Bad Born Blood - Chapter 56



Only Noblemtl

056

Two days later, I went down to the lower areas and made contact with Gabriel.

“Luka, I saved someone. They’re the kind of people who’ll do anything for money.”

Gabriel pointed to the entrance of the alley. Five men with cheap cybernetic devices implanted all over their bodies were inhaling vaporized liquid from inhalers. I don’t even wonder what that liquid is.

“I told you to find someone you can trust, not a charlatan.”

When I struck him, Gabriel looked at me in disbelief.

“You want me to find someone I can trust in this world? Are you kidding me? That’s the only honest guy I’ve chosen!”

Gabriel got angry. When I thought about it, I had nothing to say. How many honest people are there on this earth?

I walked to the hideout that Gabriel had saved. The hideout was a small building inside an alley. It was also close to Gilda’s garage.

This will be the future office of the Gabriel Gang.

“Ah, look, boss! You’re here?”

A pharmacist waved at Gabriel. Looking at his dilated eyes, I could already feel my head hurting.

The people that Gabriel had gathered were much worse than I had expected. They were the type of people that I couldn’t trust with important tasks. They were the kind of people who would betray me if the numbers were even slightly off.

“What about Ken Noma?”

“I prepared a room for you in the hideout. As I said last time, I spent a lot of money to get Ken out of the hospital. Now that I’ve saved the hideout and the people, I’m broke.”

It was a request for more money.

I took out my credit chip, entered the amount, and threw it to Gabriel. Gabriel snatched the chip away with a smirk.

‘I don’t know how much Heilas will allow me to spend.’

It’s probably still within the acceptable range. The Royal Guard’s finances are ample.

“How should I introduce you to the kids?”

“Tell them you’re a sponsor.”

There are often wealthy people or nobles who back gangs in order to exert influence in the lower classes. This is not strange. It is true.

Gabriel approached first and chatted with the men. Then the bald man looked at me and his eyes lit up.

“So you’re saying that the young master is the boss’s boss, hehe.”

A bald man approached me, rubbing his palms together. He seemed to want to get something to eat.

“I don’t care what you do normally, but when you work, you have to be sane.”

“Oh, of course.”

I stared at the back of the bald man’s head. There was a slit-type drug injector on the back of his head. It seemed that he would occasionally open his head and inject drugs directly into his brain.

“You’re going to be tough from now on. There you are, with your snotty nose, next to you, with your dog eyes, and your furry body… .”

Instead of referring to the men by their names, I referred to them by nicknames derived from their characteristics. They nodded as if they were used to this method.

Ken, whom I am protecting, is an important figure in tracking Kinuan’s movements. I have ordered the men to take turns guarding Ken and the hideout.

I looked around the inside of the hideout. The first floor was a single room, and the second floor had four rooms on either side of a central hallway. Although it was old, it wasn’t a bad structure to use as a hideout.

The inner room on the second floor was Ken Noma’s residence. I opened the door with a creak and checked Ken’s condition. Ken was sitting on the bed, drooling. His cognitive abilities were still impaired.

“I bet Ken’s name is still on the hospital list. Unless someone comes to visit him, they won’t know he’s gone. Except for the bribed guards and nurses.”

Gabriel said, leaning his shoulder against the door frame. I was a little surprised at Gabriel’s clever way of doing things. I liked it more than I expected.

“Was it La Vie en Rose? What happened with that gang?”

“He told me to come back within two days. Otherwise he threatened to kill me. I think… … he’s serious.”

“No need to drag this out. Let’s go now. While we’re on our way, tell me what you know about La Vie en Rose.”

It’s still hard to believe, but La Vie en Rose’s boss Martina is obsessed with Gabriel. If things continue this way, Gabriel will either die or become Martina’s subordinate.

Without Gabriel, I’m in trouble. I’m already very busy, and the work in the lower areas will increase two or three times.

‘Aleph of the arena cannot replace Gabriel.’

Aleph came to mind, but I soon erased that name.

Aleph would follow my orders, but I didn’t want to get close enough to that man to expose my whereabouts. He’d betray me if our interests were even slightly disrupted.

* * *

I remembered what Kinuan had said before.

‘Even those bastards have their own roles.’

It was what I said to the gang members who had kidnapped Gilda. Thanks to those words, they saved their lives from me.

There were many large and small gangs in the lower districts. The gangs’ presence was especially large in the shadowy areas where the imperial administration and security did not reach.

If a gang has a name like La Vie en Rose, it means that they have changed bosses many times and have their own history and traditions.

“La Vie en Rose is a gang formed by prostitutes to protect themselves. It is one of the two major forces in the red-light district.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes and grinned.

Even in broad daylight, the red-light district was full of stimuli that disturbed the senses. Holographic advertisements were spread out along the street, forcing you right up to your nose even if you didn’t want to see them.

Most of the footage was filled with nudity and sexual intercourse by women, but occasionally there were men as well. There were even ‘alien prostitutes’, a rarity in the Empire.

As I turned my head to a corner to avoid the dizzying advertisements, a small advertisement for abnormal sexual desires passed by, striking my eyes.

‘Animals have been our friends since the time we walked the earth. Dogs, cats, and horses. They are all our friends. Everything you can imagine is here… … .’

I don’t even want to imagine what happened next. Luckily, there was no video of this.

“Luka, do you want to stop by for a bit?”

Gabriel pointed to a store in the alley.

I squinted my eyes. There was a strange smell coming from the store located in the shady alley. Inside the store, soft colored lights were changing sequentially. The shadows moving through the translucent window were tempting passersby and wiggling their fingers. It was more stimulating because it was not shown.

