Black Badger - Chapter 324



Only Noblemtl

324. Once Upon a Time (2)

As you may know, Fisker has come face to face with his former buddy.

He was wearing a blue police uniform and had a fox-like smile.

Although he was sometimes dangerously impulsive, he always completed his assigned tasks like a ghost.

But the man whose rebellious nature had made him many enemies was laughing beside the burning car.

Jae-yeon took off his police hat and waved it around.

‘Hello, Buddy!’

He smiled brighter than the burning flames.

‘Thank you for believing in me until the end!’

Asil pulled out his gun.

Ta-da-da-dang! I gritted my teeth and fired the gun. The compulsion to not let the author go this time engulfed my whole body.

I can’t afford to miss it like last time.

This disaster happened because I trusted him.

Because the higher-ups suspected Jae-yeon, but I defended him until the end.

Because I was so blind and stupid… .

Tadadadadada!

He shot with his head half-blown, but strangely, the bullet did not reach Jae-yeon.

Jae-yeon laughs brightly and throws his police hat into a burning vehicle.

The whole series of scenes brought back memories of that time.

The police chief is seen burning unconscious in his vehicle. Jae-yeon is seen leisurely getting out of the wrecked vehicle. He is seen throwing his police hat and badge into the flames under the empty overpass.

Jae-yeon muttered happily amidst the hail of bullets.

‘This is the price you pay for believing in me until the end.’

The man turned to the other side and laughed.

‘You know. Don’t forget this day.’

I won’t miss it.

This time I definitely won’t miss it.

As expected, Fisker followed Jaeyeon away, gritting his teeth.

***

“ah.”

Sophia let out a scream at the sight of her ex-lover.

“This is the only way I can see you again.”

There was a time when I was willingly captivated by the ash-gray cloak.

Then she stopped doing that. She felt sorry for her patrol partner, and also because the memories that were not being added were becoming meaningless. The person who appeared before her eyes was just an illusion created by her own brain. She could no longer build new memories with the person she loved.

This time it’s no different.

The one who smiles sadly and stretches out both arms is just an afterimage of him engraved in the neurons of her brain.

‘What? Why aren’t you running and hugging me?’

“sorry.”

She picked up the gun.

After aiming at the forehead of his beloved lover, he added calmly.

“If it were really you, I would tell you to pull the trigger right away.”

‘I’ll die for you anytime. But can’t you enjoy a little bit of leisure? It’s been a long time since you saw me.’

The afterimage smiled so longingly that it made my heart ache.

‘Stay here for a moment, Sophie.’

“It’s heartbreaking to aim at you, who is nothing but a welcome sight.”

Sophia laughed bitterly and tightened her fingers on the gun.

“How did he hand over the sword to the Commander-in-Chief?”

I don’t think I could have done it myself.

I would never have thought of it. Even if our relationship had fallen out, I didn’t have the courage to make that kind of decision.

A determination that cannot even be measured.

Sophia hoped that her unimaginably strong successor would survive.

He is so strong, he must be carrying things that would have collapsed long ago. May he remain intact.

To do that, she had to quickly run out of this hallucination.

If you can’t run and hug the one you love.

“See you later, John.”

Sophia greeted my memories.

“I still love you.”

Taang!

The refreshing sound of gunshots echoed through the dark space.

***

Ricardo was at home.

The house he grew up in. A space filled with his parents’ loving care.

Scenes that I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to fill my field of vision. Ivory wallpaper and mahogany furniture. LP records neatly arranged and an LP player slowly turning.

I could hear the sound of the TV from inside.

There was no sound of dishes clinking or people talking. Only the sound of the TV and the slow melody of a record tickled his ears. Standing in front of the window with white curtains drawn, Ricardo stared blankly at the pattern on the front door and slowly turned his head.

My father is at home.

He pulled aside the white curtains and checked outside the house.

A black Ferrari parked there.

Ricardo, who noticed a familiar vehicle, turned around silently. He walked slowly into the living room.

Giovanni Sordi was watching TV with his back turned to him.

Ricardo stood quietly behind the chair.

On TV was broadcasting news he would never forget.

