Shin soon found the flaw in Neri Hospital's surveillance system.
It wasn't that KGG's technology was lacking but far from it. The real problem lay with the people in charge at Neri medical hospital. Years of uneventful days had made them complacent. They'd grown too comfortable, failing to encrypt the CCTV properly.
Complacency had killed their vigilance.
Fortunately, the dead man had also been overconfident or perhaps in too much of a hurry. He must have planned to overwrite the data once his job was done, but fate intervened. His death left the recordings intact, and Shin easily restored the corrupted gap in the footage.
From the corner, two technicians stared at their screens in horror. Their brief negligence had cost the lives of several guards, a person shot and a patient almost died.
Shin didn't even glance at them. Their jobs were already as good as gone, their fate and punishment is for Zahn Neri to deal with.
When the footage finished restoring, it became clear that Master Zhi was not the one who shot the guy, he arrived later.
Shin leaned closer to the monitor, eyes narrowing. From the hallway footage, the attacker could be seen lingering by the door, perhaps listening to Yeri and Lucia inside.
Only three women were present during the entire incident.
Who, then, had killed him?
Shin's expression hardened, his gaze unreadable. Even if all three had fought together, it shouldn't have been possible.
He knew the strength of a trained hunting dog. Two frail women, one a patient, and Madam Zhi who probably hadn't lifted a bucket in her life, shouldn't have been able to take down a professional killer.
It didn't make sense. Not even a little.
Just then, Secretary Yun's call came through with updates.
---
At the morgue, Loki stood over the corpse with fascination, his grin wide and boyish. To him, it wasn't a body, it was a curiosity.
"Oh~ I remember now! I remember!" he said, crouching to examine the face. "How's he dead? This guy's Rouge, they call him that in the underground rings. Specializes in infiltration and assassination. Slippery as hell, hard to catch."
Secretary Yun shot him a wary glance, lowering his voice. "You recognize him?"
"Of course," Loki said, delighted. "Everyone knows him as Rouge. Often seen at Red district and underground fights."
"Which mafia was he associated with?"
Loki tilted his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Not sure, maybe none. He served no one but money. Offer him enough, and he'll do any job."
When Shin arrived, Loki nearly bounced with excitement, rubbing his hands together. "Boss! Who's so great they actually killed this guy? I wanna worship that person!"
Shin ignored him, speaking quietly with the police before they collected the body for autopsy and left.
Once it was just the three of them, Secretary Yun recounted Loki's discovery.
Loki nodded proudly, puffing his chest. "He was good, no doubt. But even three of him wouldn't match me. He's lucky he was never my target. Hexion law, I always remember you know, don't pick unnecessary fights."
Shin glanced at him, unimpressed. "But an ordinary citizen wouldn't stand a chance against him, right?"
"Of course not!" Loki laughed. "Not even most cops could take him unless they're veterans, maybe."
That confirmed Shin's suspicion. He didn't say it aloud but mentally marked it down. Then, in his usual calm tone, he ordered, "Find out who this person worked for or had an association recently."
Loki saluted with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Aye aye, Boss!"
---
Meanwhile, at the hospital lobby, Elder Madam Keir arrived with her entourage. She barely spared a glance at the police milling about or the reporters lurking outside. Her focus was elsewhere.
Inside Hadi's room, she found her grandson buried in his phone, chuckling at something on screen.
"Hadi," she greeted softly, "how have you been lately?"
Hadi looked up, his smile fading into a frown. "Grandma. What made you suddenly remember me?"
She sighed dramatically, her tone heavy with practiced sorrow. "You know I've had much to deal with lately. My health isn't what it used to be, and the family matters just keep piling up."
"Family matters?" Hadi sneered. "You mean that bastard's scandal? Did he threaten you to defend him publicly? To deny he's illegitimate?"
The old matriarch averted her eyes, smiling weakly. "Dear grandson, how about we take a walk outside?"
He didn't refuse. A nurse came to push his wheelchair, and the two headed toward the hospital garden.
As they moved along the path, Hadi spoke passionately, voice laced with spite. "Grandma, don't worry. This is the best chance we've got to get rid of that bastard. He's been lording over us for years, doing whatever he wants. He doesn't respect any of us! You understand me better than anyone. We can't let his tyranny continue."
He didn't notice the way Elder Madam Keir's face darkened with every word.
Of course, she despised Shin especially after he humiliated her at the last clan meeting. But the moment she thought of those billion-dollar contracts under his management, and the risk of losing her matriarch position if he stepped down as CEO, her head throbbed painfully.
By the time they reached the garden, she almost wanted to faint.
Elder Madam Keir waved the nurse away.
