Black Badger - Chapter 400



Only Noblemtl

400. Response (2)

I was so surprised that I leaned back.

Ricardo also blinked his green eyes once.

“My jaw almost broke….”

“sorry.”

Having narrowly avoided a collision, I straightened my posture and checked his condition.

A senior who brought a ringer because it was free.

Yesterday his fever finally went away.

In fact, Ricardo looked much more cheerful now than before. I let out a deep sigh of relief when I saw his healthy complexion.

I have been so anxious all this time… .

Ricardo looked at me carefully.

“Are you satisfied~?”

“yes?”

“Reopen that franchise….”

ah.

He nodded.

The senior let out a hollow laugh.

I quietly observed my opponent’s sharp eyes.

“Aren’t you upset?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking what’s so sad about… but I’m not sad at all, I’m just dumbfounded~.”

“Thank goodness. Are you feeling better now?”

“Except for the clothes~.”

thank god.

It’s not as low pressure as I thought.

Beep beep

As I was sighing in relief, I heard crying next to me.

The senior and I turned our heads at the same time.

Kairos was trying to grab Milk, who was sitting on my shoulder.

“Milk. You shouldn’t interrupt the conversation.”

“Bye.”

“Ah… This little thing’s name is Milk~?”

Ricardo said, watching the milk run down his arm from his shoulder.

Have you never seen it properly?

Well, originally, the thief-eye was very timid and shy, so when an unfamiliar creature approached, he changed his appearance to transparent.

Since you are in Kairos’ arms now, you won’t run away.

The servant who had been doting on the thief-eye before it hatched smiled brightly.

“yes.”

The man gently held out the milk on his palm towards Ricardo.

“Would you like to stroke it?”

Ricardo looked at Milk quietly.

“Did he give permission~? He seems scared… .”

“It’ll be okay if it’s you, Senior. I definitely won’t try to catch Senior Yoon’s eye.”

I guess so.

Ricardo chuckled.

Then, he carefully lifted the hand that did not have the ringer needle in it and gently stroked Milk’s head.

Milk flinched when the palm approached, but did not dodge.

After realizing that the hand stroking her was not malicious, she even made a noise saying that it felt good.

Fluffy white fur.

The senior laughed quietly.

“So cute….”

“I heard Milk crying.”

Ami suddenly popped her head out of the tent.

She ran toward us, dragging the ringer.

“Milk!”

Those around him also became aware of Milk’s existence.

People started to gather again. Kairos moderately intervened to prevent Milk from getting confused. He could be seen using his other palm to shade Milk, who was hanging on his palm.

I replied to Shu’s message while listening to the voices of people looking at Milk with one ear.

The answer came right back.

[Shu: No. He said he was still standing in the ruins.]

That’s a hopeful response.

I was guessing that Simon Diamond, Shu’s father, was encountering Cecil in another world in his dreams.

I’ve heard that wizards use dreams as one of their strange methods of communication.

If the speculation is true, it means that Cecil is still in another world.

[Shoo: But he said that his condition seemed very unstable. That’s why he said he was worried. He wasn’t in his right mind to begin with, and he said that he attempted suicide several times when he was with his father. He said that his condition has gotten even stranger since then. It could just be a dream, though…]

[Me: No. Thank you very much for letting me know. Do you still find the portal strange these days?]

[Shoo: It’s been like that for a while.]

[Me: I see]

[Shoo: I enjoyed the commercial]

no.

I was a little taken aback by the sudden change of topic.

But this senior originally had a bit of an odd side. When I came to my senses and said thank you, and suggested that we go eat together later if we have the chance, the character emoticon that nodded its head came back.

I don’t know if it’s a bear or a cat.

[Me: Are you a cat?]

[Shu: Rat]

Huh?

[Shu: It’s my favorite character. I’m planning to go to the pop-up store in Yeon-dae at the end of July. It’s a busy area, so I’m hesitant…]

[Me: Is it because of the wheelchair?]

[Shu: Yeah]

[Me: If nothing comes up, I’ll go with you. I should have visited you more often…]

[Shoo: Do ​​you still think prosthetic legs are a hasty decision?]

I let out a sigh.

