Chapter 17: Face Your Fear

"This is even more surprising. It turns out the owner of the domain is... our target for tonight."

Michael's eyes went wide, while Raden swallowed hard. Michael stared at the monitor before him with intense focus. On the screen, a complete bio appeared: 'J Zega Irtyas a.k.a. Kai', his date of birth, along with various personal details and daily habits. Next to the bio were two mugshots of a man—bald in the center of his head, sporting a thick beard and a round face. One shot faced forward, the other in profile.

Mora grabbed a compact tablet. Holding it with both hands, she flicked her index finger upward. A small holographic UI materialized right in front of her. She tapped a circular button in the top left corner of the hologram. Seconds later, a progress bar on the main monitor filled up at lightning speed.

Once complete, the large screen displayed a table detailing Kai's income and expenses over the last year, along with an unpaid debt totaling 473k EC. Right next to the table sat a red circular indicator, and beneath it, the words: 'Redflag. Pay or die tonight.'

Mora lifted her fingers from the keyboard. "He's the guy. He's our target."

Raden crossed his arms, his right hand gripping his chin as he studied the monitor.

"Hmm... where did you get data this complete, Mora?"

Mora glanced at Raden.

"Oh, I got the data from Razor."

"And where did Razor get it?"

Mora shrugged.

"Dunno, and I don't care. Instead of overthinking it, you'd better come with me. I have something to show you," Mora said, standing up from her chair. She draped her arm around Raden's shoulders and began dragging him forward.

They took a few steps out of the workspace until they reached the automatic doors. Mora looked back over her shoulder.

"Oh, right, Michael. If you want to play snakes and ladders or solve some dad-joke riddles on my tablet, go ahead. Just leave the main computer running. I've still got work to finish."

After that, Mora mumbled to herself as she walked, still choking Raden in a friendly headlock. Raden gave her an awkward smile. Michael turned to watch them go, chuckling as he rubbed his forehead.

Mora and Raden walked until they entered the elevator. Mora hit the button for the second floor. As the doors slid shut, Raden asked Mora to let go of his neck—he was starting to suffocate. Mora released her grip and stepped back a little.

"Sorry, was I doing too much?"

Raden rubbed his neck, exhaling sharply.

"Yeah, a bit too much. I couldn't breathe."

"A-ahaha, my bad. Sorry."

When the elevator doors opened, Mora stepped out first, with Raden trailing behind. They walked until they reached a tightly shut steel door. The handle had a card slot. Mora swiped her access card. The indicator light turned green, and the heavy door slowly slid open on its own.

As the door opened fully, Raden's eyes widened. He saw a hanging punching bag and various fitness machines arranged with perfect precision. A massive glass window took up the far end of the room. Sunlight streamed through, refracting into the space and bathing anyone inside in a warm glow.

Mora ushered Raden inside. Their footsteps echoed slightly as they walked across the floor. Mora looked to the right and pointed.

"Bathroom's over there. You know... in case you need to pee after a workout," she giggled. She turned her head to the left and pointed again. "And over there is the MP3 player. It looks a bit old-school because it's huge, but trust me, the quality isn't trash. Just so you don't get bored."

Mora spun around to face Raden, placing her hands on her hips.

With a confident smile, she asked, "So? Do you like the fitness room?"

Raden nodded, smiling back. "Yeah, I really, really like this."

"Oh, right. If you want to eat, just say so. I'll be in the workroom. Don't go starving yourself before the mission tonight, okay?"

Raden gave a firm nod.

"Yeah, I'll definitely head down when I'm hungry."

Mora patted Raden's shoulder.

"Alright then, I'll leave you to it. Kimmy is somewhere around the second floor. If you need anything, you can try asking her too."

Raden frowned.

"Is Kimmy related to that little Timmy?"

Mora walked away.

"Yeah, you could say that," she called out from a distance. She was already standing in front of the automatic door. She stepped out, and the door sealed shut, leaving Raden alone.

Raden walked over to the hanging punching bag. He stood in front of it and took a deep breath. He clenched his fist tight. With a burst of speed, he threw a hard punch at the bag.

"Ouch! Shit, that is hard!" Raden grumbled, shaking his hand out.

After a few minutes, the stinging in his hand began to fade, and Raden sighed. He walked toward the window to bathe in the sunlight. The rays hit most of his body, and he felt the warmth of the morning sun intensifying as the temperature rose.

Raden looked around. "With this much equipment, how am I supposed to use it all?"