"Hadi, you don't have to worry about that demon. He has other matters to attend to. But think of the family, no matter how we feel about him, he's still family. We can't drag our affairs into the open; it'll hurt all of us."
Hadi bristled. Shin beating him and stripping him of company shares still felt like a fresh wound.
Why should he help that bastard who was the root caused of his suffering?
"Grandma, are you seriously just going to tolerate him again?" he snapped. "He took my shares and I can barely walk. I deserve justice, if you won't give it to me, I'll take it myself!"
The old matriarch blinked, taken aback. She'd come to soothe Hadi, to prevent him from stirring up more trouble, but reason had no purchase on him today.
"Hadi, don't you love your grandma?" she pleaded, voice suddenly fragile. "My health isn't well. The doctor advised I should avoid emotional strain. For my sake, will you delete that post?"
Hadi's face showed the conflict, he wanted revenge, but he didn't want to hurt the one person who could still protect him.
In the end, nothing changed. Elder Madam Keir refused to sacrifice the benefits she still got from Shin, yet she couldn't fully upset her grandson either.
Not long after, they returned toward Hadi's ward and nearly ran into someone they hadn't expected to see.
Shin was on his way to Yeri's room, seeing the two his expression cool as stone, watching the old matriarch pushing Hadi in his wheelchair.
How heartwarming.
Hadi, who had roared earlier like a lion, shrank at the sight of Shin. His face tried to maintain indifference, but his body betrayed him; memories of being beaten half to death made him tremble.
Elder Madam Keir pushed the wheelchair forward without noticing Hadi's reaction. "Why are you here? You finally decided to visit Hadi?" she called, as if everything were ordinary.
Shin said nothing.
"That's good," she went on, forcing a bright smile. "Even if you two argue, family is family. You can talk it out." She steered Hadi into the room.
"Grandma…" Hadi's voice quavered.
"Hadi can be impulsive," the old woman continued, turning to Shin with a slight indignation in her tone. "Who told you to take his shares after you beat him? That post, surely you wouldn't take it seriously, right?"
"I never took him seriously," Shin answered, dry and sarcastic.
The matriarch misread him completely. She believed his words to be magnanimity rather than contempt.
Pleased, she patted Hadi's hand. "Did you hear? He's the family's heir, he must be magnanimous."
Hadi swallowed. He wanted to scream, but the tremor in his throat kept him quiet.
Shin "..."
What kind of brain damage pill did the old hag took today?
Elder Madam Keir's ability to factory-reset her morals on a daily basis depending on which side was more convenient, could honestly scare anyone.
But in some twisted way, Shin had learned to benefit from it.
"Grandma, kick him out! I don't want that bastard here!" Hadi muttered, trembling on the verge of losing control.
"Hadi, don't be rude. Shin went out of his way to visit you and talk things through. We can't stay trapped in a vicious cycle of revenge, it'll ruin our reputation," Elder Madam Keir coaxed him gently.
Hadi stared at her, disbelief etched all over his face.
"Grandma, what's wrong with you? Do you really think a living demon like him came to talk it out? He's just here to vent his anger again!"
Shin smirked. "It's true. I'm in a bad mood right now. I don't mind kicking you when you're already down."
Hadi froze.
Of course, Shin's foul mood wasn't because of Hadi, it was because of Yeri. But since the idiot had decided to dangle himself in front of him, perhaps a little psychological torment would help Shin unwind.
Elder Madam Keir paled, her expression tightening as she glanced around the room.
They were in a hospital, surely Shin wouldn't commit a crime there... right?
"What are you saying? It's all in the past," she said quickly. "Besides, you're still recuperating. Why would he beat you for no reason?" Her voice was coaxing, but her eyes flicked nervously toward Shin.
Shin's gaze darkened. "Haven't you two heard? A mafia hunting dog infiltrated the hospital earlier, killed some guards in the process." His tone dropped lower, almost casual. "I wonder who he was after?"
"So that's why there were so many police on my way here…" Elder Madam Keir murmured, a tremor slipping into her voice.
Hadi's already guilty heart jolted violently, his blood ran cold.
He'd once sent men after Shin and now, watching the demon's unreadable face, he couldn't help but imagine him returning the favor.
Elder Madam Keir was still processing the news when Hadi suddenly screamed, voice cracking into hysteria as he struggled to wheel himself away only to end up spinning in circles like a panicked toddler on a swivel chair.
"Hadi! That's enough!" she snapped, mortified. "This is a hospital! What are you doing, embarrassing yourself? Do you want people to think you've gone mad?"
Shin satisfied, turned on his heel, leaving the room.