On the outskirts of the city, inside an old garage hidden from everyone's sight.
The black car stolen by the Raven came to a halt, and he stepped out with a wide grin on his face.
"Phew, that was a little exciting."
He looked at the old garage, filled with dismantled cars and scattered parts everywhere.
This place was already familiar to him since he came here quite often.
"Hey!! Drago!! Are you in here?"
Draven shouted loudly for the man named Drago, since he couldn't see him anywhere.
Tap! Tap!
From above, a small room with a staircase leading to it gave off the sound of footsteps, making the Raven glance upward.
Click!
The door opened, and out came a man with messy hair, rubbing his honey-colored eyes as if he had just woken up.
"Son of a bitch, what brought you here at this hour?"
"Hahaha, come, come down and see what I brought you."
"Tsk! Why are you so hyped?"
Drago clicked his tongue as he came down the stairs, now standing on the ground floor.
He approached where the Raven was leaning proudly against a black car, his face glowing with satisfaction.
Drago's eyes widened in shock, and his drowsiness vanished the moment he laid eyes on the car and recognized it instantly.
"Holy shit! That's the latest model of the Phantom, exclusive to the Lockridge Corporation!! Where the hell did you get this masterpiece?"
Drago began circling the car, examining every inch of it in awe.
"Well, I was just lucky."
The Raven crossed his arms over his chest, nose nearly reaching the ceiling in pride.
But then Drago read the license plate, and his face immediately turned pale.
"You fucking idiot!! You stole a car belonging to the Lockridge family itself? Do you want us dead?"
The Raven snapped back to reality as soon as he heard those words, rushing to the back of the car.
And once he read it, he understood Drago's panic.
On the plate, a bold number 5 was written, with the name Lockridge beside it.
"It's over. I'm dead!"
Drago clutched his head, pacing back and forth in panic, fear plastered all over his face.
"Calm down, Drago. We'll just dump the car somewhere, and the problem will be solved."
The Raven tried to ease the tension, but it only made Drago angrier.
"Are you stupid? Since this car belongs directly to the Lockridge family, it definitely has a tracker. They already know exactly where we are."
Drago grabbed the Raven by the collar and shook him so hard he nearly made him dizzy.
"Then what if we just run away? I doubt they'll find us like that."
Drago suddenly froze, his eyes widening as though he had just realized something.
"You're right. Let's get out of here immediately."
But before they could move, several red laser dots appeared out of nowhere, covering their entire bodies.
"Attention to everyone inside! Surrender immediately or you will be eliminated!!"
The Raven and Drago raised their hands at once, exchanging glances that shared the same thought.
'We're done for!'
Screech!
The huge garage door began to open slowly, and blinding lights forced the Raven to squint.
When his eyes adjusted, he saw dozens of figures aiming weapons at them.
All of them wore black uniforms, armored suits, and masks hiding their faces.
Behind them, the Raven caught sight of a woman standing calmly, observing the scene.
'Beautiful.'
That was the first thought that crossed his mind the instant he laid eyes on her face, which looked like it came from another world.
Though he had seen many beautiful women and celebrities before, this woman outshone them all.
She had black hair like the night sky, and eyes of the same color, like bottomless voids that swallowed everything in their gaze.
Dressed entirely in black, she stood with her arms crossed over her chest.
And when their eyes met, a shiver ran down the Raven's entire body.
Her gaze was so cold and lifeless, it was as though she were a walking corpse.
He quickly averted his eyes and focused instead on the armed men aiming at him.
"On your knees now, hands in the air!"
Both of them obeyed instantly, kneeling on the ground—they had no desire to end up with holes in their chests.
The armed men advanced, pinning them down and locking heavy cuffs around their wrists.
'At least I'll get some extra time alive,' the Raven thought, trying to stay positive despite the grim situation.
Meanwhile, Drago beside him was crying, literally.
"Damn it! Waaah! Damn it! My life's over! And it's all because of you, bastard! I wish I'd never met you! Sniff, sniff!"
Everyone looked at the grown man sobbing like a child with visible disgust.
'You're embarrassing us, idiot.'
"Lady Lockridge, how should we deal with them?"
The man who seemed to be the squad leader turned toward the black-haired woman, who had been silent all this time.
Instead of answering, she walked past him indifferently, stopping directly in front of the Raven.
"Why?"
A soft, melodious voice left her lips, asking this strange question.
The Raven blinked in confusion, question marks practically hanging over his head.
"Excuse me?"
"Why did you steal my car?"
"Isn't it obvious? For money, of course."
"If you needed money, why didn't you work and earn it properly?"
A mocking smile tugged at the Raven's lips as his eyes locked with hers.
"Because I don't have that option in my life, miss."
"Then if you don't have it—create it."
The Raven let out a sigh, resting his cheek against the cold floor and shutting his eyes.
"Forget it. Of course, a lady who's never even scratched her finger before wouldn't understand why I did this."
The woman stared at the man lying on the ground for several moments before raising her right hand and snapping her fingers.
Snap!
The Raven, who was lying down, suddenly realized he no longer felt the cold bite of iron on his wrists.
His eyes shot open in shock—he could move his hands again. The cuffs were gone.
'What? When were they removed?'
He glanced around, only to see that everyone else was frozen in place like statues.
'Huh? What the hell is going on?'
Slowly, he got to his feet, realizing no one reacted to his movements.
"Now then… what should I do with you, stranger?"
He turned toward the voice, and saw that the black-haired woman—unlike everyone else—was moving freely.