Bad Born Blood - Chapter 78



Only Noblemtl

078

I wanted to draw my shock pistol Ruina and blow up the entire hallway. With Ruina’s destructive power, there was no place to run in the narrow hallway, no matter how fast the enemy was.

But the purpose of this mission is to capture and interrogate. You can’t kill him. Be patient, Luca.

Cheeeee!

The smoke grenades dropped by the enemy were still emitting thick smoke. Add to that the concrete dust from the collapsed ceiling, and it was an environment where you couldn’t even breathe.

Boom!

I jumped into the smoky smoke. The distance between me and the enemy became shorter in an instant.

Oh my!

The enemy in the smoke also took a stance as if preparing for combat.

I reached arm’s length and the thing and I collided.

Whoosh!

Our arms crossed. The bastard’s sharp fingers aimed for my face. I avoided it by leaning my upper body back slightly.

I got angry after just a couple of attacks.

‘You little brat!’

I can’t kill him. I can’t aim for his vital points. So the parts I can aim for are limited.

The enemy knew this very well, so he attacked boldly. His judgment was so quick that it was fatal. Those who fought me must have felt this way until now.

Swish!

The bastard pretended to stretch his legs, then stepped back. He was hidden in the thick smoke, so not even a shadow could be seen.

“Tick-tock.”

Another tongue-licking sound.

I also realized what that sound was.

‘Echolocation.’

It was a way to recognize terrain features through sound reflection. It is not an ability that can be learned overnight.

‘You can recognize terrain features without moving your eyes.’

It’s a pretty useful ability in high-speed combat where visibility is limited or it’s hard to look away. I should practice it too.

‘That’s tricky, damn it.’

The enemy wants to leave this place. Even if he hides in the smoke and ambush, I must follow him at my own risk.

I was subjected to all sorts of adverse conditions. Even though my skills were superior, the conditions for victory were difficult, so it was not easy to reach a conclusion.

Wheein, wheein.

I changed the visible light range of my right prosthetic eye several times. My head hurt like it was going to split because of the continuous visual field changes, and the flashes in my right field of vision made me feel like I was going to vomit.

I finally found the wavelength that looks the best.

‘You fucking punk! You’re over there!’

I could clearly see the bastard’s form. He was stuck to the ceiling, ready to pounce on me.

Woohoo!

My legs were full of strength. I kicked the concrete debris with the power of my right leg.

Thud thud thud!

Concrete debris fell on the enemy like shotgun shells. A man was falling, groaning in pain.

Whirl!

I ran and spun around and kicked the wall. I jumped up behind the falling guy.

‘Gotcha, you son of a bitch.’

I could see his defenseless back.

Kwajik!

I landed with my knees on his back, and immediately grabbed his shoulders and ripped them apart.

Kkwadduk!

Parts and wires were coming out along the torn arm. Blood was spurting from the joints and flesh was torn, indicating that it wasn’t a full-body prosthesis.

“Ugh, ugh!”

A scream burst out of the bastard’s mouth. I smiled. Hearing the enemy’s scream seemed to relieve my headache.

But it is not yet time to enjoy the joy of victory.

I quickly pulled out my pistol and put the gun to the back of his neck. If this guy is the contact, he will attempt to commit suicide.

Pfft! Pfft!

An electric anesthesia bullet was inserted into the guy’s neck. As the current flowed, the light of consciousness disappeared from the guy’s pupils.

“Captured.”

I took a breath and looked at the stairs.

Clunk, clunk.

Heilas was coming down from the second floor. He was also grabbing the unconscious man by the hair. He also seemed to have captured the man who was presumed to be the contact.

“Who is the contact person?”

“It’s either you who caught it or I who caught it.”

“What if it’s neither?”

Heilas scratched his chin and answered.

“We’re not that incompetent.”

Well, that’s true.

* * *

Heilas and I carried the two captured men and escaped the chaos. A crowd was slowly gathering due to the commotion.

Druk.

We went back the way we came into the sewer.

“Heylas, I’ve completely erased all traces. There won’t be any footage captured on camera either.”

Pygon spoke as he manipulated the terminal. Despite his shabby appearance, he seemed to be skilled in electronic warfare.

“Thank you for your hard work, Pygon. And you too, Luca.”

Heilas didn’t give Pygon any additional instructions. He felt a strong sense of trust. If he had been a little bit uneasy, he would have asked questions to confirm this and that.

“I don’t think it will be easy to interrogate this guy.”

I said, tapping the unconscious man’s temple with my finger.

The man I caught had mastered the Archies combat technique to a considerable degree. Those who had mastered the Archies combat technique were also skilled in psychological defense. It would be difficult to extract information from him using normal methods.

“You don’t have to worry about that. There are plenty of ways to do it.”

“Heilas said with a smile. I didn’t ask how.

There was nothing special happening the whole time I was walking through the sewers. It seemed like I would return smoothly.

I relaxed somewhat, and so did Pygon and Heilas.

“You used to be young, Master. Just like Master Lucas now.”

“Back then, I wasn’t young, I was just young.”

“Well, at that time, I was asked to investigate the Itanori family’s daughter… … .”

“Oh my.”

