Chapter 100

After closing the car door, Kim covered her forehead with her arm. She frowned as hard as she could. The sun was shining brightly, stinging her eyes.
“Ha, maybe I should have brought a driver.”
The sound of regret came out of my mouth. The whole time I was driving, my body and mind were tired. No matter how much the physical performance improves, a person cannot become like a machine.
The move alone took about 10 days.
This time, I didn’t take a helicopter. Not only is it not urgent, but it’s risky to use a helicopter in the first place.
“Though overland is just as dangerous.
I’ve been plagued by a terrible beast.
This was fine for stopping in towns and cities along the way, but not every time. There were times when I had to sleep in the car.
And then I realized. I might as well pull an all-nighter.
“Bitter. I can’t even travel alone.”
The presence of the Invisible Man was much needed. The beasts were more frequent than they had been in Kilikia. It would be more accurate to say that it was a feature of the region rather than bad luck.
Kim took in the scenery around him with renewed interest.
“You’ve been to every desert in your life.”
The terrain consisted of high and low sand dunes. Instead of cacti, the hills are studded with strange ivory-colored rocks. Mutated dung beetles crawl under the rocks.
There are footprints and tire tracks that you can’t tell when they were made. Traces that will sooner or later be buried in the sand.
Suddenly, the battlefield of Bastiterra flashed in my mind. I saw the snow piling up over the bodies. I wonder what lies buried here, and how deep.
It makes you unnecessarily aware of your feet.
“Let’s go.
He pulled on his shemagh and cloak tightly and stretched his legs.
A long-abandoned ruin that has already been visited by countless grave robbers. You could search for three days and three nights and still not find any artifacts.
I don’t really care. But there are steps to take before entering the city.
“I’ve been waiting.”
A person walked out from behind a weathered pillar.
Like Kim, she wears a full body covering, except for the area around her eyes. His gait is unsteady, his upper body barely swaying.
His gaze dropped to his hands. I can’t tell if they’re armed because they’re hidden by their sleeves.
Did they realize they were being watched?
“You’re very vigilant.”
The man rolled up his sleeves to reveal his bare hands, and Kim’s stare became intense.
“I’m sorry if I was rude. I’ve heard some nasty rumors.”
“No, I’m actually a little relieved that you’re not a tourist.”
“What kind of crazy person would come to Banjar for sightseeing?”
“I feel the same way, but there are some people who don’t take life too seriously, especially those who think the world is a small place.”
He said it like a joke, but there wasn’t even a hint of laughter in his tone. It was just dry. The man pulled a small object from his arm as he watched Kim’s eyes.
An artifact hanging from a frayed leather strap. Kim also held out a symbol that Kushan had given him beforehand. After checking that the shapes matched, they put it back.
“You said Shahid. You’re not one of the Lab’s spies, are you?”
“Yes. I am personally carrying out Mr. Morea’s instructions.”
Morea, another name for Kushan.
“A foot is a wide place.
Kim was tongue-in-cheek. Kushan has a lot of personal connections outside of rap. It’s not a deep relationship, but it’s a useful one.
Shahid handed over his ID. It was dated May 2, 2040, four years ago. The name on the card was also incorrect.
This was also one of the benefits of working with the lab.
“You don’t have to worry about it getting out. It’s a valuable source of funding for me.”
“Funding. Does that change when an employer comes along who cares more than Morea?”
“Wouldn’t that require that your information be worth it in the first place?”
“I guess so, too.”
Morea watched emotionlessly as Kim gathered his ID. Then he turned away, pulling the sodden cloth up to the tip of his nose.
“Follow me.”
You move ahead. Again, the way she walked was peculiar: her clothes didn’t even make a sound. If I took my eyes off her for a moment, I would miss her.
As they followed, they saw an old off-roader parked at the side of the ruins. Morea popped the trunk and nodded inside.
It meant go in.
“I got my ID, do I have to smuggle it in?”
“Checkpoints won’t be a problem. Instead, word will get out that there’s a new outsider in town, and tomorrow or the day after, there’ll be a fight at the place you’re staying.”
“Tough neighborhood to stick around.”
“Mostly yes.”
Kim shrugged and shoved himself into the luggage compartment. Surprisingly, there was little resistance. In fact, she’d gotten to the point where she didn’t think much of it.
It just feels fresh.
“I feel a little bad for Ainoa.
A few months ago, I was carrying a person, and now I was in the position of being carried in reverse. I didn’t mean to, but my life experience was getting richer by the day.
Chin.
The light disappeared as the trunk closed.
After a while, I started to shake as the car started to move. If I waited any longer, I would be in a new city I didn’t recognize.
“How long will it take.
I was feeding him dry food, and I missed real food.
* * *
The car stops and starts moving again several times.