I ran my hand through my flowing hair. If Sugar were in front of me, I would have controlled my expression, but she wasn’t in front of me right now.

I replied after exhaling my frustration.

[Me: Just capture the Archmage]

[Shu: Those two archmages, aren’t they the ones who showed up at headquarters this time? I don’t think they’ll ever fix my leg.]

[Me: If I put a knife to his throat, he might change his attitude. I’ll make him do it.]

[Shu: I think I’d rather choose death]

[Me: Shu. There’s Cecil too.]

I’ve been struggling with the Shua message for a while now.

I felt this last time, but my immediate superior is incredibly stubborn. How many Black Badgers aren’t stubborn?

If you don’t think you can convince him, you should contact Simon.

“What’s wrong~?”

I think I was caught frowning.

I smiled bitterly as I saw Ricardo turning towards me.

“That’s it… .”

When I gave him a rough explanation of the details, Ricardo also furrowed his brow.

He said after a moment of thoughtful silence.

“When did you say that, Rat~?”

“Are you talking about a pop-up? It’s the last week of July.”

“Soon… If nothing comes up, I’ll go with you~.”

I opened my face.

It was because I was happy with the senior’s proposal. If Ricardo joined in and tried to persuade him, I think he would stop worrying.

It’s the end of July, though.

I remembered what Bingryong said to Karl.

But because of the unknown future, it was impossible to just sit back and do nothing until late July or early August.

Carl and Sophia were spared from the epidemic thanks to their outlying mission.

I heard they’re on patrol nearby right now.

I should give them a call too.

While making a mental note, I made a rough appointment with Shu and Ricardo. Since the pop-up was supposed to be held in the last week of July anyway, it seemed like the three of them would have at least one day to make it unless something big happened.

It might be a little more effective if you try to persuade them face to face.

After making an appointment, I put my phone away and someone approached me.

It was a sound that did not seem hostile at all, so I paid no attention to it until he came within striking distance and stopped.

It was only after the surrounding noise suddenly stopped that I realized who had approached me.

My eyes opened wide.

“Senior Mullen?”

“The material you sent me.”

The gray-haired scientist gave a blue gaze.

“Who cleaned it up?”

People stopped petting Milk and just blankly looked at John Mullen.

Obviously, I was surprised that he spoke to me first.

I was speechless at the fact that he came to see me in person.

But I was speechless for another reason.

I stood there dumbfounded for a moment and then came to my senses.

“I got it from a deceased genetic scientist.”

Before I knew it, I was near Yundo.

The shooter who had stopped next to Mullen stared at me.

But I didn’t have the energy to greet him. I tried to pretend to be calm while receiving his blue stares.

“What is the scientist’s name?”

“I don’t know his real name because he used a nickname.”

“Do you even know which journal the paper was published in?”

“Yes. Sorry.”

“The material is really great.”

I guess so.

Eve was the genius of the century. Just like this scientist standing before my eyes now.

At the time, she was one of the few stars illuminating the vast night sky of genetic engineering, and so she was both admired and hated by many.

Since this was information that someone risked his life to steal, it was understandable why Mullen came looking for him.

“Then do you know when he passed away?”

I opened my mouth.

The answer was half a beat late.

“…within the last three years.”

“Because of aging?”

no.

Because I got shot.

I couldn’t say that.

The image of a brain contained within a glowing liquid came to mind.

A dead figure, hanging limp like a jellyfish, follows.

eve.

she is….

“This guy doesn’t know anything, so there’s no use asking him.”

I came back to my senses at the sound of Yoon’s voice.

My blurred vision became clearer. The shooter had already walked between John Mullen and me.

“That’s all the information. I looked it up myself.”

A blue eye that opens and closes slowly.

“I’d like to get the information from you. Didn’t you take advantage of Hildebert’s drunken state to collect his biometric data?”

“omg.”

“It looks like it was neatly stored away in the share house.”

“crazy.”

The seniors let out a terrified noise.

At that moment, someone grabbed my shoulder tightly.

“you.”

“you.”

I turned my head and looked at those who were speaking in stiff voices.

I saw Ricardo staring at me with a frown, and Kairos holding my shoulder with a hardened face.

