Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 74

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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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74.
A casual voice drifted from beyond the Restaurant door.
“Beer?”
“I’ll pass. I’m on Night Shift tonight. There’s been a commotion at the Gatehouse, so I’m on Emergency Standby.”
“That’s rough. I’ve got the day off, so a drink right now would be perfect.”
“Traitor.”
“Heh heh heh.”
Liam bent slowly, bringing his hand down to his leg. He drew a Knife and listened to the approaching footsteps.
Click—the handle turned. The man who switched on the light moved toward the Refrigerator, then froze.
“Huh? Where’s that breeze coming from…?”
But he never finished. Liam wrapped his forearm around the man’s neck from behind and slashed his carotid artery with the blade.
It happened in an instant. Blood sprayed as the man’s body crumpled. Liam dragged the corpse to the wall and concealed himself behind the door.
“Hey, Pavi?”
When the man didn’t emerge, his colleague from earlier called out in confusion, approaching cautiously.
“Why aren’t you answering, Pavi?”
The moment the second man spotted his colleague’s body, Liam cut off his air the same way.
He hid both corpses behind the door and slipped quietly out of the Restaurant. He didn’t forget to turn off the light.
Passing through the corridor, he entered the Living room. Two full walls were glass. One side overlooked the Garden; the other, the Sea. A white sofa sat on a marble floor.
Liam stayed behind a column, carefully scanning for movement. He heard nothing.
A drop of water fell from him.
Where would they be? His eyes moved toward the Staircase. The second floor? Or underground?
Probably underground. Work like this needed to stay hidden.
As he started toward the basement, noise erupted upstairs.
“Aaaaagh!”
Footsteps pounded urgently between the screams.
“Bring that woman here right now! Now! I’ll kill her with my own hands!”
Without hesitation, Liam changed direction toward the second floor. He drew the Handgun from his waistband and placed his finger on the trigger.
He climbed the Staircase in a few strides, steadied himself behind a wall, then stepped into the Second Floor Corridor with the gun raised.
A man rushing toward him locked eyes with Liam. Panicked, he shouted, “Who the hell are you?”
Bang. Liam fired immediately.
“Argh!”
The man dropped on the spot. His colleague, hearing the sound, quickly drew a Handgun and leaned out of a doorway.
Liam dove behind the wall. Bullets punched into the plaster.
The rain hammered harder. Water that had clung to Liam’s hair streamed down his cheek.
“Hah.”
He took a breath, held it, then leaned out and fired rapidly. Bang, bang.
One man fell. The other ducked back into his room.
“!”
In that moment, Liam swung his gun downward. Crack.
A man who had crept up silently took the shot and tumbled down the Staircase.
More footsteps echoed down the corridor. Liam dropped flat, lowering his sight line.
He peered out once more and pulled the trigger. Fire erupted from the muzzle.
The man charging down the corridor fell in a single shot.
“…….”
A brief silence settled. The men regrouped cautiously and moved with deliberation. The firefight slid into a Stalemate.
The rain was too heavy to hear anything outside. He couldn’t know how long the explosion would keep the others occupied.
If he didn’t sweep through these men quickly, he’d be caught between two forces. That was the worst position.
A Forced Breakthrough? Or hold his ground and whittle down their numbers?
Then the man with the shaved head bellowed in fury.
“Clear them out! What are you doing?”
Gunfire rattled relentlessly. Liam retreated behind the wall and let out a hollow laugh.
“A Submachine Gun. They’ve got everything.”
“You bastard!”
Thinking Liam was terrified, the shaved-headed man charged straight at him, the gun barrel jutting around the corner first.
In the same instant, Liam seized the barrel. The startled man thrashed, pulling the trigger.
“Let go, you son of a bitch!”
The rounds hit the approaching colleague perfectly.
“I—I—!”
The shaved-headed man’s eyes bulged as he glared at Liam. Fighting for the gun, they grappled. Liam gripped the barrel with both hands and spun, pressing it against the man’s throat.
“Gaak, gaak!”
Trapped between the wall and the gun, the man’s face flushed crimson.
