Chapter 185

Dustborn Corporation’s Yi Hyun Kim.
The man known collectively as ‘The Prefecture’ is quite well known in the town. As Dustborne grew, it naturally became more famous. He may not be a household name, but everyone knows someone who is.
However, there are information gaps at different tiers.
First of all, in the eyes of the general public, Kim is just a representative of Dustborn. There are photos taken by paparazzi circulating on the network, but at best, it’s just a face, a name, and a title.
Asterike and Ekidnaga are two of the most popularly recognized mountain ranges. One is a professional athlete, the other is a board member who works diligently inside and outside the organization. They’re also famous for their good looks.
On the other hand, it’s a different story when you get into the city’s backstreets.
Bounty hunters working underground, where the Outlaws still lurk. A business walking a tightrope between illegal and legal. An errand boy from the mafia, brought in from abroad.
They know the rumors of the ‘prefecture’ in more detail.
He knows what the head of Dustborn has been doing in Kilikia, what he’s been involved in in the past, and that the city has changed drastically because of it.
In the same vein, the same is true for the police force.
“You’re staring at me too much, asshole.”
Fernando Romero, a rank-and-file member of the National Police, jolted awake at the sound of voices. Before he knew it, a senior officer was standing right next to him, tapping him on the shoulder.
“Is he that interesting?”
“I must say, I’m intrigued. I’ve heard of you, but I’ve never met you.”
“Oh. That could be.”
There’s a lot of crossover in the work itself. For example, when we arrest criminals in Dustborne, we’re handed over to the police. If you’re in an office job, you’re in the field a lot.
But there were a few exceptions, including Kim.
“Because he’s so busy, he’s basically never in town.”
Rumor has it that he has a wanderlust. Furthermore, when he’s in the city, it’s rare for him to run into a member of the security force. Not every situation is serious enough to warrant his presence.
In other words, this is a serious situation.
“The remnants of the Legion.
It was hard for Fernando to understand exactly how much work he had to do, as he was a rookie who hadn’t been through a Metro City defense battle. His knowledge of the Legion was limited to what he knew about it.
He treated the deployment as a terrorist hunt,
I got to meet the rumored head of Dustborn for the first time.
“If you’re curious, at least say something.”
“Is that okay?”
“Why not? I don’t think you’ll be uncomfortable.”
The senior shrugged.
“There are a lot of crazy bounty hunters out there, but he’s more normal than I expected. And I mean that in a good way. You must have a lot of burns.”
He added, lowering the volume.
“But don’t shovel, just in case.”
“Shoveling?”
“Don’t be a dick.”
For the first time, I saw the serious face of my always lighthearted senior.
“You can get fucked by a bird that doesn’t know what it’s doing, really.”
Fernando eventually stopped talking to Kim.
Forty-five minutes later, he thanked the senior for the warning.
Tududududu!
Bullet casings and blood spatter.
Fifteen law enforcement officers did nothing. They didn’t have to do anything. Kim used a strange drone to search for them, and when he found them, he took them down with knives and grenades.
“Thank you all for your efforts, I’ll leave the rest of you to the law enforcement.”
The mission of clearing out a terrorist stronghold was as simple as a morning routine. In less than an hour, he’d wiped out the hideout and was on his way.
“……What are we here for?”
“I get it, you’re just trying to match the assortment?”
The mission made headlines the next day.
The battle that ended in Kim’s short life was a fierce bloodbath, and the men and women of the security forces became heroes of the city. The terrorist, who was swept away like a fallen leaf, was packaged as the devil who could have destroyed the city.
Each one was true.
Once the blood splashed, it was a clot,
Law enforcement officers are always heroes,
Since the terrorists were actually trying to overthrow the city.
It’s just that there was a hidden agenda that the public didn’t know about.
* * *
Things moved quickly under the water.
Of course, Clara Silvas’s crimes weren’t ignored. She was able to divert attention for a while, but she was still an infected person and a criminal who preyed on civilians.
Instead, a punishment other than execution was imposed.
“Really, thank you. I will never forget this favor.”
“You can forget about it. Your brother will repay the favor.”
Clara Silvas has been banished from the city. Alvaro accompanied her as her guardian. Alvaro’s long career in the league came to an end.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to Clara.
Maybe they’ll be crucial to the development of a vaccine. Or maybe it would be destroyed for failing to contain the mutation. Whatever the outcome, it was now out of Kim’s hands.
“…What is the Celbrosics Lab like?”
“It’s a human place, and there’s nothing to worry about or expect too much.”
There’s just a strong sense of purpose. If you look at them individually, few people are that special. They are equally capable of loving someone and hating someone.
Until they adapt, the Silvas siblings will be watched warily. Clara is a monster, no matter how you look at it. She’s expected to be ostracized more than Kim was in the past, not less.
“But a lab would know how to contain the mutation to some degree, and it would be much more effective and reliable than the crazy thing of chewing on city sanitizer.”
“That alone should be reason enough to go there.”
“After that, you’re on your own.”
Aluminum may be stuck with wrap forever, but the heart is not. It is impossible for anyone to be moved by rap unless they are brainwashed.
