"Captain, takeout."
"Thanks."
Ramil took the food handed to him by one of his teammates and closed the door without another word. He had no desire to talk.
He'd already resigned himself to his fate—waiting for Hideki Kusaka to complete the mission while he simply endured.
Mechanically, he opened the food container and began to shovel food into his mouth. For someone once so ambitious, this blow had drained every last drop of his willpower.
But just as he was eating, something caught his eye: a note tucked inside the takeout.
Its message was simple.
"I can help you."Followed by a phone number.
After only two seconds of hesitation, Ramil ate the note.
But unlike before, there was now a faint glimmer of light in his eyes.
Later that night, Ramil's eyes suddenly opened in the dark.
Pretending to go to the bathroom, he carefully checked for surveillance in the hotel restroom. Once he was sure it was clear, he pulled out the number he had memorized earlier and made the call.
He had hesitated at first—what if it was a trap set by Hideki Kusaka? But he had no choice. Even if it was a setup, he could use this as a way to expose the suspicious person watching him.
The phone connected quickly.
"I'm Ghost Fox," the voice on the other end said coldly. "I know both you and Hideki Kusaka were sent by the Alliance to eliminate me. But let's be real—you're out of the running."
"But what if Hideki Kusaka and his entire team died? Even your own teammates. And you're the last one standing... the one who thwarted the Ghost Fox's attack on the town. I bet the Alliance would give you quite the promotion."
Ramil didn't know how to respond. Shock, fear, and excitement all churned inside him.
He was shocked and terrified that Ghost Fox already knew who he was. He hadn't even come close to tracking the target—and yet the target had already sized him up and made contact.
And yet, part of him was thrilled.
Ghost Fox had reached out to him.
Whether it was to use him or to truly cooperate didn't matter—this could be his one shot to escape the miserable position he was stuck in. His one sliver of hope.
"Don't overthink this," Ghost Fox continued. "If I were Hideki Kusaka, would I really go through the trouble of framing you? What would he even gain from that, other than making himself look like a cold-hearted bastard?"
"All I need is an answer. You can also choose to side with Hideki Kusaka and set a trap for me. That's up to you."
And with that, Ghost Fox hung up.
Ramil sat frozen on the toilet, deep in thought. Minutes passed. Maybe hours. His legs eventually went numb from sitting too long.
But once he lay back down in bed, he already knew what he had decided.
In another hotel room across town, Jack—also known as Ghost Fox—was already drafting his next move. He would need Ramil's cooperation to eliminate Hideki Kusaka and his team. And just as importantly, he'd need to prepare for the chance that Ramil might betray him.
Fortunately, Jack had already learned enough about Hideki Kusaka's background. But he didn't care who Kusaka was. The man's objective was simple: kill him.
And in Jack's world, that meant Kusaka had to die first.
Worst-case scenario, he'd go off the grid—leave Kanto entirely, head for the Sevii Islands or another region. The Kusaka family's influence was strong in Kanto, but it didn't extend everywhere.
That's why Jack always kept his identity deeply buried.
As long as he kept his moves clean and surgical, even the Kusaka family would have a hard time tracking him down.
With that, the plan took shape.
The next day, Ramil didn't disappoint.
He met with Jack in secret and received a portion of the plan. Jack didn't need to share all the details—he already had backup plans in case Ramil turned on him.
Jack understood people like Ramil—he'd once been in the same place.
When hope finally appeared, you clung to it like a lifeline. Betraying that hope wasn't easy.
After their meeting, Jack cut all contact with Ramil. Instead, he focused on requesting missions through Old Hard, continuing to build his cover.
Each time Jack made a move, Hideki Kusaka's network picked up the trail almost instantly.
Finally, after a month of cat-and-mouse, Hideki Kusaka narrowed down the area of Jack's activity.
It was exactly the break Kusaka needed. His patience had almost run dry.
During that time, Ramil behaved like a hollow shell—always lagging behind the rest of the team, listless and disconnected. His behavior only reinforced Kusaka's belief: Ramil had lost the will to fight.
In a quiet café in a coastal town, Jack—disguised as a middle-aged man—enjoyed his afternoon tea.
Not far from him sat Kusaka and his three teammates, unaware that Jack was within earshot. Thanks to his invisible surveillance device, Jack heard every word.
His recent activity had successfully baited them into narrowing down his location.
Their plan was obvious: wait for Ghost Fox to show himself again.
The Kusaka team had more resources than Ramil. In addition to searching for Jack's agents, they could also call on the Kusaka family's intelligence network to assist. If necessary, they'd try to capture him first and kill him later.
But Jack had his own strategy.
Lure them into a location of his choosing—and then wipe them all out. Hideki Kusaka, his team, and even Ramil if needed.
Afterward, he'd retreat to a coastal town and be ready to flee the region if it came to that.
The Kusaka family might be powerful, but they weren't omnipotent.
Back in his room, Ramil silently ate another meal—until he spotted a new note.
His eyes flashed, then returned to normal as he calmly resumed eating.
Meanwhile, Jack had one last detail to wrap up: a special delivery prepared for Old Hard.
If everything went according to plan, it would arrive shortly after Hideki Kusaka's demise.
Because once Kusaka became the target, anyone associated with Jack—including Old Hard—was bound to come under fire next.