Isel never imagined that death would be this close. The distance between her death and her life was inches. The bullet that could pierce her head was as close as the length of her thumb. The distance between her death was only between the muzzle of the gun, the trigger, and her forehead. If the trigger was pulled, then the contents of her head could spill out.

"I ask again, who are you?" Isel wanted to say her name or spit out a million curses at once. However, she doesn't do all the thinking now when her lips are trembling instead. She even felt like swallowing her saliva, her throat suddenly congested. It was clear from the tone of the man's voice that he had a position far above her. Isel herself didn't understand the hierarchy of the employing organization until now because Noel took care of everything. She needs to run the errands, get paid, and it's all done. To be honest, she also didn't know if these people often pointed guns at others like this.

"Mute, huh?" The man tilted his head. A smirk filled his slanted lips.

Isel gulped again. She tried to open her mouth, but her voice still didn't come out even a single neigh.

"Isel?" Noel is now speaking.

The young man rushed over. His facial expression is not very visible because of the lack of lighting. However, from the tone of his voice, Noel seemed worried. The thing that made Isel secretly feel happy.

"Yes?" said Isel.

“Put down your gun, Dude. She's our partner!" Noel's orders.

The man snorted, but the gun that was almost touching Isel's forehead immediately moved down. Even so, Isel couldn't breathe a sigh of relief. That dangerous man was still very close to her, plus her heart was still beating fast ever since.

"Don't sneak in like a mouse next time or I'll blow your head off!" he said curtly before leaving.

The man moved down, perhaps returning to his original position. Meanwhile, Isel's body began to wobble. Her legs felt like they had turned gelatinous, too soft to support her. The girl leaned her back against the wall as she continued to catch her breath and tried to calm her heartbeat. She also just realized that beads of sweat were popping up on the nape of her neck and forehead.

"Are you all right?" Noel asked as he walked closer.

Isel nodded her head, as she was still struggling to swallow her saliva to moisten her dry throat. She didn't collapse. She only couldn't get over the shock that came after being released from death.

"We'd better get off now!" Noel patted her shoulder.

"Yeah," she muttered hoarsely.

Noel then walked downstairs. There were no reassuring pats or mere words to make her feel better. Noel also doesn't take the initiative to apologize for his friend's actions, even if it's just empty words, it can make her feel not too bad. Yes, Isel herself also knew that Noel would never do that in a place like this. Too much affection or attention can be very dangerous here. They had also agreed to keep all the good things in her tiny flat. On the outside, they were just co-workers. Even so, there is still some disappointment that creeps in silently. Isel took a breath. After all, Noel saved her head just now. So, it doesn't seem like sentimental things like that need to be thought of too much.

Having calmed down enough, Isel walked downstairs. The smell of gunpowder and damp walls was stronger as her footsteps continued down the stairs. These smells still make the hairs on the back of her neck. Maybe just because of what happened earlier or some other incident.

She quickened her pace. Noel would not like it if she lingered and wasted time. After all, she also didn't want to show Noel and the mugger that she was too shocked just because her head almost burst a few minutes ago. However, it turns out that there is only Noel in the basement below. The mugger was gone, so Isel approached Noel. He was holding one of the medium-sized pistols.

"So what weapons are we going to pick up today?" she asked as he positioned himself beside Noel.

“You want to take the dagger as usual?” Noel asked back.

Isel shrugged. "Maybe. Besides, there's no point for a thief like me to pick up a gun."

"You're right."

"But, there are no daggers here," said Isel, looking around to observe the tall wooden shelves and the table filled with various weapons.

"Do you need a new dagger?" Noel again responded with a question.

"Not really. I still don't understand why you asked me to come here," said Isel honestly because if there were no weapons or equipment to take, she wouldn't come to a place like this. New missions will be sent to her through secret email anyway.

“There is a new mission for you. For that mission, you will need new equipment.” Noel finally explained.

"I haven't received a new mission yet."

"You'll get it in a minute," he said, bringing a small suitcase-like bag to the table.

Noel pressed the metal plate on the front side of the bag. Isel's eyes widened when she found one object that looked like a cellphone and two other things that looked like a walkie-talkie—but in a small size. The cell phone-like object was a getlock, a device to unlock coded doors, and an automatic safe that she had always wanted. A device that looked like a walkie-talkie was a discam, a signal jamming device. That device could be used to spoil the appearance of surveillance cameras. Discam prevents surveillance cameras from functioning normally and automatically their tracks will not be recorded on CCTV. Either getlock or discam, these two tools are hard to get legally for the average person like her. Even if you can buy it, it takes a lot of money as well as the risk of being caught. Whereas in the current hiring organization, she was just a lowly class thief. So there's one question that's bothering her now, why was this equipment suddenly given to her?

Isel hastily cleared her throat to overcome the momentary admiration that arose. She also withdrew her hand because she unconsciously stroked it. These things were tempting, but it still felt odd to see them now. As important as the mission was that Noel gave these things to her.

"Just take it!"

"B—but—"

“Those things are yours from now on!” Noel said again as if reading her mind.

"But, I'm just a thief, Noel."

"Forget about that, you need this weapon now." Noel waved the gun in his hand.

"What do you mean?"

"Gun."

She still refuses to believe it when Noel says she needs a gun. So far, she hadn't thought about using it and hurting other people.

"Don't tell me you're scared?"

"No."

"Haven't I taught you how to shoot?" Noel again seems to be playing inside her head and reading everything that is thought without censorship.

"No, but do I need a gun now?"

"You're going to need it sooner or later. So, you have to get used to it!” Noel said.

Isel was silent, she didn't know what to say in response.

"Well, now you choose to want a Glock or a Colt 1911?" he offered, pointing at the two black pistols that were now on the table.

Isel herself tried to touch the pale yellow gun on the tip. The trademark stuck to the surface.

"That's MAG4, made in Indonesia."

"Ah," said Isel curtly.

She had heard of the country in the east, very far from Diliar. A country with a large population, and beautiful scenery. But, she had never heard of them producing pistols.

“MAG4's accuracy is very good, especially for close combat. The cock system is simpler. The material is light, so it's easy to use. A good choice!" said Noel.

The compliment made Isel's cheeks heat up. It was rare for Noel to praise her like this.

“In addition to the MAG4, this Colt is also easy to use. The magazine contains seven bullets. The firing speed is up to 1,225 feet per second. How?"

Isel sighed. She didn't want to choose one. However, Noel will offer more options if she refuses. So she reached out and pulled out the pale yellow gun she'd chosen.

"Just this," he said.

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll prepare the bullets," said Noel sounding happy.

"But, is it okay for me to carry a weapon like this?" she asked, holding up the gun in her hand. It was light and oddly fit in her hand.

"Yes. When the time comes, don't hesitate to pull the trigger!” said the young man while patting Isel's head.

Isel was silent again. The time has come to pull the trigger he says. But, when will it come? Does all this have to do with the secret conversation between Noel and the mugger earlier? Does this have anything to do with Khisfire?

The hairs on her neck immediately swelled. Just thinking about Khisfire's name already made her tremble like this. No one had ever managed to keep the life in the body when it came to dealing with them. However, what if her latest mission was related to Khisfire? Would she be ready to pull the trigger on this gun to kill if she had to?