Bad Born Blood - Chapter 109



Only Noblemtl

109

Jin Gau’s drill has stopped.

Bam! Bam!

My right prosthetic eye fell out with a terrible sound.

Blood spurted out. My face was soaked with blood, as if it had been washed. My nervous system was adjusting to the crackling half-vision.

Dalgrak.

Jin-Gau threw my right prosthetic eye into the analyzer and checked the data.

‘Without even disconnecting the optic nerve… … .’

I felt a stabbing pain. It felt like noise was spreading through my brain.

Clank, clank.

The locks that sealed my limbs opened.

I looked at Jin Ga-woo, wiping away the blood flowing like tears. His figure was blurry because my vision was not yet focused.

“Luka, what did it look like when I gouged out your eyes? Did it look like something else?”

Jin Ga-woo spoke without even looking at me.

“No. The director looked the same as usual.”

“You think the sight of me forcibly removing your eyes looked normal? Well, then that’s okay. It’s not that there are no neurological problems, but it means that the most likely cause is psychological.”

I understood.

If my nervous system was damaged and I was hallucinating… … then the image of Jin-gau that I saw should also be grotesquely distorted. However, Jin-gau looked ordinary.

‘You weren’t torturing me for no reason.’

In any case, he was a very capable person.

“Does that mean there are no problems?”

“It’s not that there’s no nervous system problem at all. It’s because the nervous system is on the verge of collapse, so you hallucinate over trivial things. Hmm, the prosthetic eye itself isn’t the problem either.”

The graph of the analyzer that threw the eyeball was filled with only green.

“So my head can still hold out.”

“If I were to say it in a good way, then yes.”

“Because I have a positive personality.”

Jin Gao laughed, shrugging his shoulders. Illei’s laughter could also be heard behind him.

“I’ll touch up your eye a little and then transplant it.”

“I am satisfied with the way I am now.”

I didn’t want things to change just because someone else was messing with them. I had my own way.

“We’ll optimize to reduce the load on the nervous system. A skilled Archie’s Big Tima doesn’t need to have any fancy features. It’s better to simplify the prediction-related functions to reduce the amount of redundant information. This alone will make things a lot better.”

… … I understand after hearing it. It seems that experts are experts. I nodded without saying anything.

“Do you know about Aki’s Victory?”

“I’ve been interested in it before. It’s interesting in many ways. So, I have a method in mind… … .”

Jin Ga-woo’s smile grew wider.

“So you’re trying to conduct clinical trials through me?”

“There’s no problem in theory. Well, no matter how well you review and simulate in advance, in reality, all sorts of problems will follow. I’m not saying you should just use it.”

Jin-ga-woo held out a hard plastic bag. I opened it slightly and checked the contents. There was a glass bottle containing liquid and a syringe. The glass bottle was attached to the syringe like a magazine.

“When you’re in a tight spot, try it out with the mindset that you’ll get what you pay for. If it works, be sure to let me know. I’ve enclosed the instructions.”

The needle of the syringe was quite sharp. I haven’t read the instructions yet so I don’t know what it was used for, but it was as long as my finger.

“I don’t know what it is, but I hope it doesn’t have to be used.”

“I hope so too.”

Jin Ga-woo spouted lies without even wiping his mouth. He was a strange person. I felt like I liked him, but I wanted to keep my distance.

OMG.

A mechanical arm descended from the ceiling to reimplant the prosthetic eye. Forceps swung open my eye socket. Then, tiny surgical tools dug into the inside and began the neural reattachment procedure.

There is no need for me to explain the detailed process myself.

While I was undergoing the transplant, Ilay and Jin-ga-woo were talking about something else.

“I’ll show you something fun, Ilay. I owe you something.”

Jin-ga-woo knocked on the wall. Part of the wall opened and a glass window was revealed. Beyond the glass window, there was enough space for a person to lie down.

Tick, tick.

I heard a strange, mechanical sound mixed in. I stared out the window, feeling a prickling pain.

‘mouse?’

It was a rat bigger than a fist. But upon closer inspection, it was covered in hard, metallic skin instead of fur.

Kiing, kiing.

