Bad Born Blood Chapter 198

198
I stopped by Lapis’s machine maintenance room.

“Oh, Luca? Just wait. Let me just finish this.”

Lapis was fiddling with the blueprint while the hologram was floating. Parts of the holographic blueprint changed and spun around as she moved her hands.

I waited for Lapis to finish her work before I brought up the subject. We discussed the pre-heating of the Hwagwangyedo.

“A device that helps amplify the heat of the fireball? Hmm, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s a very elaborate design. I don’t want to mess with it.”

Lapis said with a slightly troubled expression. But I pushed on firmly.

“In battles of this level, the outcome is often decided before the warm-up is even finished. I once fought a guy who used two fire-light series swords. He used the friction between the two fire-light swords to finish the warm-up in an instant.”

“That’s right. The best way is to use a homogeneous metal… ignium as a whetstone and rub it against it. That’s a decent method.”

“But isn’t Ignium a metal that can be obtained if it wants to?”

Lapis nodded. She sat on her swivel chair and spun around until she stopped.

“Should I carry a highly flammable substance and spray it to set it on fire?”

It seemed like a last resort.

“It can’t be cumbersome and time-consuming. It’s no different from warming up. It’s okay if it’s difficult, but the process should be simple and short.”

“You are very picky.”

“I’m sorry. This is not an area for compromise. If you can’t think of anything right now, that’s okay.”

“… … I’ll prepare it for you later. If you just say that it’s the money you need to support you, most of it will be paid for. If you have money, there’s nothing you can’t do.”

Next, I had my body checked. There was no particular abnormality in my function, but I had been busy for a while and had not been able to get it checked, so I had it done.

Beep.

Lapis opened the terminal on my body and plugged in the wire. The body’s internal data appeared on the monitor screen.

“The atmosphere at the company has been a bit odd lately. Since you came here, something… everything feels like it’s gotten a bit faster.”

“If you’re worried, just quit. With this level of skill, you’ll be hired anywhere.”

“Haha, I’m not that anxious. And here, I can make whatever I want. There’s probably no other company that gives me this much autonomy. Japha-nim is a unique person. To be exact, he’s a unique Tajirun. Tajiruns tend to be very exclusive. But of all the people I’ve met in my life, Japha-nim is the one with the least prejudice and the least discrimination against other races.”

I wanted to say something, but I held it back. It seems Lapis doesn’t know about Jafar’s humanity.

“Jafar… … is a peculiar person.”

I muttered with great meaning.

“And above all, your abilities are outstanding. This time, you were attacked unexpectedly, but you seem to have overcome it somehow. The company has also grown bigger. Oh, wait a minute. The graph around here is really strange.”

Lapis stared at the complex graphs, formulas, and numbers for a long time. Her already large eyes opened even wider.

“why?”

“… … Lu, Luca! How did you do this? Can you use the Force? Did physical time stop? The signals coming down to the body are incredibly dense. Even a highly reactive body can’t keep up with the signal input, causing delays in actions. In this case, it’s as if you input actions in advance and then move. If it were a cheap body, the signals would have been out of alignment and it would have broken. You can’t open your hand and make a fist at the same time.”

It seems to be talking about when fighting Balek or the captain of the guard. It’s not my area of ​​expertise, but I can understand what he’s talking about.

When I enter a state of concentration, I feel like time is stretching. This is due to the effects of high-speed thinking. When this sensation reaches its peak, I even have the illusion that time has stopped.

“It’s because I received chemical treatment for my nervous system.”

I don’t want to be bothered to explain, so I just gave a rough outline.

“I know that exists, but even if I say it myself, Lazuli 21 is a masterpiece. It’s a high-power, high-reactivity body. It’s ridiculous to have such a high signal density that it would cause delays in action in a high-reactivity body.”

“Now that I see it for real, it makes sense.”

Lapis collected the data with sparkling eyes. When she was done, she pulled out the wire and closed the terminal on the body.

“… … I think I understand why the Imperial Army uses full-body prosthetic soldiers. Luca would be much stronger if he were to use a full-body prosthetic. His brain and nervous system are already better suited to cybernetic prosthetics than biological ones.”

“Because that’s how I was trained.”

I answered indifferently and put on the coat I had taken off.

“But the brain of a living organism does not have unlimited capacity. If you strengthen other functions to the extreme, other functions will inevitably decline.”

“I know that too. I know it much better than you do.”

Countless scenes flashed through my mind.

“So, Luca, don’t throw away the remaining flesh and blood. Because that flesh and blood that often feels like a burden is what’s protecting you from the machines.”

Lapis, like me, knew the dangers of cybernetic bodies even without first-hand experience in the Empire. Despite her love of machines and bodies, she did not minimize or underestimate their dangers.

‘Lapis is a great expert.’

But I don’t need her advice. I’ve already experienced it myself. I just waved my hand and left the maintenance room.

* * *

I took Ragnata out of the prison cell. Both legs were still missing, but both arms, which had been healed, were intact.

With her arms tied in front of her, she silently climbed into her duffel bag.

“It’s better than last time. It even has soft cushions. Did you make it especially for me?”

Jafar did something useless. It’s called a duffel bag, but it’s more like a mobile sleeping bag. The interior looks nice and cozy.

“Cooperate, Ragnata.”

“Aren’t we already cooperating?”

“I’m saying this because unstable relationships are annoying. We’ll support the Anima Mobile School from our side. Japha has a scholarship foundation. There’s been a lot of capital coming in recently, so there’s a lot of money.”

