Chapter 186

Two weeks after returning from an extended deployment.
At that moment, Leila, who was staying in the lab, received an unexpected visitor.
“As an introduction from Mr. Hyun?”
I didn’t feel too wary when I first met the brother and sister duo. They weren’t shy or reclusive, and the trust that comes with the name “Hyun” was strong.
If anything, I was intrigued.
“That’s unusual, this is the first time you’ve sent someone like this, isn’t it?”
“Really? Didn’t you pick up a few people from somewhere every time you went out?”
“Mostly because he brought them in himself, and Mr. Hyun is very talented.”
“So that means they’re not in Hyun’s eyes… Okay, I’ll be quiet.”
Pablo, who was habitually rude, immediately zipped his mouth shut. The world has gotten harsher, and Leila is able to scold him with a much stinging glare than before.
Stares demanded an explanation, and Turkam stepped forward.
“Oh, well, staffing is a bit of a stretch.”
Turkam glanced at the Silvas brothers. Clara hadn’t changed during the journey, perhaps because of the drugs Kim had given her. Her condition was stable, except for the night sweats.
“I’m Vodik Silvas, and this is my sister, Klara.”
“Hi, I’m….”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, please feel free to call me Leila.”
He couldn’t bear to leave them alone, let alone make room for them. Turkam pulled out the letter he’d brought with him. It was more of a folded note than a letter, but it was functional.
“You’ll know the story when you read it.”
“Thank you for passing that along, Mr. Turkam.”
Leila nodded in understanding and began to read the note. For a moment, she wondered why she had even written a letter. Her eyes rolled, and her expression hardened as they rolled.
By the time she finished, Leila’s face was serious.
“I see. I’m glad all three of you made it this far in one piece, especially Clara, you must have been very scared, but you’ve done well, and I’m sure you have your brother to thank for that.”
“What? No, I’m…….”
It wasn’t a far-fetched statement; in fact, Clara was terrified and confused every day, not knowing when she would turn into a monster. But there was something bigger than that.
It was a guilty pleasure.
“…I’m not the one who needs to be consoled.”
I was tricked by my broker into ingesting the larvae. My inferiority complex and impulsiveness led me to do something stupid, and my response was even worse. I knew I was infected, but I turned a blind eye and did everything wrong.
He harmed civilians, and most of all, he ruined my brother’s life. He would have been better off dead, but he didn’t have the courage to kill himself. He is still here today, brazenly alive.
“It couldn’t have been easy.
We can only assume that there was some behind-the-scenes maneuvering that led to the banishment.
How many people have I inconvenienced?
As much as Clara blamed me, Kim did her no favors. Of course, the broker is to blame for the situation, but there’s no defense for hiding the infection.
As individuals, they are understandable, but they are only individuals. Kim was in a position where he had to prioritize the security of the city over a player from a second-tier league he didn’t know.
Nevertheless, Leila said
“There’s no one in this world who shouldn’t be comforted.”
His tone was tinged with a hint of bitterness.
To Leila, every living thing on the continent was a victim of the cataclysm. Everyone deserved to feel injustice and anger because they had been caught in the crossfire. She truly felt that way.
“Don’t beat yourself up any more than you have to, it’s a tough world out there and we all get desensitized to other people’s hurts, so you have to be able to take care of yourself more than anyone else.”
The Silvas brothers’ faces went blank. They hadn’t expected such a serious answer. Leila scratched her red cheeks, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed.
“Ahaha, I may have said something presumptuous.”
“…No, I’m impressed.”
“Thank you for the kind words, by the way, umm. Given your circumstances, I’m afraid I can’t take you straight to your quarters. I know you’ve traveled a long way and are tired, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to stay with us for a while?”
Aluminum, no, Bodiek, exchanged a glance with Clara. They both shook their heads. The Celbrox Labs, they’d heard about. The malicious rumors of the world faded in their minds.
“Thank you. I’d like you to get a quick checkup first, and then stop by Human Resources and let me know if you’d like to…….”
There are some people who seem exceptionally friendly and warm, even when they’re talking about business. Leila was one such person, and her colorful smile had the power to break down psychological barriers.
I was on my way out of an overhaul.
“Oh, Professor.”
“Leila. There you are.”
Clutching her mug, she bumped into a professor walking down the hall. The aroma of coffee wafted from the steaming mug. The dark circles around her eyes were unnerving against her fair skin.
“You’re up at this hour?”
“What time is it….”
“It’s 3:15, it’s still afternoon.”
“It’s not bedtime, is it? Usually.”
“That’s not the typical lifestyle of a professor these days.”
“Yes, it is.”
Leila sighed, as if she didn’t care how tired she looked.
“Were you in the video room all night again today?”
“Uh huh. Going over the logs from the last operation.”
“It’s great that you’re working, but you need to rest.”
“There are some things you can only do when you’re rested, so in a way, I’m more rested than most.”
Leila’s eyes lit up at the ridiculousness of the sophistry. She was about to burst out in a barrage of rebukes, but held herself back. The professor’s eyes were glancing behind her.
“Who are you two, new agents?”
“Not really, I was referred to you by Mr. Hyun….”
“Strings?”
Their eyes met, and Bodick swallowed hard.
‘……what?