The rat with the mechanical body scratched the glass window as soon as it saw Jin-Gau.

‘Machine number.’

I remembered the beast-like machine beast that Ilay had captured in the past. The rat over there was a machine beast that was much smaller than that. Its temper was so ferocious that it kept slamming its body against the glass window.

Boom! Boom!

The rat in the mechanical body pounded furiously on the glass window. However, the glass window did not budge, and the rat, unable to control its anger, ran around in all directions.

“If you’re a mechanic, you’ve seen something bigger than this.”

Illei said with eyes that had lost interest. Jin-ga-woo smiled faintly and displayed a hologram.

“This rat isn’t a machine originally. It doesn’t have a cybernetic body transplanted either.”

“yes?”

“This is a test subject that was exposed to Holy Stone’s energy for a long time. The organism mutated and turned into a machine.”

A holographic image appeared on the glass window, showing a white rat mutating over several months.

At first, the rat’s fur and claws fell out. Soon, its eyes popped out disgustingly, and dark red intestines poured out of its anus and dragged around. It seemed to have contracted a serious illness.

But the mutation was just beginning.

The skin, devoid of hair, hardened and turned into metal. Instead of the missing eyeball, the lens appeared as if it were being pushed out from inside. The metal claws were curved like hooks, and could be used to walk along walls.

“In addition to mechanization, the material itself is also mutating. There are many strange forms. They are literally monsters. Even if you project the same amount of Holy Stone energy onto a genetically identical individual, it will mutate into a different form.”

Jin Gao played other videos in sequence. There was a rat whose entire body had become a mass of muscle. The rat that had become a monster was tearing apart a higher-ranking predator.

And some mice became as hard as rocks and froze and stopped responding to life altogether. But most mice had their skin melting away as if they were sick.

“It would be really fun if we could artificially control this mutation.”

The pupils behind Jin Ga-woo’s glasses shone deeply. Next to him, Illei also watched the experimental video with a mixture of interest and disgust.

“Have you ever experimented with mutations on humans?”

Ilay licked her lips and said, I wanted to ask the same question.

Jin Ga-woo kept his smile and did not answer. Instead, he just blurted out what he wanted to say.

“… … So, don’t delve too deeply into the Arcane Civilization and the Holy Stone. This is for your own good, Ilay Kartika. Do I really need to explain why I’m revealing such secrets?”

“I guess that means it’s that dangerous.”

“You should only read about the Arcane civilization in books. It is not your place to approach it directly.”

It was also a warning to Illai, who had an excessive interest in the Arcane civilization.

Creak, creak.

Meanwhile, my artificial eye transplant was completed.

I squeezed out an ampoule of artificial tears and dropped it onto my sore pupil. The tears washed away the blood and acted as a lubricant.

“Thank you for everything, sir.”

I said, standing up from my chair. Jin Ga-woo waved his hand and smiled.

“I hope you live long.”

“I hope so too.”

* * *

As I and I left the 4th Research Institute, we saw a familiar object. It was an object that brought back unpleasant feelings and memories.

Researchers were carrying the object inside the lab with the help of androids.

Knock knock, knock knock.

The object loaded onto the cart was a cylindrical capsule. It was large enough to easily fit three or four people. Even though it wasn’t connected to electricity, a bluish light flowed along the circuits on the capsule’s surface.

‘Teleportation device.’

It was an artifact I saw in the basement of the Arcane Fortress.

Lillian Ramones tried to travel to Border City in the Bellato Federation via a teleportation device. But it was only a vain dream, as she met her end at the hands of Illai.

“… … He really stole it from another lab. That guy’s drive and skills are truly amazing.”

Illei spoke bitterly and stared at the teleportation device for a long time. Was it curiosity about the Arcane civilization, or was it a longing for Lillian? It could be both.

“You too, put aside your interest in the Arcane civilization. You are destined to become the head of Kartika.”

“I would have done it even if you didn’t say it. And you… …did it with Giselle?”

I had diarrhea even though I didn’t drink water.

“Knock knock, knock. What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Hmm, I haven’t done it yet.”

Ilay spoke monotonously, as if asking what was for breakfast. His smile was incredibly annoying.

