Just as Lily gulped down half her glass of water, a knock sounded on the door.

"It's not locked," she called out, remaining seated. She'd anticipated a visit around this time.

Mike entered. He paused to close the door, but Lily said, "Don't."

"Huh?"

"If there were two pairs of eyes on us before, now there'll be four. Closing the door changes nothing; it just makes you look guilty," Lily explained lazily, her expression indifferent. "It's too messy to hide anything now."

Mike quickly reopened the door wide, wanting to observe the hallway outside. Lily, slightly irritable, propped herself up with a cushion, her brow furrowed. Mike couldn't decipher her thoughts.

They spoke almost simultaneously:

"The surveillance Rick saw..." "The wound on your leg..."

Both paused. Any doubts would be resolved by asking; neither was foolish enough to ignore the implications. Lily could have faked her evidence, just as he might have wanted others to suspect his leg injury. Even if injured, a bite mark instead of a knife wound would have aroused suspicion in a perceptive man like Rick. Mike had simply inflicted the injury himself.

"That Rick isn't a simple man," Lily said lightly, changing the subject.

"That's normal," Mike mused. "He's been closest to the boss, and he's the most mysterious person I know. I've only met him a few times, but he's incredibly influential. I think he's even more powerful than the boss."

Lily looked surprised. "More powerful than the boss?"

Mike smiled, a somewhat bitter smile. "We all know the boss is just a puppet. Taking him down wouldn't be difficult, even without today's incident. It's what's behind him that we fear." Lily didn't interrupt; he was right.

The boss was easily subdued; his size, strength, and lack of self-defense made him a weak target, even with guards. Their inaction stemmed from knowing he wasn't the key; the powerful organization behind him was the true threat.

"Beyond the boss, we don't know who's in charge, but Rick does," Mike paused. "I've considered getting information from him, but..."

He sighed and shook his head. Rick was cold, unyielding, and rarely present. Getting information through him was incredibly difficult.

"He's difficult," Lily agreed, rubbing her hands thoughtfully. After a pause, she added, "But that doesn't mean it's impossible."

"Huh?"