[Gas station owner Jimmy Marcello dies…]

‘You came.’

Giovanni said, his eyes fixed on the screen.

Ricardo also didn’t bother to look down at his father.

“Yes….”

‘Shooting your mother and siblings would be too cruel for you. I came out in their place.’

Giovanni muttered, leaning lazily on the sofa in his suit.

‘Shooting me would be infinitely easier. You’ve been avoiding me ever since that incident.’

Only then did Ricardo look down at his father’s vision.

There was bitterness in Giovanni’s eyes as he looked at the liquid crystal display. The series of expressions was so realistic that it gave me chills.

Ricardo barely swallowed his curse.

How glad I am to have Jonathan behind me.

Giovanni muttered.

‘But maybe my feelings have changed now?’

“That’s right… .”

‘Ah. Then shooting me won’t be all that fun.’

“So how on earth does he stay sane~.”

Hold a pistol.

He aimed the gun and put strength into his fingers.

It felt even more terrifying than I had expected. The person in front of me was just an illusion.

As Giovanni said, she is neither his mother nor his younger brother nor his younger sister.

When I was caught in the ash cloak, there was no need to shoot them to death.

He thought of Hildebert.

The one who gave the sword to the Commander-in-Chief to kill his old friend.

A man with a sword who is ready to kill another old comrade with his own hands.

Ricardo sometimes hated his own sensitivity.

I wish I hadn’t seen the little twinkle of longing in Hilde’s eyes as she walked to the negotiating table.

After all that, do you still miss him?

Ricardo snorted without realizing it.

Foolishly giving affection to those who are not worth it… .

“I will go.”

‘okay.’

Giovanni smiled and closed his eyes.

‘Go away.’

Taang!

I pulled the trigger.

***

Someone appeared in front of me.

Yoon pulled the trigger before even checking who it was.

Taang!

The one who appeared narrowly avoided it.

Yoon raised one eyebrow.

“what?”

‘Because of this skill, traces were left on the scene.’

I heard some unpleasant Korean.

It was a voice that could not be mistaken for anyone else’s. Yoon let out a long sigh and stared at the person who had appeared.

Lee Seung-hyun’s welcome threw a ziplock bag.

‘Don’t go home until the wound on your hand heals.’

It’s a memory from several decades ago.

Yoon looked at the single strand of hair in the ziploc bag and let out a crooked sneer.

This is a story from when I was immature. This is the story of when I killed a person for the third time.

The target resisted quite strongly, leaving a knife wound on his palm.

But after killing him, he disguised it as suicide and came out.

On this day, he learned that Seunghyun Lee was checking the scene of his murder. Seunghyun Lee was an unrivaled expert in fabricating and destroying evidence.

Thanks to that, he was able to kill those who abused Ye-Hyeon without even seeing the police.

He also admitted that he owed Seunghyun Lee at this point… .

Tadadadadadadang!

“That’s that.”

Yoon was satisfied that he had the chance to kill Seunghyun Lee, even if it was just a welcome change.

“This is it.”

I am amazed at my own brain for summoning Seunghyun Lee, not Yehyun, Ami, or Hildebert.

Isn’t it thanks to you that I can feel this kind of joy?

Is it good?

Taking a small break, Yoon gladly pulled the trigger.

***

I thought in my hazy consciousness.

Can living things be absorbed?

I don’t think I’ve ever done it.

I looked down blankly at my feet.

This time, a puddle of water dyed red.

I’ll tell you to absorb it again.

Judging by the color of the water, they will bring something they can absorb quickly. As they always have.

This time, I’d like you to bring me some neater piles of corpses.

Could it be that it isn’t a corpse?

I racked my brain, but I couldn’t come up with an answer. I guess I’ve never absorbed a living creature before.

But why was I worrying about this… .

I searched my memories to find the root of the thought.

Around me, hooded figures were muttering something urgently. I paid no attention to what they were saying.

It would be a useless story even if I heard it. It wouldn’t help me escape… .

“Move over and proceed! Do you want to get some practice?”

“Two of you, please release your binding magic and face the enemy. How do we move in this situation?”

“Hildebert.”

