs. Her heart plummeted. She yanked a door open—the nearest one—and slipped inside.
“Ha… ha…”
Her shoulders heaved with ragged breaths. Cold sweat trickled down her neck.
The room was pitch dark. She couldn’t see a thing. Hee-ju held her breath and strained to listen to the sounds from the hallway.
Footsteps thundered down the corridor.
“Aaaaagh! Bring me that woman right now! Now! I’ll kill her with my own hands!”
Sergei’s rage-filled bellow shook the entire mansion.
Hee-ju let out the breath she’d been holding and turned her head. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the contours of the room gradually came into focus.
***
From the front gate came a bang and a flash of fire. Liam checked his cell phone. The display read: No Service Area.
“Looks like the kid did the job right.”
A moment later, several men spilled out of the mansion. With calls blocked, they’d have to check the front gate in person to see what had happened.
Which meant the security inside would be thinner.
“…….”
Liam slipped quietly around to the back of the building, keeping to the shadows. Rain lashed across his cheek.
The sky howled like an enraged beast. The world flashed white, then fell dark again.
Liam pressed himself against the wall and made his way to a dark window. He peered inside for any sign of movement, then brought his fist down on the pane.
The glass shattered with a sharp crack, but fortunately the sound was swallowed by the downpour and went unnoticed.
He paused to listen. No alarm sounded. This too must have been Noel’s handiwork.
Liam reached his hand through the broken glass and unlatched the window frame. He opened it and pulled himself up lightly.
Landing on the floor inside, Liam glanced left and right. It was a dining room. Refrigerator, microwave—this was clearly where the hired hands ate their meals.
Water dripped from Liam’s body, pooling at his feet. His wet clothes made movement sluggish, but there was no time to waste standing around.
As he approached the dining room entrance, he heard footsteps approaching from that direction. Liam quickly pressed himself behind the door.

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