“Stop. Let go.”
Then a faint footstep sounded. Liam swung the barrel up, struck the shaved-headed man’s jaw, and hooked his finger on the Submachine Gun’s trigger.
Gunfire raked down the corridor. The man who’d crept up silently dropped with a thud.
Another silence.
Liam moved cautiously into the Second Floor Corridor. Quiet. Gun raised, he opened the first door.
A Guest Room with a bed and a sofa.
“…….”
Empty. Hee-ju wasn’t here. He moved to the next room.
***
Hee-ju’s attention sharpened at the sound of movement behind her. In the darkness her eyes had grown used to, she saw a figure rising slowly.
Had she walked into an enemy hideout?
As she clicked her tongue in frustration, the bedside light switched on. Hee-ju blinked and spoke quietly.
“Rozi?”
“What is all this commotion?”
Rozi faced her, eyes still heavy with sleep. Then she turned her gaze toward the corridor.
“I thought I heard Sergei screaming. It sounded too vivid to be a dream.”
Hee-ju said nothing. In that silence, Rozi found her answer and added softly:
“It was you. What exactly did you do to make Sergei scream like that?”
Her voice carried a faint undertone of amusement. Hee-ju shrugged lightly.
“He seemed cold, so I lit him a fire.”
“Where?”
Hee-ju lifted and dropped her shoulder again. Rozi asked, “You didn’t set Sergei on fire, did you?”
Hee-ju said nothing this time. Suddenly, Rozi burst out laughing.
“You got him completely.”
Then she looked at Hee-ju with fresh eyes. A moment later, skepticism colored her voice.
“But that’s all it was, wasn’t it? You don’t actually believe you can escape, do you? It’s a wasted effort. Sergei’s men will be here soon.”
“Then we’ll have to find another way.”
“Before that, you’ll suffer something terrible.”
“You still can’t stop me.”
“Why?”
Rozi asked as though genuinely curious.
“Why are you trying so hard to escape this place? A hopeless hope is only painful.”
Hee-ju’s gaze dropped. Her lips curved upward slightly—like the ghost of a smile.
“I told you. Someone is waiting for me.”
“Someone waiting.”
Her murmur held considerable bitterness. Hee-ju stepped closer and extended her hand.
“Come with me, Rozi.”
“Come where?”
“You’re not like Sergei. You’re not like him—you don’t kill people so casually. So come with me. This marriage was never what you wanted anyway.”
“If I run, what about my family?”
At Rozi’s calm question, Hee-ju froze. Her hand, finding no anchor, cut through empty air awkwardly.
“My mother and my siblings will be killed by these people. You’re asking me to run knowing that? You’re asking me to kill my own family with my own hands?”
“Rozi…….”
Before Hee-ju could find words, the corridor erupted in fresh chaos. Gunfire crackled, followed by screams and curses.
Both Hee-ju and Rozi turned toward the sound. Rozi, watching the closed door, spoke quietly.
“Gunfire in the corridor. There’s an intruder.”
An intruder!
A man’s face flashed through her mind. Her reason insisted it was impossible—Liam couldn’t have infiltrated a mafia compound alone.
It made more sense that the CIA had arrived. If Han Sang-jin saw the message, he would have contacted them.
Yet her heart hammered wildly. Her pupils gleamed with a sharp, vital heat.
“I have to go.”
“Wait.”
Rozi rose from the bed and opened the nightstand drawer. She pulled out a Handgun and pointed it at Hee-ju.
“Rozi!”
Hee-ju’s eyes widened. Her heart turned to ice.
Rozi laughed and turned the gun toward herself, offering it.
“Take it. You know how to shoot, don’t you?”
Relief flooded through Hee-ju. She took the gun carefully and pulled Rozi into a brief embrace, then released her.
“You really won’t come with me?”
Rozi settled back into bed as though nothing had happened, leaning against the cushion and opening her half-read book.
“If you’re going to do this, kill Sergei. Then his fortune becomes mine. Being held hostage, having my eye dismissed, serving multiple governments—surely I’ve earned that much in return for my patience?”

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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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