Some voices are familiar, and some are not.

Among them, a voice that was not unfamiliar shouted.

“Hildebert!”

Why are you calling me?

So desperate that it hurts my heart… .

“Hildebert! Come to your senses!”

Boom!

A faint groan was heard.

“Keep your mouth shut.”

don’t

I furrowed my brow reflexively.

Stop it.

I also have a limit to my patience.

I clenched my fists. I felt nauseous. I couldn’t bear it anymore.

I didn’t like absorbing the filthy corpses, and I didn’t like being surrounded by people who didn’t even show their faces. It was also hard to see high-ranking cultists treating low-ranking cultists with contempt.

Those who have no sense of human conduct.

People like this should disappear from the world without a trace… .

“uh?”

There shouldn’t even be a corpse left behind.

“What is that?”

How great it would be if living beings could absorb too.

If only I could inhale the person who has his hand on my shoulder right now.

It also happened that their bodies were in contact with each other.

… … .

hmm.

Should I give it a try?

I thought.

There’s no way it won’t work, right?

***

“I fainted.”

Karl Doe reported after checking Ruta Ayer’s pulse.

Yoon didn’t even look back.

“I’ll leave it behind.”

“There is a monster wandering around nearby.”

“Fisker. You’re right next to me.”

When Youga pointed it out, Yun added indifferently.

As expected, Fisker suddenly raised his head.

“Squad leader.”

Yoon didn’t respond.

They were just checking the signal sent by the location tracker. The others didn’t even bother to ask for directions. They were ready to run out at any moment and were waiting for Yoon’s instructions.

They were now standing in a dense forest.

The place that appears after leaving the welcome.

The two who were hit by the mental attack defenses set up by the wizards were Asil Fisker and Ruta Ayer. Ruta Ayer fainted as soon as he jumped out, and Asil came out clutching his head as if he was suffering from a painful headache.

Those who came out healthy withdrew their interest from them as soon as they confirmed that there was nothing wrong with their bodies.

The Titan side was also completely unharmed.

Rose had a look on her face like she was in ecstasy.

“The captain’s golden eyes… .”

She muttered and made a gesture with her hands as if she was holding something. Igor and You paid her no attention.

Humans also did not ask deeply.

Yoon muttered in a low-pitched voice.

“Underground.”

People all turned their heads.

“I think they buried it underground.”

“Where is the signal? All you have to do is dig through the ground above it.”

“A point 5km northeast.”

The man who responded turned his head and gave Igor a look that seemed to question his intelligence.

“If the ceiling collapses, Hildebert will return to us in pretty good shape.”

“Do you think I can’t control my strength to that extent?”

“This area is mostly made up of limestone mountains.”

The scientist retorted dryly.

“It’s a hollow earth. If you hit it with a big hammer, it will either ring like a drum or collapse and expose the underground.”

“Let’s look for the cave entrance.”

Karl Doe joined the conversation in a hoarse voice.

“There must be an entrance somewhere inside the defenses.”

Yoon nodded.

Then they quickly divided up the roles. Yoon was able to clearly distinguish between those who were interested and those who were not, but thanks to his extraordinary memory, he was able to properly grasp the Badgers’ abilities.

Sophia Kalak was strong in urban combat near the supply depot outside the core, while Ricardo was good at patrolling and killing creatures.

On the other hand, Carl Dow showed amazing abilities in the wild.

They will have to find the cave entrance by dividing the sword and the area. Ricardo Sordi and Sofia Kalak will be their escorts.

As you can see, Fisker and Ruta Ayer are guarding the car.

What about the three non-humans… .

“I’m killing the difficult monsters first.”

Igor said, pulling the balaclava over his face.

“There will definitely be a mine or barrier installed at the entrance, so call out when you find it. You may not know it, but the density of monsters inside this defensive line is almost comparable to a monster den.”

“Do whatever you want.”

Yoon responded nonchalantly.

“I don’t mind if I can find it as quickly as possible….”

The man who had been speaking so calmly could not finish his words.

Because the ground they stepped on began to shake.

A faintly swaying limestone area.

Something stirred beneath the ground.

As if just released.