Bad Born Blood - Chapter 51



Only Noblemtl

051

The hospital in the lower district was extremely shabby. The cobweb-covered light fixtures creaked and swayed every time the door to the ward was opened and closed. If the price were cheaper, the complaints would be appeased, but even this hospital charges a lot of money by the standards of the lower districts.

Gabriel woke up after the surgery with his face soaked in anesthesia and looked at me.

“I only paid for one day of hospitalization. I’ll be discharged tomorrow.”

I told Gabriel. Gabriel was shot four times in the chest and abdomen. Fortunately, his life was not in danger.

“You don’t have to say it so harshly. I have no intention of filling the belly of the money devil either.”

“What happened?”

“You’ve been warned. The atmosphere here is a bit tense these days. They’ve started to fight for power.”

“You’re not in a gang.”

Gabriel was a freelancer who made a living through violence. He worked in the arena and took on jobs as a troubleshooter.

“That’s why it’s a problem. When times are calm, they leave guys like me alone, but when a power struggle starts, they’re either allies or enemies. They shoot at me for no reason and tell me not to mess with them. I can’t even guess what kind of guys they are.”

Gabriel was busy grinding his teeth.

“I guess he didn’t intend to kill you. He didn’t shoot you in the head.”

I made a gun shape with my hand and placed it against my temple.

“It’s just a warning. Most people would be unable to recover even if they do this. Or they would be scared and look for a force that can protect them.”

“You’re joining a gang too. Looking at the way you’re acting, I don’t think you’ll be able to last long on your own.”

This was my own advice.

“If you die, then die. I don’t like that. You have to work under all sorts of trashy kids. More importantly, why did you come to me? You haven’t shown me your nose for months.”

“I have something to do here. I’ll come by tomorrow at this time. Take the strongest painkiller you can and wait.”

“I just had surgery.”

“That’s why I told you to take some painkillers. Is there a problem?”

I crossed my arms and tilted my head to the side. When I glared at him, Gabriel’s expression only grew more severe.

“Yeah, yeah. This little gunshot wound is no problem, of course!”

Gabriel would follow my instructions even if he complained. He was a person who valued loyalty and could not betray someone he owed money to. That’s why I kept ‘investing’ in Gabriel.

I left the hospital room, leaving Gabriel in the hospital. There were armed guards walking around the hospital. Gabriel would be safe here too.

‘Find traces left by Kinuan in the lower areas.’

I had previously heard that Kinuan was quite close to the ‘old arena manager’.

‘If we know what Kinuan did in the lower zone in the past… … we might get some clues.’

I didn’t go back to my accommodations in the upper area. I planned to stay in the lower area for a few days.

As we left the private hospital, we entered a busy area. As it was a medical area, there were mainly other hospitals and cybernetic repair shops lined up there.

‘New combat body from Kaimen, special price sale. Guaranteed authenticity! You won’t get it again at this price! Additional discount when purchasing a full body!’

‘This is an announcement from the 7th Welfare Center. Our friend, Levin Purin, passed away today. However, Levin’s heart is beating hard, and his lungs are healthy without a single tumor. Please purchase fresh organs for Levin Purin’s remaining children.’

‘We manufacture rainbows ourselves. We sell them in apricot to red-green colors at low prices. If you know, please contact us.’

As I walked past, cheap holographic advertisements blasted into my face. I squinted.

Others passed by without a care, as if they were used to the glaring light. Seeing this, I guess I too have become tainted by the life of the upper class.

Woohoo!

In a fairly large hospital, an old, rusty aerial vehicle was transporting patients through the rooftop. The one that Gabriel and I rode in was one of those vehicles.

I walked all night, taking in the scenery of the lower districts. I walked from the downtown area to the shady area, as if I was getting used to the flow of the city, and sometimes I stayed in the border area where I could see the upper districts.

And then… … my steps stopped in front of a shabby building.

‘Nursery No. 72.’

This is where I grew up. The four-story building, long and sideways, had its exterior walls peeled off to reveal the concrete inside. Around it, I could see a lot that was used as a playground and an empty lot. There was also a warehouse on one side.

It was midnight, so most of the lights in the building were off. The orphanage had rules for communal living. If you were caught wandering around in the middle of the night, you would be punished. Of course, if you weren’t caught, that was the end of it.

It hasn’t been four years since I left the orphanage. But it feels like a long time ago. Cadet life was a very dense life. I spent a day like three days.

The life in the orphanage I remember was not affluent. However, it was better than the street orphans who couldn’t even come to the orphanage. At least the orphanage was small, but there was a place to sleep, and there was food, although it was insufficient. The minimum requirements for survival were guaranteed.

I stared at the orphanage building across the street.

Kiiing.

A truck stopped in front of the orphanage. The front door opened, and the truck went inside, rear-ending itself close to the warehouse.

I watched quietly. Soon the fat daycare director made a deal with the truck driver and received a credit chip.

‘Embezzlement again. You little pig.’

It’s a familiar sight to me. The director of the daycare center diverted the supplies that were supposed to be given to the children to the private market. The lower-level officials who were supposed to be monitoring the embezzlement turned a blind eye because they had been bribed by the director.

Even if I interfere here, nothing will change. At best, the director of this orphanage will be careful for a few months. Unless someone keeps watching, things will go back to the way they were. Even if things change, it will only be here. I can’t visit and monitor all the other orphanages in the empire.

