Bad Born Blood

Chapter 221

The road where I had fought Mushir al-Kashura had turned into a ruin so devastating that it resembled a battlefield.

A procession of half-destroyed vehicles spewed smoke and fire, and corpses were strewn about in a grotesque display. It was the mark of a massacre.

I fixed my gaze on the direction where Kashura’s metal box had disappeared.

‘Carrying a brain around inside a metal box?’

Even upon reconsideration, it was absurd. I hadn’t expected Kashura’s true body to be a metal box.

“Damn it…”

I looked down at Kashura’s empty shell. After all that struggle, I had still let him slip away.

Screeeeeech!

A ringing noise in my ears grew louder. The pressure in my eyes increased to the point where it felt like my pupils would pop out, and my nasal membranes had burst, causing blood to drip freely.

…The lead on Kinuan was gone. A thought crossed my mind—should I pursue Kashura even now?

I shook my head.

‘Any more than this, and I won’t be able to function.’

I was in no condition to even detect the departure of the metal box. If there was an ambush or a trap, I wouldn’t be able to react—I would simply fall victim to it.

Step, step.

I walked across the wrecked road and retrieved my discarded coat and pistol.

‘I’ll leave the cleanup to Jafa.’

There might be valuable information in Mushir al-Kashura’s cybernetic remains, so it was best to collect them.

Crackle, fizz.

I opened the comms channel, only to frown at the static.

‘Jamming?’

A high-density interference signal had flooded the area. No matter how many times I switched channels, external communication was completely down.

“What kind of bullshit is this now…?”

This world never stopped throwing problems at me. It was enough to make me furious.

I pressed against my aching eyelids, scraping together the last remnants of my focus. It felt like squeezing dry earth in an attempt to extract even a single drop of water.

Rustle, rustle.

Armed soldiers emerged at the edge of the road. They moved tactically between the wrecked vehicles, approaching me with coordinated precision. A quick glance told me there were at least a dozen of them. Their training seemed solid.

‘Now I really have to leave the scene. I feel like I could pass out at any moment.’

I rolled my eyes around, quickly identifying an escape route.

“What the hell are you doing?! Lower your weapons at once!”

A booming voice rang out from behind the soldiers. It was a deep, gravelly tone.

Puff, puff.

A middle-aged man walked forward, a cigar clamped between his teeth. His pristine suit, long coat, and polished leather shoes stood out—a throwback to a bygone era. It was the fashion of a 20th-century revivalist.

Even amid the smoke rising from the wreckage, the man continued to puff on his cigar without a care. He had bold, chiseled features, and when his gaze met mine, he grinned as if he had just run into an old friend.

The middle-aged man, who introduced himself as Son Seok-jae, strode toward me. From his gait and demeanor, it was clear he wasn’t a trained fighter. He had no cybernetic implants, nor did he seem to have undergone any biological enhancements.  

“Just a vagrant who got caught up in an accident while passing through. Don’t bother with me.”  

I attempted to walk past Son Seok-jae.  

“The person who single-handedly took down Mushir al-Kashura can’t possibly be just some vagrant.”  

I rubbed my stiff neck and narrowed my eyes.  

‘They don’t realize I’m weakened. They probably just think I’m tired.’  

There was no one here capable of accurately assessing my condition.  

“Were you watching the fight?”  

“We couldn’t capture everything since you were moving too fast, but we did record it. If we release this footage, it’ll cause quite a stir—after all, you defeated Mushir al-Kashura alone.”  

Son Seok-jae swept back his gray-streaked hair as he spoke.  

“Erase that footage if you don’t want to die. If it ever gets released, I’ll personally wipe out your entire company.”  

“There’s no need for hostility. I wish to negotiate with you. I’d like to acquire the remains of Mushir al-Kashura. Legally, of course.”  

Son Seok-jae made his intentions clear.  

I checked my comms again. The jamming signal was still strong.  

‘Mushir al-Kashura’s armored cybernetic body holds immense research value. If reverse-engineered, it could yield significant technological advancements.’  

It wasn’t surprising that they wanted it.  

‘But I know nothing about Son Seok-jae.’  

Negotiating blindly wasn’t a wise choice.  

“Disable the jamming. I’ll discuss it with my backer.”  

“The sooner, the better. For your own well-being. Other companies might not be as legal or gentlemanly in their negotiations.”  

Son Seok-jae turned and signaled to his men. One of the armed employees adjusted the jamming device strapped to his back.  

