Midnight, everything was ready. I splashed cool water on the target to wake him up.

This was an outdoor warehouse, forty kilometers from the nearest city, with the manager only coming by once every six months.

A two-square-meter iron cage, with the target’s hands cuffed to the iron bars. Beside him, there was a large pet dog.

“Who are you? What do you want?” The target frantically shook his arms, the handcuffs clinking.

I pulled out the newspaper, reciting the news, then fetched the note the client had written, asking the target, “Is this person you? That’s right?”

The target was drenched in cold sweat, still struggling meaninglessly, while the pet dog, sensing its master’s mood, became agitated and barked fiercely at me.

“Is it you?” I asked again.

“It… it’s me. That incident was a misunderstanding. My dog is well-behaved, I didn’t know why it would go bite that woman that day.”

“Do you think a dog’s life is equal to a human’s?”

“I don’t think so.” The man frantically shook his head, “I even went to the hospital to check. That woman would only need two months to recover.”

“Then let’s do an experiment. Let’s see if your dog is as gentle as you said. There’s no food here. I’ll come back in seven days. If your dog is still obedient by then, I’ll let you go.”

I put the note back in my pocket, set up the camera across from the cage, ignoring the target’s pleas and screams, then left the underground warehouse.

Pervert, absolutely a pervert.

The pale young man, every time I thought about the perverted excitement in his eyes, I felt uncomfortable all over.

The footage from the camera was uploaded live to the cloud, so both he and I could see what was happening inside the cage.

On the first day, the target tried every method to call for help, but it was futile. By nightfall, his voice had become hoarse from shouting.

On the second day, the dog began to resist the torment of hunger, circling around the target, but hadn’t attacked its owner yet.

On the third day, the target noticed the dog’s odd behavior. Every time the dog approached him, he scolded and ordered it to get away. The dog hadn’t broken free from its training habits, and the two were stuck in a stalemate.

On the fourth day, the target grew weak. The water pipe on the iron cage could drink tap water, but prolonged lack of food made his movements slow. The dog gradually exposed its beastly nature, attacking the owner for the first time, biting through his pants. The target kicked it hard, and they fell into another stalemate.

On the fifth day, the dog went mad, seeking every opportunity to tear apart the owner. The target gradually lost strength, suffering multiple injuries. A piece of flesh was bitten off his leg. The target cursed and wept, trying to tame the dog back to its previous pet state, but it was no longer possible.

On the sixth day, the target was bitten by the dog on his neck, and soon bled to death. At afternoon time, the dog began to eat… “Amazing, absolutely amazing!”

The young man clapped his hands like watching a splendid, absurd play.

“Mr. K, you’re a genius. To express my admiration, I’ll add fifty percent more as a bonus.”

The young man stood up, extending his right hand, and I also coldly extended mine.

This guy must be crazy, I thought in my heart.

“This is the next target, Mr. K.”

He pulled out a photo and slid it across the table to me.

There was a single mother in his company who had quit her job due to some matter, then started selling snacks to support her child. Later, she encountered someone pretending to be a health inspector, who intentionally bought a lot of snacks and reported them as unsanitary products. The fines weren’t high, but it was a disaster for the poor family.

What the hell is this? I narrowed my eyes at him.

“What do you think? Isn’t it contemptible? Isn’t it deserving to die?” The young man’s eyes widened, seeking my approval.

“If you can’t stand it, just give the victim some money. It’s all about solving the problem. Why spend ten times more to kill someone?”

“Mr. K, you’re thinking too simply. Giving that pitiful woman some money is just treating the symptoms, not the root. These incidents keep happening because one reason only: the evil have no fear of justice. If evil looms over fear, people will try their best to hold themselves back. That’s my idea.”

His enthusiasm grew, as if he were a speaker.

“What do you want to do?” I interrupted angrily.

“Like this…” He leaned close and whispered something in my ear, probably noticing my displeasure, he added, “Mr. K, you’re the most talented person I’ve met. I’ll decide to partner with you long-term. This time’s fee, I’ll double it.”

The red ring on his finger glinted with an eerie cold light.

At midnight, I had everything ready and splashed cold water on the target to wake him up.

This was an underground warehouse in the suburbs, forty kilometers from the nearest city, and the caretaker only came once every six months.

