Broken Oaths, Burning World

Agent-90 slowly raised his cellphone to his ear, informing the SSCBF department about Fen Gohxian's death and his location, then calmly hung up the call.

The next scene takes place on December 12th, 2041, at 6:00 AM at Jiyoon Disability High School. A young girl walks down a dark hallway toward the restroom, which is located further away from her classroom. The hallway is dimly lit, with an eerie atmosphere hanging in the air. As she walks, she feels the unsettling sensation of being followed, which sends shivers down her spine. Upon reaching the restroom door, she glances around, but there's no one in sight.

She enters the restroom, and after washing up, she hears footsteps echoing through the stalls. Her heart races. Alone in the restroom stall, she listens as the footsteps grow louder and closer. She's mute, unable to scream, and her fear paralyses her. She covers her mouth, trying not to make a sound.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man in his late 40s peeks out from the adjacent stall, his eyes leering at her with a perverted grin. As he lets out a sinister laugh, the girl panics, wanting to scream and flee, but it's too late.

At SSCBF Headquarters, Wen-Li was briefing her team when a woman in black military attire, with sky blue-green eyes and hair, approached her.

"Chief!" the woman called.

"Nightingale, did you find Fen Gohxian?" Wen-Li asked.

"Yes, Chief. We found him at Duo-Chen Warehouse," Nightingale replied, her voice steady. "But he's dead."

Wen-Li's face showed confusion. "How? What happened?"

"He was brutally killed. The interior of the warehouse was drenched in blood," Nightingale answered in a straightforward tone.

"Did you identify who did it?" Wen-Li pressed.

"No," Nightingale said, "but we did find a videotape."

The team played the tape. The screen revealed a man wearing a metallic helmet, wielding a chainsaw, as he dismembered Fen Gohxian. Blood splattered everywhere in a grotesque display. The scene was so terrifying that they stopped the video before it finished.

Lee Jong Suk, a member of Robert's team, gasped. "Who could do something so brutal? My god!"

"We were chasing him, but someone else got to him first," Lan Qian murmured, rubbing her eyes.

"Chief!" Robert said, stepping forward. "Did you notice that Fen Gohxian's body was found at Duo-Chen Warehouse? That's the same place where Yang Xiao Lang's body was discovered."

"Do you think the same person killed both Fen Gohxian and Yang Xiao Lang?" Nightingale asked, crossing her arms.

"I suspect so," Wen-Li said, tapping her lower jaw thoughtfully with her finger. "But who could be behind all of this?"

"That location doesn't have any surveillance cameras," Lan Qian added. "It's the perfect spot for a killer to strike unnoticed." Just then, an officer approached.

"Chief, you have a visitor," the officer informed.

Wen-Li and her team exchanged glances before heading to the waiting room. Inside, two people—Jung-Suk and Chaeng Seokhoon—sat anxiously. Wen-Li entered, and after brief introductions, she asked them, "So, what brings you here?"

The two people glanced at each other before Jung-Suk spoke up, "We're here because of something terrible happening to the disabled children."

They explain what horrible is done to them by Principal and teachers as well. 

Wen-Li's expression darkened. "Why didn't you report this earlier?" she demanded, slamming her hand on the table.

"If we had, no one would've believed us," Chaeng Seokhon said, desperation creeping into his voice. "Even the headmaster and chairman have enough power to manipulate the legal system."

Wen-Li sighed, her anger subsiding. "Fine. I'll take the case, but we'll keep this investigation confidential for now. I'll do everything I can to make sure justice is served."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Jung-Suk said, his voice quivering as tears filled his eyes.

After the men left, Wen-Li leaned back in her chair, crossing her fingers in thought. She quickly called her informant.

"Subuichi, I need intel," she said, her tone firm.

"Roger that, Chief. Give me a few minutes," Subuichi replied, exhaling smoke from his cigarette.

Wen-Li then called Nightingale, ordering her to take her team to Jiyoon Disability High School, located in Silentedge.

"Understood, Chief," Nightingale replied before heading out.

Silentedge was a brooding, ominous district nestled within the chaotic sprawl of the city, a place seemingly forgotten by the world. It was a neighbourhood shrouded in permanent twilight, where shadows stretched long and deep, creating an atmosphere of dread. Time seemed to stand still in Silentedge, but danger lurked in every corner.

The eerie quiet that enveloped the district was unsettling. Unlike other bustling areas plagued by overt crime, Silentedge was silent, oppressive. The narrow, winding streets were lined with ancient, crumbling buildings, towering like sentinels over the few brave enough to walk the streets. Most of the structures were abandoned, with cracked windows, broken doors, and graffiti marking their decay.