Ricardo said with a furrowed brow.

“Why all of a sudden?”

Kairos turned me in the opposite direction.

“Hilde. It wasn’t your fault.”

“What… What are you hiding again?”

“I didn’t hide it.”

Hyperventilation did not occur.

It was thanks to the help of people around me.

I took a deep breath and washed my face several times.

Then it seemed like people noticed my anomaly. I heard them muttering, “Why is he acting like that all of a sudden?”

I didn’t have time to answer though.

Fortunately, Kairos turned around and started explaining something to his superiors.

I didn’t hear the details of the explanation.

Take a deep breath and catch your breath.

Ricardo gently patted my back as I desperately tried to avoid a seizure.

Meanwhile, Ami suddenly runs over and grabs my arm.

I managed to calm down.

“I’m glad that the information was helpful to you, my senior, who is a natural genius.”

good.

It’s funny now.

“You found the clue to antibiotics, so even without that data, you would have succeeded in developing antibiotics.”

“no.”

“yes?”

“I was able to do this because I stood on the shoulders of giants.”

To my surprise, Mullen answered my question.

“This was a really impressive study. Thanks for sharing it.”

I wish you had heard this yourself.

Then I would have been really happy. I would have jumped up and down in my seat like a child.

As soon as the tall man finished speaking, he quickly turned around and walked away. He asked me a few questions like a normal person, then walked away without looking back as if he was done.

I kept my eyes on him until his back was out of sight.

It was only after John Mullen left the isolation ward that he finally found the courage to move his frozen body.

I looked back at the people who were holding my shoulders and arms tightly.

“it’s okay.”

Ricardo, Ami, and Kairos did not answer.

“I’m really okay. Thank you for helping me.”

“Why don’t you go in and rest for a bit?”

“That’s a good suggestion. Black, you come with me for a moment~.”

“Yes, senior.”

The minister answered politely.

After hearing the positive answer, the green-eyed senior took Kairos, who had put the milk in his pocket, and walked off somewhere.

I tried to catch them both, but I was also grabbed by Yoon and dragged away.

The shooter said he would be discharged from the hospital tomorrow.

“Get some sleep.”

He hurried me into the tent.

“We don’t know when the enemy will come. The end of July or beginning of August that the dragon mentioned is just around the corner.”

That wasn’t a wrong statement.

Since I had a lot of work to do, I quietly went into the tent and sorted out the situation while listening to Rose and Igor’s reports.

There are many problems at hand, so we need to pull ourselves together and solve them.

I started to lay out the new information and move it around.

***

General staff suffered from overwork in many ways.

Needless to say, the planning and coordination team and the general affairs team were put on emergency alert, as were employees from other departments.

Employees walking through rubble to get to work at the crack of dawn. With the shutdown due to the pandemic followed by the collapse of the headquarters building, there was bound to be a lot of work both inside and outside.

When the space movement opened, public opinion did not reach its worst thanks to the quick response prepared for the Donggwijin incident.

Still, there was no way I wouldn’t get hit.

Even more so because the elders who were quick to read the changing times were left behind.

When the three elders stopped swaying public opinion, chaos escalated.

The world is slowly realizing the ideal.

Starting with the amusement park incident, the sudden increase in the appearance of creatures within the core.

Unprecedented intrusion into headquarters.

Even epidemics that are questionable as being of natural origin.

It was a situation that could not be helped. As the reopening of Lexic Noodles prospered, prices soared and conspiracy theories spread. Food and weapon hoarding began. Stocks plummeted day after day, and there were reports of cults gaining ground.

The president who has revealed his presence after a long time.

Corporate executives are busy responding to the fluctuating market.

The leaders were being called here and there so I didn’t get to see their faces even once.

So, strangely enough, the Badger special forces became relatively idle people.

As we gradually began to return to the field, the manpower shortage situation has been somewhat resolved.

Certain positions are returned to patrol.

As I watched that happen, the last week of July arrived in no time.

The day I promised to meet Ricardo and Shu.

I looked up after replying to Rose’s message that I had received confirmation from Spitfire.

Then he looked at the two seniors approaching and smiled.

“Shoo. Rick. Good morning.”