In a two-square-meter iron cage, the target’s hands were cuffed to an iron pole, and squatting beside him was a massive pet dog.

“Who are you? What do you want?” The target frantically shook his arms, the handcuffs clanging.

I took out the newspaper, read the news aloud, then pulled out the note written by the client, and asked the target, “This person is you, right?”

Cold sweat trickled down the target’s forehead as he continued his futile struggles. The pet dog, sensing its owner’s agitation, also grew restless, wagging its tail and barking furiously at me.

“Was it you?” I asked again.

“Y-yes… it was me. That whole thing was a misunderstanding. My dog is very well-behaved, I don’t know why it bit that woman that day,” the target replied, his lips trembling.

“Do you think a dog’s life is equal to a human’s?”

“I didn’t think that,” the man shook his head frantically. “I also went to the hospital and asked; that woman only needs to stay for two months before she can be discharged.”

“Then let’s conduct an experiment now and see if your dog is as docile as you claim. There’s no food here. I’ll come back for you in seven days. If your dog is still that obedient then, I’ll let you go.”

I put the note back in my pocket, placed the camera directly opposite the cage, and walked out of the underground warehouse, ignoring the target’s pleas and shouts.

A pervert, an absolute pervert.

That pale-faced young man, every time I thought of the morbid excitement in his pupils, I felt uncomfortable all over.

The camera footage was uploaded to the cloud in real-time. Both that person and I could see everything happening in the cage.

Day one, the target tried every method to call for help, but it was useless. By nightfall, his voice was hoarse to the point of being unable to speak.

Day two, the dog began to succumb to the torment of hunger, starting to circle the target, but hadn’t yet attacked its owner.

Day three, the target noticed something was off with the dog. Whenever it approached him, he would scold it and order it to get away. The dog hadn’t yet broken free from its trained habits, and both man and dog were locked in a stalemate.

Day four, the target began to weaken. There was tap water available from a pipe near the cage, but the prolonged lack of food made his movements sluggish. The dog gradually revealed its wild nature, attacking its owner for the first time, biting through the target’s pant leg. The target kicked it away forcefully, and they fell into a stalemate once more.

Day five, the dog descended into a frenzy, seeking every opportunity to bite its owner. The target slowly lost his strength, sustaining multiple bite wounds, with a chunk of flesh torn from his thigh. The target began to curse, then cried. He even tried to tame the dog back to its previous pet state, but it was no longer possible.

Day six, the target was bitten in the neck by the dog and quickly bled to death. In the afternoon, the dog began to feed…

“Brilliant, absolutely fucking brilliant!”

The young man clapped his hands, as if he had just watched a magnificent and absurd stage play.

“Mr. K, you truly leave me speechless. To express my admiration, I’ve decided to add an extra fifty percent to your final payment.”

The young man stood up and extended his right hand. I coldly extended mine as well.

This guy must be crazy, I thought to myself.

“This is the next target, Mr. K.”

He pulled out another photo and slid it across the table to me.

Previously, there was a single mother at his company who quit her job due to some issues. She later started a street food stall to support her child, but then she encountered an anti-counterfeiting activist. That person deliberately bought many portions of her snacks, then reported them to the health department as ‘three-no’ products (no production date, no quality certificate, no manufacturer). Although the fine wasn’t huge, it was a devastating blow to that impoverished family.

What the hell is this now? I frowned and glanced at him.

“Well? Isn’t it despicable? Doesn’t he deserve to die?” The young man’s eyes were wide, seeking validation on my face.

“If you can’t stand it, you could just give that victim some money. It would solve the problem just the same. Why spend dozens of times more to kill someone?”

“Mr. K, you think too simply. Giving that poor woman money only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. The reason such incidents keep happening is only one: those who do evil have no fear of justice. If the path of evil were shrouded in terror, then people would try their best to restrain themselves. That’s my philosophy.” He got more and more animated as he spoke, like a goddamn orator.

“What do you want to do?” I interrupted him impatiently.

“Like this…” He leaned in and whispered something to me, probably sensing my displeasure, then added, “Mr. K, you’re the most talented person I’ve ever met. I’ve decided to work with you long-term. I’ll double the payment this time.”

The red ring on his hand emitted an eerie, cold gleam.