I kept my distance as I stepped back. Before long, my communicator crackled to life with Jafa’s voice.  

- Hoyooyot! Luka! What happened?! We received intel that Mushir al-Kashura appeared! I was so worried when I couldn’t reach you…!  

Jafa was talking twice as fast as usual.  

“No need to worry. I’ll explain everything later. First, tell me about Son Seok-jae of Sonsu Industries.”  

- You want to hear about President Son all of a sudden?

Judging from Jafa’s tone, she was already well aware of Son Seok-jae.  

“Yeah, that Son.”  

- Why would you have any business with President Son…?  

“Jafa, forget about prying and just answer me. I’m exhausted right now. I have no interest in playing mind games with you. If you don’t provide the information, I’ll make my own decision. And maybe it’s time I reconsider our partnership. I know your weakness now, after all.”  

If Jafa ever revealed my existence to the Empire, I would spread the truth about Anguis Regina and her past all over Border City.  

When both sides had leverage over each other, neither could easily make a move.  

- It seems there’s been a serious misunderstanding between us. Hoyohooo, this is all a misunderstanding, Luka. I still wish to maintain our partnership. I’m more than willing to support you, just as I have. I’ll provide the information as well.  

Jafa immediately lowered her stance in response to my aggressive tone. And I hadn’t been bluffing just now.  

If she had even slightly tried to haggle with me, I would’ve shoved my fury straight into her face.  

‘My head feels like it’s going to explode.’  

My irritation had reached its limit. It felt like my brain was cramping up.  

- President Son Seok-jae is the head of Sonsu Industries. He himself is an outstanding engineer, but unlike most engineers, he’s deeply involved in shady dealings and is exceptionally cunning. You should be careful.  

That was unexpected. From his appearance and demeanor alone, he didn’t seem like a scientist or engineer. He felt more like the boss of an illegal enterprise.  

“What about Sonsu Industries?”  

- They’re currently one of the frontrunners in the fierce competition for Bellato Federation’s next-generation weapons development contracts… Hoyot? Wait, wait! No way—why didn’t you request our support?  

Jafa was sharp. She had quickly grasped the situation.  

“The Equessian mercenary support wouldn’t have arrived in time. And right now, I don’t completely trust you. I’m exhausted, and you could’ve taken that as an opportunity to attack me. That’s what it means when trust is broken, Jafa.”  

- Did you defeat Mushir al-Kashura? Did you capture him alive? Where are you? I’ll send En immediately.  

Even Jafa was visibly shaken. I responded with indifference.  

“It’s already too late. If what you’re saying is true, then President Son will do whatever it takes to get Kashura’s combat body. So just tell me what leverage I have or what terms I should set for negotiation.”

- You might as well hand over the negotiation rights to me. I can talk—no, hoyot, I mean, in this language… curse words—ah, damn it! Damn! Mother-killing—! It would be best if you didn’t mention to President Son that you’re working with me. He has an extreme hatred for extraterrestrial species. He’s on par with the Empire in that regard.  

I raised an eyebrow slightly.  

‘Xenophobia?’  

The Bellato Federation was human-centric, but it was still a multi-species nation.  

Then again, it wasn’t surprising. Just because a country advocated coexistence didn’t mean every individual agreed with the ideology. Even the highly regulated Empire couldn’t enforce such uniformity.  

“Got it. I’ll contact you later.”  

- W-wait a moment—!  

I cut the comms. Jafa’s desperate voice faded into silence.  

“Did the conversation with your backer go well?”  

Son Seok-jae exhaled cigar smoke through his nose as he spoke.  

I shrugged and wiped my right hand on my pants. Seeing that, Son Seok-jae also prepared for a handshake.  

Swish.  

I extended my right hand and spoke.  

“My backer is Jafa of Jafa Trading Company. Given your conditions, I’m willing to bypass Jafa and negotiate directly with you. Jafa and I have an equal partnership, so you don’t need to worry about any disputes.”  

At the mention of Jafa’s name, Son Seok-jae momentarily frowned, but upon hearing my follow-up, he smiled.  

“So, it was Jafa who managed to recruit someone as capable as you. Among the trash that is the Tajirun, she’s one of the better ones. Her burgers are decent too.”  

Congratulations, Jafa. You’ve just been deemed a decent friend by a xenophobe.  

It seemed Jafa really did have an unusually good reputation among the Tajirun.  

“Jafa does make good burgers.”  

