Chapter 29

“It’s over. We win, Leila.”

Breathlessness mingled with the announcement of victory. Even Ghost, who was used to being called a machine by his peers, was exhausted.

Leila winced as she tried to turn her head away. Her head pinged. Her vision blurred, then the ground began to grow closer.

“Are you okay?”

Ghost caught Leila’s falling body. Only then did she realize that she had almost fallen. Leila gave a small nod.

“I’m… yeah. I’m a little dizzy, but I’m fine.”

“Let’s go back to the embassy and get some rest. The guards here will be busy with the aftermath, and they won’t be able to pay attention to us for a while.”

The word “aftermath” came to life in hindsight. The battle was over. After so much horror and so much tragedy.

Leila crouched over the broken tiles, her vision filled with signs of destruction.

A guard with indelible chapters on his half body. Legion corpses hung like laundry in the rubble of an exploded building…….

It was a horrible sight.

“Can we call this a win?”

“They’re dead, and we’re alive.”

“We didn’t save everyone either.”

Two of the lab’s operatives were among the dead.

The cigar battle with the Legion was intense and chaotic. I could have chalked it up to luck that only two people died.

Leila didn’t.

“……Laila, who’s to blame for that?”

There was a collective sigh.

“Was it the Legion, the professor who commanded it, or the other agents who didn’t behave as you expected?”

Leila’s head snapped up. She opened her mouth to say it was a misunderstanding, but shut it. She could see the worry and regret in Ghost’s eyes as he looked down at her.

“I, the professor, and the other agents respect your wishes. Whatever you say, no matter what your intentions, we can’t help but think about it, so there’s nothing else you can say right now.”

It was stinging advice.

Leila pressed her hand to my chest and turned around. First the professor, then the agents gathering behind him.

Their wounds were bandaged, their faces smeared with grime and dust.

“Thank you all for your efforts. You saved the city, and if it wasn’t for you, many innocent people would have lost their lives.”

Agents had shed their blood to save strangers in a country that wasn’t their own, and she understood how difficult it was.

“Professor, that was great command, and… I’m sorry I got you into such a dangerous situation.”

“That’s a little familiar. It was similar the first time.”

Leila laughed weakly at the professor’s joke. Naturally, she recalled the time. The short but dangerous, arduous and mysterious journey.

“How is Mr. Hyun doing?”

“No matter how bad he is, he’s better than us, right?”

“Ahhhh…. I guess that works too.”

Pablo’s nudge revitalized her a little. Leila pushed her exhausted body to her feet.

Ghost told him to rest, but he had a lot of work to do. Rescue and first aid for the civilians. Double-check the agents’ injuries and send a call to the lab.

Whatever it took to survive.

* * *

Rattle.

The bell on the door tinkled crisply. Entering the café, Kim glanced around at the seats before heading to a corner.

As I sat down in my chair, I checked the time on my phone. It was 14:54, six minutes before my appointment, and the seat across from me was already taken.

“That’s a surprise. I thought you were going to be right on time.”

“Yeah, I’ve been keeping track of my behavior for the last 10 minutes, although sometimes I forget depending on who I’m meeting.”

Selective oblivion, as they say. Kim agreed, convinced that it was.

“So you’re saying I’ve become someone who can keep you waiting for ten minutes?”

“And I’ll even pay for your coffee.”

“I’ll have a chocolate latte, please.”

I said something off the top of my head, and he shook his head. Apparently, the order wasn’t what he expected.

“Did you have a sweet tooth?”

“I’ve been feeling a little fuzzy lately, so I’m going to get some sugar.”

Lately, I’ve been eating nothing but alcohol and meat. I felt like I had oil and alcohol running through my body. All of the surviving White Fang members were jujutsu.

Kim let out an unnecessary sigh and looked around the room. The interior was quite familiar. The modern atmosphere was reminiscent of the franchise cafes that are everywhere in Korea.

“It’s a place I frequent, isn’t it?”

The man who finished placing his order on the terminal at his seat asked. I recognized him from the council. It was a young man with the unusual name of Kavek.

“I just kind of like the old-school look, and while I don’t mind colorful neon, it’s just not calming.”

“You don’t look old.”

“Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you don’t like the old.”

It was a nostalgic space for Kim, but run-down by Kilikia’s standards.

Kavek’s old-fashioned tastes told him where to go. Kim saved the location information to her device and spoke again.

“What are you here for today?”

Two weeks since the capture, or rather, defense, of Kilikia. The fighting in MetroCity has reached the surface and caused a great uproar.

Brave bounty hunters and corporate mercenaries fought tooth and nail, and law enforcement was able to quell the brutal mob…….

It wasn’t false.

The operation was successful in that no mutations reached the ground. If the publicity stunt was a bit over the top, it’s nothing to complain about – they weren’t playing around.

“I can’t say I got screwed by Snowfield for nothing.

Many prisoners were taken and punishment was carried out daily. Most were executed or spent the rest of their lives as slaves in the arena.