The initial “are we there yet?” turned into “are we there now?”, “are we there yet?”, and “when?” over and over again.
It’s hard enough to stay awake. Sleep can come even in the most uncomfortable spaces. I chewed on the kettle beak to chase away my drowsiness.
The low ceilings opened up and natural light poured in.
“Come on out.”
Shahid’s blue eyes still showed no emotion. Somehow, he was uncomfortable to deal with. Kim Yi Hyun made a “huh” sound and slipped out of the trunk.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in the city. I’m not sure how long I thought…….”
Ironclad.
I felt a touch on the top of my head.
“I thought …… was going to take forever.”
The feel of solid metal was not unfamiliar.
Kim kept his head down, his eyes rolling from side to side. A dark, shadowy alleyway. Obviously, it wasn’t a public place.
“I can see five people right now.
Each is wrapped in a dark-colored cloth. Three of them have daggers drawn and two are holding pistols. Not only that, but I could feel a stirring behind me.
“Slowly raise both hands. Palms open.”
A gravelly voice came from right in front of me. It was a man with a gun to his head. Kim did as he was ordered. There was no point in resisting at this point.
“Should I do this?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lift your head.”
As he raised his head, the muzzle followed. Kim recognized the face of the man who held the pistol to his forehead.
Sun-tanned, brownish skin, dark eyebrows, and a hawkish nose. He was a resident of Polaris who never appeared in the game.
“I can’t tell where you’re from, but that’s probably a good thing.”
The man nodded to his companion. The young man took the signal and pulled the blade from Kim’s back. He didn’t stop there, groping and searching her body.
“That’s pretty thorough.
Kim glanced over the smirking man’s shoulder at Shahid. Shahid was being handed a leather pouch by the man’s associate.
“Don’t hold it against him. He’s done what he’s been asked to do, as long as you’ve given him a false identity and gotten him to the center of the city. After that, it’s up to him.”
“You’re right.”
A place with a continent-wide reputation for danger. As Shahid, it’s enough for him to tell Kushan, “You guided us well, but you’re a guest.
There’s no way he’s going to get booked.
“So what happens to me?”
“Hmm.”
The man looked Kim up and down as if he were quoting her.
“Limbs intact, face not too bad, a certain aura about him, and with any luck, the chestnut will be sold to a lonely widow and live out the rest of his days in comfort.”
“What if I’m unlucky?”
“I don’t know, I’ve had a few unusual customers, like a sodomite and a researcher who’s a little off his rocker. Oh, and there seems to be a recent fad for taxidermy of human heads.”
“What a bunch of crazies.”
“I agree, but unfortunately, the crazier you are, the better you seem to be.”
It’s a no-brainer.
Banjar has been in a state of anarchy for decades. The police force has been effectively disbanded and there is no regular army. Violent criminals rule the roost.
Classic lawlessness.
It is a place where gunfights are fought casually in the streets. Banzar has become a continental dumping ground for those unable to live in normal society.
“Okay, end of story.”
As soon as the pat-down is over, he ends the conversation. Apparently, it was just a momentary diversion. The man shoves the confiscated money into his pocket and snorts.
“Since you seem to have your head on straight, I’d advise you to refrain from any shenanigans. Even corpses have their own demands.”
The implication was that he would shoot you if you tried to talk back.
“Drag him away.”
His coworkers then grabbed him by both arms and led him away. They walk down a dirty alley and enter an unmarked building.
The room had minimal furniture, like a couch. The cement walls, unwallpapered, were covered in freshly painted marks. The faint smell of blood wafted through the air.
Gain.
The door is closed.
Sanae untied her hood and flopped down on the couch. He picks up the rolling bottle of liquor like a piece of trash and stares at Kim.
“Tie him up nicely and put him in the corner.”
“Yep. Alex, get the rope.”
The young man who had been called headed upstairs. Shahid had long since retreated. By now, he’s probably got the money in a safe or something.
There are six people in here now. Out of the corner of his eye, Kim measured the width of the room.
‘Well, it’s gotten so narrow.’
It looks uncomfortable to move, but it can be done.
Bam!
Kim shook off the men who grabbed his arms with a large upper body rotation. A sudden movement, and more strength than she could have imagined. The two unable to react fell to the ground with a thud.
“Ha, I knew it.”
He clicked his tongue and raised his pistol, as if to say, “I’ll take a limb, even if it’s worth less.
That was the plan.
“……what?”
Until a shotgun appears out of nowhere.
Ta-da!
Without a second’s delay, the trigger was pulled. A shower of beads from the muzzle struck the man’s face and torso. A hail of bullets jerked his body backward.
A plume of gunpowder smoke drifted into the air.
“You didn’t see this coming, did you, asshole?”
When in Rome, follow Roman law.