The Albatross alone cut ties with the Lab completely after the cataclysm. It was the decision of their deputy leader, Anima. She had heard the truth of the catastrophe from Kushan’s own lips.
‘……I doubt I’ll be given time to adapt.’
You have a hunch that an episode is about to start. You may not be able to pinpoint the exact time, but you can make an intuitive prediction. It’s not the kind of event that can be disrupted by a butterfly effect.
“Well, then, Team Leader, I’ll see you in another month.”
“We’re going to check their supplies, including medication and food,” said Turkam, who finished checking them out. He used to go to the lab regularly, so it was natural for him to take on the role of bringing the Silvas siblings.
They use two cars. One for Turkam, one for his brother, and one for Alvin to drive. This was in case of mutations on the road.
“It seems like I say this every time, but you can take your time.”
“There’s nothing to do there.”
“You know, the two of you used to hang out together.”
“Oh, them.”
Turkam cleared his throat coolly.
“Actually, I should say it’s a little distant….”
“What the hell. You’re quitting on your buddies just because you’re a regular agent?”
“What’s a stop-loss, a stop-loss. And not the original motive.”
My reaction was immediate, as if I’d been thinking about it.
“Tatalia and Shay are reserve agents, too, and they’ve been dragged around here and there lately because they’re short-handed, and the days of training together are gone, and we can’t talk because we do different things.”
Feeling disconnected from your friends after becoming social. I know.
“That, too. I like it better outside.”
“Whatever, we’ll be here for a while.”
“Yep. I’ll catch you up on everything, including that ‘it’ you asked about.”
“Yes, please.”
The car then started to drive away, belching out fumes.
Kim saw off the three of them with his usual grim eyes. He stayed until the car was completely out of sight. A strong sense of foreboding enveloped him, just as it had at Snowfields and Daemo.
The car you just left crosses the border back into Kilikia.
Turkam and Celbrosics Labs will be back with a problem.
* * *
Three weeks after Alum’s surprise retirement rocked the league.
The city itself has stabilized considerably, as the cascading issues have faded away. We’ve captured a few infected who have ingested the larvae, but none of them are adapters.
“I guess that means Clara was an outlier after all.
The source and status of the larvae on the market has been clarified. The smuggling septic tank workers and brokers were arrested. Officials, regardless of their affiliation, worked day and night.
It was the end of an incident that, if it had been delayed, could have decided the fate of the city. It may not have been publicized, but Dustbourne’s name was once again etched in the minds of those involved.
As an aside, there have been some bizarre rumors floating around.
“People’s imaginations are amazing. I’ve heard some ridiculous rumors, like that Alonso decided to retire because he got his ass kicked by Mr. Asterike, or that Dustborne put pressure on him at the company level.”
“Which?”
“I thought you were going to get hit by Mr. Asterike.”
Kim was stunned by the story Chelsea told him. It was a common opinion, even if the source was unclear. After all, people are the same wherever they live.
“Well, I’m glad we didn’t go in a bad mood anyway.”
“I mean, I thought it was going to work at one point.”
Sigh.
“I think there’s something about this city, it’s so fucked up, it would’ve been fucked up two or three times already without us. It’s funny how just when you think you’ve forgotten, the crazies come out.”
Self-pity aside, he wasn’t wrong.
‘It was always a shitty city….’
In fact, it’s a recipe for trouble, whether it’s the sheer density of the population relative to the land area or the number of immigrants arriving every year. The risk of being directly hit by a catastrophe is low, but it’s also vulnerable to upheaval.
“Where there’s no problem, there’s no problem. Harenthal said so.”
“At least Bastitera’s still alive, right?”
“In terms of infection rates, it’s almost a clean slate….”
In Polaris, the race setting of Pekatum is deceptive to say the least. A naturally high-performance body and an innate sense of combat. He’s even resistant to pollution, which is key in the second half of the game.
Currently, Bastitera is the nation on the continent that has suffered the least from the cataclysm. This is ironic in more ways than one, given that they split up before the end of the game.
But even they aren’t completely immune to the aftermath.
“Rather, it’s the non-human mutants that are the problem.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
There is so much unexplored territory. Beasts run rampant just outside the city center. Even before the Cataclysm, hunters were dying daily in the outlying areas, so why not now?
“Your brother and sister-in-law must be having a hard enough time.”
“Are you going to go? It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face.”
“Maybe I’ll stop by sooner or later.”
“Let me know if you’re going anywhere.”
“Come on, I knew you’d be bothered.”
“I realized that avoiding it didn’t make it less work.”
Chelsea smiled sheepishly.
“And this place is both good and bad. It’s full of lust….”
The stop gambling challenge was still going well.
“You should think about taking Sarah on a trip, we’re royalty over there, it’s all worth it, we can show her the castle.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
Of course, it won’t be a leisurely journey.
There will be a purpose independent of the current state of Bastiterra. There are characters there that you can use in future events. That is, if you haven’t already screamed yourself to death.
But it’s not like I can’t squeeze it in.
‘You’ll have to visit Asterike’s hometown at least once.
The trip to Bastitera was decided a long time ago. The time is still undetermined. There is a problem to be solved first, and it will sneak up on us sooner or later.
Main episode.
It’s almost time to run again.