Bad Born Blood Chapter 329

329
The state and the private sector do not always look in the same direction.

Even the Accresia Empire, with its most robust state control and surveillance, cannot completely control illicit civilian exchanges.

The three kingdoms based on humanity continued to interact in some way.

The company I worked for undercover is also a company that profits from the gaps between the three countries.

“Newbie! Get your act together and move. That one box costs more than your daily wage, no, your monthly salary! Idiot!”

I sighed as I listened to the shooter’s yelling. He was a young man of about the same age as me, but he was complaining about something and was making a fuss about everything.

If I were 10 years younger, that bastard’s limbs would have already fallen off, no matter what the mission was.

puck!

Fortunately, this time the impact did not come from the back of my head.

I pulled my hat down and glanced back.

“You do your job properly, kid. Newbie, you take it easy. You’re doing your work neatly, which is unusual for a young man these days. Did you stack the boxes so that the company logo is in front? This isn’t the military, so there’s no need to stack them like this.”

The middle-aged team leader hit my shooter on the back of the head and said.

“Miss, Uncle!”

“Hey kid, you should call me team leader at work. What do you mean uncle? Uncle. Are you going to spread rumors all around the neighborhood that I’m a parachute?”

“No, who comes into a company like this by parachute? My uncle told me to come because they were short-handed.”

The team leader and the shooter were bickering.

The team leader hit the shooter on the back of the head once more and blew his whistle loudly.

“Okay, we’re almost done. It’s time to eat now. Let’s go after we eat this.”

Fourteen workers scattered throughout the warehouse were huddled together.

The workers were a diverse bunch, as expected from Border City. There were a few people with partial bodies like me, and one large crawler.

“Team Leader, is today a special meal? A departure special meal.”

“New recruits have arrived, so let’s have a welcoming party. Get ready.”

“Then I will bring the pot.”

Everyone was excited about the special food story.

Thud, thud.

The shooter came up next to me and crossed his arms, showing off.

“Newbie, you know you’re lucky. This is a special treat that only comes once in a while.”

“Special meal?”

I asked mechanically. The shooter became even more proud and pointed to the box loaded onto the vehicle.

“You know what we sell is fresh produce, right? Vegetables, meats, everything. They’re all top quality.”

The ingredients for the food eaten by the upper class and nobles of the Accresia Empire are loaded onto the vehicle.

‘Haha, that’s funny.’

I swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out.

The aristocrats, who can survive on only nutritional supplements and glucose, eat high-quality food made with fresh ingredients.

However, the lower classes, who actually have flesh and blood, eat synthetic foods that only imitate the taste or unidentified pieces of meat mixed with rat meat and insects. Fruits and vegetables are considered luxury goods.

In the Accresia Empire, the concept of agricultural production was virtually extinct. However, that did not mean there was no consumption, so the Empire imported fresh ingredients from the Bellato Federation.

“Okay, put the pot in place. A little further to the right.”

The team leader was giving instructions. The workers brought in baskets of vegetables and meat of low marketability.

‘But there are also good meats and vegetables.’

It was petty embezzlement.

Logistics companies take into account a certain amount of loss when making logistics transport plans. Workers take that loss as their own share.

Bubbling.

The special dish they were talking about was a stew. The stew was boiling warm and full of fresh vegetables and meat.

“From the newbies.”

The team leader picked up a ladle, filled the bowls with stew, and distributed them.

“Oh, thank you.”

When I received the bowl, I felt embarrassed for no reason.

I was thinking of using them. I don’t want to build up unnecessary intimacy.

‘But it’s something I can’t refuse.’

I saw a bowl with steam rising from it.

“Ugh, the vegetables are sweet, sweet. Are rich people eating this every day? The meat melts in your mouth.”

“It’s delicious. It’s great.”

Crawler also gave a thumbs up and said something.

It was a great stew even though I just boiled vegetables and meat without any special techniques.

The natural savory and sweet flavors of the vegetables and meat flowed out into the soup.

“When our ancestors lived on Earth, they must have eaten food like this every day. I’m so jealous, I’m so jealous.”

“Why did you leave such a good hometown and come here?”

“How would I understand?”

“They say that the nuclear radiation from the war made it uninhabitable?”

“My late grandfather said that it was because of the biochemical weapons they sprayed… … He said that if you just touch the air, your skin will melt.”

The workers ate their meals, chatting about their guesses.

The human migration to the planet Novas happened long ago. The history before that is obscured among the people as if hidden behind a veil.

Before I knew it, the meal was over. The team leader came over to me and tapped me on the shoulder.

“Newbie, do you smoke?”

“I am a non-smoker.”

I can feel the suspicious gaze of the team leader. Hmm, this happens often.

“… … You’re a non-smoker with that face? Whatever. Let’s go out and get some fresh air and talk.”

I guess it might come as a surprise to others that I’m a non-smoker.

I followed the team leader. The team leader went out the back door of the warehouse and lit a cigarette.

Chiik, chik.

The team leader took a puff of smoke, spat it out, and then laughed.

“Your name was Luke? I heard you had a hard time at a young age. You had an accident at a factory and lost your arms and legs, right? You had to replace your limbs with prosthetics, so you must be in a lot of debt.”

“Still, it’s fortunate that he survived. After all, they say this world is better than the next.”

The team leader looked at me and opened his eyes wide. He kept patting my back.

“I admire your will to stand up after going through hardships. I admire you. I hope my nephew learns from this. If I hadn’t brought him here, he would have joined a gang and ended up as cannon fodder.”