Dim street lights flickered, casting long, distorted shadows across the cobblestone roads. The persistent fog rolled through, reducing visibility to only a few feet ahead. Silentedge felt like it existed in a perpetual state of dusk, where neither day nor night held sway.

The district was home to society's forgotten souls—the homeless, the outcasts, and the desperate. Whispers of strange occurrences circulated: eerie lights in abandoned buildings, figures moving through the fog only to vanish, and strange disappearances. Silentedge felt cursed, a place where the supernatural and the criminal blended into one.

"This is the place," Nightingale said as she stood outside Jiyoon Disability High School with her team. The sky was a dull grey, and the school loomed ahead like a relic of another time, its structure decaying. The campus covered 15,000 square metres, its rectangular buildings stretching 80 metres in length and 50 metres in width. Many parts of the school had fallen into disuse, with a central courtyard now overgrown with weeds.

A rusty 3-metre-high iron fence topped with barbed wire surrounded the school, giving the impression of control and isolation rather than security. As Nightingale and her team approached, a security guard in his late 30s emerged, irritation evident on his face.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Nightingale flashed her identification and stated, "We're here to meet the principal and chairman."

The guard's demeanour changed, fear flashing across his face. He instructed them to wait while he went inside.

Moments later, he returned and allowed them in but demanded they hand over their weapons, a request that angered Lee Jong Suk. Before Lee could protest, Robert stepped in to defuse the situation. Reluctantly, they surrendered their weapons and entered the school. As they passed through the doors, they shut behind them with a heavy thud. Inside, they were greeted by Koikeo Minhaewon, the principal's secretary, who led them down the dimly lit hallways.

Nightingale quietly instructed her team to remain alert. The school's interior was a reflection of its neglect: peeling paint, cracked windows, and dim lighting that created a stifling sense of hopelessness. They walked past a janitor mopping the floor, his back turned to them—unbeknownst to them, the janitor was Agent-90, hidden in plain sight.

Earlier, Wen-Li had called Gonda for information on the school, which led Gonda to reach out to Madam Di-Xian, informing her about the SSCBF investigation. Madam Di-Xian had then dispatched her two agents: Agent-90 and Agent-Jun, with a mission to infiltrate Jiyoon Disability High School. Their eyes filled with deadly determination as they prepared for the mission.

Outside the school, Agent-Jun lay on a rooftop across the street, his high-powered sniper rifle trained on the security cameras. "Camera 2 in sight," Agent-Jun whispered into the comm device, his voice calm and steady.

From the shadows below, Agent-90 waited, synchronised with his partner's movements. "Proceed," he replied, his voice cold and emotionless.

With a faint click, Agent-Jun fired, the silenced shot barely audible. A security camera sparked as the bullet pierced its lens, rendering it useless.

"Camera down," Agent-Jun confirmed, shifting his focus to the next. "Moving to Camera 4."

As the second camera fell offline, Agent-90 moved through the darkness, disabling the electrified fence with an EMP device. In seconds, he vaulted over the fence and advanced toward the inner gate.

With his usual precision, Agent-90 neutralised a guard at the checkpoint, slipping through the gate as Agent-Jun provided cover from above. By the time SSCBF arrived, Agent-90 was already inside, disguised as one of the staff.

In the principal's office, Nightingale, Robert, and their team were met by Principal Kwong Joonyun, Chairman Chuhng Sunwooshin, and other senior officials.

"What can we do for you, Lieutenant Nightingale?" Joonyun asked, his tone cold.

"We are here to investigate allegations of abuse against disabled students in this institution," Nightingale replied.

Sunwooshin scoffed. "How is that possible?"

"We have evidence," Robert said, stepping forward.

"What evidence?" Euijinwoo barked.

Lan Qian handed the file to Nightingale, who presented it to them. The file revealed a staggering number of suicides—over 56,986,000 students from 1999 to 2040—due to mental and physical abuse. The men fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances.

Trying to regain control, Joonyun spoke calmly. "Let's discuss this over tea."

Nightingale and her team exchanged wary glances. As tea was served, Nightingale sensed something off and signall her team not to drink. But Lee Jong Suk, ignoring the warning, collapsed, clutching his stomach. One by one, the SSCBF members began to feel the effects of the poison.

"Disabled people are a corruption of society. They don't deserve to live," Joonyun said with a twisted smile.

"You bastard," Robert growled, just before his eyes closed. Gunshots rang out, followed by screams as the scene descended into chaos.