‘The world doesn’t change.’

The only thing I can change is myself.

I looked up and looked at the window. The children who had woken up were sticking their heads out and looking outside. The children, whose heads were quite thick, would know what the daycare director was doing. Just as I had noticed.

But they had no power to stop the embezzlement. Even if they rushed to the orphanage director, they would only receive a punishment several times more severe. They might even be thrown out onto the street and found dead a few days later.

The weak children could not defy the strong orphanage director.

I lowered my head and scratched my head. After thinking for a moment, I crossed the road and entered the orphanage. Those who were moving supplies in the vacant lot and warehouse looked at me.

‘It’s pointless.’

I know. This won’t change the world. At best, it’ll feed the kids here for a few months.

… … And if it was that much of a change, it was worth it for me to move. That’s what I thought now. You backed down, Luca.

“What are you doing? Why don’t you get out of here?”

The men who were moving the luggage looked at me. They were not fighters. They were just laborers who carried the luggage.

Kwajik!

I kicked the guy in the knee. His knee buckled and broke, causing parts to fly everywhere.

“Huh, huh?”

The truck driver and the men looked at me. Some even drew their guns clumsily.

My hand flinched. I suppressed my fighting reflex. If I hadn’t suppressed it, the head of the man aiming at me would have burst with my fist.

“If you don’t want to get kicked out, put it in. If you want to end up with arms and legs, then that’s it.”

I extended my index finger to warn the man with the gun. I know that. Words alone won’t work.

bang!

The gunshots rang out. I stretched out my palm and clenched it into a fist.

“ah…….”

The man who shot the gun just opened his mouth wide.

I opened my palm. The crushed bullet fell to my feet. That low-powered pistol couldn’t even penetrate my body.

“Get out of the way.”

I walked between the men and the truck driver. They hesitated and kept their distance, not daring to attack me. Threats accompanied by actions are effective.

“You, Lou, Luca?”

The director of the daycare recognized me and smiled awkwardly.

“It’s been a while, Director.”

“Really, really… … kaaaak!”

I interrupted the director by hitting his chin from bottom to top. The director rolled around on the floor in shock, as if he had bitten his tongue.

“Are you still doing this kind of thing? You’ve already saved up enough money.”

“Why, why are you like this? Lu, Luca. I treated you well. Later on, I even gave you more rations than others.”

After the screening results came out, I also received special treatment. I didn’t starve like I used to. I don’t know about other children, but I was able to eat my fill.

“I appreciate that. That’s why I’m not breaking the director’s neck right now.”

I said with a smile. At my harsh words, the truck driver and the men prepared to run away.

I turned around and looked at the truck driver. My eyes must have been shining so brightly that they could see right through me.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but… … we’re getting out.”

“You’re wise. I came from above. You know what will happen if your dealings with this orphanage are discovered in the future, right?”

I raised my finger and spoke in a mixture of truth and lies.

I have no authority to stop them. I can’t monitor this place from now on. But if my life is precious, I will buy it myself. The effect will last only a year at most.

The truck driver nodded and gestured to the men. They left, leaving only the director of the daycare behind.

“I, I was wrong! I was wrong! Tell me what you didn’t like! I’ll apologize for everything!”

The orphanage director shouted alone, his face filled with fear.

“I didn’t really mean to apologize or anything. I just happened to be here and got annoyed so I intervened. It was all a coincidence.”

I had no sense of mission to take care of the orphanage I grew up in. Volunteering is enough for the whims and hypocrisy of the rich.

“This won’t happen again. I’m reflecting on my actions. Up until now, no one has stopped me or punished me. Now, I’ve been reborn. Thanks to you.”

I quietly listened to the daycare director’s nonsense.

“… … Feed the children well tomorrow.”

I’m losing energy. He’s not worth beating or killing. It won’t make much of a difference even if the director of the daycare center changes.

I looked out the window at the children watching. Some waved at me with sparkling eyes.

I turned my back and tried to leave the orphanage. I felt like I had gotten in for nothing. It wasn’t my nature to do that.

Towering.

I stopped at the front gate.

Suddenly, I remembered my childhood when I was starving. I was so hungry that I would sneak out at night and search through trash cans on the street. But the fingers of the orphanage director who stroked my head were so chubby that my joints were bent.

Oh, I’m a little upset.

“Luca?”

I turned around and approached the daycare director.

Kkwaduk!

I punched the director in the face. His face caved in along the shape of my fist. His eyeballs popped out halfway from the pressure, and his front teeth were all broken by the impact. His nose bone, where my fist hit, was crushed and shrapnel was pushed inward.

I controlled my strength. You won’t die. If I hit you with all my heart, your head would’ve exploded.

“Kkuuuk, kkuu.”

The orphanage director covered his face and let out a groan that made his blood boil.

“I think I feel a little feverish.”

I left the orphanage, leaving the broken director behind. The road was quiet.

I was now thinking of going back to the hospital where Gabriel was. I was going to take a nap there and then visit the arena with Gabriel.

I went back to the hospital through the night streets. I slept leaning against the chair provided for the caregiver in the hospital room. I usually sleep well because of my training, but today I slept so well that it was hard to believe I was in a chair.

It was a refreshing morning for the first time in a while. Even though the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Gabriel’s ugly face, I wasn’t angry.

Yes, I know the reason for the good sleep. Beating up people you don’t like is good for your mental health. I have to admit it.