“I think you’re seriously mistaken… … .”

Ilay didn’t even listen to me. He just punched me in the chest and started swearing.

“Don’t regret it, Luca. No, no matter what we choose, we’ll end up regretting it… … But do your best. I still regret not doing that.”

Even if the words sound plausible, it means that you will regret it anyway.

“I’m different from you, idiot.”

We moved away from the lab.

Even in the upper areas, the research complex was a superior institution. The scenery was neat and the streets were obsessively clean. Even though it was outdoors, the air quality was excellent because of the high elevation.

At the research complex’s airfield, I could see the aerial vehicle we had ridden in. I was now used to traveling by aerial vehicle.

I looked out the window of the air vehicle. My gaze stretched from below to the horizon. At the end of my gaze was the lower area.

Once, I looked up here from the lower level. Even now, some children look up with longing. But they can’t imagine it.

‘… … That even above, we have to live in fear.’

I crawled up here, believing that all my worries and anxieties would disappear.

The anxiety I had been harboring was still alive and well. The monster called anxiety was looking down at me with its bloodshot eyes.

As time went by, the monster grew bigger and bigger, feeding off my life. It was waiting for me to collapse.

“Luka, I will become the head of the Kartika family.”

Ilay, sitting across from me, spoke to me. He had just been handling the household affairs through a hologram. Judging from the content that was shown, it seemed that he had actually begun to perform his role as head of the household.

“There’s no need to talk about goals again.”

I answered indifferently. Ilay smiled as if she had expected that.

“The Kartika family is just the beginning for me. I intend to gain power.”

“So, you want to become a powerful person in the empire?”

“Power and violence are just tools, but without them, I can’t keep my will, and it’s even harder to realize it. A will that isn’t accompanied by power is quickly broken and crumbles. As you said, I was a noble young master who didn’t know much about the world. I thought lightly that everything would work out somehow. I had never encountered anything against my will, so I looked down on the world. Because I could get whatever I wanted.”

Ilay was scratching the back of her hand. The artificial skin was tearing along her fingernails.

“It wouldn’t be difficult for you to leave the empire and go anywhere, Illei.”

“I have accumulated karma. I have killed many people for my own desires. If I escape from here, even my sins will be meaningless. I don’t want to become the worst person to that extent.”

Ilay was moving away from me. The Ilay I knew was a boy who pursued absurd values ​​and longed for foreign countries.

Since Lillian Ramones’ death, I’ve had a hard time understanding Ilay’s inner thoughts. It’s not strange. He and I are on our own separate paths. Ilay doesn’t know my situation either. So he’s even less likely to understand my thoughts.

We were coming to the end of our childhood. We could no longer escape responsibility, duty, and karma.

“… … Well, try your best.”

“If I said this much, shouldn’t you confess something too?”

Illai sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“Nothing much has happened, except that there are more and more people trying to kill me. It happens all the time.”

I shrugged. Ilay narrowed her eyes.

“Luka, I owe you a debt. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to repay it.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“If I exist, then I exist. So tell me before I change. I might go to a place where I can’t hear your voice. Then, no matter what you ask me, I’ll ignore you.”

I don’t need your help.

I barely managed to hold back the words from rising to my throat. Not for me. I swallowed them for Ilay. I felt that if I let those words out, Ilay would change even faster.

No, to be exact, it would be closer to ‘deterioration’.

“okay.”

In response to my half-hearted answer, Illei only showed a weak smile.

“Thank you, Luca. I, to me… … .”

Ilay’s pupils shook. The unfocused pupils seemed to be looking at something other than me.

“… … I live forgetting about my dead subordinates. Now I barely even think about them.”

Ilay mechanically took out a cigarette and lit it.

Chiik.

A cigarette was lit. Beyond the smoke, Ilay’s eyes brightened again.

“Even on the day I killed Garcia with my own hands, I slept soundly without any nightmares. That was the day many of my long-time relatives died.”

Ilay told me about the day the armed helicopters attacked. I just listened quietly.

“What’s even scarier is that if things continue like this… … it seems like that’ll happen even if you die. So don’t die before me. I don’t want you to see the bottom of me.”

Ilay was becoming a guard before me.