Chapter 3: Warden
The following day, inside the detectives' house.
Liam awoke in bed, enraged that Selene wasn't by his side.
He refused to let Selene work past 5 a.m. before going to bed, but it appeared that his wife had broken their agreement yet again.
After interrogating and imprisoning the remaining thugs last night, Liam and Selene returned home to rest after receiving no information from the thugs.
Christian went down the same dark alley before vanishing from the face of the earth, and it bothered them that there were no bystanders to ask when it happened.
Even CCTV cameras in the modern world were unable to capture what happened in the dark alley where Christian vanished due to unknown technical errors, as if someone corrupted the tapes before they could access them.
Selene was compelled to work until morning, solving the puzzle nonstop, hoping to surprise her husband with some leads after he awoke, despite the fact that her husband dislikes the idea of overexerting herself, especially during her beauty rest time.
As a result, when Liam awoke, Selene was nowhere to be found.
His eyes darted around in their home, and in their secluded office at the house's basement already, but he couldn't find her.
It didn't happen before, so there are unsightly scenarios that had crossed Liam's head already.
CRIIING!!!
CRIIING!!!
CRIIING!!!
His phone finally rang loudly after calling his wife multiple times but got no answer until this moment.
Even though the message received was certainly from his wife, it was a message made in advance and had been set to deliver to the receiver at a specific time by checking the details keenly.
The message contained this,
'I might be dead by the time you read this. I apologize. I bit the bait of the unknown enemy and followed the invitation's instructions. The opponent was a hundred times stronger than all of our adversaries combined. You will perish if you complete the puzzle. But I know you can beat it for me someday. The answer is beyond our comprehension, and this is not an exaggeration. You will fail if you think using the concepts of our world's logic. Follow your instincts. I couldn't say much more because this was the only information that could slip through their security system unnoticed for a while. I'm crying as I type this. I sincerely apologize, my dear husband.'
As Liam struggled to keep his grip on his phone, the temperature in his entire body rose rapidly.
Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump...
His entire face changed color to the color of red maple tree leaves, and his heart pounded like a horse galloping inside his chest.
Sweat began to pour uncontrollably from his face, and his veins in his neck throbbed violently.
Because of how hard he clenched his fists while grinding his teeth and staring furiously at the message he had just received, his not-so-sharp nails injured his palms.
Selene's passion and work ethic from last night until this morning technically surprised her husband, but it also made him feel devastated, knowing that his wife might be suffering while he was contemplating the situation, that's... assuming she's still alive.
It was unforgivable for his wife to die at the hands of their enemies, especially when fighting alone in an unknown location with no one to help.
He doesn't want to think about it just yet.
He scowled, holding on to the hope that she was still alive, fighting for her life while waiting for her husband to arrive.
Liam hurriedly took a series of deep breaths to fortify his resolve, pondering the quickest route he would take.
His wife was correct; he would move heaven and earth to save his beautiful wife, the apple of his eye.
Whether it was a group of allied serial killers or a dark syndicate, Liam would definitely solve the case and save his wife, even if the chances of her survival were slim.
He initially assumed it was due to his carelessness, but quickly dismissed that thought because there was no point in blaming himself now. He focused his entire attention on the task at hand, planning his next move.
He wasted no more time than he already had and dashed towards the computer after miraculously retaining his level-headed demeanor after a few deep breaths.
Before translating the Morse code in the audio file from the unknown website, Liam called some trusted people he knew in the National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), impatiently ordering them to trace the dark syndicate that could be behind the anonymous group called Warden 8411 in the dark web and any private intelligence agencies' files and databases on their radar.
In his desperation, he even instructed them to collaborate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and any organization that works with internet privacy and digital rights organizations to see if there is any classified information in Area 51 or elsewhere that correlates to Warden 8411.
His wife told him that if he didn't cling to the world's perspective, the case could be solved, so he immediately assumed that the enemies were supernatural beings like aliens, similar to the conspiracies circulating about the mysterious international group.