It was a strange impression. He didn’t seem to care that his face was ragged from the vigil. His eyes were deep and serene, not matching his youthful appearance. It was a different kind of calm from the Kim I had met before.
Bodiek had come into contact with so many human figures from all walks of life that he had a clear idea of what he was feeling. It was a wariness that was a long way from love.
This is the type of person you don’t want to let down.
I had just come to a conclusion in my head.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, and I’m sure you have a complicated history, but we’ll talk more about it another time, when you’re more familiar with the place.”
And I completely lost interest in both of them.
“By the way, Leila. Did you tell Turkam about this?”
“What? Which?”
“That’s what Hyun asked for. You just finished the prototype.”
“Oh, yeah, he did, but he went to take a break, so I’ll have to let him know later.”
It was as if she didn’t care. Leila smirked bitterly at the coldness of his demeanor, but she didn’t poke him directly. The past two years had changed anyone.
However, the professor’s transformation was different in nature from that of others.
Like wiping off a dusty mirror, she was returning to her old self. She was back to her old self: intelligent, level-headed, and capable of caring about people on the other side of the fence, even if they were wrong.
It was an impact that brought back some memories.
The professor took a sip of coffee and spoke up.
“I haven’t seen Hyun in a while.”
“Because it’s so hard for us to make time for each other.”
“I wish I could stop by Kilikia sometime.”
“I’ll have to call him, he might not be available.”
The professor smiled faintly. Even as he regained his old self, his admiration for Kim Yi Hyun remained. There was no one else like him in the vague recesses of his memory.
The string was an outlier in more ways than one.
“Right.”
They didn’t realize it.
That the reunion is not as far away as you think.
* * *
saaaaaaah-.
The charred corpses of the dead parasites begin to dissipate. Fine particles dissolved into the air. Only when he was sure he had killed all of them did Kim release his axe.
“I think we’re done. Good job.”
“Hyun struggled too, Chelsea and Edwin.”
“I think about it all the time, Mr. Edwin is struggling, really.”
“Is that so? I’m not aware of it being particularly difficult.”
Edwin’s nonchalant response caught the attention of the team. Not only Chelsea, who was always the center of attention, but also Kim Yi Hyun. This was because he looked like a horse.
As a result of their dislocation, they are covered in bodily fluids at every turn. The stuck bits of guts are supposed to be removed when the parasite dies, but they don’t come out until the blood has soaked the clothes.
What’s more, Edwin himself bleeds as much as the parasite. The blue-red liquid was thick and foul-smelling. I almost felt sorry for myself, wondering if I’d gone too far.
“I don’t have what you have, so I just hit you with my body.”
“I’ve been cut, stabbed, and stomped on, and my voice hasn’t quivered.”
“I know my sister says it, but I’m sick too.”
“He’s a pillar of our company, Am.”
As a game-changing character, having Edwin on your side makes the fight much easier. There are few tanks that can’t die more than a complete Parasite.
“Well, that’s simpler than I thought.”
“Yeah. It’s a lot easier than traveling separately, too.”
I was out of town today. At the request of the Council. There were reports of a large number of Eggs near the city, and Dustborn was called in urgently to deal with them.
The security forces also sent personnel, judging the risk of the operation.
I followed them, but alas, they never stepped up.
“You’d better get back to work, you’re too tired to rest.”
“What? Oh, I see.”
“Or is there something else you need to check?”
“No! Nothing at all, let’s get back to work.”
“I get it, you’ve been working hard too.”
Did I… struggle? I don’t remember struggling at all.
The commander of the riot police followed Kim’s back as he walked to his vehicle. What he had just seen seemed like a hallucination. The battle had never seemed so real.
“I thought you were an expert in parasite warfare….”
The commander chuckled to himself as one of his men muttered something. They hadn’t struck at the Parasite’s weaknesses in any particularly novel way, just by overwhelming force.
“Is it a parasite or a nabal, and does it matter?
No matter what you’re up against, it’s going to put on an outrageous performance.
If I may be so bold as to exaggerate, you could even take on a country.
“Good thing you’re an ally.
If the day comes when you have to face them.
At that point, it seemed like I should really start thinking about retirement.
* * *
July 2, 2047.
It’s been three days since you’ve returned from dealing with the Egg. With the big case out of the way, I could enjoy my vacation without Bryce or Ekidna prying.
“Well, at least I’ve been training.
It’s a city with a lot of nightlife, but it had nothing to do with Kim. She had a great tutor, so it was hard to take up strange hobbies.
It’s just a more relaxed approach to training.
The trainees aren’t doing too badly either. Yudahi has become more serious, and Leone has lost some of her overly venomous streak. Judging by their rapid growth, their time in combat is not far off.
I also wander the streets with Asterike.
When Chelsea brings Sarah over, we sometimes play with her.
I was living a relatively relaxed life.
“String. We’ve got a signal from the safe house at the Cellbrox Labs?”
“What signal?”
“They’re coming this way?”
The evening of the day I received the report from Ekidna.
Three Lab-owned vehicles crossed a checkpoint in Kilikia.
“…… Mr. Hyun.”
Leila, reunited after a long absence, announced the news with a dark complexion.
“The warden has been taken into custody.”
The start of the main episode.