‘If you’re lucky, you’ll end up in the mines.

The reality was a far cry from the glorious future that Outlaw envisioned. Of course, there’s no room for sympathy. It’s all self-inflicted.

“I thought you were calling to complain about something, but it doesn’t look like it.”

“What do you mean, regrettable?”

“For example… reimburse my coworker for the material damage he caused, which he really shouldn’t have done.”

“Uh-oh, what are you talking about?”

Kavek threw up his hands in embarrassment.

“I wasn’t there, but I heard the stories. I was overwhelmed that an immigrant like you would do so much for Kilikia.”

Kavek’s demeanor was decidedly more polite than before. From Legion’s finest to Kilikia’s hero. It was quite a rise in status.

Asterique, a first-class citizen, woke up after three days of sleep, feeling strong but mentally exhausted, so I told her to rest for a while.

For Kim, relaxation was always a necessity. She traveled to Asterique and the sightseeing spots, and spent time with the White Fang crew.

We also outlined our plans for the future.

“I’ve called you in today because I have an urgent proposal to make to you. It should have been me who came to you originally…….”

“No, it’s much more comfortable for me to come out.”

I didn’t want to meet with anyone from Congress near my home. It didn’t make sense to let them in the house. It was a mood thing.

“What are you talking about anyway? If you have business with Asterique, you’d better go to the manager.”

“No, I’m sure you’re going to take a break and focus on the league, I don’t want to interrupt, I’m rooting for you personally.”

Soon a serving machine delivered my drink. The cafe is dated in design, but the system is no different than any other Kilikia shop.

“This is a suggestion for you personally, Mr. Hyun.”

“Remuneration?”

I asked, bringing my mouth to the straw.

“I don’t want to make you feel bad, but I don’t know how much you were paid as a guest of Whitefin, but I’m sure it’s not less than that.”

“Oh. That’s quite a count.”

“That’s how highly they value it.”

Kabek says with a thin smile.

“The city has been abuzz since then. There’s been a growing chorus of voices condemning the Outlaws, and a huge influx of laborers have been flocking to MetroCity Station: construction companies, day laborers, and even reporters looking to squeeze out one more sensational story.”

“Hmmm.”

Kim sipped her drink, shaking her head. The sweetness seeped into her system. It wasn’t something she would seek out often, but once in a while, it was good.

“Of course, it’s only a frenzy now. In a month, it’ll cool down like it always does, and that’s what Congress wants.”

So far so good, Kavek said, pressing his eyeballs together tiredly.

“But again, there’s a problem: there’s no place for bounty hunters in the rebuilding effort that’s going on right now.”

“I suppose so.”

Participating bounty hunters received free medical treatment and regular rewards. It’s unlikely that they’d be troublemakers, as they’d have had to rethink their own lives in the aftermath.

“Fewer people survived in the first place.

The problem is the people who weren’t in on the action. The people who wake up and realize their jobs are gone.

It may involve moving rebar and applying cement. Construction companies don’t owe you back wages for being a bounty hunter.

It’s just that they don’t.

“Because anyone who can make a living doing something so normal wouldn’t think of becoming a bounty hunter in the first place, is that what you’re saying?”

“Well, hmm.”

Kavek coughed unnecessarily at the bigoted remark. He didn’t rebut it, because it perfectly summarized his thoughts.

It was actually a spit in my face. Kim is a bounty hunter himself, after all.

“It’s not at a serious stage yet… It’s like walking a tightrope between legal and illegal, so to speak, and they don’t want to be the outlaws in this atmosphere.”

The balance is very precarious. It’s a simple prediction that sooner or later, someone will get their hands dirty in a bad way.

Plan ahead.

“So. So, to summarize, you want me to do above ground what I do below ground?”

“It would be less radical than that.”

“I get it, but policing? I’m not sure that’s a job for a private citizen.”

“As you’ve probably already guessed, the Guard is not a very liberal organization, and it’s only through the cooperation of the individual citizens you mentioned that order is maintained in Kilikia.”

Security forces are only the bare minimum to keep a city safe. If they actively wielded their power, businesses would not sit idly by.

The power of Congress is quite limited. This is because the league and many of the city’s foundations are driven by corporate power.

It’s an environment of mutual reinforcement.

Poof, poof.

Kim drummed her fingers on the table. The promised big paycheck. With the Council behind him, he wouldn’t have to worry about being reduced to a pawn.

It’s a tempting deal. I was also in need of money to take the next step.

“No, we could just do it all at once.

The hand stopped moving. He decided to put this opportunity to better use.

“Okay. Let’s just stay positive, and can I make one suggestion from my end?”

“We can accommodate almost any need.”

“That’s good.”

You set the disposable cup down on the table. The ice cubes clinked together in the cup.

“Actually, I know some of the guys who are good at it, and they seem to be free at the right time.”

“Is that what you said?”

“Why don’t we just go bigger?”

Now it was time to build a faction.