Bad Born Blood Chapter 207

207
After parting ways with Ilay, I walked through the streets at night. I was thinking of going around a bit. I was drunk and had a lot on my mind, so I wanted to get some fresh air.

‘Giselle, Iley, Kinouane, Ivan Kratsya, Mushir Al-Kashra, Balek… … Jafar, Anguish Regina.’

Everything was centered around Kinuan.

‘Giselle.’

I wanted to go to Gilda right away and ask her about Giselle. The person who knew Giselle’s transformation best was Gilda.

Ugh.

My teeth were grinding and my prosthetic fingers were twitching. I wanted to give in to the seething urge.

‘Calm down, Luca. Things have their own order. We have to find Valek first.’

I am a trained soldier. I know how to control my aggression and impulses. Of course, I do have my moments of irritation. Especially lately, I have been giving in to my impulses a lot.

Kiing, kiing.

As I was walking down the street, I raised my head at the sound of noise. A man wearing a rear-facing exoskeleton was walking menacingly. The exoskeleton assisted the man’s movements and made a rough mechanical sound. Judging from the fierce tattoos covering his skin, he seemed to be a gangster.

‘The Bellato Federation does not favor prosthetic bodies. They enhance themselves using various equipment such as exoskeletons.’

Strictly speaking, except in the Accresia Empire, prosthetics are not preferred. In particular, exchanging a healthy body for a prosthetic body is condemned. Those who lost their bodies in accidents or disabled soldiers used prosthetics.

‘If you think about it, the excessive distribution of prosthetics is also a means of control by the Empire. It is difficult to live outside the Empire once you have a full-body prosthetic body. The Empire is so common that there are prosthetic specialists everywhere, even in the lower levels, but it is not like that outside. The higher the proportion of prosthetics, the more the people of the Empire are bound to the Empire by force.’

Full-body suits, especially high-performance combat suits, are hard to come by outside the Empire. There probably aren’t many technicians involved.

‘Balek discarded his high-performance combat suit. It’s impossible for anyone other than a lunatic like Barbara to swap out his full-body suit on their own.’

Moreover, Barbara was a woman who changed her body once in a while. She changed her body in a throwaway manner even if it was out of tune.

However, the combat body required highly delicate tuning, and the assistance of experts was essential.

‘There probably aren’t as many full-body body technicians in Border City as you’d think. There are even fewer who can tune high-performance combat suits.’

If you ask Jafar, the list will come out right away.

‘… … This kind of judgment of mine will also fall within Kinuan’s expected range.’

I have no choice but to admit that the Kinuan inside me is an omnipotent monster.

‘To me, Kinuan is invincible. He can do anything and knows everything.’

I was in awe of Kinuan.

In fact, I never thought I could surprise Kinuan by breaking his expectations. I can’t even picture myself defeating him.

I have imagined myself winning against many strong opponents so far. But against Kinuan, it was impossible to even imagine such a thing.

‘I’m losing before I even fight.’

I must shake off my weak heart. However, the wedge that Kinuan planted in me was deep. If I were in Kinuan’s position, would I have been able to do such activities in the empire? No way. I can’t even properly control a few people around me.

‘I am worse than Kinuan.’

No matter how many times I thought about it differently, the conclusion I reached was the same. Asking Ragnatha about Archie’s Victima’s weakness was also an expression of this unconsciousness.

“… … plague.”

I swore and put my hands in my coat pockets.

* * *

The next day, I asked Jafar for the information I needed. Jafar realized what I meant when he saw my request for a list of body technicians and engineers.

“Hoyot, is it better to track down Balek rather than meet Mushir Al-Kashra?”

“There is no need to move according to Kinuan’s intention. We will find Kinuan right away through Balek.”

I didn’t tell you that Ilay was in contact with Mushir Al-Kashra. Jafar also has a lot to hide from me, so there’s nothing to worry about.

“Then, I will try to find Mushir al-Kashra just in case I need him later. He is a very secretive person, so it will not be easy to contact him.”

“That mercenary named Kashura has long since passed his biological lifespan, even considering that he is a full-body prosthesis. He is probably not a single person. His successor is probably active, carrying on the equipment and name.”

“Hoyoyoyo, I think so too. Inflating your reputation is a common tactic used by mercenaries. So, are there any other reports or developments?”

Jafar looked at me, his tongue flickering.

Exactly, exactly, exactly.

The sound of Jafar’s claws meeting each other spread out regularly.

Tajirun uses his tongue to sniff out scents in the air to read other people’s emotions. I blocked out emotional signals by visualizing my pores narrowing.

“doesn’t exist.”

“I’ve found it worthwhile to hire you in many ways. Mr. Luca is faster at getting to Kinuan than anyone I’ve hired. He’s also excellent at solving other problems.”

“There’s nothing more you can do to compliment me, Jafar.”

“No. I’m saying this because I want to talk about the future. Even after the pursuit of Kinuan is over, I want you to stay at Jafar Corporation and act as a problem solver. I value talent. Money is simply a result, and talent is a means to make money.”

“If I’m still alive then I’ll consider it.”

“For now, that answer is sufficient.”

Jafar laughed. Tajrun’s expression and emotional signals, which had been so unfamiliar, were now familiar.

Jafar sat down and gave instructions to his staff via communicator. A list of prosthetic technicians would be transmitted to my terminal shortly.

Thud, thud.

I left Jafar’s office and headed to the room where Ragnata was staying. Ragnata was being treated as a guest by his boss Jafar.

‘That’s funny.’

What was even funnier was that Ragnata and Anguise Regina were quite close friends.

The floor where Nana Ragnata stayed had a high security level, so only Jafar’s inner circle could enter. The hallway was quiet, and human voices could be heard from afar.

‘Is there something in common between Anguis and Ragnata?’

I watched Anguish Regina and Ragnata chatting away. They were sitting at the bar by the window overlooking Border City, sharing drinks. Even though it was broad daylight, their faces were still awash with alcohol.

“Oh, Luca. Come here and have a drink.”

Anguish Regina spotted me and beckoned me over. I sat down on a sofa away from the bar.

“You’re so funny. Are you drinking with the woman who tried to kill you?”

“It was in the past. And Ragnata was like that because of work. It wasn’t because of any ill feelings. Does Ragnata think so too?”

Anguis Regina smiled brightly at Ragnata. Ragnata smiled softly and nodded in agreement.

“Professionals don’t mix emotions with their work. It’s even more commendable that they treat losers like this.”

“Those are the words of a shabby assassin. If it were me, I would have bitten my tongue and died.”

I was being sarcastic. Ragnata didn’t flinch at my provocation. She was a much stronger person than I was.

“Isn’t that something that someone who brought me here without killing me should say?”

Anguis Regina stood up, seeing the rough air between Ragnata and me.

“Hey, both of you, don’t fight. Let’s get along. It’s good to be good. I’m going to the bathroom.”

Anguish Regina stood up, pulling at her flowing collar. Depending on the direction of the light, the fabric would become translucent, revealing the lines of her body.

I sighed as I saw Anguise Regina leave.

“What are you thinking when you interact with Anguish Regina?”

“Because she’s a fun girl. Even though she’s crippled, she’s not afraid of the day that tried to kill her. She’s not a soldier or a warrior. But maybe it’s because she’s a celebrity who rules Border City.”

“She’s just crazy. That woman is crazy too.”

I’ve seen the dark side of Anguise Regina.

Ragnata lifted her glass with wrinkled fingers and tilted it to her lips. Her wheelchair was adjustable so it could be raised to the level of the bar.

“Actually, I’m interested in you, Sergeant Jafar, and Kinuan. However, no one has ever told me what happened with Kinuan. It seems like Anguis Regina has some kind of connection with Kinuan.”

This was something I was curious about too.

“… … Well, it would be a rather complicated relationship.”

“You sleep with Anguish Regina. Then you will know. In bed, the psychological barrier is broken down. I see that he likes you. It is not the job of a man to reject a woman who approaches him. You rejected her last time, right?”

It seems like the two of them are talking about all sorts of things.

“Don’t say such horrible things. I hate that kind of woman.”

Ragnata looked at me and chuckled.

“Hmm, that can’t be right. You seem to be a pure-hearted man. You have a special crush on a woman, right? Her name was Giselle, right? For a woman who isn’t around right now… … .”

I opened my eyes wide and glared at Ragnata. I felt the veins in my body stand on end.

“Shut your mouth before I break it.”

“… … This was your sore spot.”

As expected, it seemed too easy.

I stood up and waved my arms wide.

Kwajik!

I grabbed Ragnatha’s temple and slammed him into the bar. The wooden bar split and a sliver of wood embedded itself in Ragnatha’s cheek.

“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I’m holding back desperately. You, Jaffa, Anguis Regina… … There are many times a day when I want to kill you. Do you know why I don’t? It’s because you’re useful to me, so I let you be. We’re not friends. If you understand, then answer me. If you’re going to spout nonsense here and pretend to have the psychological upper hand, I’ll use any means necessary to hear you scream and scream.”

I relaxed my grip and waited for Ragnata to speak.

“I apologize, Luca. You are right. I forgot my position and took your kindness for granted. I will never make that mistake again.”

It was a calm answer.

“That’s right, Ragnata.”

I released Ragnata’s head.

Phew.

Ragnata pointed behind him, pulling the splinter out of his cheek.

“Luka, but Anguis Regina is an interesting woman. If you get to know her, you’ll probably find out her secrets. Oh, this is advice.”

I, too, have been feeling Anguis Regina’s gaze since a while ago.

Ssuk.

I looked back. Anguise Regina, who had come back from the bathroom, was there with a flushed face and shining eyes.

‘Anguis Regina has been watching us since I struck Ragnata’s head.’

Anguish Regina, who pretended to be kind, did not stop me even after seeing my violence. Instead, she rubbed her thighs together as if she was very excited.

I felt bad, so I straightened my collar and tried to leave.

“Hehe, Luca… … .”

Anguish Regina kept looking at me with a wicked smile. I wanted to strangle her and push her against the wall, but I held myself back.

I tried to pass by Anguise Regina without looking at her. Anguise Regina opened her mouth as if to pull me away.

“… … Do you know that? My father died because of Kinuan.”

Her voice was sticky from the saliva she was holding back. She took a step back as if telling me to come to her if I wanted to hear more.

“Oh, really? That’s too bad.”

I answered indifferently and left.

Behind me, Anguise Regina was cursing something. She seemed to be able to speak Tajirun.