He received a notification on his phone shortly after submitting the information they had gathered so far about the organization.
It was odd because he has two phones, one for work and one for personal use.
The phone that rang was his personal phone, which he was only supposed to use to contact his wife or the other way around.
He quickly checked the notification and found a message containing this,
'This is fascinating. Another rule breaker hasn't appeared in a long time. No one had ever provoked me so much. I warned you that if you told anyone about this, things would get ugly. In any case, unlike the majority of the candidates, it appears that the two of you are not interested in the prize. That alone piqued my interest. You two are very different and are ideal for becoming tower challengers. I'm looking forward to it. Unfortunately, you will not find any information about my identity. :))
Warden No. 8411'
After reading the message, Liam let out a peal of painful, uncontrollable laughter to express his extreme mental suffering as if he were insane.
He recognized his opponent's talent as an excellent detective.
When someone was in a desperate situation, it was the ideal time to mentally attack them because they couldn't think straight and would easily break down.
He knew that because he was the one doing it to the criminals most of the time, as if he was playing with them in his hands.
And it was precisely because of this that Warden 8411's message had nearly shattered Liam's fighting spirit, demoralizing him after he tasted his own medicine.
Normally, his reaction would be, "It was a deception to buy some time." Maybe the NSA already had some leads on their organization's identity, so they tried to cause chaos and escape.'
However, his wife's message caused him to reconsider.
He was aware that his wife's message could be a forgery, but the fact that they were long detectives gave them enough time to prepare for such a situation and input hints, proofs, or coded messages for identity verification.
Even though he had received death threats for most of his life and had learned to remain calm in such situations, the Warden's message still frightened Liam.
Even though he was concerned about his wife's current well-being, he felt insignificant in comparison to the Warden's abilities, which defied known logic and technology in the world.
Despite this, he found hope and truly believed that Selene was still alive somewhere out there.
She was as tough as nails and an admirable woman.
He knew he had to act quickly if he wanted to find his wife alive.
Liam saved the number instead, determined to contact the person or group behind these bizarre puzzles.
However, for some reason, the call was unable to connect. To avoid the long phone lines, he dialed a special number that connected him directly to the Service Provider's managerial department, hoping to learn something about the Warden's identity.
After the call was connected, he revealed his identity and requested any information he could glean from the number.
Inexplicably, that specific line was canceled several years ago because the previous owner had died and there was no new owner of the number at the time.
He explained that a message had just come in using that specific number, but they had found nothing.
After obtaining the agent's name, he cursed the ineffective Service Provider agent in frustration over their poor customer service before abruptly hanging up the phone.
Liam's face flushed as he squinted around the room, deliberating before acting again.
He was rushing, but he couldn't afford to make a mistake, especially since his wife's life was at stake.
In desperation, he called his trusted colleagues in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to further investigate the case as he began translating the message from Morse code, ignoring the Warden and Selene's warning.
He sat on a sofa, crossed his legs, and listened to the audio message from their tablet again after downloading the mp3 file.
He grabbed a pen and paper quickly and translated the entire Morse code at the end of the audio message.
The translated message was as follows:
'Congratulations! You passed the second examination. Please do not stop. You're getting closer to the incredible prize that could give you anything in the world. No, more than this world can provide. The competition was still fierce, and there were only a few available slots. You're making progress.
We're always keeping an eye on you, Challenger.
Warden No. 8411'
As Liam finished reading the message, a hideous creature materialized out of nowhere behind him, as if the hideous creature's body was made of some kind of out-of-this-world blue light technology.
A humanoid creature with a severe hunchback who wears a dark, full-body cloak had just appeared.
It wore a circus hat, a monocle eyeglass in front of its left eye, and a neatly stitched black lower mask resembling a bird's beak.