“Hey, if you don’t like it, don’t frown and just say it. I came all the way here to try and build a friendship.”

Gabriel looked at my expression and shrugged.

“Stop talking nonsense. Just keep explaining.”

“… … The first and most important rule of La Vie en Rose is this. Members of the La Vie en Rose gang must not use violence or harm the ‘dolls’.”

Doll is a slang term for prostitute. That discipline is the reason why La Vie en Rose has the support of the red-light district and is the identity of the organization. I will definitely keep that. I nodded and waited for Gabriel to speak.

“If you break the first commandment, you will suffer a miserable fate that will make you feel like you are better off dead. Well, it is rare for people to break it. Most of the members of La Vie en Rose are children born here or former prostitutes. The people here are like family to them.”

“Boss Martina?”

“Martina Diva, by the way, the boss of La Vie en Rose has been called Diva for generations. And she has to be a woman all the time. That way, it’s easier to get the support of the prostitutes.”

A gang is doomed if it doesn’t have the support of its base.

“If she likes you, it means you’ve met her before.”

“I’ve only seen you a few times because of work. I used to work as a security guard at your store as a side job. I… …look a bit manly, so I feel intimidated.”

It turns out that Gabriel also knows very little about Martina.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the agreed upon location. A rare oriental three-story building appeared in the empire. The old wooden signboard had ‘Cheonghaeru’ engraved on it.

“I came to see Martina.”

Gabriel said as he stood at the entrance to Cheonghaeru. The guard gang contacted someone.

“I see you’re Gabriel, looking at that ugly table top. Who’s next to you?”

A woman who appeared to be an executive walked out of Cheonghaeru. It was unusual for her to be wearing an eye patch covering her left eye.

“My friend. Are you dissatisfied? I almost died twice because of you. But you don’t mean to say that I have to come alone, do you? I’ll bring a weapon with me. If you don’t like that, let’s have a fight here.”

Gabriel let out a groan. He seemed quite intimidated. He must have been genuinely angry.

“……I get it.”

The blindfolded woman guided us as she spoke.

The first floor of Cheonghaeru was a club with a stage. Since it was not business hours, only the cleaners were coming and going, and the gang members of La Vie en Rose were glaring at us.

The second floor was lined with red-carpeted hallways with VIP rooms and other rooms of unknown purpose. At the end of the hallway were stairs leading up to the third floor.

“Gabriel.”

On the stairs leading to the third floor, the blindfolded woman stopped walking.

“Why? What is it? You want to stick it here?”

Gabriel clenched his fists together, creating an ominous atmosphere. A loud clanking sound was heard.

“I warn you, this time, do not refuse the Diva. That way, you will save your life.”

“Hey, An-dae-nyeo. I am… … .”

Before Gabriel could answer, the blindfolded woman went up to the third floor entrance and opened the door. As soon as she opened the door, an indescribable strong scent came out. It was a mixture of a pungent, stimulating smell and a sweet scent. It could be considered disgusting, but it was balanced well enough to make saliva gather under the tongue.

The blindfolded woman went inside. Gabriel and I followed her into the doorway.

‘… … It’s something like this.’

As soon as I entered, I realized the situation. The overly strong scent contained a substance that disturbed the senses. It must have vaporized some numbing drugs together. The effect was only to the extent of slightly dulling the senses, so it was difficult to notice.

But how do I know this?

Even a soldier of my stature noticed the gang lying in ambush next to the door too late!

Crunch!

The muzzle of the pistol was against my temple. One of the gangsters was aiming at me. I had no time to fully comprehend my surroundings.

The combat reflexes engraved in my training moved my body regardless of my will.

I was now no different from a wind-up automaton. My body moved quickly, as if releasing a taut rubber band, to overcome the threat.

Kick!

The gang pulls the trigger. I tilt my head to the side.

Ta-Ang!

The sound of gunshots passed by as if it was tearing my ears. I stared at the gang that had shot me without even closing my eyes. There were many female gang members in La Vie en Rose. The gang in front of me was also a woman. But I’m good at hitting women too.

Whoosh!

I grabbed the hand of the gangster holding the gun and pulled it. The gangster fell forward, his head bowed.

Wood crack!

My fist struck the gangster’s jaw from below. The impact went through from his jaw to the top of his head.

Phew- Ugh!

The gang’s head literally exploded. His jaw buckled under my fist, and the top of his skull burst open like a can with its lid blown off. His exhausted brain slid out of its place and flopped down onto the ceiling.

Lavienrose tried to kill me right away. She must have thought I was a troublemaker. She must have thought to eliminate me and negotiate with Gabriel.

But I have no intention of dying. If they want to kill me, I will just fight back. My body was performing the next action.

Whirl!

I snatched the gun from the gangster whose head had been blown off. I finally had a moment to look around completely.

Gabriel and I stood at the entrance to the room, the dead gangster lying next to me, and the blindfolded woman who had guided us was about five steps ahead of us.

And behind the blindfolded woman stood seven gangsters with their guns drawn.

“Don’t move at all. If you move even a finger, your head will burst.”

I warned him. One of the gangsters ignored me and tried to point his gun at me.

bang!

My shot is faster. I blew up the gangster’s head as promised. There are already two corpses here.

The tension between us was growing to the point where it seemed as if a massacre was imminent.

“… …Stop it. Who told you to be rude to the guest?”

The door to the inner chamber opened and a voice came out. The voice was very beautiful. I don’t know if it was a natural beauty or if it was because the vocal cords were modified.

The owner of this voice is probably Martina Diva.