“If you have a gang of flashy people supporting you, you’ll feel proud and acknowledged, but a couple months later you’ll be dead in a back alley.”

I said cynically. The team leader seemed to like it and laughed even louder.

“My nephew should know that nothing in this world is easy. Phew, he lived quite well before his brother-in-law passed away, so he’s still immature. He thinks he can do something great, even though he hasn’t worked hard enough to build anything up. Infinite possibilities are the exclusive property of those who work hard, tsk.”

The team leader took a long drag on his cigarette and continued talking.

“I didn’t mean to complain, but somehow the conversation ended up like this. Well, it’s nothing more than this: I’ll process a portion of your salary as a personal credit chip. Since you have a lot of debt on your computer, if you pay with the company credit chip, it’ll be seized right away, right?”

It was an unnecessary favor. I felt uncomfortable.

But it would be even stranger if you refused.

“……thank you.”

“They say guns and swords rule the world, but aren’t it workers like us who hold this world together? The world won’t turn without us. Work with pride.”

The team leader tapped me on the shoulder again and went into the warehouse first.

“ha.”

I took a deep breath of cold air and exhaled it desolately. My breath rose in puffs.

“Oh, it’s really annoying.”

I went into the warehouse, muttering to myself.

* * *

There were three long trailer trucks, all of which were equipped with climate control devices.

The cargo that departed from Border City was crossing the border of the Bellato Federation and entering the Accresia Empire.

-We will soon arrive at the Imperial Territory.

The team leader’s radio message was broadcast.

There were four workers in each vehicle.

“Is this your first time in the Empire? Don’t be nervous. There are just a few drones hovering in the sky to keep watch.”

The cargo vehicle went straight from the Bellato Federation to the Accresia Empire, and even to Akbaran.

‘It must be because of the luxury goods of the nobles.’

Since it is a fresh product, we will not lower the quality of the ingredients through unnecessary procedures. It is not too late to carry out the inspection procedures upon arrival at Akbaran.

‘I will be gone by then… … .’

I’m sorry to say this to the team leader, but I plan to disappear as soon as I arrive at Akbaran.

The workers will be disciplined by the company. I can’t care about that until then.

“That’s an Imperial combat drone. It still looks fierce. Rookie, don’t show your face just because you’re curious. Sometimes, a bullet hole appears in the head due to an error.”

Four combat drones flew into the sky and circled above the vehicle.

“I heard that things are not normal within the empire these days. Are you okay?”

“Hey, you’d be touching a cargo that’s carrying food at best? It’s not even military supplies.”

Two workers were chattering in the driver’s seat.

That’s right. It shouldn’t be a big deal. There was a reason Barbara and I took this route.

There were few checks, it was fast to transport, and at best it was just expensive food ingredients. It wasn’t cargo that could be stolen to make money.

The Empire’s combat drones were essentially attached as escorts.

I leaned my head against the window and watched the combat drone’s trajectory.

‘It’s on autopilot. I guess there are no drone pilots or imperial troops nearby.’

It was completely unmanned, out of human control. It would have no network connection to prevent hacking, and would only perform assigned tasks according to internal algorithms.

Woohoo.

The road was occasionally rough.

The vibration of the vehicle reverberated through my buttocks and down my spine. The other workers were taking turns sleeping.

I sorted out the plan in my head while I was on the move.

‘Once we arrive at Akbaran, we start by gathering information.’

You have to keep the flow of events in your head and move forward. If you don’t sense the big picture, you will just be used here and there.

‘Ivan and Ilay don’t know that I’ve arrived in Akbaran. We have to make the most of that.’

And then a creepy man came piercing into my mind.

‘Is Kinuan in Akbaran now?’

Where did Kinuan go? If he is in Akbaran… … .

‘It’s horrible to even imagine.’

Could Kinuan have come to exploit Akbaran’s chaos once again?

‘Do you want to become an emperor who rules the empire?’

I shook my head quietly.

‘Kinuan’s motivation for action is not lust for power.’

Finding out Kinuan’s purpose requires elimination.

‘The nature of power is not freedom and chaos, but order and control. If you become a person of power, Kinuan will become weaker. Because you have to act in order not to lose power. Your purpose is clear, and your actions are consistent, making it easier to read.’

Kinuan’s power comes from chaos. He reads chaos better than anyone else and weaves chaos to his advantage.

In a situation where there is no chaos and confusion, Kinuan is just a smart former guardsman.

‘If the chaos in Akbaran deepens, Kinuan will appear.’

This is my gut feeling.

There is no way that he, who roams the continent as if it were chaos itself, would miss such chaos.

‘For whatever reason, Kinuan will incite chaos in Akbaran.’

I just waited for the truck to arrive at Akbaran.

“Huh, huh?”

The shooter sitting next to me opened his mouth wide as he looked outside.

Kwa- Ang!

A combat drone circling over a cargo vehicle suddenly exploded.

The workers’ complexions immediately worsened. I squinted my eyes and realized the situation.

‘The combat drone was attacked.’

My mind suddenly became complicated.

‘Imperial combat drones are being attacked within Imperial territory?’

The security situation outside the Imperial City was not good. However, there were not many people brave enough to attack the Imperial Army’s drones.

Kwaaaaang!

The noise came again. Another combat drone was hit and crashed down next to the vehicle, exploding.

I closed my eyes and opened them.

‘Maybe rebels or terrorists… … .’

It seems that the situation within the empire is worse than I thought.