Book excerpt: After a young man draws the ire of his superiors with a thoughtless emotional outburst, his life hangs by a thread. His only chance of survival? Another head of the organisation to which the young man belongs, a woman who is said to be an ever-smiling devil. She has her own dark secrets, however, and allowing himself to be drawn into her machinations could only make things worse. In fact, her mission for him seems to be a one-way street to death. Still, he has no choice but to fight his way through cunning negotiations and dangerous territories in order to survive. Will he ultimately be able to laugh life in the face?