Heilas and Pygon were talking about old stories.

I couldn’t even imagine Heilas’s childhood. He must have had his shortcomings and made mistakes when he was my age. He must not have been a man of steel from the beginning. He must have been born with flesh and blood. Either in a physical sense or a metaphorical sense.

But the image of the immature Heilas never crossed my mind. To that extent, Heilas was a perfect superior and a role model soldier for me.

Ssuk.

Pygon came towards me.

“I guess Master Haylas cares for you very much. He even exposed my presence.”

“… … Or maybe I can silence you at any time.”

I know Heilas is listening to me, but he’s not the type of person to be offended by me saying things like this. He probably likes me being careful in everything I do.

Making negative and bad assumptions first. That’s one of my specialties. That’s how I survive. I’ve always had to prepare for the worst.

“You are excellent, my lord. That is how you become a soldier of Custoria. These days, when I look at noble children, there are many who believe that the world will turn in their favor. It is an optimistic belief without any basis, heh heh.”

Pygon smiled, revealing his yellow teeth.

“Pygon, as you get older, you start to talk nonsense.”

“That’s because someone somewhere didn’t accept my retirement.”

“What can I do if there is no one like you?”

At the fork in the sewer, Heilas stopped walking. He handed the man he was carrying to Pygon. I also handed the man to Pygon without hesitation.

“Finish ‘processing’ until I get back.”

“Hails said. I had a vague idea of ​​what ‘processing’ meant. A rather horrifying image flashed through my mind.

“All right.”

Pygon carried the man on his shoulders and disappeared into the darkness.

I felt uneasy. I don’t know who Heilas captured, but the one I captured was quite strong. If something unexpected happens, it will be difficult for Pygon to respond.

“If Pygon shows his true power, you won’t be able to win easily either.”

As if he had read my anxiety, Heilas spoke quietly.

“Can’t we investigate Kinuan through Pygon? He seems to be an excellent person in many ways.”

I questioned. With someone like Pygon, was there any need for me to investigate Kinuan?

“Luka, the reason you’re still alive is because you’re in Kinuan’s good graces. Even if Pygon were to follow Kinuan around on his own, he’d die. And… … Pygon should only be used for the Custoria family’s business. He shouldn’t be put to work on public affairs. That’s the rule.”

“Heilas emphasized. I nodded and grabbed the ladder leading up to the ground.

“ha!”

As I came up to the ground, I took a deep breath and inhaled.

Now I felt like I could finally live a little. After being in the sewer for a while, even the rustling air mixed with sand was welcome.

We headed to another ruin other than the one we had landed on. Soon enough, the Custoria family’s air vehicle came out to meet us.

‘The mission of the Custoria family has been completed.’

Heilas may think he was on a secret mission, but the Empire will learn of what happened today.

… …Because I am the Watcher of the Empire.

* * *

Three days have passed since the secret mission ended.

It wasn’t a waste of effort for Heilas and I. The man I captured was a wanted criminal for the Empire, and the one Heilas caught was a contact for Nemesis.

I went to meet Pygon in place of Heilas, who was busy with his duties as the captain of the guard. The meeting place was a dark basement. There, I could see with my own eyes how the contact we had captured was ‘dealt with’.

Bubbling, bubbling.

I stared at the cylindrical container. It was filled with a textured green liquid. And inside it was a ‘human brain’. The brain was dotted with electrodes.

“It’s a ‘brain in a vat.’ It’s a tricky process. But few people can withstand interrogation in this condition.”

Pygon said, tapping the cylinder. On top of the cylinder was a holographic display. Parts of the brain anatomy displayed on the display flashed as if in response to the impact.

I frowned.

‘I’m still alive in that state.’

The brain, without a body, was in a state of inability to affect physical reality. The external information and stimuli that the brain felt were under the control of the Pygon.

“I see… … it will be effective.”

I covered my mouth with one hand and said, admiration and disgust coming out at the same time. It took a great deal of skill to keep a human being alive in that state.

Humans go crazy if they don’t receive the proper level of external stimulation. They can’t survive for long with only the brain floating around without the body.

‘Pygon’s skills are amazing.’

Pygon tortured them endlessly while giving them just enough stimulation to keep them from going crazy. The most important thing in torture is to drive them to the brink of death without killing them.

In that sense, Pygon was an expert in torture. He was checking various figures in real time and adjusting the stimulation signals.

‘How many humans has Pygon made like that?’

Anyone who looked at it could see that it was a skill learned through experience.

“This device can even squeeze out memories and information from the unconscious realm. Your Majesty, humans know much more than they realize.”

Pygon said it proudly. It was creepy even though they were allies and not enemies.

“Ah, excuse me, Your Majesty. This is something I am used to.”

Pygon spoke as if he understood my feelings.

“……no.”

I spoke quietly.

Pygon covered the cylinder with a cloth and handed me the data chip.

“You can just take this to Master Heilas.”

I nodded and took the data chip. I left the place without saying a word.

Even I, who was used to controlling my emotions through my guard training, couldn’t shake off the unpleasant feeling. Like a sticky drink stuck to the bottom of a cup, no matter how much I turned it over and shook it, the negative emotions wouldn’t go away.