Chapter 221

Siron and Baekgyeong sat side by side on a four-seater sofa, while Isaac sat alone on a single armchair, watching TV.

“Wow... There really are a lot of rotten bastards in this world.”

A divorced ex-husband who had slaughtered his former wife’s new family and young children. A gang member who had carried out a reckless shooting spree against a rival group in a drug conflict, killing numerous civilians. A mafia member who had murdered a traitor and that man’s entire family. Alongside them, the records of other heinous criminals sentenced to death scrolled across the screen.

“There sure are a lot of mafias and gangs,” Baekgyeong remarked, arms folded.

“Yeah, but plenty of them just look like regular people,” Siron muttered.

The more brutal the crimes grew, the stiffer Siron’s face became. Just when his urge to change the channel peaked, the anchor announced the governor’s press conference. The screen shifted instantly to the conference hall. A moment later, the governor appeared at the empty podium. It was Richard Brown, a familiar face from local news.

Standing at the podium, he scanned the audience with careful silence. After a long breath, he began speaking in a steady tone.

[“Citizens of Helso, and members of the press present here. Since my appointment as governor, I have carried the weight of a grave question. Today, I stand before you to deliver a clear answer.”]

He paused, lowering his head, slowly running his fingers along the podium’s edge. Then, lifting his head again, he fixed the camera with a hard stare.

[“Three days ago, the federal court rejected the final appeal of Morgan Davis, the defendant in one of the most horrific murders our state has suffered in the past twelve years—the so-called ‘Seaside Child Murders,’ in which five children were slain. The law has now delivered its last sentence to an unrepentant criminal, and judicial justice stands on the brink of execution.”]

The heavy introduction flowed into stories of other death row inmates who had committed atrocities over the past twelve years. All were cases that had shaken society. Siron recognized most of them from past news or online articles. Books& Literature

[“And there is another case we must never forget. In June of 2011, an arson attack in a suburban housing district of Baggers City left scars that remain with our community to this day. A gang war crossed an irreversible line, claiming innocent lives. The so-called ‘El Calva Retaliation’ took four men and three children. El Calva, who ordered the attack, was arrested and put on trial, and all legal proceedings have now concluded.”]

The governor placed both hands firmly on the podium and stared out at the press seats. His face hardened with resolve.

[“The legal process is over. What remains is the execution of justice, and the fulfillment of our promise to the community. By my authority as governor, I hereby order the executions of Morgan Davis and El Calva to take place on Monday, October 6th. The executions will continue. Justice, long stalled, will move forward once more.”]

As his statement ended, reporters unleashed a barrage of questions. Most were harshly critical, attacking the death penalty itself. Yet the governor held his ground.

After giving a few short replies, he declared the conference closed and stepped down from the podium. The screen cut back to the anchor, visibly rattled, who launched into analysis with an expert, speculating on the governor’s motives. With only three months left in his term, many questioned whether Richard Brown was risking political backlash by pushing through the executions.

“October 6th? That’s less than a week away. They’re rushing this?” Baekgyeong stared at the screen, incredulous.

“Not much time left for appeals,” Isaac murmured, sinking deep into the sofa. His eyes had cleared, the drugs’ haze nearly gone.

But he wasn’t watching the TV anymore. His gaze locked instead on Siron and Baekgyeong, as though executions didn’t matter—only the two of them did.

“They injected me with anesthetics and suppressants.”

Baekgyeong snorted and glared at him. “No need to thank us.”

“Oh, but I am grateful. Though I regret having my throat strangled and a stun gun shoved into me.”

Isaac absently rubbed the collarbone where the electrodes had burned into his skin. “How long was I out?”

“A day,” Baekgyeong replied.

Isaac’s eyes shifted to Siron, searching for traces of what had happened after he had collapsed at the McCarthy mansion.

Siron glued his gaze to the TV, desperate. Not only had he lost his senses in Isaac’s rut and willingly spread his legs, but afterward he had spent the night tangled with Baekgyeong. The last thing he wanted was for Isaac to know.

“You reek of Baekgyeong’s pheromones,” Isaac said flatly. No anger, no feeling—just a clinical, cutting observation. It made Siron flush with humiliation, like a boy caught masturbating.

“Someone had to wash that stench off you. I scrubbed him clean with pheromones, every inch,” Baekgyeong added carelessly.

Siron jabbed his elbow hard into Baekgyeong’s ribs, furious. He ignored the way Baekgyeong doubled over, face going pale as he clutched the armrest in pain, and pointed stiffly at the screen. “Just watch the damn TV. They’re showing the death row list.”

The ticker at the bottom scrolled rapidly with the names of current Helso death row inmates. All three of them stared.

Siron frowned. “That’s... a lot. Did they pile up because executions were suspended for twelve years?”

Still clutching his side, Baekgyeong winced and answered. “Not exactly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Only a fraction of death row actually gets executed. Less than twenty percent.”

“Why?”

“Think about it. How many death row inmates just sit quietly waiting to die? They all keep appealing. Most end up commuted to life. And no executions can proceed during appeals.”

The long list scrolled past, then looped again. But Gezar Bazelli’s name never appeared.

“His name’s not on the list,” Siron muttered.

Baekgyeong gave him a withering look. Siron bristled under the condescension, and Baekgyeong quickly forced a clumsy smile. “Gezar Bazelli doesn’t exist anymore. He’s officially listed dead in CIA classified archives.”

Siron narrowed his eyes but conceded with a grudging nod. “Right. I remember you saying that.”

“He’s in Somora Prison under a washed identity.”

“What name?”

“I don’t know. But he does.” Baekgyeong’s eyes slid toward Isaac.

Isaac stroked his jaw lazily with long fingers. “Gezar was sentenced under the name Colby James in 1996. Death row. In exchange for handing over the protocol that transforms betas into alphas, he wasn’t sent to a lab—he was incarcerated, with a new identity.”

“Incarcerated as a death row inmate, not life imprisonment?” Baekgyeong asked.

Isaac nodded. “Exactly. His name should be in that list.”

Sure enough, “Colby James” flashed across the ticker. Isaac’s blank expression as he watched it felt strangely hollow. Siron caught himself holding shallow breaths, his chest tight with some unnameable weight.

“Do you think Colby—Gezar Bazelli—will actually be executed?” Siron asked.

“I’d say the odds are high.”

“Why?”

“He’s never once filed an appeal. That means he could be executed at any moment. And this is the first execution in twelve years. For a governor with only three months left in office to suddenly push it through—something triggered it. Either Gezar himself was a threat, or those seeking him out were. Or maybe another inmate angered the wrong people. Here’s another theory—Helso’s abnormal surplus of alpha gene carriers. That might not be coincidence. State-level cooperation could explain it. Which would make it perfectly reasonable to suspect the governor himself of ties to Hybris.”

On the screen, the governor’s speech replayed: “By my authority as governor, I hereby order the executions of Morgan Davis and El Calva to take place on Monday, October 6th.” His face burned red with conviction, radiating righteous zeal. Siron couldn’t help but wonder—just what kind of justice was this man talking about?

Baekgyeong sighed heavily, arms crossed again. “Can we even apply for visitation in this climate?”

Isaac shook his head. “We’ll need another way. If the governor is linked to Hybris, requesting a visit would be suicide. First, we need to confirm the exact execution schedule.”

“How?” Siron asked.

“Well...” Isaac began.

“There’s a faster, more certain method.” Baekgyeong cut him off, a vicious grin spreading across his face.

“Beat it out of the governor until he talks.”