Slowly, you will figure it out. You cannot become a hero overnight, Oni said through Raden's mind.

"But... I start working tonight. And the job looks like it's going to be dangerous. I felt uneasy when Mora said tonight's target is a brilliant digital scammer. What can I do? My legs can only walk. I can't fight yet," Raden replied.

I do not think their digital world has much to do with reality. They might only be brave in their fake world. That is why they are so smart at exploiting it—perhaps because in the real world, they do not dare to hit anyone. But you? You have slaughtered police officers. You are a tangible criminal; they have no tangible proof of strength. It is very different, Oni countered.

Raden walked to the side of the room and sat on a bench facing the wall. He rested his cheek on his fist, his gaze fixed on the clean white ceramic tiles.

"Is that really how it works? I feel like they'll be dangerous face-to-face too."

I don't guarantee they are weak in the real world, but I am offering a logical possibility. The ancients from my ancestors' time once said: 'If you are a cat, and you face an opponent you don't know, be it a dragon, a tiger, or just a sewer rat, you can still have the advantage before you know what they are,' Oni explained.

"What kind of advantage? You're just making me curious," Raden asked, his face sour.

Face, your, fear. Create a perception for yourself as if you are a celestial dragon sent to slaughter every beast on the face of the earth. With this, you will not label yourself as a cat, but a cat with the soul of a celestial dragon, Oni clarified.

Raden's eyes widened. He felt a small fire of spirit ignite in his heart.

However...

Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly.

I suppose even a celestial dragon needs energy before breathing fire everywhere, Oni joked.

"Haha, you got me there. But you're right, I should eat first."

Raden stood up from the bench. He walked out of the fitness room, looking around for Kimmy.

The hiss of a vacuum cleaner grew louder in Raden's ears. As the sound became distinct, Raden saw Kimmy, dressed in a mini housemaid outfit, busy cleaning dust from the area. The vacuum cleaner she was holding was plugged directly into her back.

"Kimmy!" Raden called out, waving his hand.

Kimmy turned to Raden. She stopped the vacuum, then floated toward him. Once she was right in front of him, Timmy's face changed, displaying a monitor with a question mark logo.

"Uh, Mora said if I need help or want to eat, I should call Kimmy. I'm hungry now, can I eat?"

Kimmy scratched her head, which wasn't itchy. She pointed a finger upward, then nodded her head rapidly. Her arm made a 'follow me' gesture. Raden walked behind Timmy.

Hey, she looks kind of cute actually, Oni said in Raden's mind.

"You like this little ball robot? Hell nah," Raden shot back.

No, I mean she is cute like a two-year-old toddler who cannot speak yet, Oni corrected.

Oh, I thought you liked that kind of...

Raden's thought was cut off because Kimmy ushered him into the elevator first. Raden stepped in, and Kimmy pressed the button for the first floor.

"Eh... I'm going back down to the first floor?" Raden muttered.

Kimmy turned to Raden quickly. Her face displayed text: 'I have already put the food in your room.' Raden read it carefully.

"Oh, is that so... Alright then. Not a big deal," Raden said, looking at Kimmy.

Kimmy gave an 'okay' gesture with her fingers.

The elevator doors opened. They walked until they reached Raden's room. Raden took the card from his right pocket and swiped it on the handle. As the door swung wide, Kimmy gestured for Raden to enter.

"Thanks for walking me to my room," Raden said.

Kimmy gave Raden two thumbs up. She then floated away, leaving him.

Raden stepped into his room. Looking to the right, he saw an orange, an apple, grapes, a large loaf of bread, sausages, sauce, and french fries arranged beautifully on a wide plate. The aroma of the food wafted toward him. He could sense the heat of the fries from the thin steam rising upward.

The plate sat right on Raden's desk, next to several of his father's martial arts championship awards, which were neatly arranged.

Raden approached the desk and tasted a fry, still crisp, dipped in the smooth sauce. The savory taste melted on his tongue, making him crave more. The heat burst in the corners of his mouth—prompting him to drink a box of milk sitting to the left of the plate.

Raden's mouth was a bit messy. He grabbed a tissue nearby and wiped the corners of his lips. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a small flashdisk sitting on top of his father's trophy. He shifted his body slightly and picked it up.

Raden held up the flash drive, turning it over in his hand. His eyes traced the permanent marker scribbles on the casing, the ink already fading and blurred by time.

He narrowed his eyes, muttering under his breath. "The recording that ruined my life?"