Black Badger - Chapter 397



Only Noblemtl

397. Destiny (1)

Ricardo was still quick-witted.

He spat out a cough and then said.

“It’s broken~?”

“yes.”

Both Yehyun’s and Ricardo’s were unusable.

The shape-shifting weapon was more expensive than I thought. It was much more expensive than 100 million. If I had broken the weapon in the Colosseum, I would have been in a really dizzying pile of debt.

Such an expensive weapon was rendered useless by the infiltration of the creature headquarters.

They say that if you want to make a new one, you can. You have to buy it from outside.

The problem is the budget… .

With two-thirds of their headquarters destroyed, there was no budget to purchase such expensive weapons.

There were a lot of things that needed to be purchased urgently, such as bullets, turrets, and trench core devices.

In addition, there were many other places where money could be spent. Even though it was recommended to work from home because it was dangerous, I heard that all the planning and coordination team members came to work and were pulling their hair out in the office.

So in Ye-Hyeon’s case, she said she just lived on mercy.

Because I have so much money… .

“I’ll buy it too~.”

As I was looking at the pale ringless hand and the IV tube stuck in the back of it, Ricardo said nonchalantly.

I opened my eyes wide.

“Are you going to buy it again?”

“Anyway, I bought the existing one with my own money….”

oh my god.

Ricardo was rich too.

Although the Black Badger’s specific positions were highly paid, their weapons were really expensive.

But you said you bought that one with your own money too.

I blinked.

“Is that weapon your favorite?”

“What… I guess~?”

“When did you learn it? I thought it was amazing every time I saw it.”

There was no such thing before World War I.

So, I was always amazed when I saw Yehyun and Ricardo writing. I don’t really care about how things work, just like I don’t wonder about the principles of magic.

It’s a strange weapon even for someone like me who has that kind of disposition.

Ricardo shrugged and spoke in a muffled voice.

“It originally started as an assistive device for quadriplegic patients… Did you know that it changes shape using brain waves?”

“Oh, yes. I heard.”

“I learned it just before the outbreak of World War II… . Cough. It’s too cumbersome to use and has quite a few shortcomings, so there aren’t many actual users… .”

“But it’s very portable.”

I love my sword very much, but even though it has two mouths, I can’t say it’s comfortable to carry.

It was quite heavy and had a huge presence, so it was difficult to bring it to public places.

On the other hand, the shape-shifting weapon seemed like an accessory rather than a weapon.

So I wondered why Yoon, who is at the peak of efficiency, didn’t use it.

It’s not that I don’t use it, but that I can’t use it?

“No. I think that senior knows how to use it too~. I’ve seen him transform a common shape-shifting weapon a couple of times… As I said, it’s a hassle, so there are more people who don’t use it~. In order to transform it into a specific form and use it, you need to be able to express the production method in your head with brain waves…”

“Huh? If you just picture a window in your head, it changes into the shape of a window, right?”

Ricardo shot me a look as if he were asking me to answer this pathetic question.

I smiled broadly.

I should stop bothering her and just take care of her.

Even if you ask me in detail, I won’t understand the principle.

He got up from his chair and offered a glass of water to the man who was spitting with a pale, tired face.

And I checked Jonathan’s condition, who was dozing off.

We reduced the number of medical staff in the isolation ward because we didn’t know when another creature outbreak would occur.

That’s why I got into nursing. Even though I’m not that great at it.

I took Ricardo’s empty glass, hoping that it would help those who cared even a little to recover quickly.

And he started urging his senior to take a break.

Just like he often did to me.

***

A makeshift isolation ward.

The ward that was created by a large number of general workers rushing in was larger than the last one. And the defenses were stronger than the last one.

It can never be said that the defense is ironclad, as the shortage of supplies is severe.

In any case, the trench core was always ready to operate, and ventilation, heating and cooling were all good.

It sounds like it’s quite comfortable.

“excuse me.”

After 10 p.m., silence usually falls and all hospitalized patients keep their voices to a minimum.

There were always medical staff on duty at night, as there were cases where people whose conditions were not improving at dawn.

Anyway, lights were turned off after 9:30. Then I would walk around quietly and return to the tent around 11:00.

So today, as I was slowly getting ready to head back to the tent, my senior called me over.

“Taleb.”

“yes?”

A senior whose face I only know.

I was about to leave after helping him, who was slowly cleaning up the snack scraps while dragging his heavy body. Now that Ricardo had turned a corner and Yun was slowly recovering, he had the time to visit other people’s tents.

So I visited other tents as well… .

As I was heading outside, I turned around and saw a senior I didn’t know.

“What do you need?”

The other person didn’t speak right away.

He lowered his head and mumbled as if the words were not coming out easily.

Are you trying to ask me something difficult?

I wonder if it’s inconvenient to go to the bathroom. Even I had a hard time making that request.

I thought it would be better to wait than to rush things, so I just stood there.

As we stood there patiently, the senior made a crawling sound.

“sorry.”

I stared straight at my opponent.

“What are you sorry about?”

“Yeah, I was there too.”

The senior muttered, his gaze fixed on his hands.

“I remember when you got really angry and left.”

“ah.”

Are you talking about the time you beat up Jaeyeon?

Memories came flooding back. Even though I was going through all this, my anger towards Jaeyeon and Colton hadn’t subsided, so when I recalled that time, the anger that had been buried deep in my heart flared up.

Although he didn’t show it.

anyway.

