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  What is this..? Irkhan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Luna, whom he had thought was dead, was still alive. Irkhan looked at Luna from top to bottom; there was only a wound from a gunshot, no scars from the grenade explosion. This meant Luna had somehow survived the blast, but how?

  "Watch your eyes, or I’ll gouge them out of your head," Luna said suddenly, bringing Irkhan back to reality. Irkhan looked at Luna, who was clearly angry, and it was evident that she wasn’t joking with her words.

  "Ah, um... sorry, I didn’t mean it like that," Irkhan stammered awkwardly.

  "Follow me, we’re in danger right now, and hold off on your questions. You’ll get your answers when we get to my hideout." After saying that, Luna started walking through the forest, with Irkhan following her, clearly confused, but because of Luna’s orders, Irkhan didn’t dare ask anything. If he did, Luna might just kill him on the spot.

  After a few minutes of walking, Luna and Irkhan arrived at a cave covered with creeping vines, grass, and tree branches. It was truly a hideout that blended with nature.

  Luna walked ahead, brushing aside the plants that covered the cave, and opened the entrance to this makeshift cave. Irkhan and Luna entered the cave, and Luna rearranged the vines to cover the entrance again. Once she was done, she closed the cave door. Irkhan observed Luna’s every move closely. Luna lit a campfire to illuminate the cave, and once that was done, Luna and Irkhan sat facing each other, the fire acting as a barrier between them.

  "What do you want to know? I’ll answer," said Luna after a long silence.

  "How are you still alive?" Irkhan asked. This was the first thing he really wanted to know.

  "One of my trusted agents told me something that was very hard to accept, but because of that, I immediately fled from our fight. And yes, I was a little touched by your last words." Luna gazed at Irkhan deeply, a side of Irkhan that Luna had just now discovered.

  "Well, at least I won’t be too cold-hearted toward someone I’ve known for years," Irkhan replied. Honestly, Irkhan was a bit nervous right now, but he tried not to let Luna notice his unease.

  "And why did you save me? Haven’t you forgotten we were on a mission to kill each other?" Irkhan asked again.

  Suddenly, Luna’s expression changed at Irkhan’s question. Irkhan was slightly shocked to see this. Was there something wrong with his question? But didn’t Luna herself say she would answer his questions?

  "Irkhan, remember when I said we’re in danger?" Luna said.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Yes, I remember," Irkhan responded.

  Luna closed her eyes for a moment, then said, "Irkhan, right now, you and I are being hunted by Natasya and Victor. They are now working together to kill both of us."

  "What did you say?!" Irkhan was stunned. He couldn’t believe that Luna was also being hunted by Natasya, the leader of the Organization Luna was part of. How could Victor and Natasya have teamed up? The organizations where Irkhan and Luna came from had been bitter enemies for years, but now the two of them were cooperating to kill them. This was something Irkhan never imagined.

  ...........

  Meanwhile, at the headquarters...

  Victor and Natasya listened to reports from the assassins assigned to find Irkhan. According to their reports, Irkhan was very hard to find. The assassins had almost searched the entire island but found no sign of Irkhan. Hearing this, Victor threw his glass of drink, shattering it into pieces.

  "Damned old bastard!" Victor cursed as he stared at the shattered glass on the floor. He imagined that the broken glass was Irkhan, and he would be so pleased to destroy Irkhan’s body beyond recognition.

  "Darling, calm down. Do you think that with the injuries you left, that old man could survive?" Natasya gently rubbed Victor’s shoulder.

  "Of course not. Maybe he’s waiting for the final moments of his life somewhere, but I really want to see that old face helpless before me," said Victor.

  Natasya understood exactly what Victor wanted—Irkhan’s absolute defeat. But Irkhan had hidden himself, making him hard to find, and if not handled properly, he could survive.

  "Since the old man is so good at hiding, let’s make this island his grave." Victor’s words caught Natasya’s attention, as she had just been thinking of a way to eliminate Irkhan.

  "What do you mean, darling?" Natasya asked, intrigued.

  "We’ll blow up this island until it sinks. That way, there’s no way for Irkhan to escape." It was an extreme plan but also efficient. Blowing up and sinking the island truly shocked Natasya.

  "That’s a good idea. With that, we won’t need to stay on this island any longer," Natasya replied.

  Victor immediately called the assassins, telling them about the plan and ordering them to carry it out until it was finished. The assassins quickly scattered across the island to place a large number of explosives.

  "Natasya, let’s go to the ship. Let the assassins handle everything. We’ll watch the big explosion from the ship." Victor offered, holding Natasya’s hand.

  "Of course, let’s watch your revenge come to life, Victor. Oh, and I’ll call the headquarters to bring more helicopters and explosives as additions to the party later," said Natasya.

  "Thank you, Natasya," Victor’s sincere words made Natasya smile. She tightened her grip on his hand, and Victor reciprocated.

  Inside the cave...

  Luna looked at Irkhan, who was clearly shocked by the fact that their two organizations had joined forces.

  "Our last mission was all just a lie. The Organization wanted us to bring each other down so it would be easier for them to take care of us in the end," Luna said, trying to bring Irkhan back from his thoughts.

  "You’re right. After I reported that you were dead, Victor immediately took action to kill me. Victor harbored a grudge because he thought I had taken his father’s affection. I tried to explain, but in the end, it was all in vain." Irkhan clearly remembered how Victor’s hatred for him grew when Irkhan tried to explain.

  "Affection, huh... I think I understand why Natasya wants to kill me too," Luna murmured, still audible to Irkhan, who remained silent, waiting for her to finish.

  "The former leader of the Organization had two daughters, who were quite far apart in age. The first daughter was named Nirmala Deluna Abraham, and the second was named Natasya Delina Abraham. Nirmala, being the eldest, was trained harshly by Mr. Abraham to be able to lead the Organization. But it didn’t go well. Nirmala had a weak body and couldn’t complete the training. I remember a killer who also trained Nirmala often heard Mr. Abraham comparing Nirmala to me," Luna closed her eyes for a moment. At that time, Luna didn’t think much about it, and because of that, the tragedy happened.

  "That night was Nirmala’s 30th birthday. Natasya, who was 6 years old at the time, planned to surprise Nirmala with a gift. But what Natasya saw was horrifying. I don’t know the exact explanation because I was on a mission, but according to the assassins involved, Nirmala committed suicide in front of Natasya. Before she died, Nirmala rambled on about not being able to handle the harsh life and always being compared to me, so she chose to end her life. Natasya saw all of that, and I’m sure that’s the reason Natasya wants to kill me." Luna finished recounting her past, and Irkhan stared at her for a long time. There was a slight exhaustion on his face. At Luna’s age of 60, Irkhan was sure that they were both tired of all this drama.

  "Test… test… Agent Luna… Do you hear me?" The voice from Luna’s walkie-talkie made both Luna and Irkhan become alert.

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