“That’s a tempting offer. But I can’t believe Jafar would spend that much on me, a retired assassin. So let’s think about it the other way around. Jafar would be willing to spend that much on you. It makes me wonder what kind of relationship you have with Jafar.”

Lagnata’s insight is excellent. It is similar to mine, but also different. Many of his insights come from practical experience.

‘Even if I try to show off, I’m still just a fool who won’t even live half a century.’

Ragnata is an uncomfortable presence, but he gives me advice without hesitation. He is also someone who can harshly criticize me whenever my mental state is abnormal.

‘Every time I face Ragnata, I feel annoyed… … because that woman looks at me and points out my weaknesses and shortcomings. She doesn’t hesitate to point out my faults.’

I have no intention of spitting it out. If necessary, I will swallow it.

Ragnata is the one who can put the brakes on my emotional outbursts while opposing my judgment. I would ignore any fool who says the same thing to her.

However, I respect the experienced and strong, so I listen to Ragnata’s opinion.

‘Ragnatha is the person I need.’

Besides, it didn’t matter if she died in a dangerous situation. After all, it was my generosity that saved her life, and Ragnata wouldn’t blame me.

“You were a soldier of the Empire, a highly trained elite soldier at that. Back then, you had a superior you could respect as a rein. Now that the reins are gone, it’s only natural that you feel unstable. Your employer, Jafar, is just an employer after all.”

Hmm, I’m really annoyed. I feel like I should just leave it in the basement.

I flinched as I took out the mouthmuff Jafar had given me. When I opened the packaging, I saw a mouthmuff that looked a little awkward. It was a ball-shaped mouthmuff.

… … So, it’s something you often see in hologram advertisements rolling around red-light districts.

‘Jafar! You damn snakehead!’

I screamed inwardly. Ragnata looked at me with a meaningful smile.

“Oh, hmm, I won, I can do it up to ten years younger… … but if the difference is more than that, it’ll be difficult.”

Ah, these days, jokes like this are hard to resist. I like girls my age. And human girls at that!

“… … It’s noisy, so shut up, you old hag.”

I shouted harshly.

“Hal, Mangu, umm.”

Ragnata also seems to have been quite shocked just now. The word “old hag” was effective. I’ll have to remember that.

Ssuk.

I carried the duffel bag with Ragnata on my shoulder. There was a flap on top of the duffel bag, so when I pulled it down, I could cover Ragnata’s head.

* * *

Balek wasn’t currently in Border City, but it wasn’t far away, and his hideout was a day’s drive away.

Rattle, rattle.

I was riding in the cargo hold of a truck. The ride was extremely uncomfortable, but neither I nor Ragnata were the type of people to complain about minor inconveniences.

Beep.

My terminal rang. I closed my eyes and rested, but then I uncrossed my arms and stood up.

Squeak.

The cargo door opened automatically, and I threw my duffel bag down first and jumped out. I thought I heard a faint groan, but it was none of my business.

thud!

Japa’s truck continued on its way as if nothing had happened. I turned my head to stare at the truck with Anguise Regina on it.

A primeval forest without even a single path was visible. The shadows of eerie wild animals were moving between the trees.

‘Undeveloped area.’

The planet Novas had many unexplored and undeveloped areas. Even within their own territory, there were many places untouched by human hands.

There is a lack of law enforcement to maintain order within the city, and there is virtually no country that can manage law enforcement beyond the city.

Sigh.

I opened the cover of the duffel bag and carried it.

“It doesn’t seem like we’ve come that far, but the fact that there’s such a dense primeval forest isn’t a good sign.”

Ragnata also spoke while looking at the primeval forest.

“It must be a dangerous place. That’s why my prey must be hiding here.”

Balek is staying inside this primeval forest. Neither I nor Jafar know why he is here. We just have to catch him and dig him out.

“The one I’m going to catch now is Balek. He’s an expert in the Archies Victima, and he uses two swords called Hwagwangjageom. That’s why he’s a pain in the neck. If their blades clash, they’ll both explode.”

I explained the situation to Ragnata. I brought her here for her advice, and I intend to provide her with some relevant information.

“It looks like I need to subdue him?”

“I have some information to share. You used dual swords too. If you have any good strategies, tell me.”

I walked towards the primeval forest. I didn’t know it from outside, but when I entered the forest, my senses felt strangely blurred. My brain was on fire as it reacted to the unfamiliar environment.

“Twin swordsmanship? Are you stupid? Boy. What else could you have besides fighting well?”

Ragnata chuckled.

“Yeah, I asked a stupid question.”

I too thought it was a bit of a stupid question.

Ugh, ugh.

I made my way through the overgrown trees. I was fortunate that at least the ground wasn’t muddy.

Crackle, crackle.

There was an unfamiliar sound. I squinted my eyes and stared beyond.

“As expected, this is where mutants come from. There must be a reason why it hasn’t been developed even though it’s not far from Border City.”

Ragnata also looked at the same place and added commentary.

“Mutant?”

“That’s what I call it. Nomads often encounter strange monsters as they wander around the planet Novas.”

I observed the beast beyond the bushes. Its form was that of a thick-limbed ape. However, its outer skin was hairless, and its hard rock skin was tightly packed like armor. Long, hook-like nails were visible beneath its blunt hands.

Crackle, crackle.

Since it doesn’t have a specific name, let’s just call it the ‘rock monkey’. The rock monkey was eating by digging into the stomach of the animal it had hunted.

“If you don’t want to cause a scene, just pass by. In my experience, mutants that have undergone rock transformation are not aggressive and are cautious. They won’t attack you even if they know you’re there.”

Ragnata whispered. I nodded and passed the place around.