It looks like he’s one of the Badgers who participated in the Q&A session with the leadership.

I had no idea.

“it’s okay.”

I answered like that because it was really okay.

“Even I would have been suspicious if someone like me had come in. It’s not like you threw a punch at me or anything.”

“At the time, I questioned the legitimacy of your hiring. I said that on the surface, but in reality, I was making up excuses because I didn’t like you.”

“Was that so?”

I laughed softly at the ridiculous honesty of my opponent.

“But I don’t remember all the questions from back then. So, it’s really okay. I’m not feeling well either, so please go to sleep… Oh, thank you for apologizing.”

“No, I’m really sorry. I hated you because I imagined what kind of person you were without even knowing you well.”

“That may be true, but it’s rare to find someone who apologizes like you do.”

“Honestly, I… thought you wouldn’t fight.”

The senior finally raised his head.

Judging from the slow pace at which he was moving, his physical condition seems to be quite poor.

Even though it must have been difficult, the other person looked at me with clear eyes.

“You left so angry. I thought you were going to quit… Even if you didn’t quit, I honestly thought you would have enemies in the organization. I thought you must have lost all affection for me.”

“Are you in an organization?”

“To humans.”

I drew a line at the corner of my mouth without saying a word.

It’s not that I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.

As I just smiled without answering, the senior muttered without taking his eyes off me.

“If it were me, I would have laughed and disappeared, telling you to live well without me.”

“I am not here just because of my love for humanity.”

“Some would never have come to a creature infiltration site.”

I guess so.

An organization in which all its members are normal cannot exist.

As I was about to say that, my senior interrupted me.

“I also want to tell your people… that I’m sorry and thankful.”

I let out a small laugh.

“I know it’s shameless, but….”

“No. I’ll pass it on to you. Or you can do it yourself if you want.”

“If possible, I’ll do it myself. Thank you.”

The senior looked at me closely and added heavily.

“And fuck, don’t worry about the other guys that were there at the time. Most of them were so scared when they saw you get angry that they can’t even open their mouths in front of you anymore.”

I mean, I wasn’t really hit at all.

You all must have heard the ridiculous rumors I heard in the Empire. I was too famous to say it myself, but the Empire was an environment where rumors, once distorted, were difficult to correct.

The speculations I heard here are really cute compared to the rumors I heard back then.

I really appreciate your apology.

After accepting his apology, I made a statement and returned to the tent.

And he briefly told his subordinates what had just happened.

The missionary who recently heard people say, ‘You’re being nursed by Blackjack!’ smiled broadly.

“That’s what reputation is. I don’t think you care, but I’m glad that public opinion has changed a bit.”

“Wow, you’re still honest. You could argue that you were actually on my side.”

“Surely there are still people who say something like that?”

You furrows your brow next to the moved Delte.

I grabbed a towel and clothes to go to the shower room.

I kept nagging Deltay and Rose to go home, but they didn’t listen. So I made a separate area for them inside our booth.

Rose is out of the office right now because I asked her to.

“No. There are hardly any seniors who say anything.”

After answering Youu’s words, he nagged at Deltey, who was chewing on a vitamin jelly.

“Del. If you see something that doesn’t look like much, just tell me.”

“It’s okay, just turn towards the female badgers.”

“You’re doing well. And go to bed early. You’ll get mouth ulcers again.”

“Oh, I said it’s okay!”

“Please tell me when you come back after washing up. I have some stories to tell you.”

So when I came back after washing up, You told me something quite important.

Progress report to Heath.

William Walker appears to be of mixed race.

“I’m embarrassed to say, but I haven’t been able to find out who the parents are.”

“What is there to be ashamed of?”

“… I tried to keep hearing news of my people, but I couldn’t completely track them down.”

“It’s better if they’re mixed together and indistinguishable. That’s what we wanted from the beginning.”

“Would you like to meet?”

You asked.

I looked back at the bookseller as I dried the water from my hair with a towel.

Youga was waiting for my answer in a tense state.

An expression that seemed a little scared.

Said the one who had been broken while I was away, bearing my absence.

“There are still people who live together, like small tribes… Are you going to visit them?”

I laughed quietly.

He muttered between the tent and the wall of the isolation ward.

“Not yet, I think. If I go there, Falcon will definitely try to grab them and shake them.”

“It would be like that even if we never met.”

“I guess so, but it would be safer to just get it out of the way.”

Honestly, I was a little happy that William Walker was found to be mixed race.

It felt like evidence that we had become ingrained in the Earth, to the point where we had to work so hard to find out our origins.

I also felt sorry. I had been living as an orphan for a long time.

I wonder if he wouldn’t have been an orphan if I had come back sooner.

A giant with the strength of a grizzly bear suddenly seemed like a cute kid.

I think you’d be upset if you found out that I feel this kind of one-sided affection for you.

Anyway….

“Can you tell him to wait a little longer?”

“yes.”

The man who answered stiffly let out a heavy breath as if he had let out something he had wanted to ask but had been too scared to ask.

this.

I placed my hand on the head of the bookworm who was washing his face dry.

I was going to go apologize to Hessie and Tom who were hospitalized yesterday, but I guess I’ll have to put that off for a bit.

The bookseller remained motionless for a while.

Then, the moment I bent down because I was worried, I muttered.

“eve.”

“hmm?”

“Open the hard drive she gave you.”

ah.

“I think now is the time.”

***

I stared at the file titles on Eve’s hard drive.

‘tie’.