“But at the end of the day, he’s still an alien. Those creatures will never understand the human heart. For now, let’s save the chit-chat. Just sign the transport documents for Mushir al-Kashura’s remains first.”  

I quickly scanned through the electronic documents. It was a shallow, perfunctory contract meant only for appearances.  

‘Son Seok-jae is fixated on legal procedures.’  

He had likely suffered serious consequences before for conducting business sloppily. If he wanted to handle government weapons contracts, he couldn’t afford even a trace of illegality.  

‘This is exhausting.’  

My thoughts weren’t flowing smoothly.  

“Prepare a vehicle for transport. We’ll discuss the rest at your company. Oh, and you’re riding in the same car as me. Sit directly across from me.”  

“I admire your cautious nature. I wish my employees could learn from you, Luka.”

Son Seok-jae called my name after confirming my signature on the documents.  

“And somewhere around here, there should be two weapons from the Firelight series made of Ignium. Recover them if possible.”  

After issuing instructions to his subordinates, Son Seok-jae called for the waiting air vehicle.  

Sssss—  

Exhaling cigar smoke, Son Seok-jae boarded the vehicle. I followed right behind him.  

Beep—  

The door of the air vehicle closed. I reached out and extinguished the tip of his cigar with my fingertips.  

“And I don’t smoke.”  

“Oh my, my, how rude of me. Do you drink, then?”  

Son Seok-jae didn’t seem the least bit offended. He smacked his lips playfully and pulled out a bottle of liquor.  

“No need. Same goes for anything else. I’m not thirsty enough to drink something from you. How long until we arrive?”  

I was already at my limit. I didn’t think I could even close my eyes. If I did, I’d probably lose consciousness completely. I was barely holding back a nosebleed.  

“About twenty minutes.”  

“I’ll shut my eyes for a bit.”  

Son Seok-jae spread his hands out in a show of compliance.  

“I won’t try anything either.”  

I slid my hand inside my coat and hooked my finger around the trigger. Then, I closed my eyes.  

‘Twenty minutes.’  

I only intended to sleep for twenty minutes. Even a short rest would improve my condition dramatically.  

There was a brief moment of doubt—can I really wake up in twenty minutes?—but I hadn’t learned sleep control in the Imperial Guard just for show.  

My consciousness faded instantly. This wasn’t just falling asleep. It was complete blackout.  

“…Sir?”  

A voice woke me. At the same time, I became aware of someone’s hand on my shoulder.  

Swish!  

My body reacted with brutal combat reflexes. I twisted the person’s arm and pressed my gun against their temple, my finger tightening on the trigger.  

“D-damn it! It’s me! You wouldn’t wake up even after thirty minutes…!”  

Son Seok-jae, now restrained, shouted in a panic.  

“Thirty minutes?”  

I blinked. My head was surprisingly clear for someone who had only slept twenty minutes.  

“We’ve arrived at my factory. Mushir al-Kashura’s remains should be arriving soon as well. Let’s proceed with the rest of the contract.”  

I quickly grasped the situation. Everything Son Seok-jae said was true.  

I hadn’t learned sleep control just to show off.  

‘I failed to control my sleep.’  

It was understandable—I had been exhausted. But a bad feeling crawled up my spine.  

‘Cognitive decline.’

It would be fortunate if this was only temporary. But even if it wasn’t, I just needed to hold out—at least until I found Kinuan… no, Giselle.  

Beep, beep, beep.  

I checked my linked terminal. Jafa was bombarding me with messages, obsessively persistent, like a lover unwilling to let go.  

Whirr—  

As soon as the air vehicle opened, a secretary in a suit approached. He was a cold-looking young man.  

“President, Jafa Trading Company has been trying to contact you. They say it’s urgent…”  

“Tell them the president didn’t come to work today.”  

The secretary murmured something into his earpiece before speaking to Son Seok-jae again.  

“They’re asking how it makes sense for you to be absent on a weekday.”  

“Then tell them our company has a three-day workweek! Our welfare policies are on a whole different level compared to those damn alien-run businesses. Ugh, finally—”  

The moment Son Seok-jae stepped out of the vehicle, he hastily stuck a cigar in his mouth and lit it up in a frenzy.  

Thick smoke billowed out. His expression was one of pure bliss—he must have been holding back for quite some time because of me.  

“Welcome to Sonsu Industries.”  

Walking ahead, Son Seok-jae turned back toward me and gave a slight, slanted nod.