Furthermore, it held an unusually long katana in one hand and a wooden cane in the other to support the balance of its uncanny scorpion-like body composition.
Liam miraculously felt the presence's bloodlust and tripped over the table in front of him, pulling the gun on his waist with his right hand and turning around to point the gun at the uninvited visitor.
KWIIIISK!!!
His right arm, however, fell off instantly as blood splattered on the ground after the hideous creature disemboweled it like a chopped burrito.
"UAAACCCKKK!!!?"
As he endured the excruciating pain, Liam screamed and kicked the ground away from the creature.
"Would you mind telling me who you are?!" Liam hurriedly inquired as he moved further away from the creature.
"I am the Warden of the Mighty Tower, and you... are going to die," the hideous creature said, swinging the unusually long katana in the air to remove the remaining blood on the blade.
"I let the message pass through the system to see where it was going, and it went to the most interesting person in this world, the strongest creature of Planet A-81 in Universe 69," The Warded added monotonously.
Liam looked around pensively, looking for an opportunity to fight back while buying some time.
"The strongest creature? Oh, you're talking about me? You should be delighted to have my presence... unless you're stronger, which I believe you are. The message?! My wife... where is she? This is a secure place, and nothing has been breached in the security system, so how come you appeared behind me? No, what do you wa-"
KWIIIISK!!!
Before Liam could finish his sentence, the Warden teleported in front of him and abruptly severed both of his legs, putting an end to his maneuverability.
"UUUUUAAAAAAACCCCCKKKK!!!!!!"
Liam let out the loudest scream in his life, as loud as a horn, echoing throughout the basement as the Warden butchered him alive like an animal.
Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes as he grabbed the gun and fired at the Warden with his remaining arm.
But it was pointless.
The bullets bounced off and were unable to harm its body.
Liam's ability to talk it out in a polite conversation also failed miserably.
Kling, Klang, Klang!
Aside from Liam's loud groans, the sound of the Warden's cane falling on the well-tiled floor filled the room.
'Huh?! Did he preemptively and precisely target my cane, the center of my balance because of my stupid body composition, in that split second with his kick before I successfully sliced it off? Was it luck or... nevermind. He would die anyway,' the Warden reasoned as it maintained its balance by shifting its weight in its disgusting ghoulish feet with no footwear.
It narrowed its eyes, staring at its agonizing victim on the floor, who only had one limb and a body full of holes to maneuver himself on the slick tiled floor due to its splattered blood.
"I failed you, Selene," Liam said quietly through his chapped lips as he came to a halt.
A throbbing pain thumped in his chest as the tears that had begun to well up in the corners of his eyes earlier dripped nonstop on his now wrinkled face.
In his current state, he had given up all hope of winning, accepting the inevitable result of his arrogance and failures and preparing for a painful death full of regrets.
As tears streamed down his cheeks, he wished he could go back in time and live a peaceful life with his wife, enjoying the world as it is without knowing the dark truth behind it.
It was no fun being the best enforcer of justice in this pathetic world.
Everyone benefited from his dirty work, but he only got worthless fame and recognition, which was accompanied by a slew of dangers lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to assassinate him and his wife.
His life had been nothing but a never-ending burden.
And the bags he'd carried his entire life couldn't even compensate him for something worthwhile.
To think that after everything he had done for the world, he couldn't even enjoy his retirement in a peaceful cottage near the ocean he adored with his wife depressed him greatly, even as he approached death's door.
In the end, all he wanted was to live a happy life.
'Is this the result of my efforts? Why did this happen now, man? We had planned to retire early and have children. But perhaps it was for the best. Selene, I'll see you in the azure sky or in the depths of hell.'
He closed his eyes and took his last breath as the Warden appeared horrifyingly on top of Liam's body on the floor, as if it had teleported again.
SWOOSH!
After enjoying its victim's agony, the Warden quickly decapitated Liam, his head rolling on the floor like a basketball and his face contemptuous.
Pain.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone