Bad Born Blood Chapter 309

In the room where the 309
accident map was located, only I and I were left. The two of us looked at Kinuan’s accident map.

Maria, Sariel, and Quilia were outside under the surveillance of two special agents.

Profit.

As soon as the two were left, Illei folded back her stuffy helmet. Her inorganic hair flowed down, and her glassy pupils glowed blue. If she didn’t show any emotion, her face would be desperately mechanical.

“Luka, do you need such a cumbersome note for Kinuan? Is this perhaps one of the thinking skills of Archie Victima that I don’t know about?”

Ilay crossed his arms and rested his chin on his hand. He had the same question as I did.

“Of course not. I don’t need it either.”

“Then this must be a trap to confuse us.”

I shook my head quickly.

“… … It can’t be a trap. Something is strange. It’s different from the traps and schemes Kinuan has thrown at us so far. It’s too shallow to be called a scheme. It’s too easy.”

“Luka, your belief is that there are no easy answers in the world. There’s no way the answer could come out this easily, right?”

“Because reality doesn’t work the way I think. I don’t want to be trapped by my own values ​​and miss the right answer right in front of me.”

Ilay looked at me and nodded.

“I guess it’s called flexibility of thought.”

Illei closed his blue eyes for a moment and then opened them slightly. The habits from his biological days were still ingrained in him. Later, when he becomes completely accustomed to his mechanical body, even those habits will disappear.

“There’s a reason Kinuan needs to obtain trivial information through methods like accident maps. No matter what, it’s probably a dysfunction caused by brain damage.”

I said it as if I was organizing it.

Kinuan has been using the Aquis Victima for a long time. It is clear that there is some functional abnormality due to brain damage.

‘But it was kept completely hidden.’

I even thought that Kinuan had overcome the side effects of Akiess Victima through some means. I even felt that the weaknesses or ‘brain dysfunction’ that Kinuan often revealed to me were an act.

‘I was constantly wondering what was real and what was fake because of the guy’s behavior that seemed to know and not know.’

But this time, it hit the truth.

To borrow an old saying from Illei, it was ‘the darkest place under the lamp’.

This is a ‘truth’ that can only be believed if you consider Kinuan as a human being just like me.

‘If you fear and worship Kinuan… … and consider him a monster of chaos, then this information is unbelievable.’

Here, I pull out the wedge that Kinuan has planted in me and correct my distorted perception.

“Luka, if what you said is true, Kinuan’s brain is damaged to the point where he can’t properly store information in his head. And yet he’s able to move around while evading all kinds of tracking… … He’s a monster.”

Illei still regarded Kinuan as a lofty being. A monster that leisurely shunned everyone even though its brain was damaged. That was Kinuan in Illei’s mind.

“Illai, we have the advantage. Kinuan is cornered. He doesn’t even have the luxury of hiding the information he needs to hide. He’s making his last desperate move.”

“Um, is that so… … .”

Ilay replied vaguely to my words. Ilay, who had been chasing Kinuan all along, had a hard time believing that he was cornered.

The wedges Kinuan planted were hard to pull out. It took me a long time.

‘Until now, Kinuan must have shown us his weaknesses several times. However… … We believed that Kinuan would not make such a foolish mistake, so we considered even his weaknesses as traps.’

There is no such thing as perfection. There are only those who pretend to be perfect.

I memorized Kinuan’s accident map and burned it. There was nothing good left in it.

“What happened to Lars? I gave my final instructions to contact you.”

I spoke without looking at Ilay. I didn’t want to observe Ilay and ponder over lies and truth.

If Ilay is lying… … I can’t help it. At least, I believe that even if he deceives me, he won’t harm me.

“Lars didn’t show up at the junction. The signal was cut off at the last Pioneer Temple. In the worst case scenario, he could already be dead.”

Illai took a deep breath and continued speaking as if trying to convince me.

“I repeat, it would be wise to abandon Lars. If the nose of the crawler Sariel is better than Kinuan expected, and Kinuan is truly in a corner… … we can capture Kinuan. Lars is a soldier. He is prepared to become a consumable for the sake of his country.”

Ilay’s opinion is not wrong. Lars also came along on this mission prepared to be consumed.

But there was one line that I had. If I cut it, something would fall apart. It could be the impurity that Heilas was talking about.

“Ilay, you would gladly abandon Lars. Kinuan would do the same if you were in my situation. Even Heilas would have abandoned Lars. But… … I am not you. I am not Kinuan or Heilas.”

I swallowed my words.

‘I am me.’

I’m sick of wearing myself out because I can’t help it. It’s not my way, it’s someone else’s way.

The weak do not exist to be trampled by the strong, and they should not become the foundation of heroes just because they live a humble life.

Above all, I am certain.

‘Lars is not a man prepared to die. He is just a boy trapped in a battle machine.’

Lars did not choose to be ‘consumed’ based on his own values ​​and beliefs. He was too young to do so. He was merely brainwashed into being a consumable for the Empire, and he was not mentally mature enough to voluntarily choose to sacrifice himself.

“Luka, you go with Quilia and save Lars. I’ll take Maria and her men and find Kinuan. This is my end of the line.”

I expected Ilay to make that suggestion.

“After the job is done, don’t kill Maria and Sariel. They are helpful collaborators, so treat them fairly.”

“I think so. I’m currently looking into Maria Oganov’s background. She has a background and is someone you shouldn’t mess with easily, so you don’t have to worry.”

“background?”

“It seems that he has connections with the high-ranking military officials of the Bellato Federation. We are currently investigating the details.”

There seems to have been a reason why Maria did not back down easily even in the face of state violence.

* * *

My collar is Ivan’s leash. He watches and controls me through my collar.

But this time, there was a need to break free from that control.

“Ivan, I plan to enter the Temple of Cora’s Frontier. The signal will be forcibly cut off like last time, so the armor will work.”

I whispered to myself, in time with the data transmission cycle of the armor.

After a while, I continued speaking.

“Whether you allow it or not, I will move. If you want me to find Kinuan, you can handle it. There is only one step left. If you want to see my head explode before you take that one step, then there is nothing I can do about it.”

Yes, this is a threat. I hurled threats at the Emperor of the Empire. You’ve grown up so much, Luca.

I checked the transmission time and waited.

By now, Mokgap would have sent the data to the Empire’s military satellite. Since it is confidential data, it would contain the latest security technology that has not been released to the public. It could even be a communication system reverse-engineered from the technology of the Arcane civilization.

Sling.

I felt the gauntlet and felt it. I didn’t feel any particular change.

‘There is no way to know whether Ivan has released my gauntlet or not.’

Given Ivan’s sadistic nature, he probably wouldn’t tell me even if he temporarily released the gauntlet.

While I was communicating with Ivan, Ilay found a temporary shelter.

We broke open the lock on a nearby abandoned building and entered, taking a break and checking things out before continuing our mission.

‘Sariel is asleep, having been drugged… … .’

Illei and the two special agents took turns resting and watching over Quilia and Maria.

Maria frowned as soon as she saw me.

Sigh.

Maria nodded to me and made a face that suggested we talk. The special agent in charge of Maria’s surveillance also tried to follow me.

“Enough with the surveillance. I’m here. And Maria is a collaborator on this mission. Don’t treat her like a criminal.”

I stopped the special agent. Maria and I left the hallway and talked.

“I moved on the condition that I work with you. I can’t trust that killing machine.”

Maria complained. She would be reluctant to move with Ilay.

“If you have any complaints, take Sariel and leave here. If there is any interference, I will stop it. I have no intention of forcing your cooperation. You have already been of sufficient help.”

Maria opened her eyes wide at my innocent words.

“It doesn’t sound like a lie when you say you’ll stop it.”

“That ‘killing machine’ is my friend, but he’s also ruthless. Sometimes, he’s so annoying that I want to break his head.”

Maria licked her lips and then burst into laughter.

“This lady likes you. Hmm, the age difference makes it hard to have a lover, and like I said last time, even a son-in-law… … .”

“I have a girl. She has a pretty face and a slim body.”

I quickly dismissed it.

Maria licked her lips as if she was regretting it, then glanced in the direction of Ilay.

“I heard you’re going to rescue your subordinates?”

“The stupid kid must have fallen into the trap. He’s not ready to die yet. If he’s alive, I want to save him.”

I ruled out the possibility that Lars assassinated the parish priest on Ivan’s orders. I became convinced of this after meeting Ilay.

‘The most important thing for Ivan is to find Kinuan. He won’t do anything that will mess up my mission and Ilay’s. Ilay doesn’t seem to know about it either.’

Maria put her hands on her hips and sighed. Her expression seemed to indicate that she was losing energy.

“I thought you were a heartless imperial soldier, but you’re quite sluggish.”

“… …Because that’s my weapon.”

I answered softly.

“Hmm, hmm.”

Maria stroked her chin with a look that seemed to indicate both knowledge and confusion.

‘Gabriel.’

I licked my lips. At first, I had no intention of letting Maria know about Gabriel’s presence.

However, Gabriel was missing the presence of his family. Even though he pretended to be strong on the outside, inside he was a boy who longed for affection.

‘It’s Gabriel’s choice.’

Maria would not be a parent who treats her children like mere consumables. If she were such a person, Uriel, Raphael, and Sariel would not have followed her so well.

He may have a cruel side, but he also has a warm side.

“Do you know about Anima Mobile School?”

“Oh, that’s the school run by that strange woman. How do you know about that? Only the nomads know about it… … .”

“Look for ‘Gabriel’ there.”

Maria stopped in shock. She stood still like a broken machine, then slowly began to tremble from the extremities. Soon she looked back at me with her eyes wide open.

“How can you not know?”

“It’s similar to you. I knew it right away. Go and listen to the details. I’ll tell you one thing in advance. Respect Gabriel’s choice. If you force it… … I won’t look like a weak human anymore.”

As soon as she heard my words, Maria smiled warmly. It was the first time I saw the expression of a ‘mother’ rather than a ‘captain’.

“… … You’re Gabriel’s friend. Haha, he has a good friend.”

I didn’t deny it.