Charm headed back inside and instinctively looked toward Red.

Red sat casually beside Gin as though nothing had happened.

Charm’s gaze then shifted to Gin. Unlike Red, who had already stretched out on his bunk, Gin was chatting with the other recruits.

The longer Charm watched him, the more he realized something.

That young man wasn’t afraid.

He wasn’t as confident or as intimidating as Red, but from the moment they had arrived, Charm hadn’t seen a trace of fear in Gin’s eyes. Not even when Charm had cursed him out earlier.

Sure, Gin came across as more meek than the others.

But it wasn’t fear. It was more like... curiosity. Not the curiosity of someone who didn’t understand what was happening. Rather, the curiosity of someone trying to understand the depth of everything.

Charm couldn’t quite put it into words.

"Hey."

Charm snapped out of his thoughts when someone called from beside him. He turned and saw one of the "prisoners" looking up at him.

Walking over, Charm sat with the group helping Old Fool tend to the injured recruits.

"That one’s pretty bad," Charm remarked, noticing one of the men wrapping bandages around a recruit’s thigh. "It’s already turning black."

"He needs proper medical attention," Old Fool replied as he examined the wound. "He told me he ended up here because of debt. It was only five hundred dollars at first... but after the interest piled up, it became nearly a hundred times that amount."

Now the man was paying for that debt with his life.

The injured recruit let out a shaky breath. He had looked pale when he first arrived. Now, his complexion was almost ghostly.

His eyes wandered over the men treating him. He hadn’t expected kindness in a place like this. Everyone here needed help just as much as he did, yet they did.

"Th... thank you," he whispered.

No one answered or smiled back at him. They simply looked at him with quiet sympathy.

Everyone already knew.

The man probably wouldn’t survive another day.

"I’ll try talking to the boss," Old Fool said gently. "I can’t promise anything... but maybe he’ll allow a doctor to come in."

He paused. "Or at least send you some painkillers."

The injured man managed a faint smile before closing his eyes to rest.

Old Fool then turned toward Charm.

"Did you talk to the kid? And did you apologize for being rough with him?"

The men around them all looked at Charm.

He raised a brow at the attention.

"Charm, you should apologize," one of them whispered. "That kid’s going to get all of us killed."

"Or get himself killed," another corrected.

Quiet murmurs spread through the group. Concern, worry, and frustration all mingled into one.

Charm sighed and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

He waited until everyone had gone quiet before speaking.

"What if..." he began. "What if something actually happens here?"

The group frowned.

"What if this place falls into complete chaos?" He hesitated. "Should we... leave?"

The only answer he got was complete silence as everyone stared at him. Then their expressions darkened.

"Charm... don’t tell me that kid actually got into your head," one of them said. "Of all people, you shouldn’t be entertaining someone else’s fantasy."

Another sighed. "Charm, you’ve always looked after us. Hell, you’ve even done other people’s work just so they could get enough rest." His expression turned serious. "Old Fool asked you to talk some sense into that kid. Not the other way around."

"Charm," Old Fool said quietly. "You know we shouldn’t even be talking about this."

Charm let out a heavy sigh and nodded.

"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. "But just in case those kids really have a plan..."

"Then we report them," one man suggested immediately. "If we tell the guards first, maybe we won’t get dragged into it if they fail."

"Enough," Old Fool cut him off. "We’re not turning anyone in. They’re new. The guards usually go easy on first-timers."

He looked around at everyone.

"They only punish everyone if it happens again."

"Things have changed recently," another prisoner argued. "After everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t be surprised if they just killed all of us."

One after another, the men voiced their concerns.

Charm quietly listened before letting out another deep breath.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn’t have brought it up."

Red’s final words echoed in his mind.

Someone else is already inside this place...

Charm shook the thought away. It was probably just a bluff. After all, they had seen every newcomer brought in today.

Aside from the women and a handful of children, every man was already accounted for.

Red was the only one who stood out.

Besides, if there really were someone capable of bringing this entire place down...

Surely they would’ve noticed.

Charm cleared his throat.

"Anyway, Old Fool’s right." He looked toward Red. "Let’s just keep an eye on those two."

His gaze narrowed. "Especially him. The best thing we can do is stop him before he does something stupid."

Everyone nodded.

Reporting Red wasn’t guaranteed to keep them safe. If anything, the guards would probably tear the entire warehouse apart searching for evidence.

Worse, they might accuse everyone of conspiring with him.

Watching him themselves was the safer option. With that silent agreement, every pair of eyes drifted toward Red.

Gin noticed almost immediately. He stole a glance at the group staring in their direction before quietly scooting closer to Red.

"Red," he whispered. "Did you get into a fight with that guy?"

He swallowed. "They’re looking at you like they’re planning to jump you later."

Red didn’t even move. He lay flat on his bunk, staring up at the exposed steel beams overhead.

"Let them be," he muttered. "I’ll deal with them later."

"Deal with them?" Gin hissed. "Are you out of your mind? These are the last people you’re supposed to fight."

These men were victims.

Ashley had specifically instructed them to convince the prisoners to either fight back or evacuate before the operation began, so they wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.

While Gin quietly panicked beside him, Red remained calm. He had already figured out how he was going to make these men listen.

He simply needed the right moment.

Just then—

CLANG!

A deafening metallic bang echoed from the entrance.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the sound. Even Red arched a brow as he looked over.

There, one of the armed guards had entered the warehouse.

"On your feet!" the guard barked. "Now!"