7. Mistake

The aroma of the hot coffee wafted upward, rich and inviting, momentarily capturing even Finn's detached attention. He didn't care for the warmth or chill of his beverages, whether it was steaming black coffee or a cold canned brew mattered little to him. What mattered was the caffeine, and on average, he consumed five to six cans daily. To Finn, coffee wasn't about enjoyment; it was fuel, a means to keep his body sharp and his mind focused on the monotonous grind of survival.

Finn sat alone in the dimly lit dining room, his thoughts as dark and heavy as the storm clouds gathering outside the window. He leaned back against a luxurious leather sofa, his posture relaxed but his mind sharp, running calculations with cold precision. 

The only thing he needs right now, is around 50 Million credits for his advancement to S class. Currently, he has 450 Million credits, which may seem a lot, but not for him. 

Nexus whispered casually, "Someone is trying to infiltrate the apartment, should I let them in?"

"How do you know?" asked Finn. "I have access to surrounding cameras and security systems of your apartment." Nexus replied as if it was the most normal thing. 

"Who gave you orders to do things without my permission?" Finn said calmly. 

"I don't need permission when it comes to your security." said Nexus.

"Does that mean you are scanning everything, all the time?" He asked. "Affirmative." Nexus replied. 

Before Finn could dwell further on the implications of Nexus's omnipresent surveillance, his phone rang. The screen lit up with an unknown number. He picked it up after exactly thirty seconds: "who is this?"

"It's me, Dax, I have some information, I'm outside your apartment, actually."

"Wait." Finn stared intently at the screen for a few seconds in deep thought.

Then he lifted his left hand, where an invisible ring rested—a piece of advanced technology that had cost him ten million credits. A holographic interface shimmered into existence above his palm, displaying various controls. With a few swift gestures, he unlocked the door remotely, keeping his guard up.

Dax entered his dining room very cautiously, he looked pale, sweat all over his forehead. It's not the first time, that he's meeting Finn, in fact he regularly shares information with Finn. You may call their relationships, a transactional one.

Dax stood in front of a table across Finn, he can still feel the aroma of hot coffee.

Finn gestured him to sit, so he sat on a sofa across him.

"What do you have for me?" Finn went straight to the point.

"Eh… actually, the rate of portal appearance has increased significantly."

For some unknown reason, Dax seemed very nervous, for the record, Dax is a researcher, who seeks knowledge like a mad man. Usually he's a very calm and collected person.

"What's wrong…. Dax" Finn asked.

"No…nothing, really." Dax said, while rubbing his forehead with his hand. He continued,

"I've uncovered evidence of numerous portals that have gone undetected by the government." 

"Really? Is that even possible?" Finn asked.

"Well, though it may come as a shock, yes—most of the portals, especially those hidden in dense forests, beneath the ocean's depths, across barren deserts, and even near the moon, have gone unnoticed by the government." He continued;

"Would you like to do a mission outside the city? I can keep an eye on the unnoticed portals."

"No," Finn said flatly. "Just inform me when there's a one-way portal—not a two-way. The last time, because of your incompetence, I ended up in a two-way portal. It would be wise for you not to let that happen again."

Dax gritted his teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter, then forced out a terse reply: "I understand."

"You can leave," Finn said sternly, his voice devoid of emotion but carrying an unspoken finality.

Dax didn't hesitate. He stood up slowly, carefully Without wasting a moment, he turned toward the door, his hand reaching for the knob. Just as his fingers brushed against the cold metal, Finn's voice cut through the silence like a tsunami.

"How did you know my apartment password?"

For a split second, Dax froze, his body going rigid as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. It was as though time itself halted, leaving him paralyzed by the weight of Finn's question. The color drained from his face, and his mind raced to piece together a response—any response, but no sound came out. "How did you know my apartment password?" Finn repeated.

"I… I don't know!" Dax struggled to answer properly. 

"You disappoint me, Dax," he continued, his voice cold and menacing. "What could possibly have driven you to betray me?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Dax said, his voice trembling as much as his hands.

"Then why are you shaking?" Finn's calm, detached voice cut through the air like a blade. Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and moved toward Dax with slow, deliberate steps.

Dax was a C-class agent, but his inability to advance further wasn't due to lack of effort—it was biology. His cells had proven incompatible with the genetic enhancements required for higher ranks. Yet, despite this limitation, Dax possessed one extraordinary skill: his unparalleled research abilities. It was this talent that kept him alive and valuable enough for Finn to maintain a strictly transactional relationship with him.

"If you had entered the wrong password," Finn said calmly, his voice like ice slicing through the silence, "the alarm would have gone off. Or at the very least, I'd have been notified that someone attempted to breach my security. But no alarm rang. Why is that, Dax?"

Finn stepped closer, his movements deliberate and unhurried as he began searching Dax's pockets. Dax stood frozen, rigid as a statue, barely daring to breathe. The air in the room seemed heavier with each passing second.

"Because you entered the correct password," Finn continued, his tone indifferent yet laced with menace. His piercing gaze locked onto Dax. "So, tell me—how did you know it?"

Finally, Finn's fingers brushed against something tucked in the back pocket of Dax's trousers—a small, crimson-red chip no larger than a thumbnail. He held it up to the dim light, examining its faintly glowing surface.

"What is this?" Finn asked, his voice cold and measured, devoid of curiosity but laced with quiet menace.

Dax's composure shattered. His face turned pale, sweat beading on his forehead as he stammered, "I'm sorry, Finn! I'm so sorry!"

Finn raised a hand, silencing him with a single, dismissive gesture. The room fell deathly quiet.

Nexus's calm, mechanical voice echoed in Finn's mind:

"This chip is called a Null Shard. It emits a pulse capable of temporarily disabling every function of an agent's Vitalis Core, rendering them powerless for a short duration."

Dax began blabbering again, his voice trembling with fear. "I'll tell you everything—everything," he stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "It was someone from Asco who gave this to me."

"Stop," Finn said coldly. "Tell me, how did you get the password?"

Dax hesitated for only a fraction of a second before blurting out, "It was Vok! He hacked…."

Before he could finish, a deafening crack echoed through the room as Finn delivered a devastating kick to Dax's lower back, targeting his bone marrow with surgical precision. The force of the impact sent Dax hurtling forward like a human cannonball, his body smashing into the nearby wall with enough power to shatter both him and the concrete behind him.

The wall crumbled under the force of the collision, dust, and debris filling the air. Dax's limp form slumped to the ground, every bone in his body broken, as chunks of the fractured wall collapsed around him.

Finn stepped closer to what remained of Dax's body, his expression one of mild disgust—not at the carnage, but at the mess it had made of his luxurious apartment. He glanced around the room, mentally calculating how much money he'd need to repair the damage. The broken wall alone would cost a fortune.